JOE Listings (Job Openings for Economists)
February 1, 2017 - July 31, 2017
The United States Military Academy
Position Title/Short Description
Section: Full-Time Nonacademic
Location: West Point, New York, UNITED STATES
JEL Classification: J0 -- General
Keywords:
Analysis
STATA
Full Text of JOE Listing:
The Office of Economic and Manpower Analysis (OEMA) is an analytic organization dedicated to building the Army of tomorrow through research and policy analysis. The office tackles topics including human resources policy, education and training, compensation and benefits, and other labor and public economics fields. Comprised primarily of economists, but also political scientists, data analysts, historians, and budget specialists, OEMA houses the single largest repository of personnel data in the Department of Defense. These data allow the office to provide a range of research services to both the Army and other clients, to include the Department of Veterans Affairs, the Social Security Administration, Congress, and the White House.
Researcher assistants (data analysts) directly support OEMA’s mission of conducting policy analysis through the collection, standardization, and analysis of electronic data files. The job may require point-in-time database extracts from data sources within the Army, the Department of Defense, and other governmental agencies. Analysts often support and engage in collaborative research efforts with economics faculty in West Point’s Department of Social Sciences (typically applied microeconomists) and with OEMA’s Long Term Research Partners, including economists at institutions such as Dartmouth, MIT, Notre Dame, Harvard, and the University of Virginia. Such collaboration increasingly results in exposure to the production of top-tier journal publications that inform both academics and policy makers. Because of this exposure, OEMA’s data analysts often find themselves well prepared to pursue advanced degrees in policy, economics, or business after a few years.
Successful data analysts typically have applied statistics experience, are have basic knowledge of programming in Stata, SAS, or SPSS, and are proficient in both Microsoft Word, Excel, and PowerPoint. While on the job, they will code in Stata and are expected to progress quickly in their proficiency. Research analysts will have the opportunity to work with a number of large administrative data sets from the government (e.g., the Army, DOD, VA) and private sources (e.g., the National Student Clearinghouse, national credit bureaus). A Bachelor’s Degree with significant coursework in Economics or Statistics is preferred. Additionally, because of the nature of the work, all analysts are required to be U.S. citizens and submit and pass an Army-directed background investigation before accessing the data.
About The United States Military Academy at West Point, New York
West Point is America’s oldest military academy and is universally regarded as the most prestigious in the world. The Academy is located on a rocky outcrop along the banks of the beautiful Hudson River less than an hour from New York City.
West Point is a National Historic Landmark and the longest continuously garrisoned military post in the United States. During the American Revolution it consisted of a series of fortifications designed to keep British forces from gaining control of the Hudson River. George Washington thought control of the river was so critical to victory that he referred to “Fortress West Point” as the “key to the continent.”
Following the war, a small Army garrison was maintained at West Point. In 1802, Congress established the U. S. Military Academy there to create a more professional Army officer corps, a mission the institution has fulfilled for over 212 years. Notable graduates include Robert E. Lee, Jefferson Davis, Ulysses S. Grant, Douglas MacArthur, George S. Patton, Dwight D. Eisenhower, Omar Bradley, Edwin “Buzz” Aldrin, Barry McCaffrey, and Mike Krzyzewski.
West Point, looking north along the Hudson.