Director of Institutional Research

Director Of Institutional Research

The Director of Institutional Research is a pivotal leadership role responsible for providing foundational data, analytics, and strategic thinking to advance the university's priorities. This position serves as the primary architect and steward of the university's continuous improvement efforts, ensuring that data informs decision-making, supports mission alignment, and demonstrates institutional effectiveness to internal and external stakeholders, including the Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities (NWCCU).

The Director will lead the collection, analysis, and dissemination of critical institutional data, providing actionable insights to support enrollment management, academic program review, strategic planning, and operational efficiency.

Minimum Requirements

• Master's degree from an accredited institution in a relevant field such as Higher Education Administration, Educational Leadership, Public Policy, Statistics, Social Sciences, or a related quantitative discipline.
• Minimum of three (3) years of progressively responsible experience in institutional research or institutional effectiveness.
• Demonstrated experience with regional accreditation processes, preferably with NWCCU, including direct involvement in self-study preparation and reporting.
• Proven experience in collecting, managing, analyzing, and reporting complex institutional data, including enrollment, student success, and operational metrics.
• Experience with IPEDS reporting and other federal/state compliance reporting.
• Experience supervising and developing professional staff.

Preferred Requirements

• Doctorate (Ph.D. or Ed.D.) in a relevant field.
• Experience as an Accreditation Liaison Officer (ALO) for NWCCU.
• Experience with data visualization tools (e.g., Tableau, Power BI).
• Familiarity with the unique characteristics and challenges of regional public universities.
• Proficiency with SPSS, R, SAS and/or advanced Excel for data analysis.
• Proficiency with Banner or Workday systems and business intelligence tools or assessment within a higher education setting.

Essential Functions

(75%) Institutional Research Operations:

• Directs and manages the university's Institutional Research (IR) function, including the collection, analysis, interpretation, and dissemination of institutional data to support strategic planning, operational effectiveness, and external reporting.
• Oversees the comprehensive collection and analysis of all enrollment data, including applications, admissions, matriculation, retention, progression, and graduation rates, providing timely reports and predictive models to inform enrollment management strategies.
• Manages all federal, state, and other external reporting requirements, including WICHE, SARA, NWCCU, HECC and the Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS) surveys, ensuring accuracy, timeliness, and compliance.
• Develops and maintains a robust data infrastructure, including data definitions, data dictionaries, and data governance policies, in collaboration with IT and other relevant departments.
• Responds to ad-hoc data requests from university leadership, academic departments, administrative units, and external agencies, providing accurate and insightful analyses.
• Conducts institutional studies and analyses on key topics such as student success, faculty workload, resource utilization, and peer comparisons to support decision-making and continuous improvement.
• Utilizes advanced analytical and statistical methods to identify trends, forecast outcomes, and provide actionable recommendations.
• Presents complex data and analytical findings clearly and effectively to diverse audiences, including executive leadership, faculty, and staff.

(25%) Leadership and Strategic Support

• Collaborates closely with the Provost, Provost's Leadership Council, President's Cabinet and other university leaders to align IR activities with institutional priorities.
• Stays current with best practices in institutional effectiveness, assessment, accreditation, and institutional research in higher education.
• Contributes to the university's strategic planning processes by providing data-driven insights and analytical support.
• Fosters a culture of data-informed decision-making and continuous improvement across the institution.
• Supervise and mentor IR staff and student workers, fostering their professional development.

Skills, Knowledge, and Abilities

• Demonstrated customer service experience requiring a very high level of diplomacy and professionalism to effectively handle a broad range of sensitive interpersonal situations.
• Strong interpersonal skills and the ability to build collaborative relationships with faculty, staff, and students across all levels of the institution.
• Demonstrated ability to interpret and consistently apply a wide variety of complex policies and procedures where specific guidelines may not always exist.
• Expressed ability to work with frequent changes in policies and procedures while under pressure of deadlines.
• Strong…