Executive Director for Institutional Effectiveness

University of California; Moscow (ID); On-site; USD 120,000 - 180,000; Full time

Job summary

University of Idaho seeks an Executive Director for Institutional Effectiveness to lead institutional research, assessment, and reporting efforts from Moscow. The role focuses on data‑informed decision making, developing dashboards, and promoting data literacy across units to advance strategic goals.

The executive director will supervise institutional research and assessment offices, collaborate with the Vice Provost for Academic Initiatives, and drive data governance, training, and analytics to

Qualifications

• Three years’ experience in creating data literacy, data democratization, and data-informed decision-making as demonstrated in application materials.
• Strategic leadership to forward key institutional goals and effectively balance multiple competing priorities by providing needed data, analyses, and solutions.
• Leadership in designing processes for maximum efficiency in routine reporting as demonstrated in application materials.
• Leading the development of intuitive, accessible, interactive dashboards and other tools that broaden data access and promote effective data use institution wide.
• Experience designing and executing quantitative studies, and knowledge of qualitative and mixed methods study design.
• Creativity and flexibility in meeting stakeholder needs while sustaining integrity of data definitions and other unit priorities as shown in application materials.

Responsibilities

• Provide visionary leadership and high‑level direction of institutional effectiveness to equip colleagues with the data, analyses, and information needed to achieve key institutional goals.
• Lead initiatives across strategic areas including enrollment, student success, curricular delivery and efficiency, budgeting, assessment and accreditation; report to the Provost via the VPAI.
• Guide collaborations with faculty, academic administrators, assessment and accreditation professionals, and support units; promote data‑driven decision making.
• Supervise the creation of intuitive, user‑friendly dashboards and data sharing resources while maintaining data protections.
• Design and implement trainings to engage colleagues at all levels of data literacy to inform decision‑making and program improvement.

Skills

Data literacy

Data democratization

Data-informed decision-making

Strategic leadership

Dashboard design

Quantitative studies

Education

Master’s Degree

Job description

Executive Director for Institutional Effectiveness

Position Title Executive Director for Institutional Effectiveness

Division/College Vice Provost for Academic Initiatives

Department Vice Provost for Academic Initiatives

Location Moscow

Posting Context Statement

The Executive Director will supervise UI’s Institutional Research (IR) and Assessment and Accreditation (AA) offices and will report to the Office of the Provost and Executive Vice President through the Vice Provost for Academic Initiatives (VPAI). A key focus for this role will involve strengthening collaboration between the IR and AA teams. Working closely with the VPAI and other colleagues, the Executive Director will help UI use evidence‑based practices in education, operations, and resource allocation; assessing these practices’ impact; and iteratively improving outcomes.

Position Overview

The executive director will provide visionary leadership, and high‑level direction of institutional effectiveness at UI to equip colleagues with the data, analyses, and information needed to achieve key institutional goals. Goal areas include strategic enrollment; student success; curricular delivery and efficiency; budgeting; assessment and accreditation; federal, state, and other reporting; and other university priorities. To help the institution define key metrics, develop strategies, and gauge progress, the executive director will provide strategic leadership, high‑caliber collaboration, problem‑solving, and creativity. Further, the executive director will guide collaborations with a broad range of colleagues, including disciplinary faculty, academic administrators, assessment and accreditation professionals, research support units, human resources professionals, and others. The person in this role will supervise the creation of intuitive, user‑friendly interactive dashboards and other resources for sharing data broadly throughout and beyond the campus community while maintaining requisite protections.

Further, the Executive Director will promote data‑informed decision‑making by leveraging relevant experience in designing and executing a broad range of quantitative analyses, building a data‑literate workforce, participating in UI’s data governance, implementing data democratization, and working with qualitative and mixed‑methods studies. For example, the Executive Director will design and implement trainings to effectively engage colleagues at all levels of data literacy to use institutional data in decision‑making and program improvement. The person in this position will take initiative to solve problems and address institutional challenges. Further, the Executive Director will draw on prior leadership experience with an emphasis on completing routine but essential tasks while also designing analyses, tools, and approaches needed to achieve university goals in key areas.

Requirements

• Three years’ experience in the following:
  • Creating data literacy, data democratization, and data‑informed decision‑making as demonstrated in application materials
  • Strategic leadership to forward key institutional goals and effectively balance multiple competing priorities by providing needed data, analyses, and solutions
  • Leadership in designing processes for maximum efficiency in routine reporting as demonstrated in application materials
  • Leading the development of intuitive, accessible, interactive dashboards and other tools that broaden data access and promote effective data use institution wide
  • Experience designing and executing quantitative studies, and knowledge of qualitative and mixed methods study design
  • Creativity and flexibility in meeting stakeholder needs while sustaining integrity of data definitions and other unit priorities as shown in application materials

Required Education

• Master’s Degree

Required Other

• None

Additional Preferred

• Ph.D. in statistics, educational measurement, assessment, cognitive science, database management, machine learning, or other relevant discipline
• Demonstrated experience collaborating effectively with assessment, accreditation, research support, and other colleagues, including disciplinary faculty and academic administrators; building, leading, and contributing to effective cross‑unit working groups; and tailoring effective communications in formal and informal settings
• Experience establishing, communicating, and leading others to implement a vision for promoting effective data use across an organization, including a demonstrated ability to effectively engage hesitant, skeptical, and/or inexperienced colleagues in developing data literacy and the capacity to use data effectively to inform decision‑making
• Experience establishing unit priorities; motivating direct reports and staff to achieve priorities; and building collaborative, responsive, high‑performing teams
• Demonstrated experience engaging faculty, staff, and students in using data effectively to improve academic, curricular efficiency, operational, budgetary, and other outcomes. Such experience will ideally include designing and implementing trainings, professional development materials and workshops, and the like
• Strong experience in sophisticated analytical projects, e.g., diagnostic and prescriptive analyses designed to help identify students who could succeed with particular interventions and/or to measure the effectiveness of such interventions
• Experience leading or co‑leading the development of data governance policies; structures and demonstrated knowledge of data definitions, storage, and management; and experience designing, implementing, or applying data ethics policies
• Evidence of strong initiative, creativity, and problem‑solving skills
• Knowledge of federal, state, and other reporting required for institutions of higher education

Physical Requirements & Working Conditions

• None

Degree Requirement

Degree Requirement: Listed degree qualification is required at time of application

Posting Information

FLSA Status Exempt

Employee Category Exempt

Pay Range Commiserate with experience

Type of Appointment Fiscal Year

FTE 1

Full Time/Part Time: Full Time

Funding: A visa sponsorship is available for the position listed in this vacancy.

In your letter of qualifications ( human-resources-letter-of-qualification-template.docx ) using details and examples, please address all of the required and preferred qualifications for this position and how your experience and skills align.

Applications received by July 29, 2026 will receive first consideration.

Contact

Ferra Executive Search has been retained to manage the search. If you have any inquiries or nominations, please send an email to:

Kevin Ferra, President
Ferra Executive Search
[e-mail]
Please use ‘Executive Director, Institutional Effectiveness’ as the subject line when you contact Kevin

Applicants who are selected as final possible candidates must be able to pass a criminal background check.

EEO Statement

The University of Idaho is an equal employment opportunity employer, including veterans and individuals with disabilities.

Required Documents

• Resume/CV
• List of References
• Letter of Qualification

Optional Documents

• None

Supplemental Questions

Required fields are indicated with an asterisk (*).

• * How did you hear about this employment opportunity?
  • Academic Careers
  • Association of Public and Land Grant Universities (APLU)
  • Chronicle
  • Facebook
  • HigherEd/Academic Impressions
  • Higher Ed Jobs
  • Idaho Department of Labor/Job Service including Job Central or Idaho Works (Idahoworks.gov)
  • Indeed.com
  • Inside Higher Ed
  • LinkedIn
  • Newspaper
  • Other Venue
  • Professional Listservs (Ex: NACUBO, AAAE, ISMC, etc.)
  • University of Idaho Website
  • University of Idaho Daily Register
  • University of Idaho Employee
  • Word of Mouth
  • Militaryjob.com
  • DSPSjobs.com
  • Higher Education Recruitment Consortium (HERC)
• * Were you referred to this employment opportunity by a current University of Idaho employee? If so, please provide their name and department.

  (Open Ended Question)