Product Operations Specialist (Grant Funded)

By joining the National Student Clearinghouse, you can be sure that the work you do now will help shape the future of education and the workforce in the U.S. As the trusted source for higher education data since 1993, the Clearinghouse is the leading provider of transcript and data exchange services, automated enrollment and degree verifications, learner insights and research, and compliance solutions for schools, businesses, and learners nationwide. As a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization, the Clearinghouse works with nearly 3,600 postsecondary institutions to meet their compliance needs and with thousands of high schools and districts to provide continuing collegiate enrollment, progression, and completion statistics about their alumni. In addition, the Research Center publications inform policymakers and business leaders about student educational pathways. Using our unique combination of data, analytics, and software to drive our mission, security and privacy is paramount. Join us as we continue to invest in our talent and new advanced technologies to unlock the power of data on behalf of all learners.
About the Role:
The Specialist, Product Operations is responsible for supporting the vision, leadership, and product implementations of the Product Management department in partnership with the Senior Manager, Product Management, Product Managers, and Education Solutions internal stakeholders, such as Customer Care and Implementations. A primary goal of this position is to make the Education Solutions teams more efficient by streamlining processes to include communication within the product team and other parts of the organization and standardizing business processes such as planning and reporting.

The Specialist works in conjunction with the Learner Insights leadership and staff to help oversee product quality assurance and identify product improvement opportunities. The Specialist will work with product management to develop the ideal product experience and organize and analyze product data to help product management make informed decisions. In addition, the Specialist works to ensure that the necessary groups are aware of product changes and will coordinate the needed training for internal groups such as Customer Care, Implementations, Data Operations, etc. The position reports to the Senior Manager, Learner Insights.

Currently, this is a remote-first position, and this position may be required to periodically work on-site at our office and the frequency would depend on the department/division's requirements. Therefore, candidates must either reside within a reasonable distance to commute to our office or be willing to travel to our office in Herndon, when required.

Note: This position is currently funded through 12/31/2027, with the possibility for extension.
How You Contribute:

• Demonstrate the Clearinghouse's core competencies: Customer Focus, Optimizes Work Processes, Collaborates, Communicates Effectively, and Be Open and Authentic.
• Partner with clients to provide white glove service and improve utilization of assigned products.
• Assist with managing the customer feedback lifecycle to include information gathered from surveys, focus groups, etc.
• Gather and analyze statistics to identify product improvements, whether customer facing or process focused.
• Define and maintain the customer support process to include first and second level support.
• Streamline routine and/or recurring tasks and internal processes to ensure cross-functional consistency.
• Lead change execution with ideas for improvement.
• Maintain templates, guidelines, and resources for the product team and business analysts.
• Assist with developing internal training programs for Clearinghouse teams such as Customer Care and Implementations as new products and services are launched.
• Coordinate between Product Management, Customer Care, and Corporate Communications to generate customer communications in a timely manner.
• Be able to help with the contract process for the more unique situations such as College and Career Readiness Evaluation Consortium (CCREC), by reviewing documents to ensure language around the product/offering is correct, monitoring the feedback cycle between parties, etc. to help ensure efficiency.
• Assist product managers in the promotion of StudentTracker and Post-secondary Data Partnerships (PDP) at conferences - both virtually and in person - by helping to man booths, answering questions about the product, and helping with presentations.
• Work as an extension to the Customer Care and Operations teams to improve overall experience.
• Keep management and relevant staff informed about potential product improvements and upcoming releases for products via internal presentations, training guides, and/or product release notes.
• Effectively communicate between groups to ensure a common understanding of pertinent product related topics (e.g., between Customer Care and Product Managers).
• Demonstrate openness to new perspectives and ideas.
• Build trust with internal and external stakeholders by demonstrating consistency between words and actions.

Position may be required to perform other duties as required. These essential functions are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the job. Reasonable accommodations will be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform these essential functions.
What You Bring to the Table:

• Bachelor's degree, or a combination of education and experience including military service will also be considered.
• 3 years of progressively responsible Customer Service or Client Management experience.
• Experience with a Client Relationship Management (CRM) tool, such as Salesforce.
• Demonstrated ability to:
  • Effectively work on a team and across organizational boundaries.
  • Adapt to changing priorities and procedures and remain poised under pressure.
  • Successfully manage multiple tasks and priorities simultaneously.
  • Work independently with minimal supervision, in a fast-paced environment with a team and achieve results in a team environment.
  • Identify and analyze service issues or other problems, and proactively provide resolution.
• Highly customer centric, service oriented with the ability to understand, execute, and meet customers' expectations.
• General knowledge of or willingness to learn:
  • Learner Insights Products.
  • SDLC and methodologies, including Agile.
  • Contract management process.
• Excellent analytical skills and detail oriented.
• Excellent verbal, written and interpersonal communication, time management, and effective presentation skills.
• Proficient in Microsoft Office Suite, and other collaboration tools.
• Demonstrates the Clearinghouse's core competencies: customer focus, optimizes work processes, communicates effectively, collaborates, and is open and authentic.
• Must live within a commutable distance to Herndon, VA or in one of the Clearinghouse's approved States for hiring purposes. Refer to our HR Policies Page, located on our Careers site at for more details.
• Must be currently authorized to work in the United States on a full-time basis. We do not intend to sponsor external applicants for work visas, and may consider sponsorship only if no qualified candidates can be found who are authorized to work without sponsorship.
• Must be at least 18 years old.

Additional Desired Qualifications:

• Experience within the Education field.
• Knowledge of:
  • Adult learning principles.
  • Student Information Systems.
  • The features/benefits of Clearinghouse services.
  • The educational reporting processes that the Clearinghouse supports.

Physical Demands:

• Use of a computer for 8 or more hours a day.
• Use of a telephone and/or copy machine.
• Frequently required to sit for 7 or more hours per day.
• Occasionally required to use hands and fingers to operate, handle, and reach.
• Vision abilities include close vision and the ability to adjust focus.
• Travel via car, train, and airplane when needed (up to 25%).

Benefits and Related Information
The National Student Clearinghouse provides a robust benefit program designed to help meet the needs of each employee and their family, both now and in the future. We offer comprehensive medical, dental, and vision insurance, as well as life and disability insurance benefits, for employees and their qualified dependents. Health care, dependent care, and limited purpose flexible spending accounts, as well as a health savings account with annual employer contributions of $300 for employees and $600 for employees who are enrolled with their spouse and/or dependents, voluntary supplemental health plans for Accident and Hospital Indemnity coverage, and infertility coverage are options available for employees to set aside pre-taxed dollars for certain qualifying expenses. We offer a very generous 401k matching contribution program with the opportunity to defer pre-tax and Roth contributions, as well as catch-up contributions for those who are eligible! We are proud to offer a competitive paid leave program consisting of vacation, sick, and personal time, as well as paid holidays, up to 3 weeks of paid parental leave during a 12-month period , and up to 5 days of paid military leave per calendar year . Vacation time will accrue based on length of service, and new full-time hires can accrue up to 13 days of vacation and up to 10 days of sick time per year. On an annual basis, new employees may use up to 32 hours of accrued sick time as personal time. Additionally, the Clearinghouse observes at least 15 paid holidays per year, including company year-end close between Christmas and New Years Holidays.

Another perk is that employees have the option to get reimbursed for basic wholesale company and roadside assistance memberships (e.g., Costco and AAA) and to request a buy back on portions of unused accrued vacation based on tenure and certain other qualifications. Employees can further their education and professional development by using our Employee Education Assistance Program, which establishes reimbursement for qualified education expenses upon successful completion of the program, and leveraging the enterprise-wide LinkedIn Learning subscription. There are additional employee benefits too, including but not limited to, mental health with up to eight free therapy sessions for employees and their family members and well-being reward benefits. With the Clearinghouse being an eligible 501(3)(c) nonprofit organization, employees are eligible for service credit towards the Public Service Loan Forgiveness program (PSLF). To find out more, please request a copy of our Benefits at a Glance!


Additionally, we reasonably believe that the salary range for this position is between $54,000 and $67,500.

The pay range listed above represents a general guideline and is not a guarantee of compensation or salary, and the National Student Clearinghouse considers a number of factors when determining base pay for offers, which include but are not limited to, responsibilities and scope of the job and the candidate's experience, education, knowledge, skills, and abilities, as well as internal equity and alignment with market data.

Internal Candidates: If you feel that you qualify and meet the requirements of the job, we highly encourage you to apply and focus on preparing for the application process. Once the final candidates are selected, they can anticipate a review of the compensation prior to any offer made.

This job announcement was posted to the National Student Clearinghouse's Careers site at 3/17/2026 and the online application period will be open for at least 3 days. A completed online application is required to be considered for this opportunity.

Equal Opportunity Employer/Protected Veterans/Individuals with Disabilities: The National Student Clearinghouse is proud to be an Equal Opportunity Employer. Qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to actual or perceived race, creed, color, religion, alienage or national origin, ancestry, citizenship status, age, disability or handicap, sex, marital status, veteran status (or known to have a spousal, family, business, social or other relationship or association with a protected veteran), sexual orientation, genetic information, arrest record, natural hairstyle, or any other characteristic protected by applicable federal, state, or local laws. Our management team is dedicated to this policy with respect to recruitment, hiring, placement, promotion, transfer, training, compensation, benefits, employee activities and general treatment during employment.

Pay Transparency Notice : The National Student Clearinghouse is a federal contractor that abides by all applicable equal opportunity laws and regulations. Under these laws, companies doing business with the federal government must provide applicants and employees with certain policies, including the following information. The contractor will not discharge or in any other manner discriminate against employees or applicants because they have inquired about, discussed, or disclosed their own pay or the pay of another employee or applicant. However, employees who have access to the compensation information of other employees or applicants as a part of their essential job functions cannot disclose the pay of other employees or applicants to individuals who do not otherwise have access to compensation information, unless the disclosure is (a) in response to a formal complaint or charge, (b) in furtherance of an investigation, proceeding, hearing, or action, including an investigation conducted by the employer, or (c) consistent with the contractor's legal duty to furnish information. 41 CFR 60-1.35(c)