Senior Data and Policy Analyst

About the Role

This Senior Data and Policy Analyst provides advanced institutional research, SAS programming, and analytical expertise supporting systemwide regulatory reporting for Virginia's 23 community colleges and the VCCS System Office. The position serves as the senior technical subject-matter expert responsible for translating approved federal, state, and VCCS reporting requirements into reproducible data definitions, analytical methodologies, SAS programs, validation procedures, and reporting processes. Working under the direction of the Director of Institutional Research, the individual in this position develops and maintains complex SAS programs and core data files; evaluates the accuracy and consistency of college submissions; integrates VCCS data with external education and workforce datasets; and resolves complex reporting, programming, and data-quality issues. This position also provides advanced consultation, training, documentation, and technical leadership to college and System Office institutional research staff. This position advises the Director regarding data availability, reporting feasibility, methodological implications, implementation risks, and available technical approaches and is responsible for implementing approved decisions.

Responsibilities

• Develop and maintain complex SAS programs and core data files
• Evaluate the accuracy and consistency of college submissions
• Integrate VCCS data with external education and workforce datasets
• Resolve complex reporting, programming, and data-quality issues
• Provide advanced consultation, training, documentation, and technical leadership to college and System Office institutional research staff
• Advise the Director regarding data availability, reporting feasibility, methodological implications, implementation risks, and available technical approaches
• Implement approved decisions
• Perform other duties as assigned
• Assist the agency or state government generally in the event of an emergency declaration by the Governor

Required Qualifications

Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities:

• Advanced knowledge of institutional research principles, regulatory reporting, quantitative analysis, and data-quality assurance
• Advanced proficiency in SAS programming, including data-step programming, SQL, macros, file processing, data transformation, validation, and statistical or analytical procedures
• Demonstrated ability to develop, test, document, and maintain complex, reproducible SAS programs and production processes
• Knowledge of relational and longitudinal data structures and methods for integrating data from multiple sources
• Ability to translate approved regulatory and policy requirements into data definitions, business rules, analytical methodologies, validation procedures, and reporting outputs
• Ability to analyze large and complex student-level datasets and identify data-quality, methodological, and reporting concerns
• Knowledge of federal and state postsecondary reporting requirements, including SCHEV, IPEDS, and Perkins reporting, or the ability to acquire this knowledge
• Knowledge of student information data and postsecondary measures involving enrollment, progression, completion, transfer, and workforce outcomes
• Ability to explain complex data, SAS processes, reporting methodologies, and validation findings to technical and nontechnical audiences
• Ability to develop and deliver effective training and technical documentation
• Ability to manage multiple recurring reporting cycles, deadlines, dependencies, and competing priorities
• Ability to exercise sound independent judgment while recognizing matters requiring policy clarification or management direction
• Ability to protect confidential information and apply applicable privacy, security, disclosure, and data-use requirements
• Ability to establish effective working relationships with college institutional research staff, System Office personnel, state agency staff, and approved research partners

Experience Required:

• Considerable experience conducting advanced institutional research, regulatory reporting, quantitative analysis, or related work in a complex organization
• Considerable experience developing and maintaining complex SAS programs used for recurring reporting, data integration, validation, or analysis
• Experience working with large administrative datasets and integrating information from multiple data sources
• Experience developing reporting methodologies, business rules, validation procedures, and technical documentation
• Experience independently investigating and resolving complex programming and data-quality problems
• Experience communicating analytical or reporting requirements and providing consultation or training to data users

Additional Considerations

• Experience with higher education institutional research or regulatory reporting
• Experience with SCHEV, IPEDS, Perkins, National Student Clearinghouse, workforce, or comparable state and federal data
• Experience supporting reporting across multiple institutions or organizational units
• Experience developing SAS macros, automated validation tools, longitudinal datasets, and reproducible production processes
• Experience training or mentoring institutional research, reporting, or analytical staff
• Graduate-level education in institutional research, education, public policy, statistics, data analytics, social science, or a related field

Pay

$102,000 to $112,000 annually

Schedule

M-F 8-5 and after hours as needed