Senior Research Analyst

Role:
Garden City Community College's Institutional Research and Data Support office seeks the addition of a senior-level Research Analyst with leadership experience and/or growth potential. This position will be responsible for performing advanced data reporting for external and internal stakeholders as well as building long-term institutional capacity for data management, interpretation, and decision-making within the context of higher education in the 21st century and beyond.

This position will create a department of three full-time individuals. Within the next five years, the department anticipates planned retirements, creating the immediate need for succession planning, including increasing capacity for day-to-day project management as well as developing long-term capacity for leadership roles. Garden City Community College is a vibrant and dynamic community college located in the heart of the rural Southwest Kansas high plains region. Officially designated as a Hispanic Serving Institution, the College serves a student population which reflects the area's rich diversity. The College serves approximately 2,000 students across multiple populations including on-campus, online, and area high schools and has a history of strong program options in both transfer and technical education. The College is located in Garden City, a community with a recent history of robust population growth. Garden City has many amenities including arts and culture, plentiful shopping, and daily jet service to Dallas.

The successful applicant will be a detail-oriented, forward-thinking member of the college's Instructional Services Division, but will serve the institution as a whole. Primary supervision is provided by the Director of Institutional Research and Data Support, and the Vice President for Instructional Services/CAO. The successful applicant will demonstrate an awareness of current issues and trends within higher education, and concerns surrounding community college education. The successful candidate will also be a strong communicator, skilled at placing and telling the story of detailed information to multiple audiences and through multiple modes.

Essential Functions & Responsibilities:

• Data Maintenance and Reporting
• Develops, maintains, and modifies a data warehouse for tracking of student and other institutional data.
• Develops and maintains strong understanding of the Ellucian Colleague system, including proactive understanding of product changes over time.
• Coordinates on the collection of or collects, compiles, analyzes, interprets, and communicates institutional data.
• Works collaboratively to manage existing data reporting catalog (Autobots).
• Works collaboratively to respond to ad-hoc requests for information from internal and external stakeholders (Kansas Board of Regents, Department of Education, etc.).
• Works collaboratively to respond to cyclical reporting including 5-year continuous improvement reviews (Department and Program), Non-Academic Annual Assessment, Key Performance Indicator (Strategic Plan), and Strategic Enrollment Management data needs.

Data Communication

• Develops and maintains processes and strategies to transform data into information for decisionmaking.
• Serves on the College’s DataCore committee, a group of production office leads, Information Technology staff, end users, and administrators promote institutional effectiveness in data use through strong data governance.
• Develops and maintains strong and open communication lines with system administrators, data production offices, college administrators, and other end-users of data.
• Works collaboratively and leads on institutional efforts to develop data dashboards to facilitate stronger data-based decision making.

Project Management

• Works to understand project requests and transform requests into actionable, manageable plans.
• Manages multiple projects, sets priorities, meets deadlines, and holds ability to work independently.
• Evaluates procedures to ensure validity, applicability, efficiency, and accuracy.
• Performs related duties as assigned.

Performance Measurements:

• Successful creation of effective working relationships with faculty and staff, ensuring quality service and support to the institution as a whole.
• Timely management of projects and their deliverables.
• Adherence to and leadership within data management principles.
• Adherence to college policies.

Knowledge and Skills:
Experience: Five years' experience in institutional research or related fields that require quantitative research, analysis, mathematical skills, or equivalent experience. Preferred experience in a community college setting.

Education: Bachelor's degree.

Interpersonal Skills: Courtesy, tact, and diplomacy are essential elements of the job. Work involves much personal contact with others inside and/or outside the college for purposes of giving or obtaining information, building relationships, or soliciting cooperation.

Other Skills: Preference will be given to applicants with experience working in a college/university setting collecting and analyzing data that supports the institution’s goals, strategic planning, and assessment activities, and evaluating the effectiveness of college programs and major initiatives.

Required advanced knowledge of software packages such as Excel, Access, and similar.

Required knowledge of SQL, and knowledge or willingness to learn PostgreSQL.

Experience with R, Python, Tableau or other helpful programming languages and/or software package is desirable.

Experience with Statistical Analysis Software (SAS) or Statistical Package for the Social Science (SPSS) is desirable.

Demonstrated analytical skillsu2014breaking problems down using data sets and clearly communicating findings and potential paths forward.

Experience preferred in work within management information systems, especially student information systems.

Demonstrated ability to extract data from various data sources and servers both internal and external. Demonstrated ability to create, develop, distribute, oversee, maintain, and present research and evaluation reports for multiple audiences in multiple modes.

Demonstrated ability to develop data visualization resources and strategies to increase data-based decision making.

Experience with or demonstrated ability to learn continuous improvement processes and strategies (planning and assessment) in the higher education landscape.

Physical Requirements: Works with light, easy to handle materials requiring little physical effort.

Work Environment: Regular exposure to favorable conditions such as those found in a normal office.