Senior Institutional Analytics Specialist

Radford University•Radford, VA

1d•Remote

About The Position

The Senior Institutional Analytics Specialist serves as Radford University's primary institutional data and reporting specialist, supporting institutional research, analytics, reporting, compliance, and data governance. Reporting to the Director of Institutional Research & Analytics, the Specialist develops and maintains reporting resources, analytical datasets, business rules, dashboards, and reporting methodologies to support data-informed decision-making across the university. The role works closely with Information Technology and campus stakeholders to ensure institutional data are accurate, accessible, well-documented, and effectively used in support of strategic planning, student success, accreditation, operational effectiveness, and regulatory reporting. The position promotes data governance, consistency, business continuity, and organizational resilience through documentation, cross-training, shared ownership of reporting knowledge, and reduced reliance on individual personnel for critical reporting functions. It also supports institutional planning and decision-making through analysis of enrollment, retention, graduation, student success, academic performance, and operational data; external reporting and compliance; stakeholder consultation; and service on committees and working groups. The position is based at Radford University's Main Campus in Radford City and offers the possibility of fully remote work. Remote employees must be available to travel to campus for required in-person activities. The normal work schedule is Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., for 40 hours per week, 12 months per year. The position is an exempt Administrative & Professional Faculty role. Salary is $85,000 to $100,000, commensurate with experience and qualifications. A resume and cover letter are required. Successful candidates must undergo a criminal background check.

Requirements

Master's degree in statistics, social sciences, business analytics, information systems, data analytics, or a closely related field; or a bachelor's degree combined with substantial directly related professional experience.
Demonstrated experience analyzing, interpreting, and communicating complex data and analytical findings to technical and non-technical audiences.
Experience developing reports, dashboards, analyses, data visualizations, or decision-support resources for organizational planning, operations, and decision-making.
Advanced proficiency in SQL, including writing, optimizing, troubleshooting, and maintaining complex queries for data extraction, transformation, and reporting.
Knowledge of data management principles, data quality practices, relational databases, reporting methodologies, and institutional metrics.
Ability to establish collaborative relationships across technical and functional units and manage multiple priorities in a complex organizational environment.
Experience translating business needs and stakeholder questions into analytical solutions, reports, dashboards, and actionable recommendations.
Strong written, verbal, and presentation communication skills, including the ability to explain complex analytical concepts to diverse audiences.
Experience supporting external reporting requirements and associated data validation processes, including federal, state, accreditation, or other accountability reporting.
Experience with enterprise administrative systems such as Ellucian Banner or comparable student, financial, or human resource information systems.
Commitment to data stewardship, documentation, knowledge sharing, and sustainable business processes that promote data quality, organizational continuity, and continuity of mission-critical functions.

Nice To Haves

Experience working in an office of institutional research or another higher education analytics office.
Experience with Ellucian Banner and higher education reporting requirements, including IPEDS, SCHEV, Common Data Set, accreditation, or related accountability reporting.
Experience collaborating with Information Technology and functional business units to develop reporting solutions, improve data quality, and support institutional decision-making.
Experience supporting implementation, adoption, or use of enterprise analytics and reporting platforms such as Edify, K16 Solutions, Power BI, Tableau, or comparable technologies.
Experience conducting advanced analytics such as trend analysis, forecasting, benchmarking, predictive modeling, or related methodologies.
Experience developing data governance resources such as data dictionaries, business-rule documentation, reporting standards, or other resources that promote consistency and shared understanding of institutional data.

Responsibilities

Promote the accuracy, consistency, accessibility, and effective use of institutional data across the university.
Collaborate with Information Technology and functional offices to establish and maintain data definitions, business rules, reporting methodologies, and data standards.
Identify data quality issues and work with campus partners to resolve discrepancies.
Participate in university data governance initiatives and promote data stewardship, data literacy, and reporting consistency.
Develop and maintain SQL queries, reporting views, analytical datasets, reporting logic, dashboards, visualizations, and other reporting resources.
Collaborate with Information Technology to align institutional reporting requirements with enterprise data resources and reporting environments.
Translate reporting requirements into sustainable analytical solutions and validate enterprise data resources used for reporting and analytics.
Identify opportunities to improve automation, reporting efficiency, accessibility, and analytical capabilities.
Analyze enrollment, retention, graduation, student success, academic performance, and operational data.
Conduct recurring and ad hoc analyses and develop visualizations, trend analyses, forecasts, projections, and institutional performance indicators.
Support strategic planning, accreditation, institutional effectiveness, student success initiatives, and the development and maintenance of institutional key performance indicators.
Communicate analytical findings effectively to technical and non-technical audiences.
Support institutional compliance and external reporting, including data collection, validation, quality assurance, and review before submission.
Maintain expertise in IPEDS, SCHEV, Common Data Set, Gainful Employment/STATS, and other external reporting requirements; monitor reporting changes and assess their institutional impact.
Establish and maintain reporting calendars, procedures, and documentation.
Document reporting processes, analytical datasets, calculations, business rules, metrics, and critical reporting procedures so they are transferable and regularly reviewed.
Support cross-training, backup coverage, and knowledge transfer within Institutional Research and with Information Technology.
Promote shared ownership of institutional reporting knowledge and continuity of mission-critical functions.
Consult with stakeholders about reporting methodologies, institutional metrics, data resources, and analytical needs.
Build collaborative relationships across divisions and functional areas and represent Institutional Research on committees, councils, and working groups.
Participate in professional development activities and perform other duties as assigned.