Director of Research & Planning

CCC; Chicago (IL); On-site; USD 93,000 - 95,000; Full time

Job summary

CCC, located in Chicago, seeks a Director of Research and Planning to lead institutional research and planning activities in support of college strategy. You will coordinate data analyses, build dashboards, and drive data-informed decisions across Academic, Student Support, and Administrative units.

The role emphasizes collaboration with college leadership, developing assessment systems, and ensuring compliance with state and federal reporting requirements.

Qualifications

• Master's degree in Education or social/behavioral sciences.
• Ph.D. in a related field preferred.
• 3–5 years in institutional research or related research.
• Proficiency in Microsoft Office; SPSS or similar DBs.
• Higher education accreditation experience desirable.
• SAS experience highly desirable.
• Knowledge of assessment of student learning outcomes desirable.
• Familiarity with SQL data query skills a plus.

Responsibilities

• Provide research and analytic support to college leadership with timely data.
• Oversee staff conducting qualitative and quantitative analyses.
• Compile and present institutional data for assessment and decision-making.
• Establish benchmarks, dashboards, and performance measures.
• Prepare reports for ICCB, NCES, and other agencies.
• Design data systems and collaborate with IT for reporting.
• Develop analytical agenda to support decision-making and compliance.
• Coordinate data artifacts for accreditation self-studies and site visits.
• Design and administer surveys; analyze data and prepare reports.
• Respond to data requests from faculty and administrators.

Education

Master's degree in Education or Social/Behavioral Sciences

Ph.D. in relevant field (preferred)

Microsoft Excel/Word/PowerPoint

SAS (desirable)

SPSS or other relational databases

Access and SQL data query skills (plus)

Tools

SAS

SPSS

SQL

Microsoft Office

Data Warehouse/PeopleSoft

Job description

Reporting to the Vice President, the Director, Research and Planning supports the planning and implementation of the strategic initiatives established by the college. Responsible for coordinating and conducting institutional research functions to provide information that supports institutional planning, policy formulation and decision making at the college.

The Director, Research and Planning provides data support for the College's Academic, Student Support, and Administrative Units, exercising and demonstrating expertise and skills specific to education research, data analytics, and technical writing. Working extensively and in close collaboration with departments, the Director, Research and Planning executes projects and initiatives in accordance with the needs of the college, including accreditation and reporting requirements.

ESSENTIAL DUTIES

• Provides research and analytic support to college leadership (President, Vice President), administrators, staff, and faculty with timely and relevant research, data analysis, data interpretation, and information to support the college's strategies, and to increase and improve institutional effectiveness and performance.
• Conducts and oversees staff conducting qualitative research studies and data analyses to provide the college community with accurate and relevant data and information that supports the college's strategic planning, policy formulation and decision-making.
• Participates and collaborates with college administrators in compiling, analyzing and presenting institutional data to support assessment and decision- making in various areas including program evaluation, student learning/program outcomes, student services, enrollment management, resource allocation, and staffing.
• Works collaboratively with college administrators in establishing benchmarks, key performance indicators, score cards, dashboards, and other metrics and performance measures.
• Provides statistical data and prepares reports to comply with reporting requirements from State agencies (i.e. Illinois Community College Board/ICCB) as well as federal agencies (i.e. U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics/NCES).
• Creates and manages systems to support requests for data research and analysis and works with IT and the Office of Decision Support to identify, extract and report data from appropriate data systems (Data Warehouse, PeopleSoft).
• Defines an analytical agenda for the college to support data-driven performance dialogs, a timely response to requests in support of decision-making and full compliance with external requirements.
• Coordinates the compilation of data, evidence and artifacts from multiple sources (data systems, surveys, reports) for use in the college's regional and specialized accreditation self-studies and site visits.
• Designs and administers surveys (i.e. student and classroom surveys) and other data collection instruments; collects and analyzes data; and prepares narrative and statistical reports.
• Responds to requests for data to support specific needs of faculty and college and district level administrators. Maintains statistical and other data for use in the preparation of reports and graphic presentations.
• Analyzes complex data sets using quantitative and qualitative analyses and statistical techniques. Uses statistical software such as SAS in performing data analysis.
• Consults with faculty and academic administrators in the design and maintenance of an integrated assessment system to evaluate measurable student learning outcomes at the course, program, and institutional/college level.
• Works with college leadership in developing guidelines related to program evaluation, program review, learning objectives, outcomes assessment and institutional effectiveness.
• Provides guidance to key stakeholders in the program assessment process, assisting in identifying assessment instruments, completing qualitative and quantitative data analysis, and using assessment results for the continuous improvement of academic quality.
• Develops and presents workshops and training on the use and application of information technology systems and tools (i.e. Open Book), guiding college administrators and faculty on the processes for accessing data and information about the institution.
• Works with the Office of Decision Support to design and implement methods relevant to data collection and analysis, data management, and reporting and use of assessment results.
• Reviews academic and operational initiatives for alignment with the district’s strategic plan and provides direct feedback to the College President and Vice President.

QUALIFICATIONS

Education, Training and Experience

• A Master's degree from an accredited college or university in Education or the Social or Behavioral Sciences (Sociology, Psychology, Economics), or a related field of study
• Completion of Ph.D. in relevant field preferred
• Three to five years of experience in institutional research or relevant research experience in quantitative and qualitative research methods, research design and methodology, and statistics
• A combination of education and experience may be taken into consideration based on the applicant's credentials provided the minimum degree requirement is met.
• High level of proficiency in the use of Microsoft Office (Word, Excel, PowerPoint)
  required; experience with SPSS or other relational databases
• Experience with higher education accreditation processes highly desirable
• Experience with statistical analysis software such as SAS highly desirable
• Experience in the assessment of student learning outcomes desirable
• Experience in the development of performance metrics and continuous improvement systems and tools desirable
• Familiarity with Access and SQL data query skills a plus
• The following generally describes the Knowledge, Skills and Abilities required to enter the job and/or be learned within a short period of time to successfully perform the assigned duties

Knowledge, Skills and Ability

• Knowledge of best practices used for community college metrics and data informed decision-making
• Knowledge and familiarity with federal and private data sources and statistical databases
• Knowledge of research, assessment and planning activities in a higher education environment
• Knowledge of critical issues in higher education and understanding of education performance data
• Strong interpersonal, oral and written communication skills
• Strong research and grant writing skills including writing proposal
• Strong analytical and problem-solving skills
• Skill in the application and use of appropriate statistical analysis
• Ability to establish and maintain cooperative and effective working relationships
• Ability to clearly communicate the analysis and interpretation of data and research findings to a non-technical audience
• Ability to work within a culturally diverse environment

Working Conditions

• Some travel to colleges within District 508
• Must be able to work evenings and weekends as necessary

Worker Characteristics

• Leadership – Demonstrate willingness to lead, take charge, and offer opinions and direction
• Attention to Detail – Requires being careful about detail and thorough in completing work tasks
• Initiative – Demonstrates willingness to take on responsibilities and job challenges
• Dependability – Demonstrates reliability, responsibility, and dependability and fulfill obligations.
• Analytical Thinking – Analyzes information and use logic to address work issues
• Technologically Informed – Capable user of technology who understands the role of technology in the institution and who will guide and support its efficient and effective use

Approved by Compensation Design and Strategy Date: November, 2018

Salary Range: $92,866- $95,000/yr.
Offered salary will be determined by the applicant's education, knowledge, skills and abilities, as well as other factors such as internal equity.
Benefits information is found at https://www.ccc.edu/departments/Benefits/