Institutional Research Analyst (Partial Remote Option)

Airweb; Massachusetts; Remote; USD 60,000 - 90,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Health insurance

Retirement benefits

Tuition assistance

Work-life balance

Job summary

Worcester Polytechnic Institute seeks an Institutional Research Analyst to transform data into actionable insights for institutional planning, enrollment strategies, and program development. You will create dashboards, perform market research, and communicate findings to campus stakeholders, supporting data-informed decisions.

The role emphasizes collaboration, data quality, and the ability to navigate ambiguity while delivering practical analytical solutions in a higher education context.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree or equivalent combination of education and experience.
• At least one year of experience in institutional research, data analytics, or related field.
• Experience preparing, cleaning, validating, and analyzing data from multiple sources.
• Ability to develop dashboards, reports, or data visualizations.
• Strong written and verbal communication, including explaining complex information to nontechnical audiences.

Responsibilities

• Develop and maintain interactive dashboards, visualizations, and reporting tools for planning, assessment, and decision-making.
• Validate data from multiple sources and document data definitions and processes.
• Translate stakeholder needs into reporting solutions and improve data quality and accessibility.

Skills

Power BI

R

Python

Data visualization

Data analysis

Education

Bachelor's degree

Tools

SQL

Excel

Job description

The Institutional Research Analyst supports data-informed decision-making through dashboard development, institutional analysis, and higher education market research. The position transforms data from multiple sources into reliable, accessible, and actionable insights to support institutional planning, assessment, enrollment strategies, and academic program development.

The Analyst develops and maintains analytical products, interprets institutional and market data, and communicates findings through clear visualizations, reports, and presentations. Working collaboratively with campus stakeholders, the Analyst helps improve data quality, accessibility, and data literacy to inform institutional planning and decision-making.

The Analyst is part of a dynamic, collaborative team that values curiosity, continuous improvement, and shared problem-solving. The ideal candidate is comfortable navigating ambiguity, balancing competing priorities, and developing practical solutions to evolving analytical needs.

1. Dashboard Development, Data Visualization, and Data Management

• Develop and maintain interactive dashboards, visualizations, and reporting tools that support institutional planning, assessment, and decision-making.
• Prepare, integrate, and validate data from multiple sources, improving accuracy, reliability, and efficiency through repeatable and automated processes.
• Translate stakeholder needs into effective reporting solutions and document data sources, definitions, and processes to support consistent interpretation and data quality.

2. Institutional Analysis and Market Research

• Conduct analyses of institutional data related to students, enrollment, academic programs, research, institutional effectiveness, and strategic priorities.
• Research higher education trends, peer institutions, demographics, academic programs, and market conditions to identify opportunities and inform enrollment strategies and institutional planning.
• Communicate findings through clear reports, presentations, and other analytical products that support decision-making by university leadership and campus stakeholders.

3. Collaboration, Process Improvement, and Data Literacy

• Collaborate with academic departments and administrative teams on analytical projects and initiatives that improve access to and effective use of institutional information.
• Identify opportunities to streamline reporting processes, improve operational efficiency, and enhance data accessibility and service delivery.
• Develop documentation, quick-reference guides, infographics, newsletters, and training materials that promote data literacy and awareness of institutional research resources.

Other duties may be assigned.

Job Qualifications

Required Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in a relevant field, or an equivalent combination of education and experience.
• At least one year of relevant experience in institutional research, data analytics, business intelligence, higher education research, or a related area.
• Experience preparing, cleaning, validating, and analyzing data from multiple sources and developing dashboards, reports, or data visualizations.
• Strong analytical, critical-thinking, and problem-solving skills, including the ability to identify data issues, interpret findings, and work through ambiguous or open-ended questions.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills, including the ability to explain complex information to nontechnical audiences.
• Strong attention to detail and data quality, along with the ability to manage multiple assignments, meet deadlines, and work independently and collaboratively.

Preferred Qualifications

• Master's degree in higher education, social science, data analytics, statistics, public policy, business, or a related field.
• Experience working in institutional research or higher education.
• Experience with Power BI or a comparable data visualization platform, including data modeling, DAX, Power Query, or automated data preparation.
• Experience with R, Python, SPSS, or comparable statistical or programming software.

Institution Description

WPI is a dynamic, inclusive community of faculty, staff, and students committed to collaboration that sparks innovation to benefit the world. With competitive and comprehensive benefits—including health insurance, retirement, tuition assistance, work-life balance—and a culture that fosters growth, WPI empowers employees to thrive personally and professionally.
About WPI | Worcester Polytechnic Institute

WPI’s success is built on the employees who work here. Faculty and staff contribute to the university’s culture of innovation and exploration, which help both our students and our employees thrive. Full details, guidelines, and specifications about WPI's comprehensive benefits package are found in the Benefits and Policies Manual opens in a new tab . Here you'll find information about WPI's generous vacation and holiday time (including an extra-long paid winter break), health insurance, tuition benefits, short and long-term disability insurance, wellness programs, and even free admission to the Worcester Art Museum.

WPI's benefits package contains great perks and necessities for today, but you'll also receive excellent retirement benefits opens in a new tab .After one year of service, employees must contribute 5% of their base salary to one of WPI's retirement plans every year. In return, WPI will contribute 9.5% of the employee's base salary annually to the employee's retirement fund. There is no vesting or waiting time for this benefit. See:

Institution: Worcester Polytechnic Institute

Reports To: Director of Data Visualizations

Staff # Reporting to Position: 0

Reports In Office: Institutional Research, Analytics & Assessment

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