Research Analyst (Research Development and Philanthropy)

About the role

The Specialist, Research and Data Analytics works with Clearinghouse stakeholders to expand the usage of Clearinghouse data for educational research purposes. They contribute to research on student enrollment, movement, and other important student outcomes using student-level data provided exclusively to the Clearinghouse by our nationwide network of postsecondary institutions.

Responsibilities

• Extract and manipulate large data sets for analysis to meet the client's needs.
• Aid in requirements gathering and client relationship management.
• Manage multiple research projects/assignments simultaneously in a fast-paced, highly collaborative environment.
• Perform and manage quality control checks to ensure tasks are completed in an accurate and timely manner.
• Provide timely communication, coordination, and collaboration on overlapping projects/assignments and deadlines and across departments, especially with the communications and marketing units.
• Contribute to research on student enrollment, pathways, and other important student outcomes using student-level data provided by our nationwide network of postsecondary institutions.

Requirements

Currently, this is a remote-first position, and 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.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Education, Business, Data Science, Statistics, Social Sciences or any related field.
• 2 years of direct and relevant data analysis experience.
• Experience and basic proficiency with statistical and data management programming in R.
• Familiarity with Tableau or other data visualization software, or the ability and willingness to learn it.
• Excellent interpersonal and communication skills, and the demonstrated ability to communicate technical terms to a diverse audience.
• Excellent attention to detail, time management and analytical skills.
• Team player and the demonstrated ability to work both independently and collaboratively on a team.
• Proficiency with Microsoft Office Suite and other collaboration tools.
• 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, Large-scale data cleaning, manipulation, and analysis, Quality assurance, Writing research findings.

Skills

• Strong research planning and project management skills with the demonstrated ability to conceptualize research ideas and develop implementation plans to complete work timely.
• Professional experience in conducting quantitative research that focuses on postsecondary education access and success.
• Advanced proficiency with using R to work with large databases and data warehouses.
• Familiarity with national, state, and other data sources in secondary and postsecondary education.

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 with annual employer contributions of $300 for employees and $600 for employees who are enrolled with their spouse and/or dependents, voluntary supplemental health plans for Accident and Hospital Indemnity coverage, and infertility coverage 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, up to 3 weeks of paid parental leave during a 12-month period, and up to 5 days of paid military leave per calendar year. 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 15 paid holidays per year, including company year-end close between Christmas and New Years Holidays. 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 too, including but not limited to, mental health with up to eight free therapy sessions for employees and their family members and well-being reward benefits. With the Clearinghouse being an eligible 501(3)(c) nonprofit organization, employees are eligible for service credit towards the Public Service Loan Forgiveness program (PSLF). To find out more, please request a copy of our Benefits at a Glance!