Job Description
About WestEd As a community of over1,400 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 impactby asking the right questions, customizing methodologies, developing relevant tools, and implementing best practices specific to a diverse range of stakeholder needs.
Furthering diversity, equity, and inclusion is core to who we are and how we work. We are committed to working with our clients to illuminate and address disparities, value and elevate diverse voices, and ensure equitable access to our resources and services. Read moreaboutWestEd's Commitment to Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion.Come and join us!
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 therequirements of the position or project in question.
The Role Working in a deadline-driven environment, WestEd is seeking an energetic, experienced, and adaptable content writer who will develop engaging, informative, and compelling copy to showcase the agency's work and expertise with writing for the web and other related digital platforms. This position will work closely with members of the Communications Department to develop and maintain an array of copy for the agency's flagship website, WestEd.org. In addition, the person in this role will collaborate with people and teams across the agency as they develop project-specific websites, helping our staff craft web-appropriate copy geared toward a variety of different audience types, including practitioners, policymakers, researchers, and professional development providers.
The person in this position must be able to quickly digest, understand, and interpret new and often complex information for specific audience(s) and purpose as they work to describe WestEd work for our audiences. Writing projects typically include product and service descriptions, news and events posts, resource descriptions, infographics, and staff biographies. This position will also be required to craft email copy and perform other writing tasks on an occasional base. In addition to superior writing skills, and how to clearly convey information optimally for the web, this role also requires deep familiarity with content management systems, especially WordPress. The writer will also need a basic understanding of HTML and search engine optimization, and knowledge of how to efficiently work within various social media platforms.
This position sits in WestEd's Communications Department which provides a full range of communication support to the agency and its many projects.
Responsibilities - Develop, write, and deliver compelling, impact-oriented copy for the agency website, project websites, email marketing campaigns, and other communications vehicles as needed. Work with staff at all levels of the agency, as needed, to produce draft content and manage review cycles.
- Develop, maintain, and update content on the agency's website with a particular focus on services, resources, events, presentations, projects, areas of work, and staff bios
- Work with sitemaps and wireframes to review and edit web copy developed by project staff, ensuring the final copy follows best practices and meets the needs of identified audience(s)
- Write captivating headlines and teasers to ensure a high level of content engagement across our sites
- Help identify web visitor needs and gaps in our content, and recommend new areas of development
- Review and refresh site content on an ongoing basis to ensure it is always relevant and optimized for the needs of our users
- Ensure all published content meets our standards for accuracy, grammar, tone, and quality
- Follow an editorial calendar and organize writing schedules to complete drafts of content or finished projects within deadlines
- Coordinate with design team to develop graphics or illustrations if content requires or would benefit from supporting graphics
- Provide regular updates to Communications Department colleagues and any other project collaborators
- Monitor and analyze the performance of key performance indicators (KPIs) to offer suggestions for improvement
- Use search engine optimization (SEO) strategies in writing to maximize the online visibility of content in search results
- Keep abreast of developments and emerging trends in digital media, content marketing and social media content
Qualifications - Bachelor's degree in communications, English, journalism, marketing, and/or related fields
- Minimum 3 years of experience in a role for which developing content for digital platforms was the primary responsibility
- Knowledge of the fields of education and human development is desirable
Additional Skills - Well-honed writing skills (especially expository, web, and storytelling) with a knack for writing succinct copy that keeps the reader engaged
- Web editing skills, including the ability to help organize site content in a logical and useful manner and the ability to review and edit draft web content
- Knowledge of how to frame content for different purposes and translate it for different audiences
- Ability to quickly digest, understand, and analyze new and complex content, along with ability to ask constructive questions and/or to look for answers independently
- Excellent critical reading and thinking skills
- A strong understanding of how online content performs in search engines and how to apply analytics to write for audience needs
- Highly developed interpersonal skills, especially in working with agency staff on challenging projects
- Commitment to doing high-quality work and helping others do the same
- Adept at problem-solving
- Comfortable working both independently and collaboratively
- Patient, persistent, and able to maintain a positive attitude in the face of potentially frustrating circumstances (e.g., someone else's missed deadline)
- Ability to efficiently and productively work simultaneously on multiple projects with overlapping, tight deadlines
- Hands-on experience with Content Management Systems (e.g. WordPress) and basic HTML
- Personal commitment to education and WestEd's mission to build a more equitable society through research, development and service
- A sense of humor and the ability to work well with many different types of personalities
*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. SALARYAND BENEFITS: The full salary range for this position, WestEd level 9, is $78,800 to $118,200 but WestEd does not typically hire at or near the top of the salary range. The typical hiring range for this role is $78,800 to $98,500. The actual offer takes into account 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
- Pre-tax Flexible Spending Accounts
- All health/welfare benefits are effective first of the month following hire date
- PTO: 3 weeks' vacation (increases to 4 weeks beginning the 4th year of employment), paid holidays, and 12 days paid sick leave per year
- Life Insurance: value of 3x gross salary
- Opportunities for annual merit-based performance increases + annual incentives
- Professional development opportunities & mentorship program
For more detail about our benefits, go to:
Committed to the diversity of race, ethnicities, perspectives, and opportunities, WestEd offers a variety of social and professional learning communities, such as Employee Resource groups, the Data Intelligence, Insights, and Innovation PLC, and the WestEd Parent Community, just to name a few. We hope you'll consider joining us to build better schools, communities, learning pathways, and more! WestEd is a Drug Free Employer and maintains a drug-free workplace. #LI-Remote #LI-Hybrid
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)
Job Tags
Holiday work, Temporary work, For contractors, Remote job, Flexible hours,