Institutional Research Data Analyst

Position Overview

The responsibility of the Data Analyst will be to support strategic/compliance reporting, support different data platforms, and institutional data needs at Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU). This is a University & Academic Professional appointment reporting to the Director of Institutional Research in the office of Institutional Research and Decision Support (IRDS).

• Regularly perform data extraction, manipulation, analysis, and interpretation of findings/results to prepare institutional responses to external and internal inquiries ("ad hoc" requests) on a wide range of subjects - e.g. student admissions and enrollment information, student persistence and success (retention and graduation), student financial aid need analysis, personnel planning including recruitment retention as well as attrition, compensation studies.
• Respond to federal and state reporting and to guidebook surveys, national rankings and national studies by preparing accurate and timely reports and/or data files.
• Provide institutional research data to academic units and programs as well as administrative constituencies throughout the institution.
• Collaborate on projects within IRDS along with other stakeholders at VCU.
• Create data visualizations/dashboards using platforms such as tableau.
• Seek and participate in continuing learning opportunities, including topics such as SAS programming, data subject domain knowledge and understanding, expanding data topics, and University-level initiatives and information delivery efforts.
• Provide support with survey design, analysis, and presentations.
• Create documentation for the processes related to platforms and statutory reporting.

Minimum Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree required with a major in statistics, mathematics, economics, sociology, computer science, or other quantitative social sciences discipline, or equivalent combination of education and experience.
• 2-3 years experience working in higher education, preferably in an Institutional Research Office.
• Experience in extracting, analyzing, and interpreting data from a variety of sources (information systems).
• Ability to draw conclusions and communicate data findings, applying statistical principles and methods to meet a range of information requirements; gathering and analyzing data and generating statistical reports.
• Experience (2-3 years) with statistical software tools/packages such as SAS (preferred), SPSS, R etc. to produce high quality analysis.
• Demonstrated computer skills including knowledge and familiarity with spreadsheets, programming languages, relational databases and SQL.
• Extensive survey design and ability to analyze the results to help support research questions and presentations.
• Familiarity with higher education data domains (e.g. admissions, enrollment, financial aid, employee, finance, development, sponsored research) in a university setting.
• Interpersonal skills and the ability to communicate effectively verbally and in written form.
• Strong organizational and documentation skills.
• Ability to take initiative when working independently and yet work effectively in a team environment with people who have a diverse array of experiences and backgrounds.
• Demonstrated experience working in and fostering an environment of respect, professionalism and civility with a population of faculty, staff, and students from various backgrounds and experiences, or a commitment to do so as a staff member at VCU.

Preferred Qualifications

• Hands on experience with data visualization and business intelligence tools such as Tableau, Power BI, SAS
• VAEllucian/Banner experience
• Experience working with a course evaluation platform

Salary Range

Up to $70,000

Benefits

• All full-time university staff are eligible for VCU’s robust benefits package that includes comprehensive health benefits, paid annual and holiday leave, generous tuition benefits, retirement planning and savings options, tax-deferred annuity and cash match programs, employee discounts, well-being resources, abundant opportunities for career development and advancement, and more.

FLSA Exemption Status

Exempt

Hours per Week

40

Restricted Position

No

ORP Eligible

No

Flexible Work Arrangement

Hybrid - Enjoy the flexibility and balance of in-person and remote work. Candidates should be based within commuting distance of Richmond, Virgina, as on-site presence will be required at the manager's discretion in order to address key project milestones

University Job Title

Project Analyst GA

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