Director, IT Data and Analytics

The University of Akron•Akron, OH

3d•Onsite

About The Position

This role involves managing and designing elements of the Data and Analytics functions, including the technical design, development, testing, and delivery of related solutions. The position requires consulting with functional departments to provide appropriate solutions for their needs, overseeing the collection, analysis, and interpretation of large datasets, and developing dashboards and reports for UA departments and colleges. The role also includes partnering with institutional reporting efforts, collaborating with departments and colleges to identify opportunities for data utilization, and working with UA partners to ensure reporting and analytics initiatives are prioritized to support cross-functional decision-making and continuous improvement as the data strategy matures. Additionally, the role oversees the development and maintenance of data architecture and infrastructure, evaluates analytics platforms and tools, supports current technology investments, and develops policies for secure and efficient system use. Establishing and championing data governance policies, overseeing data security, managing university data assets, and ensuring adherence to ethical and legal standards are also key responsibilities. The role involves integrating disparate data into data models to enhance BI capabilities and ensuring relevant data is available to stakeholders. Project management, including creating project plans, assigning tasks, and reviewing progress, is required, as is the supervision and evaluation of assigned analysts, including personnel training and development. Other duties as assigned are also part of the role.

Requirements

Requires a relevant Masters Degree.
Requires a minimum of 8 years of experience in Data and Analytics field.
Requires a minimum of 5 years of experience managing analytics in a lead role.
Direct supervision and evaluation of work as a first-line supervisor over non-exempt staff including hiring, terminating, disciplining; or functional guidance and/or project leadership over exempt staff engaged in activities of a recurring basis.

Nice To Haves

Higher education experience preferred.

Responsibilities

Manage and design elements of the Data and Analytics functions, including inception, technical design, development, testing and delivery of related solutions.
Consult functional departments to provide the correct solutions for their needs.
Oversee the collection, analysis, and interpretation of large datasets, developing dashboards and reports for UA departments and colleges.
Partner with institutional reporting efforts to support university-wide reporting when needed.
Collaborate with departments and colleges to identify opportunities for understanding, modeling, and leveraging data.
Work with UA partners to ensure reporting and analytics initiatives are prioritized and support cross-functional decision-making and continuous improvement as the data strategy matures.
Oversee the development and maintenance of data architecture and infrastructure, including data warehouses, data lakes, ETL processes, etc.
Evaluate analytics platforms and tools to optimize processing, storage, and reporting.
Support and leverage current tools and technology investments when possible.
Develop policies to ensure secure, efficient and appropriate use of systems and technologies.
Establish and champion data governance policies and standards to maintain data integrity and quality.
Oversee data security, manage university data assets, and ensure adherence to ethical and legal standards.
Collaborate with UA Data Owners and Data Stewards to understand departmental data and reporting needs.
Integrate disparate data from various sources into data models to add significant value to BI capabilities.
Work with University stakeholders to ensure relevant data is available.
Create project plans and assign tasks to the project team.
Review project progress and prepare technical reports, business requirements, file layouts and documentation regarding project status to supervisors and project committees.
Supervise and evaluate work of assigned analysts and prepare performance evaluations.
Oversee personnel training and development.
Perform other duties as assigned or required.