Senior Institutional Research Analyst

Wesleyan University•Middletown, CT

49d•Hybrid

About The Position

Wesleyan University is a private liberal arts institution that values the use of institutional data to guide strategic planning, policy, and decision-making. As the University transitions from its legacy PeopleSoft system to Workday Student, the Office of Institutional Research and Data Analytics is at the forefront of this transformation developing a modern analytics and reporting infrastructure to enhance institutional effectiveness and data-informed decision-making. Reporting to the Director of Institutional Research and Data Analytics, the Senior Institutional Research Analyst serves as both a strategic analyst and a hands on researcher. This position is responsible for collecting, analyzing, and reporting institutional data while also working on analytical initiatives that inform university planning, assessment, and policy development. The Office of Institutional Research and Data Analytics leads Wesleyan University's efforts in institutional effectiveness, strategic data use, and decision support especially as the university transitions to modern systems and analytics. This role performs the full range of research functions from managing compliance reporting (IPEDS, NECHE, guidebooks) and conducting institutional surveys to developing predictive models, dashboards, and reports that support decision making across the University. This position is a hybrid position with on-campus and remote work schedule options. Remote work is only considered for residents of MA, VT, NH, ME, CT, RI, or NY. (Relocation assistance to CT is available for those who qualify).

Requirements

Bachelor's degree in a quantitative, social science, business, data science, or related field and a minimum of five years of progressively responsible experience in institutional research, analytics, data science, research, applied research, or a related field or an equivalent combination of education, training, and relevant experience.
Proven attention to detail and commitment to accuracy in all aspects of data management, analysis and reporting.
Advanced proficiency in statistical programming (R, Python, or SAS), SQL, and business-intelligence tools (Power BI or Tableau).
Foundational understanding of statistics and research methodology.
Knowledge of survey design principles and qualitative research.
Ability to translate analytical findings into actionable strategies and communicate effectively with a variety of stakeholders.
Demonstrated success contributing to complex analytical projects.
Demonstrated strategic and analytical thinking skills.
Experience with data visualization, and storytelling through analytics.
Ability to work independently, demonstrate initiative, and sound professional judgement.
Commitment to data integrity, transparency, and ethical research practice.
Strong interpersonal skills; ability to collaborate across academic and administrative teams.

Nice To Haves

Master's degree in a quantitative, business, policy, or social science, business, public policy, statistics or related field.
Advanced coding experience in R preferred.
Experience leading strategic analytics or institutional research initiatives in higher education.
Familiarity with Workday Student and Slate.
Experience with IPEDS, Common Data Set, AAUP and other higher education reporting.
Active participation in professional organizations such as AIR, NEAIR or, EDUCAUSE.
Strong understanding of institutional assessment, data governance, and higher education policy frameworks.
Experience developing and applying predictive and statistical modeling to inform decision making.
Demonstrated ability to translate technical analysis into actionalble insights and data informed recommendations.
Proven ability to align institutional research and analytics with university priorities, using data to strengthen planning, resource allocation, and student success outcomes .

Responsibilities

Collect, query, clean, transform, and analyze complex data from multiple systems, including student, admissions, HR, and financial aid databases.
Prepare and disseminate accurate high quality reports for internal and external audiences, ensuring accuracy and compliance with federal, state and accreditor requirements.
Oversee recurring external reporting such as IPEDS, Common Data Sets, and guidebook submissions.
Respond to ad-hoc data requests and recurring information needs from campus stakeholders.
Maintain institutional data definitions and documentation to ensure consistency and accuracy of reporting standards across systems.
Design, administer, and analyze institutional surveys, ensuring high quality and accurate data collection and clear, actionable reporting.
Conduct studies related to academic outcomes, student success, faculty trends, and operational effectiveness.
Support accreditation and program review processes by providing data analysis, summaries, and visualizations.
Compile and maintain benchmarking information on peer institutions and remain informed on current trends and issues in higher education.
Collect, analyze, and interpret institutional data to inform university policies, planning and support strategic decision making.
Provide support for grants, teaching evaluations, program reviews, tenure and accreditation reviews and other institutional assessment initiatives.
Provide relevant data and insights to support strategic planning and decision making.
Lead the design and delivery of advanced analytical initiatives, including predictive modeling, trend forecasting, and longitudinal analysis to inform institutional direction and planning.
Develop and maintain dynamic dashboards, data visualizations and presentations that communicate institutional trends to leadership or other non technical audiences.
Translate complex analytical findings into actionable insights and recommendations that guide university strategy policy, and resource allocation.
Manage complex, institution wide research and analytics projects from design through delivery, ensuring timelines, deliverables, and outcomes align with institutional priorities.
Collaborate with other departments on initiatives including enrollment, student success, academic programs, and resource planning.
Partner with administrative and academic departments to understand data needs, define metrics, standardize data definitions, and enhance reporting through targeted analytical support.
Represent the Office of Institutional Research on institutional committees and external groups.
Lead and support Wesleyan's post Workday Student data ecosystem by ensuring integration, reliability, and scalability, and by partnering with campus stakeholders on data definitions, reporting standards, and governance practices during and after the transition from PeopleSoft to Workday.
Proactively identify opportunities to optimize workflows, improve efficiency and enhance data accessibility across the university.
Establish documented, repeatable analytic and reporting processes that ensure consistency, transparency, accuracy, and long term usability of institutional data.
Champion responsible and ethical use of data, ensuring compliance with institutional, state, and federal standards.
Provide methodological guidance to data collaborators throughout campus, fostering data literacy and evidence-based decision-making within administrative and academic units.
Other additional duties as assigned.

Benefits

Wesleyan offers a broad range of employee benefits and development opportunities, including comprehensive group insurance plans, wellness programs and incentives, generous paid time off and retirement plans, flexible work schedules, employee and dependent tuition programs for those who qualify.
Detailed information on the benefits of working at Wesleyan is located at: https://wesleyan.edu/hr/careers/prospective-resources.html.

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