Director Of Institutional Research

Category: Administrative and Professional Subscribe: Department: Institutional Research Locations: Springfield, MA Posted: Jul 1, 2024 Closes: Open Until Filled Type: Full-time Position ID: 178323 About Springfield Technical Community College :

Located on 35 acres of the Springfield Armory National Historic Site and founded in 1967, Springfield Technical Community College is a major resource for the economic vitality of Western Massachusetts. As the only technical community college in Massachusetts, STCC offers a variety of career programs unequalled in the state. Digital Multimedia, IT Security, Nursing, Robotics, Sonography, Mechanical Engineering Technology (Advance Manufacturing) and dozens of other career programs produce potential employees each year. STCC's highly-regarded transfer programs in Business, Engineering, Liberal Arts, Science and Technology continue to provide the most economical option for students pursuing a four-year degree. With an annual enrollment of over 6,500, evening, weekend and online students, STCC is a vibrant campus rich in diversity and justifiably proud of our designation as a Hispanic Serving Institution. Respect, is one of the Core Values of the College and we strive to nurture mutual respect among faculty, staff and students. With respect, we embrace differences to create an inclusive environment for all. Together, we support students as they transform their lives through intellectual, cultural, and economic engagement while becoming thoughtful, committed and socially responsible graduates.

Job Description:

Reporting to the Dean of Academic Initiatives, the candidate for this position has an approach to data that focuses on integrated and scalable data systems, automated data creation, and analytical review. The Director should have a technology background, understand how data systems affect stakeholders, and be enthusiastic about supporting data visualization tools as part of the college's efforts to increase the use of data to inform critical decisions. The Director will bring expertise in data management, flexible approaches, and a passion for problem-solving and solution design.

The Director oversees a comprehensive program on institutional research to support college-wide planning, assessment, external reporting, data governance, and accreditation. The office provides information and analyses to support institutional decision-making, responds to data and information requests from internal and external stakeholders, promotes institutional effectiveness and planning through education and collaboration, supports efforts to improve student learning and experience, and works with data to help the College meet its equity goals and objectives outlined in its Momentum 2023-2028 strategic plan.

This role is responsible for maximizing the impact of data sets, research, and evaluation on behalf of the college, including supporting the data analytics proficiency of faculty and staff. The role will require an integrated approach to research that combines design research with data modeling to uncover labor market skills gaps and make programmatic recommendations. As a key leader in the research and development functions of the college, the position will be responsive to the President, the Vice President of Academic Affairs, and other Cabinet members.

Institutional Research:

• Lead the data management and reporting efforts of datasets such as IPEDS, National Student Clearinghouse, HEIRS and other IR-led institutional assessment projects.

• Manage the reporting of STCC data to external agencies, organizations, and accrediting bodies.

• Assist Finance leadership in preparing the annual state budget request.

• Manage and maintain the Institutional Research budget.

• Lead collaborative efforts to support the accreditation process and submit major institutional reports to accrediting agencies.

• Proactively develop new, sophisticated metrics and progress measures that reflect the emerging and dynamic data needs at STCC.

• Collaborate with Information Technology (IT) leadership and data owners (Registrar's Office, Admissions, Financial Aid, Workforce Development, etc.) to develop policies and procedures to ensure institutional data quality and integrity.

• Work closely with IT to ensure data security in protocols of the IR Office.

• Develop and implement a system of tracking and responding to internal and external data requests.

• Advise the Cabinet on data needs for institutional planning and assessment purposes.

• Conduct special studies as needed for the President and Cabinet.

Leadership:

• Develop operating goals, policies, procedures, and staffing strategy for the office.

• Lead a team of research analysts performing duties such as training and work allocation; provide performance management feedback as appropriate.

• Represent STCC at state-wide conferences or professional organizations. Attend executive-level team meetings to provide information and support decision-making as requested.

Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities:

• Commitment to equity and inclusion in research design.

• Ability to write, present, and simplify complex concepts for a wide variety of audiences.

• Understanding of survey research methods, sampling, and instrumentation.

• Collaborative mindset and the ability to work across a wide variety of team members and stakeholders.

• Data-modeling, database design, or similar experience that demonstrates knowledge of data systems.

• Data warehousing, business intelligence (BI), data governance, data architecture, data integration, data classification, data strategy, data quality management, data security, and privacy, data standards, regulatory compliance and enterprise architecture frameworks.

• Ability to comply with Massachusetts Department of Higher Education's Community College requirements and specifications around the collection, maintenance, and usage of data.

• Experience with higher education reporting needs and systems, such as MIS, DSPS, IPEDS, National Student Clearinghouse, etc.

• Ability to lead, manage, and guide office staff.

• Demonstrated ability to prioritize and structure projects and workstreams effectively and efficiently.

• Demonstrated understanding of, sensitivity to, and respect for the diverse academic, socio-economic, ethnic, religious, and cultural backgrounds, disability, and sexual orientation of community college students, staff, and faculty.

Requirements:

• Master's degree in a research-related field, such as statistics, social science, mathematics, science, behavioral science, information science, or an equivalent combination of academic degree achievement and professional knowledge with expertise in qualitative and quantitative research.

• Minimum five years' of professional experience in data gathering, quantitative analysis, and /or data reporting (higher education context preferred).

• Advanced computer expertise, to include relational databases SPSS, R, and data visualization (e.g., Tableau).

• Demonstrated knowledge of current higher education issues, assessment and accreditation.

• Commitment to student success, diversity, and inclusion.

• Strong oral and written communication skills, as well the ability to communicate analysis and research to broad audiences.

• Strong organizational skills and attention to detail.

• Experience as a supervisor.

Desired Qualifications:

• Familiarity with unstructured data analysis applied to support analysis and modeling within an education and workforce skills context.

• Knowledge of human-centered design framework and methodology within higher education and business settings.

• Experience with data systems design, including work with Customer Relationship Management systems (CRMs), such as Salesforce.

• Experience querying and analyzing data sets in relational databases.

• Understanding of data automation strategies, frameworks, and infrastructure.

• Experience or familiarity with predictive analytics, machine learning, and other data approaches.

• Experience working with Enterprise Resource Planning, SIS, and LMS systems.

• Experience in promoting the use and access of information for decision-making and assessment.

EQUIVALENCY STATEMENT:

Applicants who do not meet the qualifications as stated above are encouraged to put in writing precisely how their background and experience have prepared them with the equivalent combination of education, training and experience required for the responsibilities of this position.

Additional Information:

Salary: $100,000 - $105,000 Annually

Benefits: Yes, Full Time Position

Union: Non-Unit Professional (NUP)

Grant Funded: No

Closing Date: Open Until Filled

All candidates must have legal authorization to work in the United States. Springfield Technical Community College is not sponsoring H1B Visa.

INFORMATION AWARENESS SECURITY TRAINING:

Candidates for employment should be aware that all STCC employees are required to complete Information Awareness Security Training within thirty days of their orientation date and annually thereafter.

Application Instructions:

All available positions are located at: www.stcc.edu/about-stcc/employment which applicants must apply online by submitting a cover letter, resume and three (3) professional references.

Cover letter must demonstrate how your education and experience qualifies you for this position.

PRE-EMPLOYMENT DETAILS:

STCC conducts a pre-employment screening. Initial and continued employment is dependent upon meeting National Background Check, Criminal Offender Record Information (CORI) and/or Sex Offender Registry Information (SORI) check and if applicable, Physical and Alcohol/Drug Testing requirements. Screening also includes verification of academic credentials, licenses, certifications, and/or verification of work history. Finalist(s) for this position will be subject to a pre-employment screening as a condition of employment.

POLICY STATEMENT ON AFFIRMATIVE ACTION, EQUAL OPPORTUNITY & DIVERSITY:

Springfield Technical Community College is an affirmative action/equal opportunity employer and does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, national origin, sex, disability, religion, age, veteran or military status, genetic information, gender identity, or sexual orientation in its programs and activities as required by Title IX of the Educational Amendments of 1972, the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990, Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, and other applicable statutes and college policies. The College prohibits sexual harassment, including sexual violence. Inquiries or complaints concerning discrimination, harassment, retaliation, or sexual violence shall be referred to the College's for Affirmative Action and/or Title IX Coordinator, Kathryn C. Senie, Ed.D, J.D. at 413.755.5642 or via email at kcsenie@stcc.edu, the Massachusetts Commission Against Discrimination, the Equal Employment Opportunities Commission or the United States Department of Education's Office for Civil Rights. Springfield Technical Community College will provide reasonable accommodations to qualified individuals with disabilities and encourages both prospective and current employees to discuss potential accommodations with the employer.

EQUAL OPPORTUNITY STATEMENT:

STCC's personnel and academic decisions, programs and policies are formulated and conducted in a manner, which will ensure equal access for all people and prevent discrimination. As part of this effort, a College will ensure that employment and academic decisions, programs and policies will be based solely on the individual eligibility, merit or fitness of applicants, employees and students without regard to race, color, creed, religion, national origin, age, disability, sex, marital status, military service, gender identity, genetic information, sexual orientation or political or union affiliation.

URL: www.stcc.edu