Westat is an employee-owned corporation providing research services to agencies of the U.S. Government, as well as businesses, foundations, and state and local governments. Westat's research, technical, and administrative staff of more than 2,000 is located at our headquarters in Rockville, Maryland, near Washington, DC.

Westat is committed to building a diverse workforce and a culture of inclusivity, belonging and equity for all. We believe that our greatest strength draws on the different backgrounds, cultures, perspectives and experiences of our employees.

Job Summary:
Westat is seeking a Research Analyst (Project Coordinator) to join our Education Studies Practice area and support research, training, and technical assistance activities for a project supporting the Office of Special Education at a State Department of Education. The project is composed of a collaborative team that works intentionally to build capacity of state and local education staff while supporting high quality data collection, analysis, and use for continuous improvement of systems.  

This position is contingent upon the award of the contract. 

Job Responsibilities:
•     Draft, edit, and modify documents including agendas, meeting notes, handouts, slides, memorandums, surveys, and reports.
•     Coordinate and interact with project teams, colleagues, and clients. 
•     Coordinate project timelines, including tracking and reporting of project tasks, budgeting and employee time projections, and coordination of deliverable preparation using project branding.
•     Provide support for in person and virtual training and communication efforts such as Zoom, Teams and other web conferencing services.
•     Provide support for budget, fiscal, reporting and analysis of all available data. 
•     Quality assurance (look at proposal for information)
•     Promote quality assurance across the project by inspecting products, materials, and presentations at different phases in their development to ensure they meet a set of project standards. Duties include performing visual inspections, recording quality issues, and planning processes to decrease the instance of errors in products, material and presentations. 
•     Over time, suggest improvements to procedures and processes to improve efficiency and effectiveness of Westat team.

Basic Qualifications: 
•     Typically requires a bachelor's degree or 2 plus years of experience in research, education, business, or a related field.
•     Familiarity with the evidence base for effective practices, programs, and interventions for infants, toddlers, children and youth.
•     Experience preparing written materials for wide audiences. 
•     Experience with hybrid, virtual, and in person meetings and events.
•     Proficiency with project management software (for example: Excel, Smartsheet, or similar).

Preferred Qualifications: 
•     Ability to carry out appropriate research activities including facilitating focus groups, conducting interviews, conducting literature reviews, and synthesizing quantitative and qualitative data.
•     Experience in topics such as early intervention and special education, rural education, educational equity, technical assistance/capacity-building services, and education research and/or program evaluation.
•     Experience in an education organization or agency at the local, state, or national level. 
•     Familiarity with other tools like Box, Google Drive, SharePoint, and Alchemer. 
•     Systems thinker. 
•     Understanding of project management strategies.
•     Experience managing budgets.

Other Required Qualifications: 
•     Demonstrated communication skills. 
•     Collaboration with teams, managers and/or clients.
•     Organization skills, including time management ability. 
•     Detail oriented.

Westat offers a well-rounded and comprehensive benefits program focused on wellness and work/life balance. Subject to plan requirements, employees may participate in:

• Employee Stock Ownership Plan
• 401(k) Retirement Plan
• Paid Parental Leave
• Vacation Leave (15 days per year)
• Sick Leave (10 days per year)
• Holiday Leave (7 government holidays and 2 Floating holidays)
• Professional Development
• Health Advocate
• Employee Assistance Program
• Travel Accident Insurance
• Medical Insurance
• Dental Insurance
• Vision Insurance
• Short Term Disability Insurance
• Long Term Disability Insurance
• Life and AD&D Insurance
• Critical Illness Insurance
• Supplemental Life Insurance
• Flexible Spending Account
• Health Savings Account

Westat is an Equal Opportunity Employer and does not discriminate on the basis of race, creed, color, religion, sex, national origin, age, veteran status, disability, marital status, sexual orientation, citizenship status, genetic information, gender identity or expression, or any other protected status under applicable law.

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