Project Director for Postsecondary Education

About West Ed

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.

The Project Director for Postsecondary Education works as part of the leadership team in the West Ed Center for Economic Mobility. The Center conducts research and evaluation, develops resources, and provides technical assistance to strengthen connections between education, workforce, and human services systems. Through analyzing regional labor markets, we identify ways to strengthen pathways and connect people in low-wage jobs to skilled employment, creating stronger pathways to economic self‑sufficiency and self‑determination.

• Innovative use of educational and economic data and creation of state and regional data tools to drive innovation in educational and workforce development systems.
• Use of learner and employer centered pathways and systems design to create more effective local and regional pathways that increase access to living‑wage jobs.
• Regional and statewide educational, workforce, and economic planning focused on long‑term systems change for vulnerable communities.
• Cutting‑edge research and evaluation to illuminate gaps in learner journeys, systems change, and innovative practices.

The Project Director has three primary areas of responsibility:
1) implementing projects that help postsecondary education systems utilize labor market information to support the economic mobility of learners,
2) leading strategy and business development, and
3) supervising staff and cultivating their development. The Project Director will be part of the Center for Economic Mobility leadership team, working with directors over other lines of work in workforce development, adult education, intersegmental pathways, research and evaluation, and data tools to support the growth of this aspect of West Ed’s work.

• Experience in a leadership role in open‑access postsecondary education, with a record of leading reform initiatives.
• Strong sense of labor market trends and how return‑on‑investment is reshaping the role of education in preparing people for well‑paid work.
• Deep understanding of postsecondary structures and systems, including college governance, programming, data systems, and change management.
• Strong facilitation skills, including leading groups of postsecondary practitioners through planning and program redesign processes that build consensus and create a shared purpose.
• Proven track record leading large, complex, multi‑year projects with demanding timelines and diverse technical, programmatic, and research components.
• Mastery of operational systems necessary to manage large projects such as contracting, staffing projections, budgeting, and fiscal management.
• Strong business development experience, including managing a diverse portfolio of projects while continuously engaging in proposal development leading to new projects and lines of work.
• Experience supervising a team with a focus on building strong career ladders, mentoring, performance management, and staff development.

Implementing Projects

• Provide oversight and mentoring to team members who lead projects within the postsecondary portfolio to ensure high quality work and fidelity to Center priorities.
• Lead projects by providing content expertise, supporting practitioners and policymakers to engage with labor market information, facilitating…