Director of Data Analytics and Operational Initiatives

Louisiana State University•Goodwell, OK

2d•Onsite

About The Position

The Director of Data Analytics and Operational Initiatives serves as a strategic leader within the College of Engineering, driving operational excellence and data-informed decision-making across the College's administrative and business functions. This position partners with the Dean's Office and unit leadership to identify operational gaps, inefficiencies, and pain points, then leads the redesign of processes into streamlined, centralized, and standardized workflows. A core function of this role is translating business and operational requirements into technical specifications, working directly with the coding/development team to build and deploy electronic workflows, tracking tools, and reporting systems that increase efficiency, accountability, and visibility across the College. This includes areas such as inventory management, procurement, HR and budget processing, facilities requests, and other administrative operations. This position operates iteratively: once a workflow or system is implemented, the Director maintains and refines it based on user feedback and changing needs, while simultaneously identifying and prioritizing the next opportunity for centralization, alignment, and process improvement across the College's operations. The Director also serves as the College's change management lead for these initiatives, guiding faculty and staff through the adoption of new processes and systems. This includes developing training materials, documentation, and job aids, and designing and delivering training sessions and classes to ensure end users are equipped to successfully transition to and sustain new workflows.

Requirements

Bachelor's degree in Business Administration, Data Analytics, Engineering, or a related field with 7 years of related experience.
Demonstrated experience leading process improvement or operational initiatives, managing projects, and working with technical/development teams to implement data or workflow systems.
Candidates who have relevant experience in key job responsibilities are encouraged to apply--a degree is not required as long as the candidate meets the required years of experience specified in the job description.
All candidates must have valid U.S. work authorization at the time of hire and maintain that valid work authorization throughout employment.

Nice To Haves

Master's degree in Business Administration, Data Analytics, Engineering, or a related field with 9+ years of related experience, including supervisory experience.
Experience in higher education administration
Experience with data visualization/BI tools (e.g., Power BI, Tableau)
Familiarity with process improvement methodologies (e.g., Lean, Six Sigma)
Experience defining specifications for software/workflow development
Experience leading organizational change management and developing/delivering end-user training programs.
PMP, Lean Six Sigma, or equivalent certification

Responsibilities

Develop and maintain data visualizations, dashboards, and executive reporting frameworks that support data-driven decision-making by College leadership.
Lead the design and implementation of centralized, standardized workflows across operational and administrative functions (e.g., inventory management, procurement, HR processing, budget and financial operations) to drive alignment and efficiency College-wide.
Partner with the Dean's Office and unit leadership across the College to assess current operational and administrative processes, identify gaps, inefficiencies, and pain points, and define priority areas for improvement.
Serve as the primary liaison to the coding/development team, translating operational requirements into clear functional and technical specifications for new or updated electronic workflows, tracking systems, and databases.
Manage the full lifecycle of operational improvement projects — planning, execution, monitoring, risk identification and mitigation — ensuring initiatives are delivered on time, within budget, and to quality standards.
Maintain, support, and iteratively improve previously implemented workflows and systems based on user feedback and evolving business needs, while continuously identifying and advancing the next operational priority.
Lead change management efforts for new processes and workflows, including developing training materials, documentation, and job aids, and designing and delivering training sessions/classes to drive successful adoption across the College.
Prepare and present regular progress reports, performance metrics, and recommendations to the Dean's Office and other key stakeholders. Other duties as assigned.