General Dynamics Information Technology intends to fill about 90 positions in Jacksonville for the Census Questionnaire Assistance center it is setting up in North Jacksonville.
Ivan Abbott, vice president of operations for Federal Civilian Agencies, said hiring will begin in January for assignments that run through July.
He said the operation will provide phone assistance from respondents to the 2018 End-to-End Census Test, assisting with frequently asked questions and supporting respondents with submitting Census Questionnaires.
The center is at 1 Imeson Park Blvd. in Imeson International Industrial Park.
General Dynamics Information Technology, based in Fairfax, Virginia, won a $430 million five-year contract to provide contact center systems and operations support for the U.S. Census Bureau’s 2020 Census Questionnaire Assistance program.
It posted job openings to hire bilingual customer service representatives for its Jacksonville team to support its U.S. Census Bureau contract.
More than 40 job postings seek bilingual customer-service representatives and quality assurance specialists in the languages of English and Tagalog, Cantonese, Mandarin, Arabic, Spanish, Vietnamese, Korean and Russian.
The postings explain that those hired would answer questions from the public, enter information to process requests for forms and collect and enter data at a Census Questionnaire Assistance contact center.
The U.S. Census Bureau says the 2018 End-to-End Census Test supports the goal of the 2020 Census, “which is to count everyone once, only once and in the right place.”
The Census Bureau said it will continue to improve the use of mobile technology, administrative records, geospatial data and self-response via the internet.
“This test will provide insights and guide our planning to ensure an accurate census,” it says.
The 2018 End-to-End Census Test tests all major components of the 2020 Census, according to the bureau.
The primary objective is to confirm key technologies, data collection methods, outreach and promotional strategies, and management and response processes that will be deployed in support of the 2020 Census, it says.
The U.S. Census counts every resident in the United States once a decade as mandated by the U.S. Constitution.
The data determine the number of seats each state has in the U.S. House of Representatives and is used to distribute billions in federal funds to local communities.
The bureau said the 2020 Census will require counting an increasingly diverse and growing population of around 330 million people in more than 140 million housing units.
“To get an accurate count, the Census Bureau must build an accurate address list of every housing unit, maximize self-response to the census, and efficiently follow up with those who do not respond,” it says.
Abbott said the One Imeson building was chosen because it successfully supported the 2017 Census Test “and has a strong skill set within the community to deliver high-quality services.”
Other General Dynamics Information Technology Census work will be done in Sandy, Utah; Westminster, Colorado; Manassas, Virginia; and Washington, D.C., he said.
General Dynamics Information Technology opened a customer center in late 2014 at One Imeson in the Imeson International Industrial Park.
In April, it held a hiring event to continue staffing up the center that provides call center support services for customers.
More than 250 General Dynamic Information Technology employees work at the site to support customers, Abbott said.
The city approved a permit last week for Dav-Lin Interior Contractors Inc. to build-out 50,462 square feet of space at the center for the Census operations.
Build-out costs are shown as $729,893.
General Dynamics Information Technology is part of General Dynamics, which is based in Falls Church, Virginia.