Manager, Institutional Research

Salary: $71,858 - $80,000, depending on experience and qualifications

Position Summary

Under the direction of the AVP-IEDS, the Manager, Institutional Research investigates, researches, gathers, analyzes, and summarizes institutional data in support of information and research needs for planning and policy-making decisions.

The focus of this position is to provide in-depth analytical and statistical expertise, including developing and maintaining dashboards summarizing and presenting analytical results using various data visualization methods and tools.

Our generous benefits package includes medical, dental, and vision plans; paid parental leave; short term and long term disability plans; life insurance; flexible spending accounts; and a 403(b) retirement plan which includes a 8% employer contribution after 2 years of service. RFUMS is committed to employee wellbeing and work-life balance. Full time staff are eligible for 3 weeks of vacation/ paid leave, 15 sick days, and 13 holidays plus two floating holidays.

Who We Are

Rosalind Franklin University of Medicine and Science (RFU) is a graduate health sciences university committed to serving the population through the interprofessional education of health and biomedical professionals and the discovery of knowledge dedicated to improving wellness. The university embodies the spirit of inquiry and excellence modeled by its namesake Dr. Rosalind Franklin, whose Photo 51 was crucial to solving the structure of DNA.

Institutional Effectiveness & Decision Support (IEDS) is a unit within the Academic and Faculty Affairs division. IEDS assumes various roles but, importantly, serves to gather, organize, and make sense of data and information regarding RFUMS, assists in measuring key performance metrics with a degree of objectivity, in impacting institutional growth, stability, and quality.

IEDS coordinates efforts of data capture (e.g., official campus statistics) and maintains institutional reporting compliance. It also provides statistical and methodological advice (e.g., survey development, program evaluation), conducts advanced analytics (e.g., predictive modeling), and manages institutional surveys.

IEDS, by providing data, supports a diverse set of activities designed to enhance administrative decision-making, assists various ad-hoc and strategic data collection and reporting initiatives, and supports institutional planning. In the broadest terms, IEDS seeks a deeper understanding of the institution and its properties and attributes. Fostering critical and systematic thinking around data, IEDS can help measure operational performances to empower decision-makers and enhance institutional effectiveness through accurate and actionable data and analyses.

Essential Duties & Responsibilities

Institutional Research

• Develops, implements, monitors, and updates information systems and databases that manage, store, and retrieve institutional data according to established policies, procedures, and reporting regulations.
• Collects, analyzes, and researches institutional data according to established procedures and regulations.
• As needed, prepares and disseminates institutional statistical reports to institutional programs, working units, and leadership.
• Serves as liaison and primary contact for internal and external stakeholders for institutional reporting and compliance, surveys, and institutional statistics and data.
• Coordinates preparation and submission of reports to regulatory bodies, accreditation agencies, and other relevant entities; works with various entities to ensure data integrity, quality, and consistency for all reporting.

Data Analytics

• Develops content and methodological knowledge of standard practices in qualitative and quantitative approaches to institutional research and data analytics in higher education settings.
• Conducts and coordinates complex institutional data analyses, including multivariate analyses, drawing from different data sources.
• Collaborates with key stakeholders to provide in-depth data analyses and insights into institutional outcomes based on key performance indicators.
• Utilizes analytics to identify trends and conduct comparative analyses to support data-driven decision-making.

Data Governance

• Supports implementation of best practices in maintaining data quality and standardization per data governance policies and processes.
• Manages data issues in thoughtful, consultative ways.

Facilitates data literacy training programming.

Conditions of Employment

• Must achieve satisfactory results from a background check

Required Education & Experience

• Bachelor's degree from an accredited institution
• At least 3 years of experience performing reporting and analytic functions in higher education.

Required Knowledge, Skills, & Abilities

• Demonstrated experience integrating large datasets from multiple sources, including developing and maintaining simple and complex queries that translate data needs from stakeholders into complete and valid datasets.
• Commitment to data quality, accuracy, and integrity while professionally handling confidential data.
• Experience being a liaison or partner working diligently with various business processes and operational needs, including the day-to-day responsibilities of individuals within each department, to understand better how data may be used to support those roles.
• Experience with a programming language (e.g. SQL) and/or visual analytics software (for ex. Power BI or Tableau)

Preferred Qualifications

• Postsecondary degree emphasizing mathematics, data analysis, statistical analysis, or related experience with structured analysis.
• Experience in a role with data analysis & interpretation responsibilities.
• Experience with statistical methods in higher education and/or Institutional Research offices.
• Demonstrated experience developing information or analytic dashboards and/or reporting writing.
• Familiarity working with Qualtrics or other survey software.

Typical Physical Demands & Working Conditions

• Selected candidate must have the mental and physical capabilities to perform the essential functions of the position with or without reasonable accommodations.

EOE, Including Disability / Vets