Senior Data Visualization Specialist

University of Colorado System; Allenspark (CO); Hybrid; USD 90,000 - 99,000; Full time

Job summary

University of Colorado Boulder is hiring a Senior Data Visualization Specialist to act as the Tableau administrator and primary BI expert for Data & Analytics (D&A). You will lead governance, design dashboards, and deliver data products that inform campus decision-making.

The role requires deep technical knowledge in data visualization, SQL/Python/R, and strong communication with partners campus-wide. This is a hybrid on-site role with a competitive salary and benefits.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in information science, user experience, computer science, data science, or related field.
• 3 years of experience in data visualization and Tableau administration.
• Proficiency with SQL, Python, R, and/or SAS for data queries and analysis.

Responsibilities

• Establish and enforce enterprise standards for data visualization and BI products, ensuring usability and trust across D&A teams.
• Lead Tableau governance, licensing, security, site management, and performance optimization for Tableau Server/Cloud.
• Create, maintain, and automate dashboards, reports, and data products for campus partners.
• Collaborate with data engineers to improve pipelines and data integrity.
• Communicate analytic methods and results to non-technical audiences.

Skills

Tableau

Tableau Administration

SQL

Python

R

SAS

Education

Bachelor’s degree in information science / related field

Master’s or Doctoral degree preferred

Tools

GitHub

Atlassian

Tableau Server/Cloud

Job description

Job Summary

The Office of Information Technology encourages applicationsfor a Senior Data Visualization Specialist! Thisposition is responsible for serving as the technical resource forData Visualization and primary Tableau administrator for D&A,providing subject matter expertise in Data Visualizationmethodologies, performing data manipulation & analysis, andcreating data products, reports and dashboards. This role worksdirectly with the Assistant Director of Data Experience andVisualization in the Data & Analytics (D&A) division to improve how institutional data is accessed, understood, and usedacross CU Boulder.

As a senior professional-level position, the incumbent is expectedto apply deep understanding of theory and practice to define andtackle problems of a significant scope and complexity, often withnon-standard solutions. The incumbent is expected to perform workindependently and serve as a resource to other D&A teammembers. The incumbent will also be expected to communicate complexconcepts to individuals outside of the Data & Analyticsdivision.

CU is an Equal Opportunity Employer and complies with allapplicable federal, state, and local laws governingnondiscrimination in employment. We are committed to creating aworkplace where all individuals are treated with respect anddignity, and we encourage individuals from all backgrounds toapply, including protected veterans and individuals withdisabilities.

Who We Are

Vision:

• OIT will be valued by campus as a strategic, inclusive andinnovative partner in advancing learning and discovery in order toenable CU Boulder to be an outstanding public university.

Mission:

• OIT enables campus priorities by providing high-value ITservices and solutions.

Values:

• Trust, as a foundation for how we engage with one another andwith campus partners, along with
• Curiosity in how to better support the campus and our partner’swhile
• Encouraging empowerment and authentic engagement amongourselves and
• Celebrating a culture that promotes a sense of belonging whileacknowledging that each person is unique and valued.

Strategy:

• OIT will advance learning and discovery by deliveringhigh-value reliable IT services and solutions that:
• Provide a fluid and adaptable academic and studentexperience
• Enable research competitiveness and
• Deliver core infrastructure and enterprise IT services forbusiness efficiency.

What Your Key Responsibilities Will Be

Data Visualization & Business Intelligence

• In partnership with the Assistant Director, establish,maintain, and promote enterprise standards and shared expectationsfor data visualization and business intelligence products,including design principles, accessibility, documentation, qualityassurance, governance, and lifecycle management practices to ensureconsistency, usability, and trust in analytic outputs acrossD&A teams.
• Collaborate with supervisory and technical leads to provideconsultation, guidance, and enablement to D&A staff and campuspartners on data visualization strategy, dashboard design, Tableaudevelopment standards, and BI guidelines.
• Serve as the D&A Tableau Administrator, supervisingBoulder-campus platform governance and administration, includinglicensing, permissions, security, site management, audits, usagemonitoring, performance optimization, documentation, campus partneroutreach, and support for Tableau Server/Cloud operations andmaintenance, in collaboration with D&A leadership, theirsupervisor, and the CU UIS Data & BI team. Additionally,adheres to Service Management responsibilities per D&Aguidelines for administration of D&A Tableau.
• Lead governance and lifecycle management processes foranalytics assets, including intake, prioritization, developmentoversight, testing and QA, deployment, maintenance, enhancement,archival, and retirement of dashboards, reports, and certified datasources.
• Promote adoption of visualization and reporting standardsthrough training, documentation, peer review, and continuousimprovement initiatives supporting scalable and sustainableanalytics practices.

Create Data Products, Reports, and Dashboards

• Create, maintain, and automate accessible and informativereports (e.g., written reports, data visualizations, anddashboards) that present and synthesize results for campuspartners.
• Design and refine dashboards and data visualizations, includinghighly complex projects, to address campus partner needs.
• Fulfill ad hoc data requests for data sets, analysis,aggregation, and synthesis.
• Effectively communicate analytic methods and results to campuspartners, through reports, data products, emails, and/orpresentations, including—as assigned—leading or independentlyconducting meetings with campus partners.

Data Manipulation and Analysis

• With the support of supervisor, project lead, and/or D&Aleadership, engage with relevant campus partners and the D&Aleadership team to identify business requirements related torequests, projects and services.
• Identify, review, arrange, and collect data to meet projectspecifications and minimize the limitations of subsequent analysesand reports.
• Curate appropriate data sets to optimize sustainable analytics,reports, and/or data products.
• Recommend and use appropriate quantitative and qualitativemethods (e.g. descriptive and exploratory data analysis, advancedstatistical analysis, predictive modeling, causal and quasi-causalanalysis, natural language processing, and/or survey methods) tomeet campus partners’ needs.
• Evaluate the accuracy and effectiveness of data products,analyses, data models, reports and dashboards to ensure continuousimprovement of the data services and products provided byD&A.
• Effectively document code, analytic methods, data sources, andproject specs and statuses in the appropriate repository (e.g.,GitHub, Atlassian, etc).
• Through the completion of data requests, projects andidentified problems:
• Evaluate data assets to understand how existing internal andexternal data can inform decision-making or improve processes.
• Maintain a data governance and security outlook: useappropriate documentation, controls, levels of security, andapprovals on data sets, reports, and other products.
• Collaborate with data engineers to request and improve datapipelines and create integrity checks that assure accuracy andcompleteness of data sets

Professional Development

• Maintain proficiency, deepen, and acquire new knowledge in datavisualization, data practices, and user experience design, writing,research, etc.
• Know the latest on procedures and standards related to web anddata accessibility, sharing relevant guidance and insights withcolleagues as appropriate.

Be Statements

Be challenged. Be visionary. Be Boulder.

What You Should Know

• This role is in a hybrid work situation, coming on-sitemonthly.
• Visa sponsorship is not available for this position.

What We Can Offer

• The annual salary range is $90,400 - $99,460.

Benefits

At the University of Colorado Boulder , we arecommitted to supporting the holistic health and well-being of our employees. Our comprehensive benefits package includes medical,dental, and retirement plans; generous paid time off; tuitionassistance for you and your dependents; and an ECO Pass for localtransit. As one of Boulder County’s largest employers, CU Boulderoffers an inspiring academic community and access to world-classoutdoor recreation. Explore additional perks and programs throughthe CU Advantage program.

What We Require

• A bachelor’s degree from an accredited institution ininformation science, user experience, communications, computerscience, data science, psychology, social sciences, or relatedfield. A combination of education and relevant experience asdescribed below may be substituted for the degree on ayear-for-year basis.
• 3 years of experience doing the following:
• Mastery in using Tableau or other data visualization tools fordata visualization;
• Proficiency in Tableau Administration (licensing, permissions,security, site management, audits, usage monitoring, performanceoptimization, and support for Tableau Server/Cloud operations andmaintenance) or similar tool.
• Developing research questions and methodologies, curating datasets, conducting analyses, and building data tools and products,and;
• Using reproducible data analytics workflows;
• Proficiency in using SQL, Python, R, and/or SAS for dataqueries, data manipulation, and analysis.

What You Will Need

• An intellectual curiosity about higher education and how dataanalytics can advance the university’s mission.
• Skilled in working directly with customers to understand theirrequirements and translate their needs into data analysis problemsand products.
• Strong written and verbal communication skills, with theability to clearly communicate technical concepts to non-technicalaudiences.
• Proficient in data preparation and processing (e.g., automatingdata cleaning and integrity testing), with the ability to work withstructured and unstructured data and wrangle data in SQL andPython/R.
• Proficiency with a selection of applied statistics orbehavioral analyses such as descriptive and exploratory dataanalysis, advanced statistical analysis, predictive modeling,causal and quasi-causal analysis, and/or natural languageprocessing.
• Skilled in writing reports that highlight and explainconclusions from data analysis.
• Knowledge of data visualization standard methodologies andskilled at applying these practices to create accessible andinformative figures, charts, and dashboards.
• Experience and proficiency documenting project plans andspecifications, code, data sources, research methods, andanalysis.
• Demonstrated proactive work style and creative problem-solvingskills.
• Manage multiple projects and prioritize themappropriately.
• Attentive to details, quality, and follow-through with acommitment to continuous improvement.
• Demonstrated ability in and desire to stay ahead of emergingtechnologies and adapting to new technologies and tools.
• Demonstrated organizational skills in handling, directing, andprioritizing multiple and complex assignments and projects.
• Able to work independently, and in collaborative environmentsand contribute to a positive work culture.
• Commitment to act in alignment with OIT, the campus and theuniversity's values.

What We Would Like You to Have

• A Master’s or Doctoral Degree from an accredited university ininformation science, user experience, communications, computerscience, data science, psychology, social sciences, or relatedfield.

• 6 years of experience doing the following:

• Expert experience using Tableau or other data visualizationtools to support data informed decision-making;
• Mastery in Tableau Administration (licensing, permissions,security, site management, audits, usage monitoring, performanceoptimization, and support for Tableau Server/Cloud operations andmaintenance);
• Using reproducible data analytics workflows, includingversion-controlled codebases in GitHub or similar;
• Proficiency in using Python/R and/or SQL for data queries,manipulation, and analysis;
• Mastery in multiple applied statistical methodologies ormachine learning techniques;
• Experience with cloud computing environments and datainfrastructure;
• Experience working in a higher education setting, especiallywith institutional data, such as in an Institutional Research (IR)unit or other data-related role;
• Developing research questions and methodologies, curating datasets, conducting analyses, producing data reports and dashboards,and building data tools and products.

Special Instructions

Note: Application materials will not be accepted via email.

In compliance with the Colorado Job Application Fairness Act, in any materials you submit, you may redact or remove age-identifying information such as age, date of birth, or dates of school attendance or graduation. You will not be penalized for redacting or removing this information.

Posting Contact Information

Posting Contact Name: Boulder Campus Human Resources

Posting Contact Email: [e-mail]