EDUCATION PROGRAM SPECIALIST (EMSS)
Fort McNair, DCFull-time$85–111K/yrPosted 1 day ago
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Requirements
Credentials this posting asks for.
Job overview
National Defense University seeks an Education Program Specialist to support admissions, student onboarding, registration, and academic policy processes. The specialist coordinates nominations and recruiting, manages student information and web content, and works with academic leaders, faculty, staff, and students. The role also analyzes student data, maintains accurate and confidential records, improves processes, and drafts or recommends policy updates.
Skills & qualifications
Skills
Qualifications
Full job description
Summary
National Defense University (NDU) supports the joint warfighter by providing rigorous Joint Professional Military Education to members of the U.S. Armed Forces and select others in order to develop leaders who have the ability to operate and creatively think in an unpredictable and complex world. This job announcement uses the USA Hire Assessment to evaluate applicants. For more information, visit USA Hire Assessment
Duties
- Leads admissions planning, coordinates government agency student nominations, conducts recruiting, and works with service chairs, faculty, and deans on admissions processes and timelines.
- Supports, analyzes, and improves onboarding for incoming students. Manages admissions in the Student Information System (SIS) and curates SharePoint and public web content for diverse audiences.
- Effectively and efficiently works in SIS, understanding relational databases, system triggers and complex, detailed processes. Documents, reviews and identifies efficiencies in work processes. Manages course registrations.
- Experience with proven data integrity, PII discretion, and high attention to detail. Skilled with student records, transcripts, learning management systems (LMS), and SIS.
- Provides strong written/verbal communication and support to students, NDU faculty, leadership, and colleagues. Applies and interprets academic policies across varying circumstances; drafts and recommends policy updates.
Qualifications
You may qualify for consideration if meeting time-in grade, specialized experience, education requirement, 90 days after competitive appointment requirement, and all other qualification requirements within 30 calendar days after the closing date of the announcement, unless otherwise indicated on the announcement. You must meet the minimum qualification requirements as stated in the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) Operating Manual, Qualification Standards for General Schedule Positions, http://www.opm.gov/qualifications/Standards/group-stds/gs-prof.asp. Basic Requirement: 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. OR Combination of education and experience - possess 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, plus appropriate experience or additional education. The experience must reflect the level and kind described in C below. OR Four years of experience that demonstrated a thorough understanding of the principles and practices underlying the work of this series. This experience must have been of such character and diversity to demonstrate that the applicant possesses an understanding of the field comparable to that normally acquired through successful completion of a full 4-year course of study in an accredited college or university. OR At least 1 full academic year of professional teaching experience. This experience is defined as full and primary responsibility, under general supervision, for instruction of assigned students in an accredited school or institution. This includes responsibility for preparing and presenting lessons and for evaluating students' progress, including a determination of the students' success or failure according to established criteria. Serving in an assistant capacity to a professor without the authority to determine the students' success or failure to meet course requirements does not meet this criterion. In addition to meeting the Basic Requirement, you must also meet the Minimum Qualifications requirements below. Specialized experience is defined as: You must have one year of specialized experience at the GS-09 or equivalent level. Specialized experience must be documented in your resume. Specialized experience includes: Experience with academic records management, student information systems and relational databases, admissions and enrollment processes, and student services; applying academic policies and procedures and maintaining the accuracy, integrity, privacy, and confidentiality of student records; analyzing academic or student data and preparing reports to support organizational decision-making; and coordinating with academic leaders, faculty, staff, students, or external organizations to improve academic programs, processes, or student services. Volunteer Experience: Experience refers to paid and unpaid experience, including volunteer work done through National Service programs (e.g., Peace Corps, AmeriCorps) and other organizations (e.g., professional, philanthropic, religious, spiritual, community, student, social). Volunteer work helps build critical competencies, knowledge, and skills, and can provide valuable training and experience that translates to paid employment. You will receive credit for all qualifying experience, including volunteer experience.
Education
Substitution of education for the GS-11: Three full years of progressively higher-level graduate education leading to a Ph.D. or equivalent doctoral degree may be substituted to meet the specialized experience requirement. If you are using education to substitute for the specialized experience, you must submit transcripts at the time you apply. Combinations of successfully completed graduate level education and experience may be used to meet total experience requirements. To be creditable, education must have been obtained in an accredited college or university recognized by the U.S. Department of Education (http://www2.ed.gov/admins/finaid/accred/index.html). Official Transcripts: If the position you are applying for has a positive degree requirement or education forms the basis for qualifications (i.e. you would not qualify without the education obtained), you MUST submit transcripts with your application. Official transcripts are not required at the time of application outside of what is outlined above; however, official transcripts must be verified PRIOR to appointment. An accrediting institution recognized by the U.S. Department of Education must accredit education. Click here to check accreditation. FOREIGN EDUCATION: Education completed in foreign colleges or universities may be used to meet the requirements. You must show proof the education credentials have been deemed to be at least equivalent to that gained in a conventional U.S. education program. It is your responsibility to provide such evidence when applying or prior to appointment as outlined above. Qualifying education from colleges and universities in foreign countries must be evaluated in terms of equivalency to that acquired in U.S. colleges and universities. Applicants educated in whole or in part in foreign countries must submit sufficient evidence, including transcripts, to an accredited private organization for an equivalency evaluation of course work and degree. You must provide a copy of the letter containing the results of the equivalency evaluation upon request. Failure to provide such documentation when requested will result in lost consideration. For more information regarding evaluation of foreign education for federal employment, please visit the U.S. Department of Education How You Will Be Evaluated
HR will review your resume and supporting documentation to ensure you meet the basic qualification requirements. Applicants meeting the basic requirements will be further evaluated by information provided in the Assessment Questionnaire. If, after reviewing your resume and or supporting documentation, a determination is made that you have inflated your qualifications and or experience, you may lose consideration for this position. Please follow all instructions carefully. Errors or omissions may affect your rating. The Assessment Questionnaire takes approximately 15 minutes to complete and collects information on your education, training and experience related to the following critical competencies: Data Quality and Analysis Customer Service Process Review and Analysis Academic Records and Registration Admissions Best Practices You can preview the Assessment Questionnaire here: https://apply.usastaffing.gov/ViewQuestionnaire/13069012 The USA Hire Assessment includes a cut score based on the minimum level of required proficiency in critical general competencies. You must meet or exceed the cut score to be considered. You will not be considered for the position if you score below the cut score or fail to complete the assessment. Criminal History Inquiries- If you apply to this position and are selected, we will not ask about your criminal history before you receive a conditional job offer. If you believe you were asked about your criminal history improperly, contact the agency @ [email protected] Other Information
Priority Placement Program (PPP) Military Spouse Preference (MSP) eligible candidates will receive priority consideration at the full performance level only. Accepting this position, you may be required to serve a I-year probationary period during which we will evaluate your fitness and whether your continued employment advances the public interest. Background or Security Investigation: This is a Non-Critical Sensitive position which requires a background investigation. The individual selected for this position is required to obtain and maintain a Secret security determination to occupy a Non-Critical Sensitive position within the agency as a condition of employment. Interagency Career Transition Assistance Program (ICTAP): You must be well qualified for the position to receive special selection priority under the ICTAP. A qualified ICTAP eligible achieving a score of 90 or above will be considered well qualified. You must submit a Separation-Reduction in Force (RIF) SF-50; a RIF Notice showing separation within the past year (or declining a management directed reassignment outside the commuting area, or a Termination of Disability Notice from OPM) and most recent performance appraisal. For more information, go to: http://www.opm.gov/rif/employee_guides/career_transition.asp#ictap. Special Hiring Authorities: You may be considered for the vacancy if you are eligible for a special appointment authority such as those authorized for the severely disabled; certain Vietnam Era and disabled veterans; volunteers returned from the Peace Corps or Vista, etc. For more information, visit the following OPM websites: USAJOBS Resource Center: http://help.usajobs.gov/how-to; VetsInfo Guide: http://www.fedshirevets.gov/. Veterans Employment Opportunities Act (VEOA): Veterans who are preference eligibles or who have been separated from the Armed Forces under honorable conditions after substantially completing an initial 3-year term (not less than 2 years and 11 months) may apply regardless of their current geographical location. Veterans must submit their DD-214, Certificate of Release or Discharge from Active Duty, to be considered under this authority. Reemployed Annuitants: Department of Defense has the authority to hire annuitants without reduction in pay. For more information, go to: https://www.dcpas.osd.mil/policy/retirement/reemployedannuitant All applicants are encouraged to apply electronically. If you are unable to apply on-line, you may contact 317-212-4434 for assistance.
How this job compares
Set against the 568 open Student Services jobs on Olive Jobs, counted November 4, 2026.
- Pay
- This posting$85–111K/yr
- US median$55–64K/yr240 salary ranges
This range's midpoint, $98K, is 65% above the US median midpoint ($60K) — in the top quarter of Student Services salary ranges across the US.
- Openings
- Olive Jobs lists 568 open Student Services jobs across the US. 1% of them nationwide are listed as remote or flexible.
- Hiring the most across the US
- UNIVERSITY OF TEXAS AT AUSTIN45 open
- New York University23 open
- Lone Star College15 open
- Experience
- This posting asks for at least 1 year of experience — less than three in four Student Services postings that state a minimum ask for (median 2 years, across 342 postings).
- Education
- 169 of the 568 open Student Services jobs (30%) ask for a bachelor's degree or higher.
Counted across the open, public US postings on Olive Jobs on November 4, 2026. Pay medians are the middle values of the low ends and of the high ends of postings that list both ends of a range in the same cadence (a yearly salary or an hourly rate); a range's midpoint is halfway between its ends. Pay and experience figures resting on fewer than 20 postings are left out.
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