Program Associate, Literacy

WestEd Career • San Francisco, CA

1d • Remote

About The Position

About WestEd As a community of over 1,400 researchers, practitioners, consultants, and administrative professionals from all backgrounds and life experiences, we are committed 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 in both rural and urban communities to improve equitable outcomes for individuals from infancy through adulthood. Serving as trusted partners in the areas of education, health, and justice, our teams enhance capacity within communities and school districts to prioritize impact — asking the right questions, customizing methodologies, developing relevant tools, and implementing best practices specific to a diverse range of stakeholder needs. WestEd supports individual initiative, excellence, and hard work of all individuals in our hiring and work practices. WestEd complies with all applicable federal and state anti-discrimination laws, as well as OFCCP requirements. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to disability, or status as a protected veteran. SPECIAL NOTICE REGARDING THE WORK LOCATION OF THIS POSITION—Although WestEd provides the option of working at one of its facilities for employees, many roles allow employees to choose to work remotely for their own convenience. The decision to allow remote work at the employee's convenience is based on the requirements of the position or project in question. About the Team: WestEd's Language and Literacy team is a collaborative group of researchers, practitioners, and professional learning designers united by a shared commitment to equity and excellence in literacy education. We partner with schools, districts, and state education agencies to strengthen literacy outcomes for all learners through professional learning design and facilitation, instructional coaching, curriculum development, and program evaluation across grade levels and contexts. We bring both rigor and care to everything we do, grounding our practice in research while centering the assets and experiences of the educators and students we serve. Our work reflects deep expertise supporting multilingual learners, students who struggle with reading, and educators working in diverse and under-resourced settings.

Requirements

• Deep knowledge of the science of reading, including phonological awareness, phonics, fluency, vocabulary, and comprehension, and how these interact across development.
• Knowledge of disciplinary and academic literacy instruction at the secondary level.
• Understanding of assets-based approaches to literacy instruction for multilingual learners (ELs) and striving readers.
• Ability to use student data and program evaluation findings to inform instructional and professional learning recommendations.
• Master’s degree in education, literacy, linguistics/applied linguistics, curriculum, or a related discipline.
• Minimum of 5 years of experience teaching in K-12 schools that support diverse populations.
• Minimum 3 years of experience designing and facilitating professional learning (workshops, institutes, virtual learning, etc.) for varied audiences, including design and facilitation for adult learners from diverse professional backgrounds.
• Minimum 3 years literacy coaching experience within a K-12 context.
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills.
• Excellent organizational, interpersonal, and collaboration skills; ability to work effectively with diverse staff, colleagues, and clients.
• Must be authorized to work in the United States.
• Successful candidates must pass a criminal background check and education verification.

Nice To Haves

• Experience designing writing-integrated literacy instruction.
• Experience with structured literacy or Science of Reading-aligned instructional approaches.
• Experience contributing to or supporting program evaluation, research-practice partnerships, or grant-funded initiatives.

Responsibilities

• Design and facilitate high-quality online and in-person literacy professional learning for teachers, coaches, and instructional leaders.
• Provide coaching and implementation support for teachers, coaches, and instructional leaders.
• Communicate effectively with a range of stakeholders (teachers, school administrators, and district leaders) and foster an effective, assets-based learning climate.
• Use formative and summative data from professional learning experiences to document professional progress and surface implementation successes/challenges to support iterative improvement of program design.
• Stay current with literacy research and emerging policy contexts (e.g., the Science of Reading, structured literacy mandates, multilingual learner policy) to ensure professional learning reflects evidence-based literacy practices.
• Collaborate with the Literacy team, teachers, and thought leaders to refine existing and develop new curriculum and resource materials.
• Use research to create materials and resources that build on the assets and meet the needs of diverse learners.
• Develop materials that bridge foundational skills and comprehension instruction across grade bands, including for intervention contexts and multilingual learners.
• Participate in agency-wide trainings.
• Collaborate with the Language and Literacy team to contribute to the growth, visibility, and quality of literacy services and publications.
• Contribute to proposals, publications, or conference presentations that advance the team's visibility and extend the evidence base for literacy improvement.

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 are 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 500k
• Opportunities for annual merit-based performance increases + annual incentives
• Professional development opportunities & mentorship program

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Mid Level