Senior Data Visualization Specialist

CU Boulder; Boulder (CO); Hybrid; USD 90,000 - 99,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Medical, dental, and retirement plans

Tuition assistance

Transit benefit / ECO Pass

Job summary

CU Boulder is seeking a Senior Data Visualization Specialist to serve as the Tableau administrator for D&A. You will design and govern enterprise BI standards, create dashboards and data products, and collaborate with campus partners to translate complex data into actionable insights.

The role requires deep expertise in data visualization methodologies, data manipulation, and communication of analytic results to non-technical audiences.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree or equivalent combination of education and experience.
• 3+ years of experience with data visualization and Tableau.
• Experience with SQL and at least one programming language (Python, R, or SAS).

Responsibilities

• Lead enterprise data visualization standards and governance.
• Serve as Tableau Administrator for Boulder campus.
• Develop dashboards, data products, and analytics reports.
• Collaborate with campus partners to translate needs into data solutions.

Skills

Tableau

Data Visualization

SQL

Python

R

SAS

Tableau Administration

Education

Bachelor's degree in information science / data science / computer science or related field

Tools

GitHub

Tableau Server/Cloud

Job description

Job Summary

The Office of Information Technology encourages applications for a Senior Data Visualization Specialist! This position is responsible for serving as the technical resource for Data Visualization and primary Tableau administrator for D&A, providing subject matter expertise in Data Visualization methodologies, performing data manipulation & analysis, and creating data products, reports and dashboards. This role works directly with the Assistant Director of Data Experience and Visualization in the Data & Analytics (D&A) division to improve how institutional data is accessed, understood, and used across CU Boulder.

As a senior professional-level position, the incumbent is expected to apply deep understanding of theory and practice to define and tackle problems of a significant scope and complexity, often with non-standard solutions. The incumbent is expected to perform work independently and serve as a resource to other D&A team members. The incumbent will also be expected to communicate complex concepts to individuals outside of the Data & Analytics division.

CU is an Equal Opportunity Employer and complies with all applicable federal, state, and local laws governing nondiscrimination in employment. We are committed to creating a workplace where all individuals are treated with respect and dignity, and we encourage individuals from all backgrounds to apply, including protected veterans and individuals with disabilities.

Who We Are

Vision

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

Mission

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

Values

• Trust, as a foundation for how we engage with one another and with campus partners, along with
• Curiosity in how to better support the campus and our partner's while
• Encouraging empowerment and authentic engagement among ourselves and
• Celebrating a culture that promotes a sense of belonging while acknowledging that each person is unique and valued.

Strategy

• OIT will advance learning and discovery by delivering high-value reliable IT services and solutions that:
• Provide a fluid and adaptable academic and student experience
• Enable research competitiveness and
• Deliver core infrastructure and enterprise IT services for business 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 expectations for data visualization and business intelligence products, including design principles, accessibility, documentation, quality assurance, governance, and lifecycle management practices to ensure consistency, usability, and trust in analytic outputs across D&A teams.
• Collaborate with supervisory and technical leads to provide consultation, guidance, and enablement to D&A staff and campus partners on data visualization strategy, dashboard design, Tableau development standards, and BI guidelines.
• Serve as the D&A Tableau Administrator, supervising Boulder-campus platform governance and administration, including licensing, permissions, security, site management, audits, usage monitoring, performance optimization, documentation, campus partner outreach, and support for Tableau Server/Cloud operations and maintenance, in collaboration with D&A leadership, their supervisor, and the CU UIS Data & BI team. Additionally, adheres to Service Management responsibilities per D&A guidelines for administration of D&A Tableau.
• Lead governance and lifecycle management processes for analytics assets, including intake, prioritization, development oversight, testing and QA, deployment, maintenance, enhancement, archival, and retirement of dashboards, reports, and certified data sources.
• Promote adoption of visualization and reporting standards through training, documentation, peer review, and continuous improvement initiatives supporting scalable and sustainable analytics practices.

Create Data Products, Reports, and Dashboards

• Create, maintain, and automate accessible and informative reports (e.g., written reports, data visualizations, and dashboards) that present and synthesize results for campus partners.
• Design and refine dashboards and data visualizations, including highly 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 campus partners, through reports, data products, emails, and/or presentations, including-as assigned-leading or independently conducting meetings with campus partners.

Data Manipulation and Analysis

• With the support of supervisor, project lead, and/or D&A leadership, engage with relevant campus partners and the D&A leadership team to identify business requirements related to requests, projects and services.
• Identify, review, arrange, and collect data to meet project specifications and minimize the limitations of subsequent analyses and reports.
• Curate appropriate data sets to optimize sustainable analytics, reports, and/or data products.
• Recommend and use appropriate quantitative and qualitative methods (e.g. descriptive and exploratory data analysis, advanced statistical analysis, predictive modeling, causal and quasi-causal analysis, natural language processing, and/or survey methods) to meet campus partners' needs.
• Evaluate the accuracy and effectiveness of data products, analyses, data models, reports and dashboards to ensure continuous improvement of the data services and products provided by D&A.
• Effectively document code, analytic methods, data sources, and project specs and statuses in the appropriate repository (e.g., GitHub, Atlassian, etc).
• Through the completion of data requests, projects and identified problems:
• Evaluate data assets to understand how existing internal and external data can inform decision‑making or improve processes.
• Maintain a data governance and security outlook: use appropriate documentation, controls, levels of security, and approvals on data sets, reports, and other products.
• Collaborate with data engineers to request and improve data pipelines and create integrity checks that assure accuracy and completeness of data sets

Professional Development

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

What You Should Know

• This role is in a hybrid work situation, coming on-site monthly.
• 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 are committed 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; tuition assistance for you and your dependents; and an ECO Pass for local transit. As one of Boulder County's largest employers, CU Boulder offers an inspiring academic community and access to world‑class outdoor recreation. Explore additional perks and programs through the CU Advantage program.

Be Statements

Be challenged. Be visionary. Be Boulder.

What We Require

• A bachelor's degree from an accredited institution in information science, user experience, communications, computer science, data science, psychology, social sciences, or related field. A combination of education and relevant experience as described below may be substituted for the degree on a year-for-year basis.
• 3 years of experience doing the following:
• Mastery in using Tableau or other data visualization tools for data visualization;
• Proficiency in Tableau Administration (licensing, permissions, security, site management, audits, usage monitoring, performance optimization, and support for Tableau Server/Cloud operations and maintenance) or similar tool.
• Developing research questions and methodologies, curating data sets, conducting analyses, and building data tools and products, and;
• Using reproducible data analytics workflows;
• Proficiency in using SQL, Python, R, and/or SAS for data queries, data manipulation, and analysis.

What You Will Need

• An intellectual curiosity about higher education and how data analytics can advance the university's mission.
• Skilled in working directly with customers to understand their requirements and translate their needs into data analysis problems and products.
• Strong written and verbal communication skills, with the ability to clearly communicate technical concepts to non-technical audiences.
• Proficient in data preparation and processing (e.g., automating data cleaning and integrity testing), with the ability to work with structured and unstructured data and wrangle data in SQL and Python/R.
• Proficiency with a selection of applied statistics or behavioral analyses such as descriptive and exploratory data analysis, advanced statistical analysis, predictive modeling, causal and quasi-causal analysis, and/or natural language processing.
• Skilled in writing reports that highlight and explain conclusions from data analysis.
• Knowledge of data visualization standard methodologies and skilled at applying these practices to create accessible and informative figures, charts, and dashboards.
• Experience and proficiency documenting project plans and specifications, code, data sources, research methods, and analysis.
• Demonstrated proactive work style and creative problem-solving skills.
• Manage multiple projects and prioritize them appropriately.
• Attentive to details, quality, and follow-through with a commitment to continuous improvement.
• Demonstrated ability in and desire to stay ahead of emerging technologies and adapting to new technologies and tools.
• Demonstrated organizational skills in handling, directing, and prioritizing multiple and complex assignments and projects.
• Able to work independently, and in collaborative environments and contribute to a positive work culture.
• Commitment to act in alignment with OIT, the campus and the university's values.

What We Would Like You to Have

• A Master's or Doctoral Degree from an accredited university in information science, user experience, communications, computer science, data science, psychology, social sciences, or related field.
• 6 years of experience doing the following:
• Expert experience using Tableau or other data visualization tools to support data informed decision-making;
• Mastery in Tableau Administration (licensing, permissions, security, site management, audits, usage monitoring, performance optimization, and support for Tableau Server/Cloud operations and maintenance);
• Using reproducible data analytics workflows, including version-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 or machine learning techniques;
• Experience with cloud computing environments and data infrastructure;
• Experience working in a higher education setting, especially with institutional data, such as in an Institutional Research (IR) unit or other data-related role;
• Developing research questions and methodologies, curating data sets, conducting analyses, producing data reports and dashboards, and building data tools and products.