Director, Institutional Research and Assessment (Full Remote or Hybrid Eligible) (simmons)
Job posting number: #166769 (Ref:R10654)
Job Description
ABOUT SIMMONS
Located in Boston’s historic Fenway area, Simmons University has a strong tradition of empowering women and challenging traditional gender roles. Simmons was founded for equality 125 years ago as one of the first higher education institutions dedicated to helping women become leaders. Today, our university continues to grow and evolve and now offers Boston’s only women’s undergraduate program and graduate programs open to all. JOB IS FROM: partimejobs.netVIEW
You’re joining our community at an especially exciting time as we continue to innovate for the future. Simmons recently launched a six-school academic structure that leverages our expert faculty and longstanding expertise in professions that make our communities stronger. In addition, we continue to highlight our high-value education proposition that is delivering greater ROI to students and putting them on the fast track to career growth and success. You’ll find that people who work here truly believe in our mission of preparing students to become social justice-oriented leaders who excel in their professions and their communities. This commitment and pride make for a dynamic workplace.
As a university that values diversity, equity, and inclusion, Simmons encourages applications from all under-represented groups. Simmons is committed to creating, developing, promoting, and enhancing inclusive hiring practices–at all levels, for all positions–ensuring diverse talent pools and the delivery of a consistent positive candidate experience. Simmons is an equal opportunity employer and is committed to continuing to develop a more diverse faculty, staff, student body, and curriculum.
JOB SUMMARY
Reporting to the Associate Provost for Curriculum, Assessment, and Accreditation, the Director provides leadership and strategic direction for using data to advance institutional priorities and student success. This position guides data collection, analysis, and interpretation to support accountability for mission fulfillment, strategic planning, development, and data-enabled decision-making. Working closely with University leadership the Director leverages data to provide analysis, insights, and recommendations related to all aspects of university operations, planning, quality improvement, and assessment to strengthen student learning outcomes and advance the University’s mission.
ESSENTIAL JOB FUNCTIONS
Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform these essential functions.
The Director leads and manages a team of three highly engaged and experienced research and data administration professionals to execute an integrated and strategic approach to accomplish a complex and dynamic set of projects with competing deadlines and priorities.
Participates in or delegates IR Office representation on University and School committees, task forces, work groups, etc. Collaborates closely with the Provost’s Office, University Registrar, IT, HR, Fiance, Marketing and Enrollment offices, and others as appropriate.
Oversees reporting to ensure the University’s compliance with federal and local government data mandates. Coordinates the University’s responses to a variety of surveys and reports requested by external agencies to ensure the University’s representation in ranking/guidebooks and positive public image. Collaborates with individual schools on their data reporting needs.
Oversees the response to a wide range of internal and external requests for information about the University. Each year hundreds of data and analysis requests are received by the office from both internal and external audiences. The Director assumes the lead role in prioritizing and organizing these projects and requests for the IR team, helping to solve reporting problems, recommending solutions, and resolving issues.
Oversees the preparation of various reports (such as Fact Book, NSSE summary, Retention and Graduation Dashboards) within the campus community and plans for and develops new data analyses/reports that present data of interest to the University community. Reports on quantitative and qualitative key indicators established by University leadership, to help assess and forecast progress towards institutional goals.
Leads and/or supports qualitative and quantitative research efforts as needed for academic and administrative departments, producing actionable written reports of research, and providing thought partnership and consultation on research and projects as requested by departments and faculty groups.
Oversees the administration, analysis, and communication of key stakeholder surveys, including review and analysis of survey results; sharing survey results with senior administrators; using survey research to promote informed decision-making at the University; and assisting with accreditation reporting. Manages aspects of survey preparation, serving as a resource for members of Simmons community regarding their design and administration of surveys. Works with stakeholders across campus to reduce survey burden and improve the quality of the information collected.
Participates in strategic direction for data governance to ensure accuracy, consistency, and integrity of the institutional data across campus to create and maintain a data environment where accurate and consistent information is housed in a centralized information system and readily available to support evidence-based decisions and informed action at Simmons University.
OTHER DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES
Other duties as assigned.
REQUIRED QUALIFICATIONS
Master's degree in Educational Research, Higher Education, Policy Analysis, or a related field
At least three years of Institutional Research experience, including management of professional staff
Experience working with institutional data sets and databases;
Excellent communication (both oral and written) and interpersonal skills; experience presenting data analysis to institutional stakeholders
Experience with both quantitative and qualitative research methods; knowledge of survey design and administration; knowledge of applied statistical analysis techniques;
Expertise with relevant software, for example, R and Tableau
Experience with student learning outcomes assessment
Skilled user of Microsoft Office products, most importantly Excel, Word, and PowerPoint
PREFERRED QUALIFICATIONS
Experience with data warehouse systems and student information systems strongly preferred
COMPETENCIES
Problem Solving
Analytical and Strategic
Customer Service Oriented
Communication (Written, Verbal, Presentation)
Commitment to Inclusive Excellence and Social Justice
Teamwork
Leadership
WORK ENVIRONMENT & CONDITIONS/PHYSICAL DEMANDS
Position is eligible for hybrid or remote work
12 month position
40 Hours / week
Office environment
If fully remote, travel to Simmons campus 1-3x per year
Instructions to Applicants: Please upload all applicable application materials (e.g. resume/cv, cover letter, writing sample, teaching philosophy, etc.) in the Application Materials box on page 2 ("My Experience") of this application. Documents can be uploaded individually or as a combined document (e.g. PDF).
Simmons University is committed to inclusive excellence in all aspects of an individual’s community experience. As a university committed to diversity, equity, and inclusion, Simmons encourages applications from all under-represented groups. Simmons is committed to creating, developing, promoting, and enhancing inclusive hiring practices–at all levels, for all positions–ensuring diverse talent pools and the delivery of a consistent positive candidate experience. Simmons is an equal opportunity employer and is committed to continuing to develop a more diverse faculty, staff, student body, and curriculum.