Summary
National Defense University (NDU) supports the joint warfighter by providing rigorous Joint Professional Military Education to members of the U.S. Armed Forces and select others in order to develop leaders who have the ability to operate and creatively think in an unpredictable and complex world.
This is a Title 10 Excepted Service Appointment. Appointment is not to exceed 3 years with the possibility for extension.
This job is open to
Clarification from the agency
All U.S. Citizens.
Duties
Institutional research, assessment, and accreditation are critical academic support functions within NDU to facilitate evidence-based decisions and foster a culture of continuous assessment, evaluation, and planning for institutional improvement and effectiveness. Specifically, the following university- and program-level requirements are met by institutional research, assessment, and accreditation personnel: data management and analysis, reporting, accreditation compliance, and assessment.
Major Duties: Under the supervision and mentorship of the director, the Institutional Research, Assessment, and Accreditation Assistant/Associate is responsible for supporting data collection and analysis of student, faculty, and program performance. Specific duties include creating, distributing, and aggregating data from student and faculty surveys; assisting with data entry and manipulation; creating, editing, and data entry in Microsoft Excel spreadsheets and various software programs; and providing customer service to faculty and students. The primary functions are described below:
Institutional Research / Institutional Effectiveness:
- Collect, organize, clean, and access data to support decision-making;
- Manage institutional data by ensuring completeness of data and validating data quality;
- Analyze, present, and report (primarily Microsoft tools) data;
- Interpret data trends and other statistical results;
- Summarize and present complex statistical data and results, appropriate to audience and purpose;
- Utilize NDU technology systems for information management, data analysis and data visualization;
- Maintain currency in and consistently implement best practices in institutional research;
- Provide technical and analytical guidance to others, including institutional research staff, faculty and leadership.
Assessment:
- Conduct assessment planning and implementation, including instrument design and data collection;
- Analyze direct and indirect assessment data;
- Utilize NDU technology systems for learning and assessment management;
- Interpret assessment results and consult with stakeholders on appropriate response; and
- Provide assessment guidance to others, including institutional research staff, faculty and leadership.
Accreditation:
- Assist with data used for compliance with accreditation standards and requirements.
Requirements
Conditions of Employment
- Must be a U.S. Citizen
- Males born after 12-31-59 must be registered or be exempt from Selective Service (see http://www.ssa.gov/)
- Direct Deposit: All federal employees are required to have direct deposit
- The position is governed by 10 USC 1595 and NDUI 1416.0l dated March 2017.
- Must be able and willing to travel both domestically and internationally. Travel is seldom required. Less than 20 % of the time.
- The individual selected for this position is required to obtain and maintain a Secret security determination to occupy a Non-Critical Sensitive position within the agency.
- This is a Non-Critical Sensitive position which requires a background investigation. The individual selected for this position is required to obtain and maintain a Secret security determination to occupy a Non-Critical Sensitive position.
Qualifications
To qualify for this position, you must:
Required Qualifications:
- Master's degree in educational methodology, information systems, applied statistics or appropriate related discipline preferred.
- Experience in institutional research, assessment, and accreditation in a higher education environment.
- Advanced statistical knowledge and skills.
- Ability to fulfill institutional reporting requirements using appropriate data and complying with all timelines and reporting specifications.
- Experience designing and administering surveys in an academic environment.
- Record of independent analytic research and writing.
- Strong analytical, written and verbal communication skills.
- Strong collaborative and interpersonal skills with demonstrated ability to work effectively with all levels of staff, faculty, and senior administration.
Desired Qualifications:
- Proficiency in training others in relevant software.
- Demonstrated creative approaches to data visualization or presentation.
- Knowledge of JPME educational standards, programs, curricula, and outcomes.
- Proficiency in PowerQuery, PowerBI, Qualtrics, SalesForce, and Blackboard/Canvas.
Volunteer Experience: Experience refers to paid and unpaid experience, including volunteer work done through National Service programs (e.g., Peace Corps, AmeriCorps) and other organizations (e.g., professional, philanthropic, religious, spiritual, community, student, social). Volunteer work helps build critical competencies, knowledge, and skills, and can provide valuable training and experience that translates to paid employment. You will receive credit for all qualifying experience, including volunteer experience.
Education
Criteria for Academic Level:
Associate II: A Master's degree from a regionally accredited institution in educational methodology, information systems, applied statistics or appropriate related discipline and 8 years of institutional research, assessment and accreditation experience in higher education are required. The following aptitudes and skills are also required: proficiency with advanced data analytic techniques; experience with relational databases; advanced statistical knowledge and skills; use of information systems to collect, extract and analyze data for institutional research and assessment; strong foundation in higher education assessment and accreditation practices; and an aptitude for collegiality, collaboration, and data consultation.
Official transcripts will be required at time of selection to verify educational requirements are met.
Official Transcripts: Official transcripts are not required at the time of application; however, if the position has a positive degree requirement, qualifying based on education alone or in combination with experience, transcripts must be verified PRIOR to appointment, if selected for the role.
* An accrediting institution recognized by the U.S. Department of Education must accredit education. Click here to check accreditation.
FOREIGN EDUCATION: Education completed in foreign colleges or universities may be used to meet the requirements. You must show proof the education credentials have been deemed to be at least equivalent to that gained in a conventional U.S. education program. It is your responsibility to provide such evidence PRIOR to appointment.
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- Qualifying education from colleges and universities in foreign countries must be evaluated in terms of equivalency to that acquired in U.S. colleges and universities. Applicants educated in whole or in part in foreign countries must submit sufficient evidence, including transcripts, to an accredited private organization for an equivalency evaluation of course work and degree. You must provide a copy of the letter containing the results of the equivalency evaluation upon request. Failure to provide such documentation when requested will result in lost consideration.
- For more information regarding evaluation of foreign education for federal employment, please visit the U.S. Department of Education.
Benefits
A career with the U.S. government provides employees with a comprehensive benefits package. As a federal employee, you and your family will have access to a range of benefits that are designed to make your federal career very rewarding. Opens in a new windowLearn more about federal benefits.
Review our benefits
Eligibility for benefits depends on the type of position you hold and whether your position is full-time, part-time or intermittent. Contact the hiring agency for more information on the specific benefits offered.
How You Will Be Evaluated
You will be evaluated for this job based on how well you meet the qualifications above.
To qualify, you must meet the education and experience requirements described in the qualifications section. A screening panel will review your resume and narrative answers to the hiring criteria to evaluate your qualifications for the position. NDU uses a multi-tier selection process for academic positions. The following questions will be reviewed by the NDU screening panel:
- Education
- Work Experience
- Data Management and Analysis
- Educational Assessment
- Accreditation and Report Writing
You MUST upload a cover letter separate from your resume addressing the following hiring criteria:
- Describe your experience conducting data analysis. Describe the types of data you have analyzed, specific data visualization and presentation techniques you used, and the types of audiences to which you presented.
- Describe your experience in higher education assessment, including your experience developing and administering instruments to measure learning outcomes and program effectiveness (e.g., surveys, rubrics, focus group protocols). Describe your role in interpreting and using assessment results, including consulting with faculty and leadership on program or curricular improvements.
- Discuss your experience with higher education report writing. This might include course and program effectiveness and/or accreditation (including specific accreditation agencies or bodies).
Required Documents
You must provide a complete Application Package which includes:
- Résumé: The latest resume submitted will be used to determine qualifications. All conferred degrees and certifications should be included in your resume for full consideration
- Complete Assessment Questionnaire
- Cover letter with narrative responses answering hiring criteria questions listed in the "How you will be evaluated" section of this announcement. Failure to submit will result in an ineligible rating.
- Other Supporting Documents - Refer to the eligibilities section for documents to submit.
NOTE: Transcripts are not required at time of application submission. Your resume and narrative answers to the hiring criteria will be reviewed by the NDU screening panel to evaluate your qualifications for the position. If selected for an interview, official transcripts will be requested at that time to verify educational requirements are met.
Eligibilities Information: The following supporting documents are REQUIRED to verify your individual eligibility status. Not all will apply for each applicant. They MUST be received by the closing date of the announcement.
- SF-50 - (If applicable) Notification of Personnel Action for current or former federal employees- with the exception of current permanent NDU employees, please provide your most recent SF50 or the SF50 reflecting Career/Career-Conditional tenure and the highest grade held on a permanent basis.
- If you claim Veteran's Preference:
- You must submit a copy of your DD Form-214, Certificate of Release or Discharge from Active Duty", showing the dates of active duty service, type of discharge and the character of service. Alternatively, If you are a current military member in active duty service and do not have a copy of your DD Form-214, you must submit a written documentation (certification) from your branch of service certifying that you are expected to be discharged or released from active duty under honorable conditions no later than 120 days after the date the certification is submitted with your application for this position. The certification should also include your rank, dates of active duty service and what they condition of discharge is thought to be.
- If claiming 10-point preference and/or are a 30% or more Disabled Veteran, you must submit both a DD Form-214 or expected discharge documentation as described above AND a copy of a letter from the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) or your branch of service certifying the presence of service-connected disability and indicating the percentage of disability
- If you are claiming eligibility based on 10-point derived veterans' preference (i.e. a spouse, widow/widower, or parent of a veteran claiming veterans' preference when the veteran is unable to use it), you must also submit a Standard Form 15 (SF-15) "Application for 10-Point Veteran's Preference" and any required documents indicated on the SF-15 to substantiate the claimed preference.
- Other documents identified in the announcement.
WARNING: Failure to submit a complete application package including any required documentation by the closing date of the announcement at 11:59 EST, or at the time of application for announcements with an extended closing date, may result in an ineligible rating and loss of consideration. To verify that your application is complete, log into your USAJOBS account, select Application Status and More Information. The Details page will display the status of your application.
It is the applicant's responsibility to verify that information entered or uploaded is received, legible and accurate. HR will not modify answers submitted by an applicant.
If you are relying on your education to meet qualification requirements:
Education must be accredited by an accrediting institution recognized by the U.S. Department of Education in order for it to be credited towards qualifications. Therefore, provide only the attendance and/or degrees from
schools accredited by accrediting institutions recognized by the U.S. Department of Education.
Failure to provide all of the required information as stated in this vacancy announcement may result in an ineligible rating or may affect the overall rating.
How to Apply
To apply for this position, you must provide a complete Application Package. See required documents below.
Click 'Apply Online' to create an account or log in to your existing USAJOBS account.
1. Follow the prompts to complete the assessment questionnaire and upload required documents.
2. Please ensure you click the Submit My Answers button to submit your application.
3. Check application status by logging into your USAJOBS account, clicking Application Status, then More Information for this position. Return to an incomplete application by logging into your USAJOBS account and clicking Update Application in the vacancy announcement. You must re-select your resume and other documents from your USAJOBS account or your application will be incomplete.
Next steps
Once the online questionnaire is received you will receive an acknowledgement email that your submission was successful. The questionnaire will assess your qualifications for the job. ALL eligible applicants will be referred to NDU which will convene a board to review all of the applicants. NDU will contact the applicants directly they would like to interview. We will notify you of the outcome after each of these steps has been completed. After making a tentative job offer, we will conduct a suitability/security background investigation.
You will no longer need to call the HR Office to determine your application status. USAJOBS has added an alert setting to their system to drive status updates notification for applicants. You can elect to activate the proactive notification from your USAJOBS profile at any point during the application process to sign-up for automatic alerts when there are status changes for jobs to which you have applied.
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