SYSTEMS AND OPERATIONS - Director of Institutional Research

Job Classification

  Salaried Administrative

Position summary

The Director of Institutional Research serves as the university’s subject matter expert in institutional data, reporting, and analytics; providing strategic leadership in the collection, analysis, interpretation, and dissemination of institutional data to support planning, decision-making, accreditation, and continuous improvement. This role ensures data integrity and promotes a culture of data-informed decision-making aligned with the university’s mission and values.

Qualifications summary

Master’s degree in Institutional Research, Higher Education Administration, Statistics, Data Science, or a related field (Doctorate preferred). Minimum of 5 years of experience in institutional research or a related field in higher education. 


Must be a Seventh-day Adventist in good and regular standing.

Duties and responsibilities

• Serves as the official source of institutional data, collecting and analyzing metrics such as enrollment, retention, graduation rates, and faculty demographics.


• Supports data-driven decisions through dashboards, reports, data visualizations and forecasting.


• Conducts benchmarking against peer institutions to identify trends and opportunities.


• Provides actionable insights for academic and administrative units.


• Lead and mentor IR staff or student workers (if applicable).


• Stay current with trends in institutional research through professional development and participation in organizations such as AIR or CIRP.


• Performs other duties as assigned.


• Carries out all functions and responsibilities in alignment of the mission and values of the University and the beliefs and practices of the Seventh-day Adventist Church.

Data Strategy & Management

• Leads the design and implementation of data collection systems and reporting tools.


• Ensures data accuracy, consistency, and security across institutional databases.


• Oversees institutional data submissions to federal and state agencies (e.g., IPEDS, HLC, NC-SARA, US News & World Report).

Reporting & Analysis

• Develops and maintains dashboards and reports for internal stakeholders, including enrollment trends, retention, graduation rates, and faculty/staff metrics.


• Provides data-driven insights to support strategic planning, budgeting, and academic program review.


• Responds to ad-hoc data requests from university leadership and departments.

Institutional Effectiveness/Assessment & С»ÆѼÊÓƵ

• Supports accreditation efforts by providing data and analysis for self-studies and compliance reports.


• Collaborates with academic and administrative units to assess institutional performance and student outcomes.

Collaboration & Communication

• Serves as a liaison between the Office of Operations and other departments to align data initiatives with institutional goals.


• Presents findings to executive leadership, faculty, and staff in a clear and actionable manner.


• Promotes data literacy across campus through training and consultation.

Committees

• Key role in the Data Governance Committee to coordinate the stewardship of the institution’s data assets through the formalization of a data governance program. The Data Governance Committee will serve the following areas by developing guidance, educating all data roles on their responsibilities and best practices, and coordinating communication in cross-functional processes and data usage.
  
  
  
  • Academic/Programs & Courses
  
  
  • Academic/Student
  
  
  • Non-Academic/Student
  
  
  • Employee
  
  
  • Finance & Auxiliary/Facility
  
  
  
  

Supervisory responsibilities

• Supervises one full-time position: Data Analyst


• Supervises all or selected aspects of the work of all or selected members of various teams during work-intensive projects that take place periodically during the year.


• Carries out supervisory responsibilities in accordance with the organization's policies and applicable laws. Responsibilities include interviewing, hiring, and training employees; planning, assigning, and directing work; appraising performance; rewarding and disciplining employees; addressing complaints and resolving problems.


• May oversee additional staff and student employees as assigned.

Qualifications

Master’s degree in Institutional Research, Higher Education Administration, Statistics, Data Science, or a related field (Doctorate preferred). Minimum of 5 years of experience in institutional research or a related field in higher education. Is a member in regular standing of the Seventh-day Adventist Church.

Knowledge, Skills & Abilities

• Familiarity with accreditation processes and regulatory reporting requirements.


• Strong analytical, organizational, and project management skills.


• Strong attention to detail, ability to manage multiple priorities, projects and work deadlines, and ensure timely follow-up


• Ability to multitask, organize projects, and work independently


• Knowledge of survey design and research methodologies.


• Commitment to the mission and values of С»ÆѼÊÓƵ, as a distinctly Seventh-day Adventist institution.

Must be a Seventh-day Adventist in good and regular standing.

Technical competencies

• Proficiency in data visualization and statistical tools (e.g., Power BI, Tableau, SPSS, Excel).


• Experience with relational databases and student information systems (e.g., Ellucian Banner).

Interpersonal interactions

• Excellent written and verbal communication abilities.


• Intercultural knowledge and skills


• Ability to work collaboratively across departments and with senior leadership.

Physical demands

The following physical demands are representative of what an employee must meet to successfully perform the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

• Regularly: Sit, talk, hear and use hands to work with the computer keyboard.


• Occasionally: Walk, reach with hands and arms, and stoop and kneel for filing.


• Occasionally: Lift and/or move up to 20 pounds.


• Vision abilities required: Close vision, and ability to adjust focus.

Work environment

The work environment characteristics described here are representative of those an employee encounters while performing the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

• Noise level in the work environment is usually moderate.