Director of Institutional Research

Position Title
:
Director of Institutional Research

Department
: 2030|Institutional Research

The Director of Institutional Research serves as a visionary, service-minded intelligence leader and trusted advisor to campus executives. The Director leads the transformation of institutional data into actionable, forward-looking insights that drive strategic growth, institutional effectiveness, as program, faculty, and student success. Grounded in a culture of collaborative service and relationship-building, this role bridges business intelligence with institutional strategy, fostering strong cross-functional partnerships, championing proactive decision-making, and navigating the evolving higher education landscape.

• Strategic Partnership: Build trust-based, collaborative relationships across academic and administrative units, deans, and campus leaders to proactively identify data needs and deliver consultative insights.
• Cross-Institutional Alignment: Partner actively with IR offices across the UL System and external networks to benchmark innovative practices, harmonize data definitions, and champion collaborative higher education research.
• Strategic Data Translation & Storytelling: Guide the synthesis, analysis, and compelling presentation of complex data into clear, actionable resources, reports, and high-impact special projects for executive leadership and campus stakeholders—translating raw metrics into meaningful strategic narratives.
• Service-Minded Culture: Cultivate a customer-centric, accessible, and supportive environment within the Office of IR, positioning the team as a go-to partner for strategic problem-solving.
• Coalition & Governance Leadership: Chair and guide key governance groups, including the Data Governance Committee, Data Standards Committee, and work with data visualization experts to inspire shared data stewardship and collaborative decision-making. Serve as a member of the Data Governance Committee, as well as represent the Office of IR in meetings or committees for institutional reporting and data needs.

• Predictive & Proactive Insights: Shift institutional research from historical reporting to forward-thinking predictive modeling, trend forecasting, and scenario planning to anticipate institutional opportunities and risks.
• Modern Business Intelligence: Drive the expansion of modern data visualization tools (e.g., Tableau) and interactive dashboards to empower campus stakeholders with self-service analytics and KPI tracking.
• Digital Presence & Data Transparency: Oversee the IR website to ensure it serves as a dynamic, user-friendly hub for institutional intelligence; curate public-facing dashboards, fact books, accountability metrics, and strategic plan tracking; and maintain accessible resources that promote campus-wide data literacy.
• Environmental Scanning: Synthesize higher education trends, demographic shifts, and regional benchmarks to inform long-range strategic planning and enrollment strategies.
• Data Enablement & Campus Literacy: Design and lead campus-wide training programs, workshops, and user-friendly resources that empower faculty, staff, and leadership to effectively navigate analytics platforms (e.g., Tableau, Qualtrics, Ellucian Insight), interpret data accurately, and build confidence in data-informed decision-making.

• Ethical Data Stewardship & Integrity: Collaborate with the Enterprise Data Governance Planning Committee to establish modern data standards, ethical AI/data usage policies, and robust security controls. Ensure appropriate, ethical, and compliant use of data on behalf of the…