Senior Research and Policy Analyst

About the role

The Senior Research and Policy Analyst supports the UNC System Office's Division of Strategy and Policy by conducting research and data analysis, examining policy issues, and developing clear, decision-ready materials for senior leaders, the Board of Governors, and other stakeholders. Reporting to the Assistant Vice President for Strategic Research, this position works across a broad range of higher education policy and strategy topics, with a particular focus on student access and success. The analyst will conduct literature and policy scans; analyze institutional, state, and national data; prepare policy briefs and executive presentations; monitor strategic plan metrics; and contribute to a combination of recurring, rapid-response, and longer-term research and policy projects. The analyst will also contribute to division and cross-divisional projects and initiatives designed to improve access and student success in partnership with UNC System institutions.

Responsibilities

• Conduct literature and policy scans
• Analyze institutional, state, and national data
• Prepare policy briefs and executive presentations
• Monitor strategic plan metrics
• Contribute to recurring, rapid-response, and longer-term research and policy projects
• Collaborate on division and cross-divisional projects and initiatives to improve access and student success

About the UNC System Office

The UNC System Office includes the offices of the President and other senior administrators of the multi-campus University of North Carolina System. The UNC System is a treasured public institution dedicated to serving the people of North Carolina through world-class teaching, research, and community engagement. Today, nearly 250,000 students are enrolled in our 16 universities across the state and at the NC School of Science and Mathematics. System Office staff is responsible for executing the policies of the UNC Board of Governors and providing University-wide leadership in the areas of academic affairs, business and financial management, long-range planning, student affairs, research, legal affairs, and government relations. The UNC System Office also has administrative oversight of a number of University affiliates, including PBS North Carolina, the North Carolina Arboretum, the NC State Education Assistance Authority, and University of North Carolina Press.

About the Team

The Strategy and Policy division is charged with enhancing and furthering the UNC System's strategic goals. The division partners with the President and chancellors on System-wide strategic initiatives, is responsible for the institutional performance measurement framework, and serves as a higher-education policy expert to the President, the Board of Governors, and the NC General Assembly. The division also tracks and assesses state and national trends in higher education, and their likely impact on the UNC System, and proactively identifies new initiatives to support System strategies. The division also provides oversight of the University and P12 Partnerships unit as well as the GEAR UP Program.

Requirements

• Master's degree in public policy, higher education, social science, economics, data analytics or related discipline and at least two years of related training or experience; or a doctoral degree in a related field and equivalent combination of training and experience
• All degrees must be received from appropriately accredited institutions

Required Competencies

• Demonstrated ability to produce clear and concise reports, policy briefs, memoranda, presentations, and other decision-ready materials for technical and nontechnical audiences
• Strong organizational and project-coordination skills, including the ability to manage multiple assignments while working both independently and collaboratively with colleagues and stakeholders
• Experience conducting higher education research, policy analysis, or closely related applied research
• Experience conducting descriptive and comparative analysis using large datasets, such as administrative student data, IPEDS, College Scorecard, or National Student Clearinghouse data

Preferred Education, Experience, and Skills

• Experience working in a higher education institution, system office, state agency, policy organization, research center, or similar environment strongly preferred
• Experience using statistical software such as SAS, Stata, R, or a comparable tool
• Experience developing data visualizations with Tableau, Power BI, or a similar tool
• Familiarity with UNC System, North Carolina higher education, or state higher education policy

Work Arrangement

This position is a hybrid work arrangement and will work at least three days per week onsite at the Dillon building in downtown Raleigh's Warehouse District. UNC System employees are generally required to reside in North Carolina, within a 2-hour commuting distance of their assigned duty station.