Work at WestEd

WestEd provides a workplace that promotes growth, development, and creativity, and offers generous benefits to its full-time and part-time employees working a minimum of 20 hours per week. WestEd pays a significant portion of the medical, dental, and vision plan premiums. Temporary employees earn sick time.

Health & Wellness

Medical
Eligible WestEd employees can enroll themselves and their eligible dependents in one of three different medical plan options: HMO, POS, or EPO depending on location.

Dental
Eligible employees and their eligible dependents are able to visit a dentist of their choice by enrolling in the WestEd Dental PPO plan.

Vision
Eligible employees and their eligible dependents can choose to enroll in the VSP vision plan benefit.

Short-Term Disability
WestEd pays the full premium for a short-term disability plan for eligible employees that provides income replacement of up to 66⅔ to a maximum of $2,500 per week for eligible disabilities lasting from 15–90 days.

Long-Term Disability
WestEd pays the full premium for a long-term disability plan for eligible employees that provides income replacement of up to 66⅔ to a maximum of $17,000 per month for eligible disabilities lasting 91 days or longer.

Group Life/Accidental Death & Dismemberment Insurance
This plan is offered at no cost to eligible employees and covers up to 3 times the employee’s annual salary to a maximum of $500,000, subject to required IRS imputed income tax.

Voluntary Life/Accidental Death & Dismemberment Insurance
Employees can opt to enroll in and pay for a voluntary Life/AD&D policy of up to 5x their annual salary to a maximum of $500,000. Employees can also opt to enroll their spouse/domestic partner and/or children in plans of up to $250,000 and $10,000, respectively.

Life and Long-Term Care (LTC) Plan
Eligible employees can also choose to enroll themselves and their eligible spouses or domestic partners into a Life Insurance plan that includes a LTC rider offering a range of premium options within 30 days of hire.

Flexible Spending Plan
Employees can participate in the Health Care Reimbursement Flexible Spending Account and/or the Dependent Care Flexible Spending Account. Money is deducted from enrolled employees’ paychecks on a pre-tax basis to cover eligible out-of-pocket medical and/or dependent care expenses.

Commuter Check Program
Employees can participate in a pre-tax transit, commuter related parking benefit.

Employee Assistance Program
This program, offered at no cost to employees, offers confidential assistance to employees and their families. A variety of work, personal, and referral programs — including mental health counseling, and legal and financial assistance — are available.

Health Care Advocacy Program
This independent health care advocacy group is fully paid for by WestEd and can help answer employee questions regarding WestEd benefits; assist with medical, dental, and vision plan claims resolution; and provide information and guidance on a variety of medical topics such as Medicare and coordination of benefits.

Supplemental Insurance
WestEd employees can purchase supplemental Aflac insurance products for accident, cancer, dental, or hospitalization coverage.

Ergonomics
WestEd is committed to providing a safe and ergonomically sound work environment.

Retirement and Savings

Defined Contribution Retirement Plan
WestEd contributes 15% of each eligible employee’s base salary, as allowable under IRS guidelines, into an individual Defined Contribution Retirement plan account beginning with the employee’s first paycheck. Employees are 100% vested in this plan from date of hire.

403(b) and 457(b) Tax Deferred Retirement Account Options
Eligible employees can make pre-tax salary contributions into either or both of these two supplemental retirement plans as allowed under IRS guidelines. Employees are 100% vested in the plans beginning with their first payroll contribution.

Credit Union
WestEd employees are eligible to join Provident Credit Union to open checking, savings, and other accounts.

Time Away

Vacation
Eligible WestEd employees accrue the equivalent of 15 days of vacation per year for the first three years of employment. Beginning with the fourth year of employment, employees accrue the equivalent of 20 days of vacation per year.

Holidays
WestEd typically provides 11–12 designated holidays per year.

Sick Time
Eligible WestEd employees accrue up to the equivalent of 12 days of sick leave per year. Temporary employees accrue paid sick leave up to a maximum of 72 hours.

Community Building

Employee Referral Program
Employees who refer a friend or colleague for full- or part-time employment with WestEd may be eligible to receive a referral reward if the referred person is hired.

Office Activities
Each WestEd office has a social committee responsible for planning community-building events, company picnics, and holiday parties.

Length of Service Awards
WestEd’s strength is its staff. Employees who have been at WestEd for 10 years or more, at 5-year intervals, are recognized by the agency.

Peer Recognition
The Staff Awards program recognizes the effort and excellence of WestEd employees, both as individuals and as teams based in single offices or spanning locations nationwide. While applauding the accomplishments of our programs, projects, and people, the Staff Awards program offers additional opportunities for staff to learn about their colleagues’ work and supplement staff networking agencywide.

Additional Benefits

Strategic Investment Grants
WestEd is committed to investing in our people, projects, and impact. Our Strategic Investment Grants give employees the opportunity to explore ideas outside of their day-to-day projects that push boundaries and serve the education field in novel, effective, and innovative ways.

Professional Development
WestEd offers a range of professional development opportunities targeted to increase staff effectiveness. Employees are encouraged to improve their professional skills by attending workshops, seminars, and conferences as approved by their department manager. WestEd also employs a Training and Development Manager to facilitate this process internally.

Internal Transfers
All open career positions are announced and posted internally on the WestEd intranet, giving current employees an opportunity to apply.

Transparency in Coverage (No Surprises Act)

To review the Machine Readable File of actual in-network and out-of-network costs for Aetna medical coverage (versus what employees pay for out of pocket coverage), please Aetna for more information.

Salary

The salary range for WestEd’s roles accounts for multiple factors including but not limited to education; experience; and other organizational needs. The current base salary ranges can be found in each relevant job opportunity posted, associated with the WestEd Salary Grade. WestEd does not typically hire at or near the top of this range.

Total Compensation Guide

In addition to the base salary, benefits include:

• 15% contribution toward retirement effective day 1 of employment (Example: Total Cash Compensation based on $100K annual salary + 15% ($15,000) = $115,000/yr with WestEd retirement contribution).
• 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 4th year of employment) +13 paid holidays / 12 days paid sick leave per year.
• Life Insurance: value of 3x gross salary (Example: Based on annual salary of $100K x 3 = $300,000 life insurance value).
• Opportunities for annual merit-based performance increases + annual incentives.
• Professional development opportunities & mentorship program.

Retirement Contribution

Defined Contribution Retirement Plan
WestEd contributes 15% of each eligible employee’s base salary, as allowable under IRS guidelines, into an individual Defined Contribution Retirement plan account beginning with the employee’s first paycheck. Employees are 100% vested in this plan from the date of hire.

403(b) Tax Deferred Retirement Account
Eligible employees can make pre-tax salary contributions into this supplemental retirement plan as allowed under IRS guidelines. Employees are 100% vested in this plan from the date of participation in the plan.

457(b) Tax Deferred Retirement Account
Eligible employees can also make pre-tax salary contributions into this supplemental retirement plan as allowed under IRS guidelines. Employees are 100% vested in this plan from the date of participation in the plan.

WestEd periodically engages an external firm to conduct an employee opinion survey. The results help agency leaders to make sound decisions about organizational direction and improvements. The survey is sent to every staff member, and responses are anonymous.

Below are some comments that staff made in the most recent survey, spring 2018.

Since WestEd’s inception almost 60 years ago, our agency has been committed to staff diversity. WestEd, and the communities we serve, benefit from the range of perspectives and lived experiences provided by this diverse workforce and the ways in which those perspectives and experiences enrich and inform our agency and the work we do. Individuals from different backgrounds, identities, and abilities, as well as from many cultural, linguistic, geographic, and socioeconomic backgrounds, work at all levels of the organization.

Our vision is a world of thriving learners and empowered communities. Achieving this vision requires staff who understand and respect the people and communities we serve. To that end, WestEd actively recruits, develops, and retains teams that have the depth and diversity of experience and expertise needed for all the communities we serve.

At WestEd, we assume individual and collective responsibility for building an organizational culture characterized by acceptance, respect, support, and safety for all groups and individuals. We build together, collaborate, and create responses with our teams, partners, educators, and communities. We lead with inquiry, drive with excellence and integrity, and focus on improving learning and human development outcomes for all.

WestEd’s Employe Experience team actively involves employees in decision-making and process improvements and sponsors social and professional groups for staff. Our goal is to remove barriers and provide the supports needed to ensure each employee’s full and successful participation. WestEd also provides all staff access to various learning, development, and mentoring opportunities. These efforts contribute to high retention rates for staff across backgrounds, levels, and areas of work.