Manager, Institutional Research

Thank you for your interest in a career at Northcentral Technical College (NTC).

NTC offers outstanding career opportunities at our beautiful campus with state-of-the-art technology and a stimulating and diverse environment. Employees are offered an amazing Total Rewards package with competitive salaries, excellent benefits, and generous paid time off - including two paid closures for the winter holiday (Christmas - New Year) and summer (week of July 4th), for most full-time positions. NTC is "The College that Cares" and makes a difference in the lives of our employees and students. If you have the desire to help students while positively impacting the community, we'd love for you to join our team! See why our current employees did!

Salary is commensurate based on occupational experience and qualifications.

JOB SUMMARY, DESCRIPTION & QUALIFICATIONS:

Job Summary

The Manager of Institutional Research leads the College's data initiatives by overseeing the collection, analysis, interpretation and reporting of data that supports institutional effectiveness and data-informed decision-making. In addition to managing core institutional research functions, this role serves as the College's primary Data Steward and chairs the Data Governance Committee to advance a strategic vision for how data is used, shared and understood across the institution. The Manager collaborates with leaders and stakeholders throughout the College to build confidence in data through consistency and quality, empower users through improved accessibility, and foster a culture of transparency, collaboration and shared insight.

Essential Functions and Responsibilities

The following duties are primarily performed and are essential for this position. Employees are expected to be able to perform each of these job duties satisfactorily and successfully with or without reasonable accommodation.

Institutional Research Management

• Leads the collection, cleaning, analysis, interpretation, and reporting of institutional data to support informed decision-making across the College.

• Develops and implements processes for collecting, linking, and analyzing data from internal systems, state and federal agencies, other higher education institutions, and employers.

• Ensures data integrity, compliance with external reporting requirements, and correction of discrepancies in collaboration with College teams responsible for data entry.

• Champion a campus-wide culture of trusted, accessible, and transparently shared data as chair of the Data Governance Committee and primary Data Steward, ensuring data quality, transparency and responsible access across all campus systems and stakeholders.

Data and Research Support

• Provides research and statistical analysis to support curricula, instruction, student services, human resources, facilities, finance, and grant-related projects.

• Supports data needs for initiatives which may include program health, new program exploration, grant development and reporting, College and Foundation audits, the Comprehensive Annual Financial Report, etc.

• Utilizes and supports data integration with systems including, but not limited to, Gray DI, PowerBI, Starfish, Canvas and Workday, and provides technical training and support to staff related to these systems, reporting tools, and data-informed decision-making.

Survey and Compliance Reporting

• Provides analysis on student and employee surveys

• Oversees compliance reporting and survey submissions for initiatives including, but not limited to, IPEDS and Wisconsin Technical College System (WTCS) reports.

Strategic Planning and Accreditation

• Provides data support for strategic initiatives including the NTC Strategic Plan and Board of Trustees reporting (e.g., district economic outlook, board dashboard).

• Supports accreditation processes for the Higher Learning Commission and individual academic programs.

• Assists with program assessment and institutional evaluation efforts.

Data Analysis and Reporting

• Performs data extraction, manipulation, and interpretation to respond to data and information requests from internal and external stakeholders.

• Produces reports and dashboards that guide planning, performance assessment, and compliance.

• Pilots and governs the responsible use of AI/ML techniques (e.g., predictive modeling, naturallanguage summarization, automated report generation) to increase analytic rigor and efficiency.

Training and Support

• Provides technical training and support to staff related to data systems, reporting tools, and data-informed decision-making.

Supervisory Responsibilities

• Provides input during the hiring process, oversees training, conducts performance evaluations, and supports professional development.

• Assigns work and projects, ensuring alignment with institutional goals and priorities.

• Supports employee engagement, professional growth, and collaboration within the team.

• Ensures compliance with College policies, procedures, and security protocols.

Minimum Qualifications Required

In limited circumstances, NTC may consider a combination of education, training, and experience which provides the necessary knowledge, skills, and abilities to perform the duties of this position.

Education: Bachelor's Degree

Experience: 5 Years

Additional Experience Information:

Technical and Analytical Skills

• Experience with data analysis and reporting to support strategic planning, decision-making, and process improvement.

• Proficiency with statistical software (e.g., SPSS or similar) and analytic languages.

• Experience developing dashboards, workbooks, and data visualizations using Tableau or similar business intelligence tools.

• Ability to clearly explain and present analytical data through user-friendly reports and dashboards.

• Understanding of data warehousing, data mining, and predictive analytics techniques.

Systems and Data Sources

• Familiarity with higher education administrative/student information systems (e.g., Workday).

• Experience working with compliance and external reporting data sources such as IPEDS and the National Student Clearinghouse.

• Familiarity with labor market analysis tools (e.g., Lightcast).

Project and Communication Skills

• Strong project management skills with the ability to lead complex projects and meet multiple deadlines.

• Excellent interpersonal, communication, and collaboration skills across diverse teams and stakeholders.

Knowledge, Skills and Abilities

In order to perform the functions and responsibilities of the position (listed above) the following knowledge, skills, and abilities, including language skills, reasoning and mathematical abilities are essential.

Language Skills:

Ability to read, write, analyze and interpret complex documents; present topics to internal and external individuals of all levels.

Math Skills:

Ability to perform and work complex calculations, make comparisons, interpret and provide logical explanations to others.

Reasoning Ability:

Ability to define problems, collect data, establish facts, and draw conclusions to critically create resolutions; interpret instructions in mathematical or diagram form with abstract and concrete variables.

Technical Skills:

Ability to perform complex operations in a variety of job-specific systems, understand functionality to apply advanced functions, manage/customize and create calculations with data.

Customer Service Skills:

Ability to understand complex concerns and formulate solutions; communicate professionally with various audiences in different situations.

Physical Requirements

Carrying/Lifting 10-25lbs: Low

Carrying/Lifting 25-50lbs: N/A

Carrying/Lifting more than 50lbs: N/A

Sitting: High

Standing/Walking/Climbing: Low

Squatting/Crouching/Kneeling/Bending: Low

Repetitive Hand/Foot Movement: Medium

Pushing/Pulling/Reaching Above Shoulder: Low

Work Environment

Indoor/Office Work Environment: High

Outdoor Weather Conditions: N/A

Irritated or Agitated Individuals: Low

Hostile or Violent Individuals: N/A

Hazardous Fumes/Odors/Toxic Chemicals: N/A

Confined Spaces (as identified by OSHA): N/A

Work-Related Travel: Low

Smell Requirement: N/A

Specific Vision: High

Hearing: High

Taste: N/A