Located in Boulder, Colorado
Overview
The State Higher Education Executive Officers Association (SHEEO) seeks to fill a senior policy analyst position. SHEEO is the national association of state higher education leaders who serve statewide coordinating and governing boards and other state higher education agencies. This position supports SHEEO’s efforts to perform high-quality analysis; policy evaluation and research; advance critical programs and projects; provide assistance to SHEEO members; advance SHEEO’s strategic vision, mission, and strategic priorities; and contribute to the intellectual and knowledge base of the higher education policy field. SHEEO responds to the changing needs of its members and the state higher education community and regularly pursues new projects that meet our members’ needs and align with the mission of the organization. This position will identify, develop, and work in these new areas. Additionally, this position will join other SHEEO staff in general membership outreach and support.
SHEEO seeks and strongly encourages individuals from historically underrepresented or marginalized groups to apply. The ideal candidate for this position will be enthusiastic about state policy in higher education, have advanced econometric research skills and experience working with large data sets, demonstrate research and policy writing experience, and have knowledge of or experience with SHEEO agencies. They will be conversant in a wide range of public policy issues in higher education and will understand how data can inform policy and practice. The successful candidate will use their enthusiasm, knowledge, and skills to inform our members and the community about current activities and future trends in public higher education for the purposes of advancing educational attainment, closing equity gaps, and benefiting our states and their stakeholders.
The senior policy analyst will help lead, coordinate, and develop a multiyear research endeavor to quantify the impacts of college closures on student persistence and completion. This project is a formal research collaboration between the National Student Clearinghouse Research Center and SHEEO. The project leverages a newly constructed student-level longitudinal data set to develop descriptive analyses, advanced data visualizations, and quasi-experimental research. Rigorously and thoroughly quantifying the impacts of college closures on subsequent postsecondary outcomes will inform policies meant to prevent, prepare for, and respond to college closures in an environment where more closures are expected to occur. The team working on this project will produce a number of publicly available deliverables, including three published reports that examine the impacts of college closures on student outcomes in detail, policy and academic presentations, and a website that will house interactive data visualizations and aggregated data.
The senior policy analyst will also work on various other projects, such as assisting SHEEO members and organizational leadership, and fulfilling other duties as assigned.
Education and Experience
Preferred: An earned doctoral degree in a relevant field (e.g., higher education, econometrics, public policy, statistics, political science, sociology, or related field) and three years of relevant work experience.
Required: A master’s degree in a relevant field, with rigorous quantitative training, and five years of relevant experience.
Required Skills and Attributes
- A passion for advancing educational and economic opportunity, diversity, equity, inclusion, justice, and social mobility.
- Advanced skills with the statistical software Stata.
- Experience with data visualization tools.
- Experience using large-scale, student-level data sets.
- Demonstrated ability to produce relevant papers, reports, and presentations.
- Demonstrated experience working on large-scale research projects.
- Interest in and knowledge of higher education and state policy.
- Knowledge of higher education data systems and external data resources such as IPEDS, NPSAS, U.S. Census Bureau.
- Strong written and verbal communication skills.
- Ability to work well with and contribute to a team.
Salary and Position Term
Salary will be commensurate with successful candidate’s experience and demonstrated skill level, with a potential range of $85,000 to $105,000. SHEEO provides excellent staff benefits.
The position is fully funded for two years with the possibility of continuation depending upon interest, performance, and funding.
Application Process
Please apply by email to sheeo@sheeo.org and include the following:
- A letter describing your interest in the position and how you meet the requirements mentioned above. Please address letter to David Tandberg, SHEEO, 3035 Center Green Drive, Suite 100, Boulder, CO 80301.
- A curriculum vitae.
- A writing sample. This sample can be a policy brief, report, and/or an academic paper. The sample should provide evidence of both the applicant’s writing and quantitative methods skills.
- Names and contact information of three academic or professional references. (References will not be contacted until you have given permission for us to do so).
Applications will be accepted until the position is filled, but full consideration will be given to those received by Monday, November 29, 2021.
About SHEEO
SHEEO serves its members as an advocate for state policy leadership, as a liaison between states and the federal government, as a vehicle for learning from and collaborating with peers, and as a source of information and analysis on educational and public policy issues. SHEEO seeks to advance public policies and educational practices to achieve more widespread access and successful participation in higher education, more new discoveries through research, and more applications of knowledge that improve the quality of human lives.
The position will be based in Boulder, Colorado. SHEEO is particularly interested in providing equal employment opportunities and employing a diverse staff. Read more about SHEEO on our website: www.sheeo.org.
