Institutional Research Analyst

Institutional Research Analyst

Apply now Job no: 529834
Position Type: Staff Full Time
Campus: UMass Boston
Department: Inst Res Assess & Planning
Pay Grade: 31
Date opened: 12 May 2026 Eastern Daylight Time
Applications close: 12 Jun 2026 Eastern Daylight Time

General

Summary:

Under the direction of the Director of the Office of Institutional Research (OIR), the Research Analyst will conduct research and reporting activities that support and advance the strategic goals of the university and its colleges. This position provides official, comprehensive, timely, and user-friendly information that improves institutional effectiveness, planning, and decision-making, and supports sound educational research and evaluation practices across the university.

The incumbent will collect, analyze, interpret, and present institutional data for internal and external stakeholders. This role will also take a lead in developing and maintaining Tableau dashboards that support campus decision-making, and will assist administrative units by providing statistical and methodological expertise needed to collect, analyze, and interpret institutional data.

A significant area of responsibility includes analyzing retention and graduation trends at both the undergraduate and graduate levels. The analyst will provide data, analysis, and evidence-based recommendations to support efforts to improve completion rates across the university. The incumbent is expected to manage a wide range of institutional research activities and to maintain strong technical and analytical competencies as institutional data systems and reporting technologies continue to evolve.

In collaboration with OIR colleagues, the Research Analyst will also coordinate the preparation of various reports for the UMass President’s Office and contribute to regular institutional reporting outputs, such as the Statistical Portrait. The Research Analyst will collaborate with the Office of Assessment and Planning to explore data needs and provide analytical, reporting, and research support to assessment efforts, both for academic departments and co‑curricular units.

Examples of Duties:

Data Management & Reporting

• Extract, clean, validate, and maintain institutional datasets from enterprise systems (e.g., People Soft, AWS Redshift, Salesforce, and Slate).
• As necessary and in conjunction with OIR colleagues, coordinate completion and submission of the annual University Performance Measurement system indicator report, as well as other reports required by the President’s Office, as well as providing support for recurring report output, such as the Statistical Portrait.
• Support recurring institutional reporting such as census files, enrollment summaries, retention and graduation reports, and departmental dashboards.
• Produce accurate and timely data for executive leadership, academic units, and campus partners.

Research & Analysis

• Conduct descriptive and inferential statistical analyses to support institutional planning, and decision-making.
• Develop and maintain predictive or trend analyses related to enrollment, retention, student performance, and resource allocation.

Data Visualization, Dashboards & Communication

• Design, develop, and maintain Tableau dashboards that provide clear, actionable insights for campus stakeholders.
• Collaborate with campus partners to translate reporting and analytical needs into interactive and user‑friendly Tableau dashboards.
• Ensure dashboards are accessible, well‑documented, aligned with data governance standards, and updated on regular reporting cycles.
• Optimize dashboard performance, including data source management, extract scheduling, and filter efficiency.
• Create effective data visualizations and static reports to support strategic planning, accreditation, program review, and executive presentations.
• Present analytical findings and dashboard updates to leadership, committees, and campus users.
• Work closely with IR colleagues, IT, academic departments, and administrative offices to ensure data consistency and integrity across systems.
• Provide training, documentation, and guidance to faculty and staff on interpreting dashboards and using Tableau features.
• Support…