Director of Institutional Research & Assessment

Airweb; Connecticut; On-site; USD 85,000 - 115,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Health & Dental Insurance

Vacation & Sick Leave

Retirement Plan

Life Insurance

Employee Assistance Programs

Job summary

Southern Connecticut State University seeks an experienced Institutional Research Analyst to lead data analysis, reporting, and governance across institutional priorities. The role requires collaborating with faculty, staff, and administrators to translate data into actionable insights and to support accreditation and compliance efforts.

You will drive dashboards and executive summaries, maintain data archives, and contribute to a culture of data literacy.

Qualifications

• Master’s degree required in social sciences, statistics, data science, higher education administration, education policy, or related field.
• Minimum of five years of progressive experience in institutional research and assessment in higher education.
• Strong data analysis, research methodologies, and survey design skills, with ability to apply techniques using SPSS and Excel.

Responsibilities

• Plans and coordinates the maintenance, analysis, and reporting of all statistical information and data for the University.
• Assists with the implementation of the institutional effectiveness framework.
• Prepares written reports and presentations for internal and external constituencies including agencies.
• Ensures all federal, state, and other external reporting requirements are submitted accurately and timely.
• Serves as a liaison to federal/state agencies for data reporting and research studies.
• Collaborates with administrators, faculty, and staff to identify, collect, analyze, or interpret data.
• Analyzes and interprets data to produce audience reports, dashboards, and visualizations.
• Co-leads efforts to create data literacy and assessment culture on campus.
• Co-leads Data Governance and data quality initiatives.
• Keeps abreast of data analysis, ethics, external reporting, and best practices.

Skills

Data analysis

Leadership

Communication

Project management

Collaboration

Data storytelling

Data governance

Data literacy

Non-technical stakeholder engagement

Education policy/assessment

Education

Master's degree in social sciences or related field

Tools

SPSS

Excel

Tableau

Power BI

SQL

Job description

The following examples of duties illustrate the general range of tasks assigned to the position, but are not intended to define the limits of required duties. Other essential duties may be assigned consistent with the general scope of the position.

1. 1. Plans and coordinates the maintenance, analysis, and reporting of all statistical information and data for the University.
2. 2. Assists with the implementation of the institutional effectiveness framework.
3. 3. Prepares written reports and presentations for internal and external constituencies, which include federal, state, accrediting, and external grant and initiative agencies.
4. 4. Ensures all federal, state, and other external reporting requirements are submitted or responded to accurately and in a timely manner.
5. 5. Serves as a liaison from the University to various federal, state, and other external agencies for data reporting, research studies, surveys, etc.
6. 6. Collaborates with and provides data expertise/guidance to administrators, faculty, and staff who need to identify, collect, analyze, or interpret data to address institutional priorities.
7. 7. Analyzes and interprets data to produce appropriate audience reports, executive summaries, fact sheets, graphic presentations, visualizations, dashboards, etc.
8. 8. Co-leads efforts to create a culture of data literacy and assessment on campus.
9. 9. Co-leads Data Governance efforts and activities including initiating and resolving data quality issues to ensure the integrity of the information reported to federal, state, and other external entities.
10. 10. Keeps abreast of current data analysis, data ethics, external reporting, assessment, and other relevant and appropriate best practices, platforms, tools, and software.
11. 11. Maintains archives of assessment data and documentation for quality improvement and reporting.
12. 12. Performs other duties and responsibilities related to those enumerated above which do not alter the basic level of responsibility of the position.

Job Qualifications

• Master's degree in social sciences, statistics, data science, higher education administration, education policy, or related field.
• Minimum of five years of progressive experience within higher education in institutional research and assessment.
• Knowledge and proficiency in data analysis, research methodologies, and survey design, with the ability to apply techniques using SPSS, and Excel.
• Experience in creating and visualizing reports using intelligence software (e.g., Tableau, Power BI) and extracting data from student information systems, preferably utilizing SQL.
• Excellent people leader, communication, project management, organizational, problem-solving, and time-management skills.
• Ability to successfully collaborate with multiple stakeholders, implementing new methods or processes, improving systems integration, and leading organizational change efforts.
• Ability to translate complex data into actionable insights for non-technical stakeholders.
• Familiarity with higher education accreditation.

Institution Description

Southern Connecticut State University (SCSU) is a diverse and student-centered university dedicated to academic excellence, access, and service for the public good. Southern provides a supportive and welcoming environment for all members of its community through a campus-wide commitment to social justice. Founded as a teacher’s college in 1893, Southern has evolved over the past century into a comprehensive public university of approximately 9,000 students, offering graduate and undergraduate programs in the liberal arts and professional disciplines. It is one of four universities in the Connecticut State Colleges and Universities System. The University is located in New Haven, Connecticut, a city rich and vibrant with arts and culture, and less than 90 miles from New York City and 140 miles from Boston.

Southern Connecticut State University is a higher education agency of faculty, staff, and administrators within the State of Connecticut. As a State of Connecticut employee, a host of benefits are available but also may be portable should your career bring you to other avenues of state service. From paid holidays to accruing vacation time, being a State of Connecticut employee not only gives you the opportunity to make a difference in someone’s life, but the time to enjoy your own. Listed below are just some of the benefits the State of Connecticut offers depending on the position you hold:

• Accrued Vacation, Personal and Sick Leave
• Educational Benefits for Employees
• Retirement Plan
• Group Life Insurance
• Voluntary Defined Contribution Plans
• Flexible Spending Accounts (Dependent Care Program, Medical Flexible Spending, and Qualified Transportation)
• Supplemental Benefits Programs (Auto and Home Insurance, plus Short and Long Term Disability)
• Life Insurance
• Employee Assistance Programs (Free, Confidential Assessments and Short-Term Counseling)

Southern Connecticut State University is a higher education agency of faculty, staff, and administrators within the State of Connecticut. As a State of Connecticut employee, a host of benefits are available but also may be portable should your career bring you to other avenues of state service. From paid holidays to accruing vacation time, being a State of Connecticut employee not only gives you the opportunity to make a difference in someone’s life, but the time to enjoy your own. Listed below are just some of the benefits the State of Connecticut offers depending on the position you hold:

• Health & Dental Insurance
• Accrued Vacation, Personal and Sick Leave
• Educational Benefits for Employees
• Retirement Plan
• Group Life Insurance
• Supplemental Benefits
• Voluntary Defined Contribution Plans
• Flexible Spending Accounts (Dependent Care Program, Medical Flexible Spending, and Qualified Transportation)
• Supplemental Benefits Programs (Auto and Home Insurance, plus Short and Long Term Disability)
• Life Insurance
• Employee Assistance Programs (Free, Confidential Assessments and Short-Term Counseling)

Visit the SCSU HR Employee Benefits page for more details.

Application Due Date: 11/06/2026

Job Start Date: 11/27/2026

City: New Haven

State/Province/Region: Connecticut

Institution: Southern Connecticut State University

Reports To: Provost

Staff # Reporting to Position: 2

Reports In Office: Office of Assessment and Planning