Director of Institutional Research

Palmer Theological Seminary of Eastern University; Saint Davids (PA); On-site; USD 100,000 - 140,000; Full time

Job summary

Palmer Theological Seminary of Eastern University seeks a Director of Institutional Research to lead its institutional research and mandated reporting functions. The role partners with the VP for Strategy and Effectiveness to ensure reliable data supports assessment, planning, and continuous improvement across the university.

The Director will supervise the IR team, manage budgets and tools, and coordinate with academic and administrative offices on data quality, equity, and benchmarking.

Qualifications

• Master’s degree in higher education, social or behavioral sciences, statistics, data analytics, or a related field with substantial preparation in research methods and quantitative analysis.
• At least five years of progressively responsible experience in institutional research, reporting, or decision support, including IPEDS or comparable mandated reporting.
• Experience supervising staff, managing complex projects, and coordinating work across academic and administrative areas.
• Experience with Workday or a comparable student information system, Qualtrics or a comparable survey platform, and Tableau or Power BI.

Responsibilities

• Provide strategic and operational leadership for the university’s institutional research and required reporting functions.
• Direct accurate, timely reporting to federal/state agencies, accreditors, and other recipients; serve as IPEDS Keyholder and coordinate data submissions.
• Lead IR team, establish reporting standards, and promote responsible data use.
• Design and conduct research on enrollment, persistence, outcomes, and program performance using appropriate methods.
• Promote data governance, data literacy, and collaboration across offices to improve data quality and reporting consistency.

Skills

SQL

Statistical analysis

Data visualization

Written & verbal communication

Education

Master’s degree in higher education, social/behavioral sciences, statistics, data analytics, or related field

Tools

Tableau

Power BI

Workday

Qualtrics

Job description

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

Within the Office of Strategy and Effectiveness (OSE), the Director partners with the Director of Institutional Effectiveness and the Associate Director of Strategic and Data Analysis to ensure that reliable institutional evidence informs assessment, planning, decision‑making, and continuous improvement. The Director leads the IR team, establishes and upholds standards for reporting and analysis, and promotes the responsible use of institutional data.

Institutional research leadership and team management

• Develop and manage the institutional research work plan in consultation with the VP for OSE/CoS; prioritize requests, allocate resources, and establish clear timelines for deliverables.
• Supervise, mentor, and evaluate IR staff; assign and review work, support professional development, and ensure cross‑training and continuity for critical functions.
• Manage assigned IR budget, systems, software licenses, and reporting resources; represent IR on University committees and in relevant professional organizations.

Official reporting and institutional information

• Direct accurate, timely, and consistent reporting to federal and state agencies, accreditors, and other authorized recipients; serve as the University’s IPEDS Keyholder and coordinate data validation, approvals, submissions, and corrections.
• Oversee the Common Data Set, institutional fact book and fast facts, external surveys and rankings, and recurring institutional reports; maintain reporting calendars, documented definitions, review procedures, and submission records.
• Monitor changes in reporting requirements and communicate implications to responsible offices. Reconcile discrepancies across submissions and published information, documenting necessary differences in populations, time periods, or definitions.

Applied research and decision support

• Work cooperatively with the Office of Strategy and Data Analysis to design and conduct research on enrollment, persistence, retention, completion, student outcomes, and academic program performance using appropriate cohort, longitudinal, comparative, statistical, and survey methods.
• Maintain peer and aspirant comparison groups and use external datasets for benchmarking; prepare concise reports, briefs, and visualizations that communicate findings, limitations, and implications to technical and non‑technical audiences.

Data quality and shared governance

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

Survey research and institutional effectiveness support

• Partner with the Director of Institutional Effectiveness on the institutional survey calendar, instrument design, sampling, administration, analysis and dissemination; coordinate timing and minimize 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 methodological consultation for accreditation, program and administrative review, strategic plan metrics, and continuous improvement. Coordinate data contributions with the Director of Institutional Effectiveness, who supports accreditation and leads institutional effectiveness processes and state authorization activities.

Strategic analytics partnership and data literacy

• Partner with the Associate Director of Strategic and Data Analysis to translate institutional questions into coordinated research 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 Associate Director’s leadership of divisional automation and data infrastructure strategy. Agree on project ownership, deliverables, and review responsibilities to prevent duplicate effort and conflicting metrics.
• Build institutional data literacy through consultation, training, and accessible documentation; help users formulate useful questions, interpret results, and use authorized reporting and self‑service tools effectively.

Mission and professional responsibilities

• Model and support Eastern University’s mission, vision, and core values of excellence, authenticity, stewardship, thoughtfulness, enthusiasm, relationships, and innovation; treat all community members with fairness, dignity, and respect.
• Maintain current knowledge of higher education research, reporting, and analytical practice.
• Participate in University meetings, committees, and professional development; perform other related duties as assigned.
• Minimum of a master’s degree in higher education, social or behavioral sciences, statistics, data analytics, or a related field with substantial preparation in research methods and quantitative analysis.
• At least five years of progressively responsible experience in institutional research or closely related higher education research, reporting, or decision support, including direct responsibility for IPEDS or comparable mandated institutional reporting.
• Demonstrated ability to supervise and develop staff, manage complex projects, and coordinate work across academic and administrative areas.
• Expertise in applied research, quantitative and qualitative analysis, institutional data quality, cohort construction, survey methods, and benchmarking; ability to translate findings into actionable information.
• Experience with Workday or a comparable student information system, Qualtrics or a comparable survey platform, and Tableau or Power BI.
• Proficiency in SQL, relational data concepts and advanced spreadsheet tools, with experience using at least one statistical application such as R, Python, SPSS, SAS, or Stata.
• Knowledge of higher education data definitions, reporting requirements, and institutional research practices; sound judgment in protecting confidential information and presenting findings accurately and impartially.
• Strong written, oral, visual, and interpersonal communication skills, including the ability to explain complex findings and limitations to varied audiences and provide effective consultation.
• Strong organizational and problem‑solving skills, with the ability to prioritize competing demands, meet deadlines, maintain rigorous quality standards, and support Eastern University’s mission, vision, and values.