Research Associate (Research Development and Philanthropy)

About the Role:

As the Specialist II, Research and Data Analytics on the Research Development and Philanthropy team, no week will be quite the same. This group works with a wide variety of clients, each with their own particular questions about the state of education in the United States. This position plays a core role in custom research work, translating project designs into code which captures both the specs and intentions of the project. Just as important, the position must also be able to translate the outputs of their findings into formats that are understandable and usable by the client.

The Specialist II is responsible for working closely with team members and outside contacts to refine questions and ideas into usable forms that can arrive at meaningful answers. This position is comfortable in the creation of their own data sets from the National Student Clearinghouse’s data collection, designing the logic and code necessary to work through the client’s questions, and the close attention to detail required for the Clearinghouse’s reputation for accurate and actionable results.

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 and/or Pittsburgh, when required.

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:

• Work with customers through multiple phases of projects including scoping, pricing, planning, project management, and delivery.
• Collect customers’ feedback and requests for process refinement, project tracking, quality control, and customer relationship management.

Optimizes Work Processes:

• Utilize project management tools to streamline the project process, establish clear goals and objectives for each project phase, ensure timely delivery of each project, and optimize the work process for the internal team.

Collaborates:

• Work with internal Clearinghouse resources as needed on specific projects, including IT, Data Excellence, Implementations, Verifications, and other teams who at times may assist custom research or need assistance from custom research.
• Collaborate with other internal or external teams either on stand-alone projects or as part of larger initiatives.

Communicates Effectively:

• Translate specialist terminology and/or concepts into useful language for a broader set of audiences.
• Communicate clearly and freely with stakeholders to facilitate both the completion of projects and the team-wide understanding of the current state of the workload.
• Present findings/project through online or in-person meetings, workshops, and conferences.
• Communicate effectively internally and externally over change of project scope, timeline, resources, and deliverables.

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).
• 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 or may be performed remotely from any of the following states: AL, CA, CO, DC, FL, GA, IL, KY, ME, MD, NV, NJ, NM, NC, NY, OH, PA, TN, TX, VA, WV, WY.

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.
• General knowledge of the educational environment in the United States.
• Experience working with large SAS databases.
• Familiarity with national and state data sources in secondary and postsecondary education.
• Working knowledge in Tableau or other data visualization software.

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%).

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 $62,000 - $83,000.