Assistant Director of Institutional Research

About the Role

The Assistant Director of Institutional Research supports the university’s mission by providing advanced data analysis, reporting, and strategic insights that inform decision-making and foster institutional effectiveness. A primary focus of this role is the development, implementation, and maintenance of a centralized university data system to enhance accessibility and understanding of institutional data. This position also oversees the preparation of both standard reports and ad hoc analyses to meet the evolving needs of stakeholders.

Responsibilities

• Data System Development and Maintenance
• Actively participates in ERP modernization initiatives, including contributing to data governance discussions, evaluating changes to data access and reporting infrastructure, and ensuring continuity of institutional reporting through system transitions.
• Collaborate with stakeholders across the university to design and develop a centralized data system that integrates critical institutional data.
• Utilize data visualization tools (such as Tableau, Power BI, or similar) to create interactive dashboards and reports that cater to a wide range of audiences.
• Ensure the accuracy, security, and usability of the system by developing protocols for data integrity and regular system updates.
• Affords assistance in the maintenance and enhancement of institutional datasets.
• Coordinates and contributes to matters of data quality, ensuring that institutional data is consistent, accurate, and complete.
• Data Collection and Analysis
• Conducts analysis of institutional data for planning, evaluation, and assessment.
• Collaborates with colleagues from across the University in the collection, analysis, and reporting of institutional data.
• Identifies and collects University-wide facts and figures for archiving.
• Supports planning and program evaluation efforts of the University.
• Coordinates and contributes to data analysis and the dissemination of associated information.
• Supports the University’s ongoing program review process and college accreditation reporting needs.
• Coordinates and assists in the collection, verification, and analysis of institutional, instructional, and student data supporting routine reporting, non-routine requests for information, state and federally mandated reporting, external surveys, as well as supporting compliance with other governing and accrediting agencies. Ensures institutional compliance and timely submissions.
• Institutional Research and Reporting
• Conducts and disseminates both routine and ad hoc analyses to support decision-making, planning, accreditation, and compliance efforts.
• Prepares standard reports, including institutional performance metrics, enrollment trends, and retention analyses.
• Responds to requests for custom data insights by creating targeted reports and visualizations.
• Collaboration and Consultation
• Partners with academic and administrative units (such as the University Registrar, Office of the Provost, Human Resources, and Student Affairs) to understand their data needs and provide actionable insights through custom analyses.
• Provides consultation to end-users on accessing and interpreting data.
• Maintains a positive and professional customer service and/or relations within the office/department and with all constituencies to include students, faculty, staff, guests, and employees.
• Continuous Improvement
• Monitor and evaluate trends in institutional research and data visualization, recommending new tools and approaches as needed.
• Stays informed about emerging best practices in institutional research and higher education analytics.
• Special Projects and Additional Duties
• Serves as an institutional research representative in university-wide data governance and system modernization efforts, contributing IR perspective to decisions about data definitions, access, and reporting architecture.
• Participates in and leads special projects that support institutional goals, including data initiatives and cross-departmental collaborations.
• In the absence of the Director, serves as the Director.
• Performs other duties as assigned by the Director of Institutional Research to meet the evolving needs of the university.
• Demonstrates a positive and professional attitude and treats everyone with dignity and respect. Fully supports CNU Traditions and the “Students First” value at CNU and routinely goes the extra mile in providing service.
• Follows workplace safety regulations and adheres to applicable standards, processes, and programs established for your position.
• Immediately reports work-related incidents and unsafe work conditions to your supervisor and participates in accident investigation requests.
• Performs other duties as assigned.

Requirements

• Master’s Degree, or a Bachelor’s Degree with work experience that equates to an advanced degree.
• Experience analyzing data from a variety of sources.
• Experience interpreting and applying policies and guidelines.
• Experience in the use of office, statistical and/or reporting software.
• Experience working in/with Institutional Research or in a college/university setting.
• Functional experience in admission, financial aid, student records, enrollment management, or related area at the college/university level.
• Experience in data extraction or report writing from a large-scale relational database such as Banner.
• Experience in the use of Tableau, SAS, SPSS; TOAD, SQL, Crystal Reports; Ellucian Banner; MS Office Suite.
• Experience working with sensitive and confidential information in an appropriate manner.
• Experience working with cloud-based ERP or SaaS platforms, particularly as they relate to data access, reporting infrastructure, or integration with institutional analytics environments.
• Experience automating IPEDS or state-level reporting using SQL or R.
• Familiarity with API integrations between ERP systems (Banner) and visualization tiers.
• Advanced knowledge of Data Modeling (Star Schema, Snowflake) for institutional effectiveness.

Qualifications

• Detail-oriented with strong problem-solving skills.
• Strong interpersonal and communication skills.
• Strong quantitative and analytical skills.
• Strong information management and retrieval skills.
• Proficiency in computer technologies, to include the use of word-processing, spreadsheet, reporting, and/or statistical software applications.
• Excellent organizational skills.
• Demonstrated ability to exercise discretion when working with sensitive and confidential information.
• Demonstrated ability to multitask a wide variety of unrelated projects while under firm deadlines.

Skills

• Detail-oriented with strong problem-solving skills.
• Strong interpersonal and communication skills.
• Strong quantitative and analytical skills.
• Strong information management and retrieval skills.
• Proficiency in computer technologies, to include the use of word-processing, spreadsheet, reporting, and/or statistical software applications.
• Excellent organizational skills.
• Demonstrated ability to exercise discretion when working with sensitive and confidential information.
• Demonstrated ability to multitask a wide variety of unrelated projects while under firm deadlines.

Benefits

Starting salary $67,297 to $92,534, Commensurate with Education and Experience.

Pay

$67,297 to $92,534, commensurate with education and experience.

Schedule

Full-time.

Is this position telework eligible?

Yes

Telework Eligibility Disclaimer

This position is eligible for periodic telework as determined by the department. Eligibility is not guaranteed, and is subject to supervisor approval. Eligibility will depend on the likelihood of the employee’s success in a telework arrangement and the supervisor’s ability to manage telework. Departments and/or Human Resources may modify or revoke eligibility at any time. Employees will be required to sign a Telework Agreement.