The Maryland Higher Education Commission (MHEC) is the State of Maryland’s higher education coordinating board responsible for establishing statewide policies for Maryland public and private colleges and universities and for-profit career schools. MHEC also administers state financial aid programs that affect students on a statewide basis. MHEC’s mission is to ensure that Maryland residents have access to a high-quality, adequately funded, effectively managed, and capably led system of postsecondary education.
GRADE
State Salary Grade 18
Annual Salary Range: $54,822.00 to $71,306.00/ year (with progression to $89,738)
LOCATION OF POSITION
Nancy S. Grasmick Education Building
6 N. Liberty Street
Baltimore, MD 21201
Hybrid teleworking schedule possible
Main Purpose Of Job
The Research and Policy Analyst is responsible for analyzing statistical data, preparing information reports, and handling research-related assignments. The position is responsible for aiding in statewide data projects that support the Governor’s education agenda, supporting reporting and analysis, writing research reports, and using statistical techniques to analyze large statewide and national data sets. These efforts provide important information that serve as the basis for decisions regarding statewide higher education policy, and advise and inform key stakeholders such as the Secretary of Higher Education, Governor’s Office, General Assembly, Department of Budget and Management, Maryland Longitudinal Data System Center, and others.
POSITION DUTIES
The Research and Policy Analyst
- Prepares information reports and studies about current higher education topics. These include mandated reports, annual reports, and ad hoc research reports and may be requested by the Commission and the secretary.
- Responds to requests for statistical data, both from members of the Commission staff and from external audiences, including the campuses, other state agencies, Maryland businesses, the general public, and out-of- state educational organizations.
- Plans and organizes procedures for coding, tabulating and analyzing data, drawing appropriate conclusions and recommendations as indicated.
- Completes special projects and assignments requested by the Director, including work related to the Commission’s performance accountability report, Managing for Results submission, enrollment projections, and annual Data Book publication.
- Conducts research and analysis of policy-relevant post-secondary education issues and summarizes findings.
- Applicants should have strong writing, communication, and analytical skills. Applicants should also be abreast of current issues in higher education, and have experience managing projects with fixed deadlines, working collaboratively as part of a team, and assisting with interagency work groups.
MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS
Experience: Nine years of experience in administrative staff or professional work.
1. Candidates may substitute the possession of a Bachelor’s degree from an accredited college or university and five years of experience in administrative staff or professional work for the required experience.
2. Candidates may substitute additional graduate level education at an accredited college or university at the rate of 30 credit hours on a year-for-year basis for the required experience.
3. Candidates may substitute U.S. Armed Forces military service experience as a commissioned officer involving staff work related to the administration of rules, regulations, policy, procedures and processes, or overseeing or coordinating unit operations or functioning as a staff assistant to a higher ranking commissioned officer on a year-for-year basis for the required experience.
SELECTIVE QUALIFICATIONS
SELECTIVE QUALIFICATIONS (must meet these qualifications):
- Possession of a bachelor’s degree from an accredited college or university
- At least one year of professional knowledge and experience with Stata (preferred), SPSS, SAS,R, or other statistical package
- At least one year work experience across several areas of basic statistical methodologies (e.g., descriptive statistics, GLM/regression, statistical tests, analysis of variance)
- a minimum of 9 post-secondary credit hours, or the equivalent credit hours in research methodology and/or applied/theoretical statistics
DESIRED OR PREFERRED QUALIFICATIONS
- At least one year of experience in data analysis in education, higher education, government, or public policy
- Experience writing policy reports
- Knowledge and experience working with PowerBI or other data visualization tools
SELECTION PROCESS
Please make sure that you provide sufficient information on your application to show that you meet the qualifications for this recruitment. Do not rely on your resume to communicate your qualifications and experience. All information concerning your qualifications must be submitted by the closing date. We will not consider information submitted after this date. Successful candidates will be ranked as Best Qualified, Better Qualified, or Qualified and placed on the eligible (employment) list for at least one year. For education obtained outside of the U.S., a copy of the equivalent American education as determined by a foreign credential evaluation will be required prior to hire. The assessment may consist of a rating of your education, training, and experience related to the requirements of the position. It is important that you provide complete and accurate information on your application. Please report all experience and education that is related to this position.
BENEFITS
FURTHER INSTRUCTIONS
To apply for this position online go to MHEC Jobs (select Job Openings at https://mhec.maryland.gov/About/Pages/default.aspx) or the State’s JobAps (https://jobapscloud.com/MD/sup/bulpreview.asp?R1=22&R2=002588&R3=0031) (On-line applications (and resumes/cover letters)) are the preferred method for receiving your application/attachments. Using this method will allow applicants to access their documents for future recruitments for which they apply and verify that the appropriate documents (resume-credentials) have been attached to the recruitment that requires them.
Applicants must provide sufficient information on the application to document that they satisfy the minimum qualifications for this recruitment and it is strongly suggested you submit a cover letter and resume. Please do not put “See Resume” in the job duties section of your application; your application will not be considered. Strategic use of key words that appear in the posting are strongly recommended.