Director, Institutional Research

Palm Beach State College • Lake Worth, FL

3d • $83,826 - $104,783

About The Position

Responsible for curating and leading a culture of data literacy and decision making across the organization. Provides leadership for research, reporting, and business intelligence to support institutional goals. Serves as the primary custodian of institutional data and ensures timely and accurate submission of state and federal reports. Directs the development, analysis, and dissemination of data, which includes, but is not limited to, academic programs, accreditation, enrollment, engagement, economic impact, and demographics.

Requirements

• Master’s degree
• Six years of related experience in research activities in education or a related field, with at least two years in supervisory or leadership roles
• Knowledge of: Microsoft Office Professional or similar application
• Statistical analysis software (e.g., SPSS, SAS, Python).
• Data visualization and business intelligence tools (e.g., Power BI, Tableau)
• State and federal reporting and compliance in higher education (e.g., IPEDS and state reporting)
• Survey methodology, questionnaire design, and program evaluation
• Institutional data systems (student information, enrollment, HR, finance)
• Skilled in: Research and data analysis to arrive at valid conclusions, recommendations and plans of action
• Quantitative and qualitative research design and analysis, including predictive analytics and forecasting.
• Converting complex information into simple, readable form
• Written and oral communication techniques sufficient to develop and deliver presentations, reports, and summaries of quantitative insights to non-quantitative audiences in order to foster understanding and acceptance of findings
• Project management and attention to detail while maintaining effective time and task management
• Designing dashboards, scorecards, and data visualizations
• Translating complex analytic findings into accessible, actionable narratives for non-technical audiences
• Project management, prioritization, and attention to detail
• Coaching, mentoring, and motivating staff
• Ability to: Apply rational systems to solve practical problems and deal with a variety of concrete variables in situations where only limited standardization exists
• Effectively communicate verbally and in writing on a regular basis with internal and external customers, build relationships, manage customer expectations, and take responsibility for a high level of service
• Analyze and interpret numbers, trends, patterns, and data to develop new conclusions based on the findings required and present them to
• Collect, organize, analyze, and disseminate significant amounts of information with attention to detail and accuracy
• Interact in a positive manner with diverse populations and varying education levels of students, faculty, staff, and the public
• Analyze, interpret, and present data to varied stakeholder groups
• Operate in ambiguous or evolving contexts and propose creative analytic solutions
• Build strong cross-functional relationships and communicate effectively in writing and verbally
• Maintain confidentiality, compliance, and ethical standards in the use of institutional data
• Licenses, Registration, Certifications, or Special Requirements: Regular physical attendance required

Nice To Haves

• Doctoral degree
• Experience in a community college or multi-campus environment
• Demonstrated experience with advanced analytics, such as machine learning methods or AI-assisted modeling
• Experience with data architecture and pipelines (e.g., data warehouses, ETL)

Responsibilities

• Establishes and leads the College’s institutional research activities including the collection, analysis, interpretation, and reporting of information on the characteristics of the College and its environment for use in decision-making.
• Directs survey strategy and execution, including instrument design, administration, analysis, and reporting for students, alumni, employers, and market research.
• Collaborates across all College divisions to integrate and link data from internal systems and state/federal sources.
• Leads efforts to ensure integrity, security, accessibility, quality, and regulatory compliance of institutional data.
• Oversees the implementation of corrective measures to resolve and minimize data discrepancies.
• Applies advanced statistical and predictive techniques (e.g., regression, forecasting, modeling) to support planning, enrollment, and instructional research.
• Directs efforts that support the accreditation of the College and its programs.
• Serves as a liaison for the College and ensures the timely and accurate submission of required reports and information to state, federal, accreditation, and other organizations and agencies.
• Plans, directs, completes, and reviews long-term reports and studies; prepares projections related to curriculum, students, enrollment, and budgeting; publishes research briefs and prepares data for applications for affiliated Educational Partners, i.e., grant funding organizations.
• Develops short-term and long-range goals, objectives, priorities, and recommendations.
• Recruit, supervise, mentor, and evaluate IR/analytics staff; set goals, provide guidance and performance appraisals, identify training and development needs, and cultivate a high-performing, collaborative team.
• Maintains current knowledge of field or profession.
• Travels to training workshops, conferences, meetings, and professional events outside of college locations, as needed.
• Monitors expenditures in assigned budget and holds appropriate parties accountable for financial practices that promote sound fiscal management.
• Oversees the design, implementation, and maintenance of dashboards, scorecards, and other decision-support tools (e.g., Power BI) to inform executive, board, and departmental decision-making.
• Manages and fulfills regular and ad hoc data and analytic requests from senior leadership, trustees, academic and administrative units, and external stakeholders.
• Serves as a strategic advisor to senior leadership, deans, and department chairs on interpreting and applying institutional data to planning, policy, and resource allocation.
• Performs other job-related duties as assigned.

Benefits

• Culture: Be part of an inclusive, Panther First environment where every role has a purpose, and employees have a sense of belonging.
• Education Benefits: Tuition fee waiver at PBSC, tuition reimbursement, degree recognition award, educational leave, and more. Public Service Loan Forgiveness institution.
• Health and Wellness: Medical, dental, vision, disability, life insurance, parental leave, and more.
• Generous Time Off: Vacation, sick leave, holidays, and spring and winter breaks offering additional paid time off.
• Panther Perks: Potential remote or hybrid opportunities, wellness programs, and apps related to stress management, nutrition, meditation, and more.
• Professional Development: Leadership programs, professional learning workshops, and more.
• Retirement Investments : State retirement plan options and voluntary 403(b) and 457 plans.

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Director
• Number of Employees: 1,001-5,000 employees