Institutional Researcher

Blackfeet Community College•Browning, MT

7d•Onsite

About The Position

The Institutional Researcher (IR) is responsible for administering, managing, and supervising all aspects of the College's institutional, program, and service data. This includes establishing practices and routines for accurate and timely data reporting through the collection, coordination, and acceptance of all required institutional data. The IR will assist the College's divisions, programs, and services by developing assessment frameworks that track objective-based outcomes and by collecting and maintaining historical institutional data documents and files. This role provides approved access to requested data and information and integrates best practices for data visualization to inform decision-making and compliance. The IR will also assist the Vice President/Accreditation Liaison Officer (ALO) in ensuring divisions, programs, and services align with compliance standards of the Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities (NWCCU) and other accreditation bodies. This role provides a critical supportive service to tell the institution's story through data collected from students, faculty, staff, and community members, aligning with the BFCC vision, core values, mission, and core themes in accordance with BFCC policy and standard procedures.

Requirements

Minimum of a master's degree in Institutional Research, Education, Educational Leadership, Research Methodology, Statistics, or a closely related academic discipline.
Minimum of five (5) years of relevant professional experience in institutional research, institutional effectiveness, educational leadership, or a closely related field.
Demonstrated experience in institutional effectiveness, student learning outcomes assessment, data collection, statistical analysis, and interpretation of quantitative and qualitative research methods.
Experience evaluating institutional programs and initiatives, with an emphasis on educational quality, program productivity, and continuous institutional improvement.
Demonstrated experience in project management, institutional accreditation processes and requirements, and institution-wide strategic planning.
Knowledge of accreditation processes and requirements.
Knowledge of institutional assessment and effectiveness.
Knowledge of strategic planning processes.
Knowledge of project management and evaluation.
Knowledge of Blackfeet tribal, historical and cultural ways and means.
Knowledge of Tribally Controlled Community Colleges.
Knowledge of Tribal institutional review boards and indigenous research.
Effective management and organizational skills.
Excellent oral and written communication skills.
Proficient skills in computer applications including databases, spreadsheets, presentation and statistical software.
Ability to work independently and without direct supervision.
Ability to attend to multiple projects simultaneously, and meet deadlines.
Ability to work effectively as a team leader and team member in setting goals, making decisions, and managing projects.
Ability to collect information, identify relevant facts, and derive logical conclusions.

Nice To Haves

Doctorate degree in an appropriate academic discipline preferred.
Experience working with Tribal Colleges and Universities (TCUs), higher education accreditation standards, and federal and institutional reporting requirements preferred.

Responsibilities

Lead director for all aspects of the College's development and implementation of timely data/information for continuous assessment/improvement, including collection, analysis, and visualization of historical, current, and projected institutional and program-based data/information.
Manage and coordinate institutional reporting processes, establish access and support for assessment measure design, and assist divisions/departments in developing and tracking student/stakeholder outcomes.
Build and maintain a centralized institutional database for historical institutional data/documents/files for administrative, official usage, compliance, reporting, or evidence for mission fulfillment.
Support Jenzabar database Module Managers through coordinating Data Team meetings to identify training needs, generate reports, and address database development and compliance-related data needs.
Accept and process external institutional data requests reviewed by the Data Team, support the identification of objective-based data points/measures, and develop digital tools/surveys for data collection, analysis, and reporting.
Review and approve internal data requests.
Provide or coordinate the design of approved data requested from the Jenzabar/JICS database to support institutional/program level assessment/data utilization for existing and new campus programs/services.
Develop visual communications with the Multimedia Communications Specialist and other relevant divisions/departments to enhance faculty/staff awareness of institutional data reporting duties/responsibilities.
Manage and communicate data ethics and Family Educational Rights Protection Act (FERPA) expectations/institutional standards with all internal/external entities and other Federal compliance requirements.
Provide direct support/coordination of data/information to ensure all institutional functions adhere to data reporting/submission compliance outlined in the BFCC Annual Institutional Data Reporting Cycle schedule.
Serve as a leading director on the Data Team with other assigned BFCC Directors to facilitate evaluation, approval, and retrieval of internal/external data requests.
Maintain and coordinate the institutional reporting cycle by identifying, reviewing, analyzing, and sharing institutional data/information for accreditation/other appropriate purposes.
Support faculty/staff to ensure Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) compliance, data ethics, and professional development related to data integrity/security.
Identify and foster collaborations for further development, implementation, and training of Jenzabar and other database platforms.
Provide Jenzabar Module Manager updates and address database module coordination, training, and development.
Serve as a co-leading director on the Institutional Effectiveness and Wellness Committee with other assigned BFCC Directors.
Collect feedback from faculty and staff regarding the needs for institutional trainings, wellness activities, and opportunities for professional development/advancement.
Institute BFCC core values into recognizing efforts for Institutional Effectiveness/Wellness among faculty and staff.
Plan and implement events, trainings, and/or activities geared toward strengthening strategic planning, institutional responses to accreditation compliance/recommendations, and combining success/wellness.
Develop performance evaluations, incentive, and other compensation/benefit structures that improve faculty/staff effectiveness, promoting higher morale and individual/collective wellness collaborations.
Collaborate with all campus divisions/departments to develop assessment tools/frameworks and support the monitoring of initiatives or special projects.
Facilitate the development of institutional evaluation tools to inform institutional effectiveness and employee performance.
Coordinate with the President, Vice President, and Institutional Development, the process in which programs/services through strategy action plans provide the evidence for mission fulfillment and the maintenance of data records.
Collaborate with the Chief Financial Officer and the Finance Office to enhance the visual communication of fiscal, investment, audit, and other financial data.
Maintain a good relationship and provide frequent reporting to the President/Board of Trustees.
Meet weekly with the President to encourage robust communications around the status of institutional data, the maintenance of the institution's historical records, and the development of the College's databases and other data platforms.
Develop and administer all functions of the Institutional Research Office by overseeing all aspects of the College's data operations.
Evaluate the job performance of Institutional Research staff and interns.
Approve Institutional Research position descriptions, scope of work for interns, and annual/sick/other leave.
Support the personnel/department needs of the Institutional Research Office by providing staff with opportunities for professional development, sharing of training/information, and upgrading their skills.
Maintain supervision over the control of all Institutional Research Office equipment and operations, including setting policies/procedures for proper and authorized use.
Oversee or designate others within the Institutional Research Office to engage in the selection of new employees while guiding them to setting standards for the evaluation of all other Institutional Research Office staff.
Appraise, counsel/advise, discipline, and address any grievances originating from the Institutional Research Office staff.
Guide employees to collect information and maintain updated lists of qualified contractors, partners, and vendors to support the Institutional Research Office's functions.
Develop with the Title III Part A Coordinator annual project goals of the Institutional Research Office including budget development, actively implementing department objectives, and documenting data/evidence needed to report progress.