Research Analyst (Postsecondary Education Access And Success)

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:

This position is grant funded for 2 years from the start date, with the potential to extend depending if additional funding is secured/approved.

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 support 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.

Currently, this position is 100% telework, however, as our company starts to return to our new normal, a hybrid work pattern, this position may be required to periodically work on-site at our office and the frequency would depend on the department/division's requirements. Therefore, candidates must either reside within a reasonable distance to commute to our office, or be willing to travel to our office in Herndon, when required.

How You Contribute:

• Demonstrate NSC's core competencies - Customer Focus, Optimizes Work Processes, Collaboration, Communicates Effectively, and Be Open and Authentic - which align with our corporate values. Manager will provide more details to candidates as needed.

Customer Focus:

• Triangulate and validate research results with relevant external sources of data.
• Develop and communicate data insights and research findings appropriately to diverse audiences.
• Support 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.
• 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.
• Optimize data visualization tools including data dashboards and publication formats.
• Perform and manage quality control checks to ensure tasks are completed in an accurate and timely manner.

Collaborates:

• Provide timely communication, coordination, and collaboration on overlapping projects and deadlines and across departments, especially with the communications and marketing units.
• Make recommendations and assist teams to identify issues that require further study and analysis.

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:

• Proficiency with a combination of some of the following (typically acquired by 2-3 years of directly related work experience and experience working on relevant school projects):
  • Conducting quantitative research projects,
  • Manipulating and analyzing large-scale data,
  • Administering quality assurance control checks,
  • Writing research findings.
• Team player and the demonstrated ability to work both independently and collaboratively on a team.
• Writing research findings.
• Demonstrates the Clearinghouse’s core competencies: customer focus, optimizes work processes, communicates effectively, collaborates, and is open and authentic.
• Manipulating and analyzing large-scale data,
• Familiarity with Tableau or other data visualization software, or the ability and willingness to learn it.
• Administering quality assurance control checks,
• Excellent attention to detail, time management and analytical skills.
• Excellent interpersonal and communication skills, and the demonstrated ability to communicate technical terms to a diverse audience.
• Master’s degree in Education, Information/Data Science, Social Sciences, Statistics, or related field; Or a Bachelor’s degree with a minimum of two years of relevant research experience.
• Proficiency with Microsoft Office Suite and other collaboration tools.
• Must live within a commutable distance to Herndon, VA, or in one of the Clearinghouse's approved States for hiring purposes. Refer to our HR Policies Page, located on our Careers site at https://www.studentclearinghouse.org/careers/human-resource-policies/, for more details
• Conducting quantitative research projects,
• Experience with SAS programming or other command line driven programming (Python, R, STATA, SPLUS, or SPSS Syntax).

Additional Desired Requirements:

• Familiarity with national and state data sources in secondary and postsecondary education.
• Professional experience in conducting quantitative research that focus on postsecondary education access and success.
• Strong research planning and project management skills with the demonstrated ability to conceptualize research ideas and develop implementation plans to complete work timely.
• Experience with large database, data warehouse and working with large SAS databases.

Physical Demands:

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

Benefits and Related Information

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 medical, dental, and vision insurance, as well as life and disability insurance benefits, for employees and their qualified dependents. Health care, dependent care, and limited purpose flexible spending accounts, as well as a health savings account, are options available for employees to set aside pre-taxed dollars for certain qualifying expenses. We offer a very generous 401k matching contribution program with the opportunity to defer pre-tax and Roth contributions, as well as catch-up contributions for those who are eligible! We are proud to offer a competitive paid leave program consisting of vacation, sick, and personal time, as well as paid holidays. Vacation time will accrue based on length of service, and new full-time hires can accrue up to 13 days of vacation and up to 10 days of sick time per year. On an annual basis, new employees may use up to 32 hours of accrued sick time as personal time. Additionally, the Clearinghouse observes at least 11 paid holidays per year.

Another perk is that employees have the option to get reimbursed for basic wholesale company and roadside assistance memberships (e.g., Costco and AAA) and to request a buy back on portions of unused accrued vacation based on tenure and certain other qualifications. Employees can further their education and professional development by using our Employee Education Assistance Program, which establishes reimbursement for qualified education expenses upon successful completion of the program, and leveraging the enterprise-wide LinkedIn Learning subscription. There are additional employee benefits, to find out more, please request a copy of our complete benefit package!

We reasonably believe that the salary range for this position is between $53,700-$77,000.

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