Description

Are you looking for more than just a job and want to make difference? If so, then join the National Student Clearinghouse talent community and discover your impact today!  

 We are a nonprofit, nongovernmental organization and the leading provider of educational reporting, data exchange, verification, and research services. Serving the education, workforce and learner communities has been at the heart of our mission for over 25 years. Our work — performed in a trusted, secure, and private environment — provides numerous time- and cost-saving benefits to students, schools, administrators, and requestors. 

About the Role:

Do you believe in changing lives through research? Is data-driven storytelling your talent? Are you someone who thrives in a team environment?

As a member of the National Student Clearinghouse Research Center, this role will contribute to the development of research publications to advance the postsecondary educational opportunity and attainment, by engaging a variety of audience of schools and colleges, policymakers, and students and families in evidence-based research.

How You Contribute:

• Demonstrate NSC’s competencies, which align with our corporate value Manager will provide more detail to candidates as needed.
  • Core Competencies include:Customer Focus, Optimizes Work Processes, Collaborates, Communicates Effectively, and Be Open and Authentic.

Customer Focus:

• Contribute to the development and refinement of the Research Center’s quantitative research publications by manipulating large-scale data, conducting analysis, and creating data-driven storytelling with data visualizations.
• Develop and communicate data insights and research findings appropriately to diverse audiences.
• Triangulate and validate research results with relevant external sources of data.
• Use data visualization tools including dashboards and presentation formats to help others understand and utilize Clearinghouse data.

Optimizes Work Processes:

• Effectively manage multiple research projects simultaneously in a fast-paced, highly collaborative environment.
• Establish and implement quality assurance processes to ensure all publications are delivered in an accurate and timely manner.
• Optimize data visualization tools including data dashboards and publication formats.

Collaborates:

• Provide timely communication, coordination and collaboration on overlapping projects and deadlines and across departments, especially with the communications and marketing units.
• Work closely with teams to identify opportunities and ideas to innovate research efforts as appropriate.

Communicates Effectively:

• Analyze key postsecondary student outcomes using the Clearinghouse data and effectively communicate the insights from data through objective and impactful narrative and data visualization.

Be Open and Authentic:

• Demonstrate openness to new perspectives and ideas.
• Build trust with internal and external stakeholders by demonstrating consistency between words and actions.

Position may be required to perform other duties as required. These essential functions are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the job. Reasonable accommodations will be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform these essential functions.

What You Bring to the Table:

• Master’s degree in Higher Education, Information/Data Science, Social Sciences, Statistics, or a related field.
• 3-5 years of professional experience in conducting quantitative research projects, including manipulating, and analyzing large-scale data, administering quality assurance processes, and writing research findings.
• Experience with SAS programming or other command line driven programming (Python, R, STATA, SPLUS, or SPSS syntax).
• Working knowledge in Tableau or other data visualization software.
• Excellent interpersonal and communication skills, and the demonstrated ability to communicate technical terms to a diverse audience.
• Exceptional attention to detail, time management, and analytical skills.
• Team player and the demonstrated ability to work both independently and collaboratively on a team.
• Demonstrated ability to effectively manage projects, prioritize and work on multiple projects simultaneously in a fast-paced team environment.
• Demonstrates the Clearinghouse’s core competencies: customer focus, optimizes work processes, communicates effectively, collaborates, and is open and authentic.
• Proficiency with Microsoft Office Suite and other collaboration tools.
• Live within a commutable distance of Herndon, VA.

Additional Desired Requirements:

• Strong research planning and project management capabilities with a demonstrated ability to conceptualize the design and develop the implementation plans to complete work timely.
• Content knowledge in historical and current context of inequities in postsecondary education access and outcomes.
• Experience working with large SAS databases.
• Familiarity with national and state data sources in secondary and postsecondary education.

Physical Demands:

• Use of a computer for 8 or more hours a day.
• Use of a copy machine and telephone.
• Frequently required to sit for 7 or more hours per day in close proximity to others in an open office environment.
• Occasionally required to use hands and fingers to operate, handle, and reach.
• Vision abilities include close vision and the ability to adjust focus.
• Travel via car and airplane when needed for training or professional development (up to10%).

Please submit a cover letter and resume when completing the application.

The National Student Clearinghouse provides a robust benefit program designed to help meet the needs of each employee and their family, both now and in the future. We offer comprehensive life, medical, dental and vision insurance benefits, for employees and their qualified dependents. Medical and dependent care flexible spending accounts are an option for employees to set aside pre-taxed dollars for certain qualifying expenses. We offer a very generous 401k or 401K Roth matching contribution program as well!

Work-life balance is a priority at the Clearinghouse, so we are proud to offer a competitive vacation, holiday, and paid leave program. Another perk is that employees have the option to get reimbursed for basic wholesale company and roadside assistance memberships (e.g., Costco and AAA). Employees may gain approval to grow their education and professional development through our Employee Education Assistance Program, which establishes reimbursement for qualified education expenses upon successful completion of the program. There are additional employee benefits, to find out more please request a copy of our complete benefit package!