Education Program Specialist, Accreditation Expert

Job Summary

The Office of Postsecondary Education is seeking a highly skilled Education Program Specialist to join our team. As an Education Program Specialist, you will play a critical role in ensuring the quality and integrity of higher education institutions and programs.

About the Position

This position is located in the Department of Education, Office of Postsecondary Education (OPE), Policy, Planning and Innovation Division (PPI), Accreditation Group. As an Education Program Specialist, you will be responsible for conducting detailed analysis and interpretation of regulations related to the accreditation of higher education institutions and programs. You will also prepare and review documentation related to accreditation, and communicate with individuals at various organizational levels.

Key Responsibilities

• Conduct noncompliance investigations and report findings to the Director.

• Prepare and review documentation related to accreditation.

• Communicate with individuals at various organizational levels.

Requirements

• One year of experience in conducting detailed analysis and interpretation of regulations related to the accreditation of higher education institutions and programs.

• Experience preparing and reviewing documentation related to accreditation.

• Experience communicating with individuals at various organizational levels.

Education

This position has a positive education requirement. A degree that included or was supplemented by at least 24 semester hours in a field related to the work of the position to be filled, of which at least 9 semester hours must have been in education courses.

Additional Information

This position is open to all U.S. citizens. The U.S. Department of Education is an Equal Opportunity Employer. The agency provides reasonable accommodations to applicants with disabilities. If you need a reasonable accommodation for any part of the application and hiring process, please notify the agency's point of contact. The decision on granting reasonable accommodation will be on a case-by-case basis.

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. Once the vacancy announcement closes, we will review your submitted resume and documents to determine if you meet the eligibility and minimum qualification requirements. 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 knowledge, skills, and abilities. Based on the outcome of this evaluation, you will be assigned a numerical score. If your responses to the occupational questionnaire are not substantiated by your submitted resume, you may be eliminated from receiving further consideration.

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. Opens in a new windowLearn more about federal benefits.

As an ED employee, you will also benefit from our family-friendly work environment. As part of our commitment to maintain a productive balance between work and home, we offer excused leave for Parent/Teacher Conferences (3 hours); excused leave for annual health screenings (4 hours); and matching leave for community volunteer service. Other flexibilities that may be available to you include telework and alternative work schedules. You may be eligible to receive a recruitment incentive for this position. To receive this incentive payment, you will be required to sign a service agreement obligating you to remain with the U.S. Department of Education for a specified period as agreed upon. You may be eligible to receive a relocation incentive for this position. To receive this incentive payment, you will be required to sign a service agreement obligating you to remain with the U.S. Department of Education for a specified period as agreed upon. You may be eligible to participate in the Student Loan Repayment Program as a recruitment incentive for this position. To receive student loan repayments, you will be required to sign a service agreement obligating you to remain with the U.S. Department of Education for a specified period as agreed upon.

Review our 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 to Apply

Step 1: Create a USAJOBS account (if you do not already have one) at www.usajobs.gov.

Step 2: Create a resume using the USAJOBS resume builder. Ensure that your resume demonstrates your education, experience, training, and accomplishments as it relates to the qualifications for this position and substantiates your responses to the occupational questionnaire.

Step 3: Upload any required documents into your USAJOBS account (must be less than 3MB and in one of the following document formats: GIF, JPG, JPEG, PNG, RTF, PDF, or Word (DOC or DOCX)).

Step 4: Click "Apply Online" and follow the prompts to complete the occupational questionnaire and attach any required documents. Verify that uploaded documents from USAJOBS transfer into the agency's hiring system. You will have the opportunity to upload any additional required documents in the agency's hiring system. Click "Finish" to submit your application.

NOTE: You may update your application or required documents at any time while the announcement is open by logging into your USAJOBS account, clicking on "Application Status," clicking on the position title, clicking "Update Application," and following the prompts.

In order to receive consideration for this position, you must submit your complete application, including all required documents, by 11:59 PM Eastern Time on the closing date of the vacancy announcement. If the vacancy announcement has an application limit, we recommend that you submit your complete application at the time of initial application. We will not accept any required documentation after the closing date of the vacancy announcement.

If you have any questions regarding submitting your application, please contact the HR Specialist listed under the Agency Contact Information.

Agency contact information

Donovan Collins

Phone

202-987-1237

Fax
000-000-0000
Email

donovan.collins@ed.gov

Address

EDUCATION-OFFICE OF POSTSECONDARY EDUCATION

400 Maryland Ave. S.W.

Attn:Human Resources Services

Washington, District of Columbia 20202

United States

Next steps

As an applicant, you may check your application status through your USAJOBS account at any time.We will also notify you via email of your application status at three key stages in the recruitment process.
1.Once the vacancy announcement closes, we will inform you that your application has been received.
2.After we review your submitted resume and supporting documentation, we will inform you if you are eligible and qualified, if your application was referred to a subject matter expert or panel of subject matter experts for further evaluation, and if you were amongst the most highly qualified candidates referred to the selecting official.
3.Finally, we will inform you of your final disposition for this announcement (e.g., if/when a selection is made, if/when the announcement is cancelled).

Fair & Transparent

The Federal hiring process is set up to be fair and transparent. Please read the following guidance.

• Criminal history inquiries
• Equal Employment Opportunity (EEO) Policy
• Financial suitability
• New employee probationary period
• Privacy Act
• Reasonable accommodation policy
• Selective Service
• Signature and false statements
• Social security number request

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