This position is located at the Institute of Education Sciences (IES) in Washington, D.C. IES is the research arm of the U.S. Department of Education. Its mission is to provide reliable evidence on which to ground education practice and policy, and to share this information broadly. By identifying what works, what doesn’t, and why, IES aims to improve educational outcomes for all students, particularly those at risk of educational failure. With an annual budget of over $550 million and a staff of approximately 180 people, IES supports a wide range of research, statistics, assessment, and evaluation activities. Its work is carried out by four centers:
The National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) fulfills a Congressional mandate to collect, analyze, and report complete statistics on the condition of American education; and to review and report on education activities internationally.
The National Center for Education Evaluation and Regional Assistance (NCEE) conducts large-scale evaluations of education programs supported by federal funds; provides research-based technical assistance to educators and policymakers; and supports the synthesis and wide spread dissemination of the results of research and evaluation throughout the United States.
The National Center for Education Research (NCER) sponsors field-initiated research that addresses the nation’s most pressing education needs, from early childhood to postsecondary and adult education.
The National Center for Special Education Research (NCSER) sponsors field-initiated research designed to expand the knowledge and understanding of infants, toddlers, and students with or at risk for disabilities from birth through high school.
"THE SELECTION CERTIFICATES MAY BE SHARED AMONG PROGRAM OFFICES ACROSS THE DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION"
Summary
This position is located at the Institute of Education Sciences (IES) in Washington, D.C. IES is the research arm of the U.S. Department of Education. Its mission is to provide reliable evidence on which to ground education practice and policy, and to share this information broadly. By identifying what works, what doesn’t, and why, IES aims to improve educational outcomes for all students, particularly those at risk of educational failure. With an annual budget of over $550 million and a staff of approximately 180 people, IES supports a wide range of research, statistics, assessment, and evaluation activities. Its work is carried out by four centers:
The National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) fulfills a Congressional mandate to collect, analyze, and report complete statistics on the condition of American education; and to review and report on education activities internationally.
The National Center for Education Evaluation and Regional Assistance (NCEE) conducts large-scale evaluations of education programs supported by federal funds; provides research-based technical assistance to educators and policymakers; and supports the synthesis and wide spread dissemination of the results of research and evaluation throughout the United States.
The National Center for Education Research (NCER) sponsors field-initiated research that addresses the nation’s most pressing education needs, from early childhood to postsecondary and adult education.
The National Center for Special Education Research (NCSER) sponsors field-initiated research designed to expand the knowledge and understanding of infants, toddlers, and students with or at risk for disabilities from birth through high school.
"THE SELECTION CERTIFICATES MAY BE SHARED AMONG PROGRAM OFFICES ACROSS THE DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION"
The Communications Manager will be responsible for developing and implementing a comprehensive strategic plan for communicating the mission and ongoing work of IES to key audiences, such as education policymakers and practitioners at the national, state, and local levels. He or she will lead IES staff and contractors to
Establish goals and milestones for IES communications, and work with IES leadership and staff to implement such plans successfully;
Ensure that IES’s research, statistics, assessment, and evaluation activities are clearly and accurately represented within the Department and to the public, and are disseminated in a timely way;
Plan and execute research presentations and briefings;
Develop and maintain templates and review processes to ensure consistent editorial standards for IES publications and products;
Coach IES staff in effective strategies for writing and speaking on scientific education research and statistics;
Lead ongoing effort to upgrade and improve the content and functionality of the IES website;
Lead ongoing effort to use social media as a dissemination tool;
Lead effort to reach out to press and respond to press inquiries;
Provide team leadership in: identifying, distributing, and balancing workload and tasks among employees in accordance with established workflow, skill level and or/occupational specialization; making adjustments to accomplish the workload in accordance with established priorities to ensure timely accomplishment of assigned team tasks; and ensuring each employee has an integral role in developing the final team product;
Monitor and report on the status and progress of work, checking on work in progress and reviewing completed work to see that priorities, methods, deadlines, and quality have been met.
Must complete a Background Investigation and fingerprint check.
Must complete a One-year Probationary Period.
Males 18 and over must be registered with the Selective Service.
APPLICANTS MUST MEET QUALIFICATION REQUIREMENTS WITHIN 30 DAYS OF THE CLOSING DATE OF THIS VACANCY ANNOUNCEMENT.
Applicants are expected to possess the Knowledge, Skills and Abilities (KSAs) listed below to qualify for this position. These KSAs are addressed in the self-assessment questionnaire that you will complete for this announcement. You do not need to respond separately to the KSAs listed below. Your answers to the on-line experience questions will serve as responses to the KSAs. Your application will be evaluated based on your ability to demonstrate the following knowledge, skills, and abilities/competencies (KSAs):
Comprehensive knowledge of and experience with education research policies, issues, and initiatives sufficient to generate novel and unique ideas and develop new or vastly changed mechanisms to communicate the mission and ongoing work of the agency to key audiences, including education policymakers and practitioners at the national, state, and local levels.
Comprehensive knowledge of the agency’s functions, goals, organizational structure and pertinent legislation sufficient to ensure that the agency’s research, statistics, assessment, and evaluation activities are clearly and accurately represented within the department and to the public.
Knowledge of communications principles, techniques, and tools, including social media, sufficient to plan and execute long-range plans and projects of national scope and significance. The incumbent is a nationally recognized authority in the broad field of communications and provides expert technical advice to colleagues in the agency on effective strategies for writing and speaking on scientific education and research and statistics.
Qualifications
One year of specialized experience that equipped the applicant with the particular knowledge, skills, and abilities to perform successfully the duties of the position, and that is typically in or related to the work of the position to be filled.
Examples of such experience may include: Experience performing communications work in a research organization, Congressional office and/or public relations firm. Mastery of communications principles, techniques, and tools, including social media. Comprehensive knowledge of and experience with education research policies, issues, and initiatives.
For full qualifications go to: http://www.opm.gov/qualifications/index.asp
Additional information
The Federal Government is committed to expanding access to employment by hiring people with disabilities; providing technical assistance and information on reasonable accommodations for people with disabilities; and identifying and removing barriers to work. Persons with disabilities may apply for jobs filled either competitively (where qualified individuals compete with one another through a structured process), noncompetitively (where a qualified individual may be selected based on a special appointing authority), or through an excepted appointing authority for people with disabilities (i.e. Schedule A). People who are selected for a Federal job must meet the qualification requirements for the position and be able to perform the essential duties of the job with or without reasonable accommodation. For information on "People with Disabilities" please visit http://opm.gov/disability/PeopleWithDisabilities.asp
Interagency Career Transition Assistance Plan (ICTAP) Career Transition Assistance Plan (CTAP)- Eligible federal employees who were in positions and who were displaced from their positions may be eligible for selective priority over other candidates, under the ICTAP or the CTAP. Information about these programs may be found at the following links. In order to qualify, your application must receive a score of 85 in comparison with the knowledge, skills and abilities criteria. If you believe you are eligible for this special consideration, it is critical that you read the information provided in the links below:
Veterans interested in receiving tips on preparing a Federal resume and/or how to prepare for an interview, may send an email to Iwork@ed.gov to schedule an appointment for a session. Veterans Counseling Session must be placed in the subject line of the email. Student Loan Default Applicants selected for positions are subject to a background check to verify that he or she has not defaulted on any loan funded or guaranteed by the U.S. Department of Education. Applicants found to be in default will be contacted to make arrangements for repayment prior to being made an official offer of employment.
ADDITIONAL SELECTIONS MAY BE MADE WITHIN 90 DAYS OF THE ISSUANCE OF THE SELECTION CERTIFICATE(S), SHOULD VACANCIES OCCUR.
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.
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.
We use a multi-step process to review and evaluate applicants:
1. Eligibility and Minimum Qualifications Once the vacancy announcement closes, we will review your submitted resume and documents to determine if you meet the eligibility and minimum qualification requirements, including any required education, experience, and/or selective placement factors. You will be rated as ineligible if you do not meet U.S. Citizenship requirements or your application is missing any required documents. You will be rated as not qualified if you do not possess the minimum qualification requirements.
2. Rating and Ranking If you are found to meet both the eligibility and minimum qualification requirements, we will assess the quality of your experience and the extent to which you possess the required KSAs by comparing your submitted resume and documents against your responses to the occupational questionnaire. (The occupational questionnaire is the list of questions in the automated system that you will have an opportunity to answer once you apply for the position).
Based on the outcome of this evaluation, you will be placed into one of three categories: Best Qualified, Well Qualified, or Qualified.
If your responses to the occupational questionnaire are not substantiated by your submitted resume, you may be eliminated from receiving further consideration.
Veterans’ Preference: Veterans’ preference eligibles will be ranked ahead of qualified non-preference eligibles within each category for which they are qualified. Qualified veterans’ preference eligibles with a compensable service-connected disability of 10 percent or more (CPS and CP) will be placed at the top of the Best Qualified category, except in the case of scientific or professional positions at the GS-9 grade level or higher.
3. Referral and Selection If you are found to be amongst the most highly qualified applicants, you will be referred to the selecting official. As part of the assessment and selection process, the selecting official may invite you to participate in a structured interview, check your references, and/or request that you submit a writing sample or complete a written assessment or exercise to further evaluate your qualifications for this position. To preview questions please click here.
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.
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.
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.
Please carefully read the information provided under the link listed below. The section entitled "How to Apply" provides detailed instructions on faxing your supporting documentation. All required supporting documentation MUST be received by 11:59PM Eastern Time on the closing date of the announcement. You are encouraged to thoroughly review the list of supplemental documents required. It is critical to note that many documents may not pertain to you. You are only required to submit those that apply to you. Required Documents
EDUCATION-INSTITUTE OF EDUCATION SCIENCES
400 Maryland Ave. S.W.
Attn: Human Resources Services
Washington, District of Columbia 20202
United States
Next steps
We will inform you of the status of your application at four stages: (1) Upon receipt of your application; (2) Upon minimum qualification determinations; (3) Upon issuing the highly qualified candidates to the hiring official; and finally (4) once a selection is made. It is essential that you have a current e-mail address on file with USAJOBS. You will be notified of our application status by the servicing Human Resources Specialist via email. You may also check the status of your application at USA JOBS.
The Federal hiring process is set up to be fair and transparent. Please read the following guidance.
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.
Please carefully read the information provided under the link listed below. The section entitled "How to Apply" provides detailed instructions on faxing your supporting documentation. All required supporting documentation MUST be received by 11:59PM Eastern Time on the closing date of the announcement. You are encouraged to thoroughly review the list of supplemental documents required. It is critical to note that many documents may not pertain to you. You are only required to submit those that apply to you. Required Documents
EDUCATION-INSTITUTE OF EDUCATION SCIENCES
400 Maryland Ave. S.W.
Attn: Human Resources Services
Washington, District of Columbia 20202
United States
Next steps
We will inform you of the status of your application at four stages: (1) Upon receipt of your application; (2) Upon minimum qualification determinations; (3) Upon issuing the highly qualified candidates to the hiring official; and finally (4) once a selection is made. It is essential that you have a current e-mail address on file with USAJOBS. You will be notified of our application status by the servicing Human Resources Specialist via email. You may also check the status of your application at USA JOBS.
Fair and transparent
The Federal hiring process is set up to be fair and transparent. Please read the following guidance.
