Faculty Information Services Specialist (FIS)

Tufts University•UNAVAILABLE, Massachusetts

About The Position

The Tufts Faculty Information System (FIS) collates and manages research information from Tufts systems and external data sources. FIS enables faculty and delegates to maintain profiles, supports numerous reporting processes, and is integrated with faculty web pages for Tufts schools and departments. The Faculty Information Services Specialist will provide operational, technical, and project coordination for faculty information management and reporting, and for the broader FIS ecosystem including the institutional Data Repository. This position is responsible for interpreting technical and business requirements, investigating complex issues, developing and evaluating possible solutions, and coordinating work across both technical and functional teams. The successful incumbent will independently assess operational and technical issues, determine appropriate courses of action within established policies and practices, and make recommendations based on their analysis of system behavior, data quality, reporting requirements, and stakeholder needs. This role will enable Tufts to scale its research information services, improve data quality, enhance faculty experience, and support institutional reporting needs. This is a two-year limited-term appointment with possibility of extension.

Requirements

Bachelor's Degree in computer science, information science, or a related field.
3+ years of relevant experience managing the daily operations of computer systems, providing technical guidance and support to users, and developing reports and dashboards.
Proficiency in SQL, enabling the design and implementation of complex reporting solutions and data visualizations.
Sound judgment in the handling of sensitive or confidential information and data, including adherence to security requirements and access controls.
Ability to balance competing requests, deadlines, and dependencies across multiple university stakeholders while determining appropriate follow-up and next steps.
Ability to assist in the identification and analysis of business needs, and to support the development of solutions to improve operational efficiency.
Demonstrated ability to work across multiple business and IT departments.
Appropriate management of sensitive and confidential data, maintaining security and access controls.

Nice To Haves

Familiarity with research information management systems such as Pure, Symplectic Elements or similar, repository platforms (Samvera, TIND, Figshare etc.), and/or library information systems.
Higher education sector, specifically faculty and research-related information.

Responsibilities

Maintain knowledge of FIS and repository data structures and pathways.
Monitor custom integrations from and to Tufts systems and web properties, collaborating with TTS teams to troubleshoot and modify data feeds.
Review system changes, vendor notices, application upgrades, and service interruptions to evaluate their potential effect on users, integrations, and dependent systems.
Contribute to solutions design for new and updated data exchange processes.
Contribute to release and change management associated with application version upgrades. Monitor service downtime and changes involving integrated systems.
Design and deliver FIS and repository data exports, custom reports, dashboards (SQL-based) and monitor reports based on institutional requirements.
Analyze user requests and business needs to determine appropriate reporting, data, or technical solutions.
Assess data-quality concerns and determine appropriate methods for identifying, documenting, and helping remediate incomplete or inaccurate faculty and research information.
Consult with users to leverage the FIS reporting hub and repository reports.
Configure utility reports for monitoring FIS and repository data quality and system status.
Assist FIS team with annual faculty activity reporting and associated review processes.
Investigate incidents and technical problems, identifying likely causes, determining when issues can be resolved directly, and deciding when escalation or coordination with other TTS teams or vendors is necessary.
Provide guidance to users of FIS and repository reporting solutions, and TTS website teams reliant on FIS data.
Assist to ensure accuracy and completeness of faculty profile data and associated research information.
Prepare and maintain user guides, FAQs, and knowledge base articles.
Work closely with the Sr. FIS Program Manager in planning and execution of strategic initiatives.
Provide FIS project coordination across University stakeholder groups.
Participate in multi-year project planning, multi-year service planning, and contribute recommendations based on system insights.
Maintain technical documentation, Jira boards, and other project records.