Director of Institutional Research

Eastern University; Chesterbrook (PA); On-site; USD 110,000 - 150,000; Full time

Job summary

Eastern University seeks a Director of Institutional Research to provide strategic leadership for institutional research, reporting, and decision support across the university. The role partners with the VP for Strategy and Effectiveness and the Chief of Staff to ensure reliable evidence informs planning and improvement.

The Director leads a team, upholds reporting standards, and promotes responsible data use.

Qualifications

• Master’s degree in higher education, social or behavioral sciences, statistics, data analytics, or related field with substantial preparation in research methods and quantitative analysis.
• At least five years of progressively responsible experience in institutional research or related higher education research, reporting, or decision support, including IPEDS or comparable mandated reporting.
• Ability to supervise staff, manage complex projects, and coordinate across academic and administrative areas.
• Expertise in applied research, quantitative and qualitative analysis, data quality, cohort construction, survey methods, and benchmarking; ability to translate findings into actionable information.
• Experience with Workday or comparable student information system, Qualtrics or comparable survey platform, and Tableau or Power BI.
• Proficiency in SQL, relational data concepts, and advanced spreadsheet tools; experience with R, Python, SPSS, SAS, or Stata.
• Knowledge of higher education data definitions, reporting requirements, and institutional research practices; able to protect confidential information and present findings impartially.
• Strong written, oral, visual, and interpersonal communication skills; ability to explain complex findings to varied audiences and provide effective consultation.
• Strong organizational and problem-solving skills; ability to prioritize, meet deadlines, and support the university’s mission.

Responsibilities

• Lead institutional research and team management within the Office of Strategy and Effectiveness; supervise IR staff and manage budgets and resources.
• Direct accurate and timely reporting to federal/state agencies, accreditors, and other recipients; coordinate data validation and submissions.
• Oversee reporting calendars, data definitions, review procedures, and submission records, including IPEDS and institutional data.
• Design and conduct research on enrollment, student outcomes, and program performance using appropriate methods; provide concise reports and visualizations for stakeholders.
• Promote data governance, data literacy, and responsible data access across university offices; evaluate new analytical tools and methods.
• Coordinate survey operations and dissemination; provide consultation and training on sound survey practice.
• Provide validated datasets and methodological support for accreditation, program reviews, and strategic planning.

Skills

Leadership

Communication

Project management

Data analysis

Attention to detail

Education

Master's degree in higher education or related field

Tools

Tableau

Power BI

SQL

Python

R

Workday

Qualtrics

Job description

Position Description

Reporting to the Vice President for Strategy and Effectiveness andChief of Staff (VP for OSE/CoS), the Director of Institutional Research provides strategic and operational leadership for theUniversity’s institutional research and required reportingfunctions.

Within the Office of Strategy and Effectiveness (OSE), the Directorpartners with the Director of Institutional Effectiveness and theAssociate Director of Strategic and Data Analysis to ensure thatreliable institutional evidence informs assessment, planning,decision-making, and continuous improvement. The Director leads theIR team, establishes and upholds standards for reporting andanalysis, and promotes the responsible use of institutionaldata.

Position Responsibilities

Institutional research leadership and team management

• Develop and manage the institutional research work plan inconsultation with the VP for OSE/CoS; prioritize requests, allocateresources, and establish clear timelines for deliverables.
• Supervise, mentor, and evaluate IR staff; assign and reviewwork, support professional development, and ensure cross-trainingand continuity for critical functions.
• Manage assigned IR budget, systems, software licenses, andreporting resources; represent IR on University committees and inrelevant professional organizations.

Official reporting and institutional information

• Direct accurate, timely, and consistent reporting to federaland state agencies, accreditors, and other authorized recipients;serve as the University’s IPEDS Keyholder and coordinate datavalidation, approvals, submissions, and corrections.
• Oversee the Common Data Set, institutional fact book and fastfacts, external surveys and rankings, and recurring institutionalreports; maintain reporting calendars, documented definitions,review procedures, and submission records.
• Monitor changes in reporting requirements and communicateimplications to responsible offices. Reconcile discrepancies acrosssubmissions and published information, documenting necessarydifferences in populations, time periods, or definitions.

Applied research and decision support

• Work cooperatively with the Office of Strategy and DataAnalysis to design and conduct research on enrollment, persistence,retention, completion, student outcomes, and academic programperformance using appropriate cohort, longitudinal, comparative,statistical, and survey methods.
• Maintain peer and aspirant comparison groups and use externaldatasets for benchmarking; prepare concise reports, briefs, andvisualizations that communicate findings, limitations, andimplications to technical and non-technical audiences.

Data quality and shared governance

• Provide leadership for IR data stewardship within theUniversity’s shared data governance processes and collaboratewithin OSE and with Information Technology, the Registrar, Finance,Human Resources, Enrollment Management, and other data stewards into improve data quality and consistency.
• Promote appropriate data access, confidentiality,documentation, and responsible use in accordance with Universitypolicy and applicable requirements.
• Evaluate emerging analytical tools and AI-assisted methods forappropriate use in institutional research.

Survey research and institutional effectiveness support

• Partner with the Director of Institutional Effectiveness on theinstitutional survey calendar, instrument design, sampling,administration, analysis and dissemination; coordinate timing andminimize respondent burden.
• Oversee IR’s survey operations and survey platform stewardship,delegating routine administration and user support as appropriate;provide consultation and training on sound survey practice.
• Provide validated datasets, analysis, and methodologicalconsultation for accreditation, program and administrative review,strategic plan metrics, and continuous improvement. Coordinate datacontributions with the Director of Institutional Effectiveness, whosupports accreditation and leads institutional effectivenessprocesses and state authorization activities.

Strategic analytics partnership and data literacy

• Partner with the Associate Director of Strategic and DataAnalysis to translate institutional questions into coordinatedresearch and analytics projects. Supply validated definitions,research context, and quality review for predictive models,executive dashboards, and automated data products.
• Coordinate IR reporting improvements with the AssociateDirector’s leadership of divisional automation and datainfrastructure strategy. Agree on project ownership, deliverables,and review responsibilities to prevent duplicate effort andconflicting metrics.
• Build institutional data literacy through consultation,training, and accessible documentation; help users formulate usefulquestions, interpret results, and use authorized reporting andself-service tools effectively.

Mission and professional responsibilities

• Model and support Eastern University’s mission, vision, andcore values of excellence, authenticity, stewardship,thoughtfulness, enthusiasm, relationships, and innovation; treatall community members with fairness, dignity, and respect.
• Maintain current knowledge of higher education research,reporting, and analytical practice.
• Participate in University meetings, committees, andprofessional development; perform other related duties asassigned.

Qualifications

• Minimum of a master’s degree in higher education, social orbehavioral sciences, statistics, data analytics, or a related fieldwith substantial preparation in research methods and quantitativeanalysis.
• At least five years of progressively responsible experience ininstitutional research or closely related higher educationresearch, reporting, or decision support, including directresponsibility for IPEDS or comparable mandated institutionalreporting.
• Demonstrated ability to supervise and develop staff, managecomplex projects, and coordinate work across academic andadministrative areas.
• Expertise in applied research, quantitative and qualitativeanalysis, institutional data quality, cohort construction, surveymethods, and benchmarking; ability to translate findings intoactionable information.
• Experience with Workday or a comparable student informationsystem, Qualtrics or a comparable survey platform, and Tableau orPower BI.
• Proficiency in SQL, relational data concepts and advancedspreadsheet tools, with experience using at least one statisticalapplication such as R, Python, SPSS, SAS, or Stata.
• Knowledge of higher education data definitions, reportingrequirements, and institutional research practices; sound judgmentin protecting confidential information and presenting findingsaccurately and impartially.
• Strong written, oral, visual, and interpersonal communicationskills, including the ability to explain complex findings andlimitations to varied audiences and provide effectiveconsultation.
• Strong organizational and problem-solving skills, with theability to prioritize competing demands, meet deadlines, maintainrigorous quality standards, and support Eastern University’smission, vision, and values.