Provost's Office - Director of Institutional Research, Academic Affairs

Sacred Heart University•Fairfield, CT

20d

About The Position

Under the direction of the Provost, the Director of Institutional Research leads institutional research and analytics efforts that primarily support Academic Affairs, including student success, strategic planning, accreditation, and continuous improvement. The Director is responsible for implementing research and reporting agendas that inform academic planning, assessment, and accreditation, while providing high-quality data analysis and decision support for academic leadership. The Director plays a key role in advancing data governance and data literacy in support of academic programs and instructional effectiveness. This includes developing training and consultation that enhance data integrity, promote effective use of the university’s data analytics platform for academic purposes, and foster a culture of data-informed decision-marking and continuous improvement within Academic Affairs. Through proactive collaboration with academic leaders, faculty, and staff, the Director will help colleagues optimize data collection and use to drive meaningful insights and institutional effectiveness.

Requirements

Master’s degree required; doctoral degree desirable, preferably in a field relevant to higher education, research, or assessment.
Minimum of five years of experience in institutional research, academic assessment, or a closely related field.
Expertise in research design, statistical methodologies, predictive modeling, survey design, and data visualization, particularly as applied to academic programs and student success.
Proficiency in data analysis tools, including SQL, SAS, SPSS, Excel, and business intelligence platforms (e.g., Power BI, Tableau).
Understanding of data warehousing concepts and relational database structures.
Strong project management and change management skills, with a track record of driving results.
Excellent communication and interpersonal skills, with the ability to convey complex data in an accessible manner.
Demonstrated experience leading teams and supervising staff.
Strong commitment to student learning, academic quality, and student success for all students.

Nice To Haves

doctoral degree desirable, preferably in a field relevant to higher education, research, or assessment.

Responsibilities

Manage and implement an institutional research agenda with a primary focus on Academic Affairs, including benchmarking studies, standardized and custom surveys, special research projects, accreditation reporting, rankings surveys related to academic quality, and operational reports supporting instructional and programmatic decision-making.
Translate academic and strategic priorities into actionable analytics, implementing the strategic vision for institutional research, data visualization, and predictive analytics.
Oversee and advance the university’s data analytics platform as it relates to academic planning, assessment, and accreditation, including governance, adoption, and data literacy initiatives for academic stakeholders.
Conduct institutional research studies to assess the effectiveness of academic programs, curricula, pedagogical initiatives, and academic policies, ensuring meaningful engagement of faculty and academic leaders in data-informed decision-making.
Develop and apply advanced data analysis techniques, including predictive modeling, statistical analysis, and trend identification, to support enrollment patterns, progression, retention, completion, and other academic success indicators.
Extract, analyze, and visualize complex academic and student data sets, producing actionable reports and dashboards that inform academic priorities.
Provide data analysis, insights, and consultation to Academic Affairs leadership, academic departments, and committees, supporting continuous improvement and evidence-based decision-making.
Collaborate with data stewards, IT staff, and assessment professionals to optimize academic data management, improve data quality, and align processes with institutional and academic data strategies.
Stay current on best practices in institutional research, academic assessment, and accreditation, integrating emerging methodologies and technologies to enhance support for Academic Affairs.
Serve on Academic Affairs–related committees and task forces, contributing expertise in data analysis, assessment, and institutional effectiveness.
Other duties as assigned.