Senior Program Manager (Associate Director, Educational Leadership)

WestEd is a community of over 1,400 researchers, practitioners, consultants, and administrative professionals dedicated to making a qualitative difference in the lives of youth, children, and adults. We conduct and apply research, develop evidence-based solutions, and provide consulting services across the country to improve equitable outcomes from infancy through adulthood. As trusted partners in education, health, and justice, we enhance capacity within communities and school districts through customized methodologies, tools, and best practices.

About the Role

The Senior Program Manager provides strategic and technical leadership for a portfolio of educational leadership and system improvement initiatives. This position leads complex client engagements, designs and facilitates professional learning and technical assistance, develops service offerings, cultivates client partnerships, and contributes to the growth and sustainability of the team’s work. The role serves as a senior thought partner to educational leaders, helping them address complex challenges, use evidence to inform decisions, and build organizational capacity.

Responsibilities

• Lead the design and facilitation of high-quality professional learning and technical assistance for school, district, county, state, and other education leaders.
• Contribute to leadership development services including Leadership Playbook, Leading Systems, Leading from the Middle, School Leadership Team Networks, leadership retreats, coaching, and other professional learning initiatives.
• Design learning experiences that integrate research, evidence, adult learning, and the practical realities of educational leadership.
• Serve as a senior facilitator and thought partner to executive, district, and school leaders addressing complex leadership and system challenges.
• Support leaders in using data and evidence to identify needs, make decisions, monitor implementation, and strengthen continuous improvement.
• Develop and refine frameworks, tools, resources, and approaches that strengthen WestEd’s leadership development and system improvement services.
• Direct multiple complex projects and client engagements from design through implementation, evaluation, and continuous improvement.
• Provide leadership and oversight for project teams, budgets, work plans, timelines, deliverables, and quality assurance.
• Manage a portfolio of related work and identify opportunities to increase coherence, quality, reach, and impact across projects.
• Identify and address complex or cross-functional challenges collaboratively with colleagues and agency leaders.
• Use implementation evidence, participant feedback, data, and research to assess effectiveness and strengthen services.
• Ensure projects reflect WestEd’s standards for quality, responsiveness, fiscal stewardship, and client service.
• Build and sustain trusted relationships with school district, county, state, and national education leaders.
• Serve as a strategic thought partner to clients, translating research, evidence, and emerging practices into actionable approaches.
• Identify emerging needs and opportunities within the field and translate those into responsive technical assistance and professional learning.
• Represent WestEd through presentations, convenings, professional networks, conferences, and other dissemination opportunities.
• Develop partnerships with organizations and individuals whose expertise can extend the reach and impact of WestEd’s work.
• Contribute to the visibility and national reputation of WestEd’s educational leadership work.
• Identify and cultivate opportunities to expand educational leadership and system improvement services with existing and prospective partners.
• Lead proposal development for mid-sized projects and contribute to larger proposals and funding opportunities.
• Develop scopes of work, project approaches, budgets, staffing models, and partnerships that respond to client needs and advance WestEd’s strategic priorities.
• Help build and sustain a coherent body of work supporting the growth of the Educational Leadership and System Design portfolio.
• Contribute to the strategy, positioning, and continuous improvement of established and emerging service offerings.
• Collaborate across WestEd to identify opportunities for interdisciplinary partnerships and new areas of work.
• Lead and support project and service teams, establishing clear direction, roles, expectations, and standards for high-quality work.
• Supervise, mentor, and develop staff, strengthening their capacity in facilitation, technical assistance, project leadership, and client partnership.
• Lead across roles and teams through influence, collaboration, and shared purpose.
• Collaborate with colleagues across WestEd to connect expertise in research, evaluation, policy, professional learning, and technical assistance.
• Contribute to a team culture grounded in learning, collaboration, reflection, and continuous improvement.

Qualifications

• Advanced degree in education, educational leadership, public policy, evaluation, or a related field.
• Significant experience in school district, county, state, or other educational system leadership, including senior-level responsibility for programs, initiatives, or organizational improvement.
• Deep knowledge of educational leadership, organizational and system improvement, and the implementation of complex educational initiatives.
• Demonstrated experience designing and facilitating professional learning and technical assistance for educational leaders.
• Experience leading complex projects and multiple workstreams, including responsibility for project strategy, teams, budgets, deliverables, and client relationships.
• Demonstrated ability to use research, data, and evidence to inform decision making, program design, and continuous improvement.
• Experience building trusted relationships with senior educational leaders and diverse partners.
• Experience developing staff and leading teams, including through influence across organizational roles.
• Experience contributing to business development, proposal development, or the growth of programs and services.
• Excellent facilitation, presentation, written communication, and interpersonal skills.
• Ability to travel throughout California and across the country as needed.

Preferred Qualifications

• Doctoral degree in education, educational leadership, evaluation, or a related field.
• Senior district or system-level leadership experience.
• Experience in applied research, program evaluation, assessment, accountability, or continuous improvement.
• Experience leading professional learning or technical assistance across multiple districts, regions, or states.
• Experience presenting at state or national conferences and contributing to professional networks, publications, or other field-facing dissemination.
• Experience developing and sustaining partnerships across educational organizations.
• Knowledge of emerging issues affecting educational leaders, including the effective use of technology, data, and artificial intelligence to support organizational learning and decision making.

What Success Looks Like

• Build trusted partnerships with educational leaders and serve as valued thought partners on complex leadership and system challenges.
• Lead engaging, research-informed professional learning and technical assistance that moves from learning to implementation and sustained practice.
• Successfully lead multiple projects and teams while maintaining high standards for quality, client service, and fiscal stewardship.
• Use research, evidence, and data to strengthen services and help leaders make informed decisions.
• Develop colleagues and strengthen the collective capacity of project and service teams.
• Identify opportunities to deepen client partnerships and grow a sustainable body of work.
• Expand the reach, visibility, and impact of WestEd’s educational leadership and system improvement services.

Visa sponsorship is not available for this position. Successful candidates must be authorized to work in the United States. WestEd conducts a criminal background check and education verification for all new hires.

Pay

The full salary range for this position is $140,800 to $220,000. The typical hiring range is $140,800 to $176,000. The actual offer considers multiple factors, including education, experience, internal equity, and organizational needs.

Benefits

• 15% contribution toward retirement effective day 1 of employment and immediately 100% vested.
• Pre-tax Flexible Spending Accounts and Health Savings Account option.
• All health/welfare benefits effective the first of the month following the hire date.
• PTO: 19 days (increases to 21 days beginning the third year of employment), 12 paid holidays.
• Life Insurance: value of 3x gross salary, max of $500,000.
• Opportunities for annual merit-based performance increases + annual incentives.
• Professional development opportunities & mentorship program.

For more details about our benefits, visit WestEd Benefits.