Sr Institutional Researcher

Reporting to the Director for the Office of Institutional Analytics with a dotted line to the Center for Teaching and Learning (CTL) Executive Director, this Institutional Researcher collects, develops, analyzes, communicates, and consults on a wide range of institutional data and other information to constituents throughout the university to support and enhance informed decision-making, problem-solving, strategic planning, policy development, and institutional self-assessment.

Performing applied research and designing, executing, and evaluating wide-ranging analytical and statistical studies and/or institutional self-assessments. Operationalizes predictive and diagnostic models, designs, and manages data pipelines, and translates complex analyses into actionable insights that inform policy, pedagogy, and CTL programming. Designs and manages information systems and databases to support institutional research activities. Provides functional leadership training and guidance to other researchers as appropriate.

This is a full-time, benefits-eligible position that works onsite at the UNM Main Albuquerque Campus. Note: This position is a joint appointment between the UNM Office of Institutional Analytics and the Center for Teaching and Learning (CTL). The successful candidate will need to reside in Albuquerque, New Mexico, before the start date. A hybrid work arrangement is possible with at least 2 working days completed on the Albuquerque campus per week.

Interested candidates should submit a resume and cover letter for consideration. The cover letter should address your experience and career goals as a Data Analyst in the university setting. Your application will not be considered without a cover letter. Candidates selected for an interview will be asked to prepare a presentation. Within the presentation, we would like to understand your problem-solving, technical, and communication skills. Instructions will be provided with the interview materials.

Duties and Responsibilities

1. Acquires, manipulates, develops, and maintains longitudinal data sets, verifying accuracy and consistency over time in the context of evolving requirements regarding reporting institutional facts.

2. Conducts and/or consults on a wide variety of university survey research efforts, participating in and advising on survey construction, objectives, and rationale development of survey instruments, and design of survey protocol and procedures.

3. Performs and/or advises on data reduction, statistical analysis of data, and interpretation of results, preparing or participating in the preparation and presentation of formal research reports using R, SQL, Python, or other statistical analysis software.

4. Prepares institutional responses to internal and/or external queries, such as CTL usage metrics, student success outcomes, etc.

5. Designs, executes, analyzes, communicates, and consults on the results of ongoing and one-time analytical studies using appropriate inferential statistics.

6. Represents CTL and OIA in ad hoc committees, meetings, conferences, and task forces as assigned.

7. Provides functional direction to lower-level technicians on assigned work. May supervise student employees.

8. Organizes and facilitates data literacy training and workshops for staff, faculty, and students.

9. Performs miscellaneous job-related duties as assigned.

Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities Required

• Knowledge of data collection for higher education settings, including assessments of retention and other academic success metrics.

• Proficiency with developing, designing, and maintaining dynamic dashboards and visualizations, specifically Tableau and Power BI, that communicate complex information to faculty, staff, and administrators.

• Strong interpersonal and communication skills and the ability to work effectively with a wide range of constituencies in a diverse community.

• Knowledge of higher education planning methods, processes, systems, reporting, and databases.

• Experience conducting quantitative and qualitative analyses, such as regression, hypothesis testing, and longitudinal modeling, to evaluate teaching, tutoring, and instructional interventions.

• Experience developing testing and refining statistical and machine learning models to identify key drivers of student learning, retention, and academic success.

• Supervising and mentoring staff and student employees involved in data collection, coding, and analysis.

• Promoting data literacy, responsible data use, and equity-focused analytics.

• Ability to draw conclusions and make recommendations based on research data and findings.

• Skill in the use of personal computers and related software applications.

• Ability to communicate effectively both orally and in writing.

• Knowledge of institutional self-assessments and student outcomes assessment principles, methods, and techniques.

• Ability to provide technical leadership and direction to lower-level staff members.

• Knowledge of statistical data collection, analysis, tracking, and reporting systems, methods, and techniques.

• Proficiency working with SAS, R, Python, SQL, programming, and/or other software used to manipulate, summarize, and produce reports from multiple large, complex data sets.

• Ability to analyze statistical data and generate reports and design and administer survey instruments.

• Ability to visualize complex data analyses using data visualization software, such as Tableau, Power BI, and DataWrapper.

• Ability to plan, create, program, and manage statistical computer databases across multiple hardware and operating system platforms.

• Knowledge of University data systems, definitions, and procedures.

• Knowledge of statistical and analytical survey instruments, protocol, and procedures.

• Strong interpersonal and communication skills and the ability to work effectively with a wide range of constituencies in a diverse community.

Distinguishing Characteristics

This position requires:

• Performing applied research and designing, executing, and evaluating wide-ranging analytical and statistical studies.
• Participating in the preparation and presentation of formal research reports.
• Facilitating the development, implementation, and evaluation of integrated institutional self-assessment programs.
• Facilitating the findings into institutional planning and decision-making.
• Providing functional direction to other institutional researchers and data analysts.