OPEN POSITIONS
If you are interested in working with a dynamic, growing team of educational and technical professionals, please provide a cover letter and resume via email to jobs@empiricaleducation.com.
Web Development Engineer .Net
Empirical Education is looking for a Web Development Engineer. This position requires several years of experience in web development, but relatively new graduates will be considered depending on their experience and background.
A key part of our work involves collecting and storing data on our projects. We collect class lists, rosters, demographics, test results, and survey information. We make heavy use of Microsoft tools such as Excel and Access for data acquisition and storage (including VBA and SQL). Our analysis work is all done with SAS performed by the analysis team.
We are also developing web-based versions of our data collection and analysis tools, using Microsoft technologies such as ASP.Net, VB.Net 2.0, and SQL Server. The Web Development Engineer will be focused on these projects.
Reporting to the Vice President of Engineering, the Web Development Engineer will perform the following parts of the project:
- Help define the database schemas (SQL Server)
- Write the business logic and web interface layers
- Develop programs that process data and convert it to formats suitable for processing by statistical engines such as SAS
- Refine our Word and Excel VBA macros for producing reports
The following skills and experience are important for this position:
- ASP.Net VB.Net 2.0 or similar web development tool critical
- SQL critical
- Knowledge and experience with Excel, Word and VBA is important
- Excellent verbal and written communication skills
- Ability to display data in compelling and actionable ways
- Ability to work with clients and others and explain technical issues
- Knowledge of SAS or similar statistical analysis tool, and knowledge of statistics, is somewhat helpful but not required
- Care and precision
Data Warehouse Engineer
Empirical Education is looking for a Data Warehouse Engineer. This is an entry-level database position, and new graduates are welcome to apply provided they can show evidence of technical ability and some experience in software development and elementary database programming.
A key part of our work involves collecting and storing data on our projects. We collect class lists, rosters, demographics, test results, and survey information. We make heavy use of Microsoft tools such as Excel and Access for data acquisition and storage (including VBA and SQL). Our analysis work is all done with SAS performed by the analysis team.
We are also developing web-based versions of our data collection and analysis tools, using Microsoft technologies such as ASP.Net, VB.Net 2.0, and SQL Server. Experience with Web GUI’s and programming is very helpful.
Projects are run by Research Managers who provide the main contact with customers. The Data Warehouse Engineer will work with the Research Managers to translate project requirements into concrete plans for data acquisition and storage. Since much of the data that we receive is incorrect or incomplete, great care and patience is required to ensure that we get what we need.
Reporting to the Vice President of Engineering, the Data Warehouse Engineer will join a team of individuals working on the following tasks:
- Reviewing and checking data returned from the schools and other sources.
- Preparing simple reports and views of data.
- Installing data into the SQL databases used by analysis.
- Assisting in technical preparations for test administration.
- Warehousing and performing simple analysis of survey results.
- Assisting in development of web-based tools. This is a key part of the group’s responsibilities and is expected to grow in the near future.
The following skills and experience are important for this position:
- A bachelor’s degree in computer science or related discipline.
- Knowledge and experience with Excel and Access or similar tools.
- SQL.
- VBA important
- ASP.Net VB.Net 2.0 or similar web development tool desired
- Excellent verbal and written communication skills. Ability to display data in compelling and actionable ways.
- Ability to work with clients and Research Managers and explain technical issues.
- Knowledge of statistics and tools such as SAS is somewhat helpful but not required.
- Care and precision
Senior Research Analyst with Expertise in Quasi-Experimental and Econometric Analysis
Empirical Education is seeking a senior analyst to join our team who can focus on the design and analysis of quasi-experiments testing the effectiveness of educational interventions. The candidate must have a degree (Ph.D. preferred) in economics or a related field. The employment may be full or part-time or on a consultant basis depending on expertise and availability. Solid experience with SAS is preferred, though we will also consider candidates with extensive experience using other software packages such as STATA. The candidate must be proficient with writing macros. The candidate must have a thorough background in, and practical experience with, propensity score matching, differences-in-differences estimation, regression with panel data, generalized linear models and mixed models. The position requires working with a team of researchers and analysts who perform advanced statistical analyses on experimental and quasi-experimental data from schools. The candidate must have sufficient expertise to advise Empirical Education analysts on theoretical, practical and programming questions. Consultancy may lead to full-time employment.
Research Manager
A Research Manager in our company reports to the Manager of Research Operations and works with senior scientists, statistical analysts, data warehouse engineers, office administrators, and others to execute a research program that may include geographically diverse school districts. Under the guidance of senior researchers and within a structured set of processes, the Research Manager is responsible for the life cycle of a research project including communication with school districts, presentations to teachers, reviewing and cleaning student data, tracking the completion of tasks, teacher interviews, classroom observations, documentation, literature searches, and report writing. Employees work in a collaborative atmosphere with specialists in research design, data collection, statistical analysis, and program management. Some travel is required.
Qualifications include masters or doctoral level work in education research or in a field relevant to the organization of instruction, administration of schools, or teaching methods. Experience in K-12 schools such as teaching or research is very important. Understanding of survey tools, design, and analysis will be particularly useful. Strong writing and communication skills and the ability to work as part of a team are essential. Ability to manage multiple projects, tasks, and priorities to achieve desired goals is critical. Analytic and problem solving skills as well as conducting work in a highly professional manner, with individuals, both internal and external to the company is particularly important. Our desired candidate needs to have an interest in quantitative information, qualitative evidence, and data analysis. Proficiency with Microsoft Word and Excel are essential. Candidates must be organized, comfortable working against deadlines, and able to pay careful attention to detail.