Program Associate, IDEA Fiscal Systems and Accountability

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.

Brief Description: 

WestEd’s Center for Education Systems, more specifically the Federal Fiscal Accountability team, partners with federal, state, and local agencies to strengthen the systems used to administer federal education programs and manage public resources effectively. The team supports clients in implementing the fiscal and programmatic provisions ofthe Education Department General Administrative Regulations (EDGAR), Uniform Grant Guidance, the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA), the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), and other federal programs serving children, students, and families from infancy through adulthood. 

We help educational agencies design and improve fiscal accountability systems, policies and procedures, resource allocation approaches, monitoring practices, and implementation strategies. Our work strengthens compliance, builds organizational capacity, promotes the effective coordination and use of federal, state, and local resources, and expands access to high-quality programs and services for eligible children, students, and families. 

Drawing on expertise in federal education policy, fiscal management, accountability, and inclusive teaching and learning, we support clients in developing systems and resource allocation approaches that prioritize improved experiences and outcomes for students. We serve federal, state, and local clients through national technical assistance centers, including the National Center for Systemic Improvement (NCSI) and the Center for IDEA Fiscal Reporting (CIFR), Regional Comprehensive Centers as well as through state and local-level projects across the country. Our services include systems coaching, technical assistance, resource development and dissemination, policy analysis, evaluation, and applied research.

The Opportunity 

We are seeking to add a detail-oriented professional to our team with knowledge of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) and experience administering or supporting special education or early intervention programs. The ideal candidate will understand special education fiscal accountability and funding systems and bring an interest in deepening their expertise in federal fiscal requirements. We are particularly interested in candidates with experience implementing and administering IDEA Part C to support our current and emerging project portfolio. 

As a Program Associate, you will support Senior Program Associates, Program Managers, and Project leads in providing technical assistance and other services to state agencies, local educational agencies, and other IDEA partners. The position will contribute to resource development, policy analysis, applied research, and state- and local-level projects, including support through CIFR related to IDEA Part B and/or Part C fiscal requirements and reporting. Preference will be given to candidates with IDEA Part C fiscal experience.  We value a commitment to high-quality work, clear communication, responsive technical assistance, and collaboration across fiscal, policy, research, and programmatic areas. 

Core Focus Areas and Responsibilities

Technical Assistance, Training, and Resource Development (70-80%) 

• Support technical assistance and consultation to states that aims to increase client capacity to meet IDEA program and fiscal requirements and improve outcomes for students with disabilities.
• Assist in developing and preparing materials for technical assistance and other content-specific projects.
• Contribute to the development and dissemination of resources, tools, and templates.
• Write clearly for various audiences, including contributing to project resources and reports describing and summarizing our work.
• Partner with teammates to review and summarize client materials including policy, background research, and other information.

Project and Task Coordination (20-30%) 

• Support events and meetings by organizing calendars, meeting materials, and meeting notes.
• Document, communicate expectations for, and track task completion by team members.
• Contribute to team meetings for project staff within existing infrastructures.
• Provide project coordination and support for specified tasks and streams of work within larger projects.

This position will require some travel up to 40% for on-site provision of technical assistance and meetings. 

What We’re Looking For 

• Bachelor’s degree in accounting, finance, business administration, public administration, education administration, special education, early childhood education, or related fields.
• Knowledge of federal fiscal accountability requirements and state and local finance systems, particularly as they relate to special education and early intervention programs.
• Experience administering or supporting special education, early intervention, federal education, or other publicly funded programs.
• Understanding of IDEA Part C systems, including the roles of state lead agencies, participating public agencies, early intervention service providers, and families familiarity with IDEA Part C fiscal requirements, such as payor of last resort, interagency financial responsibility, systems of payments, public and private insurance, reimbursement procedures, and fiscal monitoring.
• Ability to review, analyze, and summarize policies, procedures, budgets, fiscal documents, monitoring materials, and other complex information.
• Resourcefulness, careful attention to detail, and strong organizational skills including demonstrated use of organizational tools (e.g., Box, Salesforce, Outlook Calendar) and experience in successful project management.
• Strong oral and written communication skills including proofreading andproviding constructive feedback.
• Demonstrated ability to engage in active listening and summarize conversations, decision, and action items for internal teams and client partners.
• Strong problem-solving and decision-making skills, including the ability to prioritize work on multiple projects.
• High level of self-motivation and ability to work independently while seeking guidance when appropriate.
• Strong interpersonal skills including the ability to work collaboratively in a team and with client partners.                               

Other degrees, skills, abilities, and experiences of interest 

• Experience developing and implementing state procedures for meeting federal fiscal requirements including monitoring local educational agency (LEA) and local agency (LA) compliance.
• Experience developing and providing technical assistance and professional development.
• Group facilitation skills including experience facilitating professional learning networks and communities of practice.
• Eagerness to contribute to developing new strategies for quality assurance and project coordination.
• Knowledge of improvement science, implementation science, and other frameworks for continuous improvement.
• Understanding and application of adult learning theory in professional development and facilitation.

*Note: 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. Any offers of employment will be contingent on receiving a clear background check in accordance with applicable law.

SALARY AND BENEFITS:

The full salary range for this position, WestEd level (9), is $80,000 to $125,000, but WestEd does not typically hire at or near the top of the salary range. The typical hiring range for this role is $80,000 to $100,000. The actual offer considers multiple factors, including but not limited to education, experience, internal equity, and other organizational needs. 

In addition to the base salary, benefits include:

· 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 

For more details about our benefits, go to: https://www.wested.org/work-at-wested/#benefits WestEd is a Drug Free Employer and maintains a drug-free workplace. #LI-Remote   #Circa-Remote

Equal Opportunity Employer/Protected Veterans/Individuals with Disabilities

The contractor will not discharge or in any other manner discriminate against employees or applicants because they have inquired about, discussed, or disclosed their own pay or the pay of another employee or applicant. However, employees who have access to the compensation information of other employees or applicants as a part of their essential job functions cannot disclose the pay of other employees or applicants to individuals who do not otherwise have access to compensation information, unless the disclosure is (a) in response to a formal complaint or charge, (b) in furtherance of an investigation, proceeding, hearing, or action, including an investigation conducted by the employer, or (c) consistent with the contractor’s legal duty to furnish information. 41 CFR 60-1.35(c)