Certified Scrum Master

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.

Position Overview

The Data Integration Support Center (DISC) and Client Facing Technology (CFT) team seeks a certified Scrum Master with expertise in state integrated data systems to drive operational improvements and enhance efficiency across DISC and CFT products and processes. This position will focus on vendor management, AI implementation, and security assessment workflows, with particular emphasis on process improvements that address emerging privacy and governance challenges. This is a matrixed position that will collaborate across the CFT senior leadership team and report administratively to the Project Director of DISC.

Key Responsibilities

Product & Process Leadership (35%)

• Facilitate recurring standup, sprint planning, sprint reviews, and retrospectives for cross-functional teams developing AI solutions, data integration platforms, and privacy-enhancing technologies.
• Remove impediments that block team progress, escalating issues to leadership when necessary.
• Coach team members on agile practices and foster a culture of continuous improvement.
• Collaborate with product owners, technical staff, and public agency stakeholders to elicit, document, and refine requirements for AI implementations and data integration projects.
• Ensure requirements address regulatory compliance needs including FERPA, HIPAA, CJIS, locale regulatory and FedRAMP standards.
• Facilitate requirements workshops with diverse stakeholder groups including state agency staff, end users, and governance committees.
• Maintain and prioritize the product backlog, ensuring user stories include appropriate acceptance criteria related to privacy protections, bias mitigation, and security controls.
• Implement metrics and dashboards to track team velocity, quality indicators, and stakeholder satisfaction.

Process & Product Leadership (40%)

• Conduct needs assessments and develop customized TA plans addressing state-specific challenges in data integration, AI governance, and vendor management.
• Identify inefficiencies in development/data workflows, deployment processes, and stakeholder engagement practices.
• Lead retrospectives that generate actionable improvements in how teams approach AI governance, privacy impact assessments, and compliance documentation.
• Deliver virtual and on-site consultations with partners across the nation.
• Design and facilitate working sessions on AI frameworks for P-20W data systems, focusing on postsecondary and workforce data integration challenges.
• Support states in developing vendor management protocols and data sharing agreements that align with federal and state privacy requirements.
• Develop guidance documents, toolkits, and resources on AI governance for public agencies.
• Create frameworks for evaluating and managing third-party vendors in integrated data systems.
• Research and synthesize emerging privacy regulations affecting postsecondary institutions and workforce data systems.
• Maintain current knowledge of FERPA, state privacy laws, workforce data protection requirements, and emerging AI regulations.
• Contribute to DISC knowledge products including briefs, webinars, and conference presentations.
• Facilitate user testing sessions with agency staff, clients and end users to gather feedback on product usability and effectiveness.
• Champion user-centered design principles in technical teams building solutions for education, workforce, and social services agencies.
• Support product teams in developing responsible AI frameworks including bias auditing, explainability features, and human oversight mechanisms.

Partnership Support (15%)

• Support relationship management with agency partners, identifying opportunities for enhanced technical assistance.
• Collaborate with DISC team members to coordinate multi-state initiatives and cross-jurisdiction learning opportunities.
• Participate in planning retreats and strategic visioning sessions.
• Document agencies' progress, challenges, and successful strategies for broader dissemination.
• Support proposal development for new partnerships and other grant opportunities.

Professional Leadership (10%)

• Facilitate sessions related to process improvement, agile methodologies, client feedback and product ownership with internal and external teams.
• Contribute to WestEd's thought leadership in educational data governance processes and appropriate process implementation within the CFT team to improve the quality while reducing rework and costs on product delivery.
• Support DISC&'s visibility and eminence-building activities within the education data community.

Education

• Bachelor's degree in public policy, social services, economics, information systems, education, law, computer science, or related field.
• Master's degree preferred but not required with relevant experience.
• Scrum Master Certification.

Experience

• 3-5 years of experience in at least one of the following areas:
  
  
  
  • State or local data integration efforts
  • Grant management and budget oversight
  • Vendor management and procurement in public sector contexts
  
  
  
  
• Experience providing technical assistance, consulting, or training to government agencies or educational institutions.

• Demonstrated ability to translate complex technical and regulatory concepts for diverse audiences.

Knowledge & Skills

• Understanding of data regulatory requirements (FERPA, COPPA & PPRA).
• Familiarity with evaluation of technical and operational processes and use of best practice frameworks to measure maturity levels.
• Strong analytical skills with ability to assess organizational risks and recommend mitigation strategies.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills, including ability to develop clear guidance documents and deliver engaging presentations.
• Proficiency with project management tools and virtual collaboration platforms.
• Ability to work independently while contributing to team initiatives.

*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 (11), is $104,600 to $163,500, but WestEd does not typically hire at or near the top of the salary range. The typical hiring range for this role is $104,500 to $130,800. 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
* Pre-tax Flexible Spending Accounts
* All health/welfare benefits are effective the first of the month following the 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 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-DNI #Circa-DNI

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)