Director of Institutional Research, Assessment, and Accreditation

Director of Institutional Research, Assessment, and Accreditation

Summary: The 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.

Duties: Institutional research is a critical academic support function, fulfilling university - and program-level requirements in the following areas: data management and analysis, reporting, and assessment. Institutional research facilitates evidence-based planning and decision making, ensures compliance with accreditation standards, and fosters a culture of continuous institutional improvement and effectiveness. The Director of Institutional Research, Assessment, and Accreditation is responsible for developing, leading and managing a comprehensive institutional research and assessment program at the College of Information and Cyberspace (CIC). As the program lead for institutional research, assessment and accreditation, he or she provides direction for data governance strategies and policies, assessment policies and practices, accreditation compliance and institutional reporting. Specific duties in each area include:

Institutional research - leading and implementing a comprehensive program of data management, analysis, presentation and reporting.

Assessment - assessment of student learning outcomes, development of assessment policies and plans, collaboration and consultation with faculty and leadership on assessment and use of assessment results.

Accreditation - maintaining program accreditation, to include: monitoring compliance with standards, fulfilling reporting requirements, providing accreditation expertise to others.

Conditions of Employment: Pursuant to the Executive Order on Requiring COVID 19 Vaccination for Federal Employees, new DoD civilian employees will be required to be fully vaccinated against COVID 19 prior to entry on duty, subject to such exceptions as required by law.

More details regarding vaccine requirements can be found at: https://www.saferfederalworkforce.gov/faq/vaccinations/. Selected candidates will receive further information during the job offer process.

Must be a U.S. Citizen,

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: Master's degree from an accredited college or university in educational methodology, educational measurement, higher education administration, information systems, applied statistics or related discipline required.

A minimum of 5 years of progressively responsible experience in assessment planning and implementation, data analysis, and reporting experience in an academic environment.

Thorough knowledge of institutional research and assessment principles and techniques and skill in their application.

Expert knowledge and application of higher education and assessment theory.

Record of independent analytic writing, research and engagement.

Demonstrated experience with institutional and program accreditation procedures and preparation of self-studies.

Aptitude for collaboration within and across all areas of the institutional organization, and the ability to develop relationships and coordinate with leaders across government and industry.

Demonstrated experience consulting with faculty and higher education leadership to facilitate curriculum development, strategic planning, and evidence-based decision making.

Demonstrated expertise in student assessment and development of rubrics.

Desired Qualifications: Terminal degree from an accredited college or university in educational methodology, educational measurement, higher education administration, information systems, applied statistics or related discipline

Knowledge and application of education and assessment theory as applied to JPME.

Demonstrated experience teaching at the graduate level, preparing and delivering lectures and seminar instruction.

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 Requirement: Master's degree from an accredited college or university in educational methodology, educational measurement, higher education administration, information systems, applied statistics or related discipline required.

Official transcripts will be required at time of selection to verify educational requirements are met.

Additional Information: NDU has a comprehensive benefits package that includes retirement, social security, and thrift savings; health, life, and long-term care insurance; paid vacation, sick leave, and holidays. NDU employees enjoy flexible work schedules, transit subsidy, and the opportunity to telecommute. Transcripts: Official transcripts will be required at time of selection to verify educational requirements are met. Initial Probationary Period: You will be required to serve an initial probationary period of 18 months. Reemployed Annuitants: Department of Defense has the authority to hire certain annuitants without reduction in pay. For more information, go to:

https://www.esd.whs.mil/Portals/54/Documents/DD/issuances/140025/1400.25-V300.pdf

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. 

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 descried 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
• Data Collection and Analysis
• Institutional Research
• Assessment
• Accreditation

You MUST upload a cover letter separate from your resume addressing the following hiring criteria:

1. Please provide examples of your experiences that address the following factor: Effectively collect and analyze data that measure various aspects of an academic program, including student learning outcomes, and use these data and analyses to produce institutional research and accreditation reports, consult with faculty on curriculum development, and advise higher education leadership in evidence-based decision making.
2. Please provide examples of your experiences that address the following factor: Experience as an institutional research professional at a graduate school or university. Include your experience with software applications for student information systems, data and statistical analysis, and survey administration, and describe your role in making information of use to senior leaders.
3. Please provide examples of your experiences that address the following factor: Experience developing and executing assessment policies, plans, and instruments, including the development of rubrics to measure learning outcomes. Discuss your successful collaboration with faculty and leadership that resulted in improvements in the program, assessment of student learning, program evaluation, and/or curriculum design.
4. Please provide examples of your experiences that address the following factor: Experience in achieving or maintaining institutional and/or programmatic accreditation at a higher education institution, including policy development and participation in self-studies.

You must provide a complete Application Package which includes:

1. 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
2. Complete Assessment Questionnaire - You MUST upload a cover letter separate from your resume addressing the hiring criteria.
3. 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.

1. 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.
2. 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 the 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.

HR Customer Care Center:

Telephone: (317) 212-0454 or Email: dfas.indianapolis-in.zh.mbx.dfasmeritcc@mail.mil

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 the NDU which will convene a board to review all of the applicants. The 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.