Assistant Director, Planning & Research

Vance-Granville Community College; Henderson (NC); On-site; USD 65,000 - 90,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Health insurance

Dental insurance

Vision insurance

Retirement plan

Leave (sick/vacation)

Job summary

Vance-Granville Community College is seeking an Assistant Director of Planning & Research to ensure institutional effectiveness, assessment, program review, and accreditation processes run smoothly. The role manages Watermark systems and acts as a backup liaison for SACSCOC reporting, with periodic travel across the service area.

The position is based at the Main Campus in Henderson, NC and includes up to one telework day per week after nine months with supervisor approval.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree required in a related field.
• 4–6 years of professional experience in institutional research or similar.
• Experience with outcomes assessment and program review.
• Familiarity with enterprise systems for reporting (Watermark, IPEDS).
• Strong written and verbal communication; advanced Excel skills.

Responsibilities

• Oversee Watermark configurations and data management across planning, self-study, course evaluation, and surveys.
• Maintain records and reporting for SACSCOC; serve as secondary liaison.
• Coordinate annual outcomes assessment processes and provide quality review of reports.
• Manage program review process and ensure rigor and completeness.
• Design and analyze institutional surveys; summarize results for stakeholders.

Skills

Communication

Leadership

Data analysis

Outcomes assessment

Project management

Education

Bachelor's degree in institutional research or related field

Tools

Watermark

Informer queries

Job description

Description

Vance-Granville Community College is where meaningful work meets real community impact. At VGCC, you’ll be part of a supportive, mission-driven team dedicated to providing affordable, high-quality education that transforms lives. Your work will help open doors for students, strengthen local communities, and prepare individuals for in-demand careers. Every day offers the chance to see the direct impact of what you do. If you’re energized by purpose, collaboration, and making a difference, we invite you to apply.

Reporting to the Director of Planning and Research, the Assistant Director of Planning & Research helps ensure the College's institutional effectiveness, assessment, program review, and accreditation compliance functions run smoothly and meet SACSCOC standards. This position manages the College's Watermark and related institutional research systems and serves as a backup liaison for SACSCOC-related reporting and processes.

This position is based at the Main Campus in Henderson, NC. Periodic travel throughout our service area, including other counties, is required.

Salary: VGCC considers factors such as (but not limited to) scope and responsibilities of the position; candidate's work experience, education/training, and key skills; and internal peer equity in offer calculations.

Teleworking: This position is eligible for up to 1 day per week of teleworking after the first nine months of employment upon your supervisor’s approval.

Essential Duties

• Oversee administration, configuration, and data management of Watermark products (Planning & Self-Study, Student Learning & Licensure, Course Evaluation & Surveys), ensuring effective use across the College.
• Assist the Director in maintaining records, documentation, and reporting for SACSCOC, and serve as a secondary point of contact for the regional accreditor when the Director is unavailable.
• Coordinate the College's annual outcomes assessment processes, including program-level and General Education student learning outcomes, and provide quality review of assessment reports submitted by departments.
• Manage and provide oversight of the program review process, including planning, coordinating, analyzing, and reviewing program review reports for completeness and rigor.
• Design, administer, and analyze institutional surveys and assessment instruments, and summarize results for internal and external stakeholders.
• Identify, research, and analyze factors affecting retention, student success, and other institutional effectiveness indicators, and present findings to college leadership.
• Assist with the timely preparation and submission of periodic reports to local, state, regional, and federal agencies, including support for IPEDS reporting.
• Design and lead training sessions for faculty and staff on outcomes assessment, program review, strategic planning, and related institutional research systems and processes.
• Use standard Informer queries and other data tools to extract data supporting assessment, evaluation, planning, and reporting functions.
• Assist in authoring and editing institutional planning documents, including Campus-Wide Outcomes reports and Strategic Planning documents.
• Serve on institutional committees supporting the College Strategic Plan and institutional effectiveness initiatives.
• Recommend and help implement improvements to outcomes assessment, program review, and continuous improvement processes.
• Maintain the confidentiality and security of all institutional and system data.
• Perform the duties of the Director in the Director's absence, as delegated.
• Perform other duties as assigned by the Director of Planning and Research.

Qualifications

Communication

• Communicate clearly and concisely, in both written and verbal form, to a range of internal and external audiences.
• Prepare reports, procedures, guidelines, and presentations for faculty, staff, and college leadership.
• Frame complex data and assessment findings in ways that promote understanding among non-technical stakeholders.

Teamwork And Development

• Contribute to team morale and provide day-to-day support and mentorship to Research and Planning staff, including the Coordinator, Institutional Research and Assessment.
• Help build the technical and analytical skills of team members through coaching and informal training.
• Support the Director in setting objectives and monitoring team performance.
• Promote diversity and inclusion within the team and across the College.

Planning And Organizing

• Plan, organize, and manage individual and team activities and long-term projects, coordinating with other departments as needed.
• Assist the Director with resource and budget planning for the Research and Planning office.
• Provide input into the long-term strategic plans of the Institutional Research & Technology division.

Required Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree required, preferably in institutional research, higher education administration, assessment, statistics, or a related discipline.
• 4–6 years of professional experience in institutional research, assessment, accreditation, or academic planning, preferably in a higher education setting.
• Experience with outcomes assessment, program review, survey design, and data analysis in a college or university setting.
• Experience with an institutional effectiveness, accreditation management, or compliance/quality management platform (e.g., Watermark, Anthology, or comparable systems used for outcomes assessment, planning, or accreditation).
• Experience working within an enterprise resource planning (ERP) or similar large-scale relational database system (e.g., Ellucian Colleague, Banner, PeopleSoft, SAP, Oracle, Workday, or comparable platforms), with a demonstrated understanding of relational data structures and the ability to extract, query, and analyze data from complex systems.
• Excellent written and verbal communication and analytical skills.
• Advanced skills using Microsoft Office Suite, including advanced Excel functions.
• Demonstrated ability to manage multiple projects simultaneously, work independently, and lead collaborative initiatives across departments.

Preferred Experience

• Familiarity with IPEDS reporting and North Carolina Community College System / North Carolina Higher Education Data reporting requirements.
• Familiarity with SACSCOC standards and accreditation processes.
• Demonstrated mentoring or team-lead experience.
• Experience with Watermark (Planning & Self-Study, Student Learning & Licensure, Course Evaluation & Surveys) or comparable institutional effectiveness software strongly preferred.
• Experience constructing Informer queries or similar ad hoc reporting/query tools.
• Experience training or presenting to faculty and staff on assessment and institutional effectiveness topics.

Physical Demands

• Ability to frequently sit and use hands and fingers.
• Light work that includes moving objects up to 30 pounds.
• Sedentary work that primarily involves sitting/standing.

Vance-Granville Community College offers a variety of benefits to meet the individual needs and goals of its employees. Below is a summary of benefits available to full-time employees.

• health insurance
• dental insurance
• vision insurance
• flexible spending accounts
• retirement plan
• leave (faculty earn sick leave; staff earn sick and vacation leave)
• professional development
• supplemental insurance plans
• employee assistance program (EAP)
• additional benefits