Review Vacancy

Date Posted: 07/11/18
Applications Due: 08/01/18
Vacancy ID: 55123

Position Information

AgencyEducation Department, State

TitleProject Coordinator, Box P12-1839/06073

Occupational CategoryNo Preference

Salary Grade31

Bargaining UnitPS&T - Professional, Scientific, and Technical (PEF)

Salary RangeFrom $110970 to $135089 Annually

Employment Type Full-Time

Appointment Type Temporary

Jurisdictional Class Competitive Class

Travel Percentage 0%

Schedule

Workweek Mon-Fri

Hours Per Week 37.5

Workday

From 9 AM

To 5 PM

Flextime allowed? No

Mandatory overtime? No

Compressed workweek allowed? No

Telecommuting allowed? No

Location

County Albany

Street Address Office of Education Policy

Office of State Assessment

City Albany

StateNY

Zip Code12234

Job Specifics

Minimum Qualifications MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS: Candidates must have a master’s degree and five years of professional experience in program management, including product management, software development with a focus on Agile development methodologies, vendor relations, and public relations and communication.

PREFERRED QUALIFICATIONS: Special consideration will be given to candidates who possess Certified Scrum Product Owner (CSPO) certification and have three years of the above experience in a management capacity, including development and implementation of new, statewide software and testing programs while exhibiting:

• Ability to grow the program among various educational organizations, coordinating both internally and externally to identify necessary system improvements for computer-based testing implementation;
• Ability to interface with contractor(s) to set milestones, escalate critical issues, and ensure contract adherence;
• Demonstrable success as a Scrum practitioner with a focus on product ownership, effective planning, and gathering and synthesizing requirements from stakeholders, with subsequent development into work items having clear acceptance criteria;
• Ability to communicate program goals, known issues, roadmaps, and important technological concepts to constituents;
• Comprehensive understanding of system security and controls management with the ability to provide vendor oversight in these areas; and
• Comprehensive understanding of quality assurance testing and development of test plans that ensure functional correctness and scalability necessary for successful deployment.

Duties Description The New York State Education Department’s Office of Education Policy is seeking candidates to fill the position of Project Coordinator in the Office of State Assessment. Under the general direction of the Deputy Commissioner of the Office of Instructional Support, the incumbent will oversee the implementation and initiatives of the Computer Based Testing program. The New York State Education Department continues to transition to computer-based testing (CBT) as part of its commitment to both meeting the needs of 21st century learners and improving test delivery, test integrity, scoring validity, and turn-around time on testing results. The Project Coordinator will be responsible for helping to ensure a successful transition to CBT that provides a high-quality testing experience for all students and schools in New York State. Duties of this position will include, but not be limited to, the following:

• Oversee collaboration with the contractor(s) for the Grades 3-8 Testing Program in arranging for and conducting annual regional presentations on the administration and scoring of computer-based English language arts and mathematics assessments;
• Manage an interoffice project team and quality assurance unit, managing all work activities including ensuring project objectives are met, organizing weekly meetings with internal stakeholders and external educational organization working groups, and reporting progress, issues, risks and mitigation strategies to the Deputy Commissioner;
• Coordinate with the Office of Curriculum and Instruction to ensure that CBT tools being provided for students are developmentally appropriate and are well suited to enabling students to show what they have learned and are able to do;
• Ensure that all deliverables associated with CBT align directly to the approved vendor contract for the Grades 3-8 ELA and Mathematics Testing Program;
• Oversee the development of the CBT program component of all RFPs for future contracts for development of NYS assessments, cost effectively building on the momentum established to include more of the State’s testing programs in the transition to CBT;
• Development of Regional Information Center (RIC) working group to support regional CBT implementation;
• Development of BOCES working group to support regional CBT implementation;
• Communication of critical information to inform stakeholder groups, including school principals, school superintendents, district superintendents, religious and independent school heads, charter school principals, and NYSED senior management;
• Develop and implement a formal technical risk mitigation plan, then perform ongoing risk analysis and mitigation—including software security auditing and improvements to protect online access to student data and Personally Identifiable Information with frequent vendor coordination;
• Assist the Deputy Commissioner with the preparation of materials for presentations to the Board of Regents, District Superintendents, and leaders of other educational organizations;
• Advise the Deputy Commissioner on how best to cost effectively and strategically expand the transition to CBT to include other NYS assessment programs;

• Provide information and assistance related to CBT to school personnel, professional organizations, State and federal governmental agencies and the general public, and will travel to regions throughout NYS to provide direct assistance when needed. The Special Assistant will promote the continued transition of the CBT program Grades 3-8 ELA and Mathematics to all schools in NYS, including public, independent, religious, charter, and special act schools and BOCES facilities; and
• Lead the development of the CBT component of the Request for Proposal (RFP) for the 2021-2025 Grades 3-8 ELA and Mathematics Testing Program, including creation of software and program milestones and deliverables, independent vendor and verification deliverables, program administration enhancements, and service level agreements, and liquidated damages contract provisions to improve the CBT program and ensure its continued growth and success.

Additional Comments CONDITIONS OF EMPLOYMENT: This will be a temporary appointment. Promotions and transfers may change appointees’ negotiating unit. Applicants should be aware that changes in negotiating units may affect their salary, insurance, and other benefits. Verification of degree will be required for all candidates at the time of interview. Filling of this position is contingent upon Division of Budget approval.

APPLICATION: Qualified candidates should send a resume and letter of interest by August 1, 2018 to p12jobs@nysed.gov (email submissions are preferred). You must include the Box number (P12-1839/06073) of the position in the subject line of your cover letter and resume to ensure receipt of your application.

Some positions may require additional credentials or a background check to verify your identity.

Contact Information

Name Office of Human Resources Management

Telephone (518) 474-5215

Fax (518) 486-5631

Email Address p12jobs@nysed.gov

Address

Street NYS Education Department

89 Washington Avenue, OHRM, Room 528 EB

City Albany

State NY

Zip Code 12234

 

Notes on ApplyingAPPLICATION: Qualified candidates should send a resume and letter of interest by August 1, 2018 to p12jobs@nysed.gov (email submissions are preferred). You must include the Box number (P12-1839/06073) of the position in the subject line of your cover letter and resume to ensure receipt of your application.