Research Data Specialist

Direct message the job poster from The University of Chicago Booth School of Business

The Associate Director of Research Data serves as a strategic partner in advancing the university’s research infrastructure by supporting faculty and institutional research initiatives. Reporting to the Director of Data Governance & Stewardship, this role provides high-level leadership in the planning, coordination, and execution of non-technical research data projects, ensuring alignment with academic priorities and institutional data governance standards. The Associate Director also contributes to broader data governance and administrative data efforts, providing expert guidance and expanding institutional capacity in data stewardship.

The compensation range for this position is $65K - $80K (depending on experience and skills).

PRINCIPAL DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES:

• Leads cross-functional research data initiatives from ideation through completion, developing and delivering training programs to strengthen data literacy across the academic community, and maintaining the internal research data portal to support seamless access to critical information.
• Leads the end-to-end execution of complex, non-technical research data projects, from initial concept through successful implementation, in collaboration with academic, administrative, and technical partners.
• Designs and delivers tailored training programs, develops strategic training plans, and cultivates a culture of data-informed decision-making across the academic community.
• Oversees the research data intranet portal to ensure content is current, well-organized, and accessible, facilitating seamless information flow for faculty and staff. Help field requests sent via intake form, create tickets and route to appropriate teams/departments, communicate with requesters on status, monitor request until data has been acquired and technology needs have been met.
• Fields and triages requests submitted through intake channels, creates and tracks tickets, ensures timely routing to appropriate teams, and maintains proactive communication with requesters through resolution.

KNOWLEDGE, SKILLS AND EXPERIENCE:

• A minimum of five years of experience in research support, data governance, or higher education administration required.
• Demonstrated understanding of the research data lifecycle, metadata standards, and ethical/legal considerations in handling academic research data.
• Familiarity with data stewardship, privacy, security, and compliance frameworks (e.g., IRB, HIPAA, FERPA, etc.).
• Experience designing and facilitating instructional materials, workshops, or professional development related to data literacy or research best practices.
• Outstanding verbal, written, and presentation skills, as well as organizational skills required.
• Excellent strategic planning, critical thinking, analytical, and persuasion skills required.
• Ability to handle multiple detailed tasks/projects simultaneously and meet strict deadlines with frequent interruptions required.
• Demonstrated ability to work effectively and diplomatically with colleagues, as well as with students, faculty and corporate contacts in a multitude of communication methods i.e., in person, email, phone required.

“The University of Chicago is an equal opportunity employer and does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender, gender identity or expression, national or ethnic origin, shared ancestry, age, status as an individual with a disability, military or veteran status, genetic information, or other protected classes under the law. For additional information please see the University's Notice of…