Job Description

General Summary

The Office of Institutional Research (IR) is housed within Academic Operations and is involved in conducting, managing and implementing institutional research and assessment related activities. It performs all necessary functions related to the collection, interpretation, and use of data for planning and decision making across the university system.

The Director of Institutional Research supervises all institutional research activities and directs and manages data collection, compilation, analysis, and research activities. Provides leadership and direction for the design, prioritization, and implementation of statistical analysis and research activities in support of assessments, program review s and continuous quality improvements. Develops and executes plans to support outcome assessments, program and department reviews, continuous improvement, and institutional effectiveness activities.

Principal Duties & Responsibilities

• Ensure that meaningful, appropriate and accurate data and supporting documentation is available to meet the decision- making needs of departments and programs across the system
• Collect, interpret, and analyze data, to make recommendations based on results for different activities and projects
• Run appropriate statistical tests on data. Ensure reliability and validity of data
• Produce appropriate reports regarding the achievement of program or department performance measures and outcomes to appropriate parties
• Support academic program and course review activities. Provide support with data, analyses and recommendations for program and course health reviews
• Develop, coordinate and publish data reports
• Research and recommend changes in institutional processes to improve data quality and accuracy
• Compile, analyze and disseminate quantitative and qualitative data on facets of the programs and departments. Support and document the integration of the results of these reviews into decision-making and planning
• Collect and maintain college/university/system-wide assessment results, which include analyzing and interpreting data for informed decision making and reporting performance results
• Oversee the design and analysis of surveys and focus groups of various constituencies, communicate the results of analyses to appropriate audiences and support and document the integration of the results into decision-making, continuous improvements, and planning
• Stay abreast of data needs related to accreditation; support accreditation efforts by providing data and analyses for use in self-studies and reports
• Evaluate the information needs across the system, and oversee the data to support institutional research and provide necessary information
• Collaborate with other departments (e.g., IT, data teams) in the development of dashboards and integrated data collection tools
• Manage responses to ad-hoc requests for data, analyses, and reports
• Manage a team of direct reports to support the work of the department

Other Duties as Assigned or Requested

• Special projects based on business needs

Qualifications:

Education & Experience (minimum)

• Doctorate in the social, psychological, educational, or research fields
• Five or more years of experience in institutional research or leading similar functions in a large organization
• Experience with data collection, analysis, interpretation, visualization, and reporting
• Knowledge of qualitative and quantitative research designs and analysis
• Understanding of methods of data management and analysis in a higher education environment
• Excellent project management skills
• Excellent written and oral communication skills
• Ability to work effectively with system, department and program leaders, faculty, administrative staff, and students
• Ability to work independently, attend to multiple projects simultaneously, and meet deadlines
• Experience with data analytics software applications, such as SPSS, Microsoft Excel, qualitative analysis tools and/or others

Education & Experience (preferred)

• Advanced degree in psychometrics and/or research methodology
• Experience with Qualtrics Survey Tools
• Experience managing direct reports
• Experience working and leading remotely

Knowledge, Skills, Abilities & Competencies

• Demonstrated understanding of higher education.
• Demonstrated understanding of applicable regulatory, accrediting agency, and professional association standards.

Competency – Drive for Results/Action Oriented

• Proven ability to establish and articulate a vision, set and exceed goals, develop and execute strategies, and track and measure results.
• Proven ability to build and motivate a team to achieve well-communicated expectations, steadfastly pushes self and others for results.
• Proven ability to lead projects and achieve results in an ambiguous work environment.

Competency - Execution

• Proven organizational ability, highly skilled at finding resources to get things done, and can orchestrate multiple activities at once to accomplish a goal.
• Skilled priority setting, allocates time of self and others on what’s important; differentiates issues by relative importance and takes action accordingly to follow through.
• Track record of persevering despite challenges to overcome resistance and obstacles in pursuit of key objectives.

Competency – Functional/Technical Skills

• Extensive expertise in data collection, analysis, and reporting
• Extensive expertise in process implementation
• Experience conducting quantitative research and data analysis
• A solid understanding of qualitative research and data analysis
• Knowledge and experience conducting survey research

Competency – Business & Strategic Acumen

• Must possess strong strategic and business acumen, for a complex business environment same or similar to proprietary education. Knows how businesses and educational institutions work, is up to date on trends, technology, and information, and is aware of how strategies and tactics work in the marketplace.
• Demonstrated ability to deal with concepts and complexity comfortably and is sharp, capable, and agile. Can connect the dots between disparate points and anticipate downstream consequences. Can create competitive and breakthrough strategies and plans.
• Makes decisions that are simultaneously well researched, thoughtful, and timely before exhausting too much time and resources. Demonstrated ability to make quick but well-informed decisions.
• Demonstrated ability to use data to inform decisions.

Competency – Collaboration & Teamwork

• Proven strong negotiating and consensus-building abilities.
• Proven strong leadership skills within the team and in the academic community.
• Leads team by providing strong communication and respect. Provides valuable feedback and maintains composure at all times.
• Proven skills to work effectively across internal functional areas in ambiguous situations. Knows how organizations work and how to get things done both through formal channels and informal networks.

Competency - Communication & Composure

• Excellent written and verbal communication skills.
• Excellent presentation skills.