Strategic Leader – Data & Analytics, Associate Director

EAB Career Center; Richmond (VA); On-site; USD 78,000 - 99,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Medical, dental, and vision insurance

PTO and holidays

401(k) matching

Wellness programs

Job summary

EAB is seeking a Strategic Leader – Data and Analytics, Associate Director to guide data-driven strategy for higher education partners. You’ll translate institutional priorities into analytics, engage senior leaders, and shape data governance and reporting efforts.

Ideal candidates bring 5+ years in higher education data roles, strong consulting skills, and ability to drive organizational change while traveling 10-25% domestically. This role may base in DC or Richmond, VA.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree and 5+ years in higher education data, analytics, Institutional Research, or related field.
• Experience translating data into clear recommendations for campus leaders.
• Ability to manage complex initiatives and facilitate executive discussions.
• Strong problem-solving and change-management skills; travel 10-25% domestically.

Responsibilities

• Serve as the primary strategic partner to university and college leaders.
• Translate priorities into actionable data, analytics, and reporting initiatives.
• Advise on data access, governance, and institutional decision-making.
• Lead stakeholder engagement and executive-level conversations with sponsors.
• Collaborate with Sales and Product teams to align data strategy with offerings.

Skills

Strategic data leadership

Data strategy

Stakeholder management

Education analytics

Institutional research experience

Change management

Executive communication

Edify platform knowledge

Education

Bachelor’s degree

Master’s degree

Tools

Data warehouses

Reporting tools

Dashboards

Job description

About EAB

At EAB, our mission is to make education smarter and our communities stronger. We work with more than 2,800 institutions to drive transformative change through data-driven insights and best-in-class capabilities. From kindergarten to college to career, EAB partners with leaders and practitioners to accelerate progress and drive results across enrollment, student success, institutional strategy, data analytics, and advancement. We work with each partner differently, tailoring our portfolio of research, technology, and marketing and enrollment solutions to meet the unique needs of every leadership team, as well as the students and employees they serve.

At EAB, we serve not only our partner institutions but each other—that’s why we are always working to make sure our employees love their jobs and are invested in their communities. See how we've been recognized for this dedication to our employees by checking out our recent awards.

For more information, visit our Careers page.

The Role in Brief:

Strategic Leader – Data and Analytics, Associate Director

The Strategic Leader (SL) is a strategic advisor to higher education institutions using EAB’s Data and Analytics technologies. This role is designed for individuals who understand how colleges and universities use data to inform institutional strategy, improve decision-making, measure outcomes, and drive organizational change.

Successful candidates will bring meaningful experience working within or alongside higher education, ideally in Institutional Research, Institutional Effectiveness, institutional analytics, data strategy, or a related function. They understand both the opportunities and challenges institutions face when attempting to make data more accessible, trusted, and actionable across campus.

As the primary strategic partner for institutions leveraging Edify, EAB’s data and analytics platform, the SL helps institutional leaders translate their priorities into data, analytics, and organizational strategies. This requires more than technical knowledge. SLs must be able to navigate institutional culture, engage stakeholders across functional and leadership levels, facilitate difficult conversations, and help institutions change how they use data.

In this role, the SL will:

Primary Responsibilities:

Institutional Data Strategy and Advisory

• Serve as the primary strategic partner to university and community college leaders, developing a deep understanding of each institution’s priorities, data environment, and organizational needs.
• Build trusted relationships with senior leaders, Institutional Research and Institutional Effectiveness teams, IT and data leaders, and other key campus stakeholders.
• Help institutions translate strategic priorities and business challenges into actionable data, analytics, and reporting initiatives.
• Advise partners on opportunities to strengthen data access, reporting, analytics, governance, and institutional decision-making.
• Identify and prioritize consulting and professional services engagements that advance institutional goals and drive value from Edify.
• Partner with EAB technical and data teams to align technology implementation and services with each institution’s broader data strategy.

Driving Institutional Impact and Change

• Guide institutions through the organizational change required to increase adoption and effective use of data, analytics, and EAB technologies.
• Develop stakeholder engagement strategies that build alignment, address barriers to adoption, and establish sustainable data practices across the institution.
• Lead strategic discussions, planning sessions, and executive conversations with institutional sponsors, data leaders, and cross-functional stakeholders.
• Leverage platform usage, institutional priorities, and partner feedback to proactively recommend strategies, deliverables, and solutions that increase institutional impact.
• Present best practices and facilitate educational sessions through partner meetings, webinars, regional meetings, and national events.
• Bring the voice of institutional leaders and practitioners back to EAB Product and Engineering teams to inform the continued evolution of our technology and services.

Driving Partnership Value and Growth

• Establish a clear understanding of each institution’s desired outcomes and help partners demonstrate the value and impact of their investment in EAB’s Data and Analytics solutions.
• Monitor partner engagement, adoption, and satisfaction, proactively identifying risks and opportunities to increase value.
• Build a compelling narrative of realized and future value to support long-term partnership and renewal readiness.
• Identify opportunities where additional EAB capabilities, services, or solutions can advance institutional priorities.
• Coordinate EAB resources to address partner needs, resolve challenges, and maintain alignment on priorities and next steps.
• Partner with Sales and other EAB teams to support renewal and expansion conversations, as appropriate.

Basic Qualifications:

• Bachelor’s degree.
• 5+ years of professional experience in higher education data, analytics, Institutional Research, Institutional Effectiveness, or a closely related field.
• Experience translating institutional data, reporting, or analysis into clear recommendations for campus leaders.
• Demonstrated ability to manage complex initiatives, facilitate executive-level discussions, and build alignment across diverse institutional stakeholders.
• Strong consultative problem-solving skills, with demonstrated ability to influence stakeholders and support organizational change in complex higher education environments.
• Willingness to travel 10-25% domestically and a valid driver’s license.

Ideal Qualifications:

• Master’s degree in higher education administration, Institutional Research, analytics, or a related field.
• Direct experience in Institutional Research, Institutional Effectiveness, institutional analytics, decision support, or a related higher education data function.
• Strong understanding of higher education data and reporting, with experience in areas such as assessment, accreditation, external reporting, data governance, analytics, or decision support.
• Experience with data warehouses, reporting tools, dashboards, or enterprise higher education systems.
• Ability to connect data strategy and analytics work to institutional outcomes and strategic priorities.
• Commitment to embracing a continual learning environment and contributing to a dynamic and welcoming culture of fairness, authenticity, and belonging in support of EAB’s mission, values, and aspiration.

Compensation:

The anticipated starting salary (base) range for this role is $77,500 to $99,000 per year. Actual salary varies due to factors that may include but not be limited to relevant experience, skills, and location. At EAB, it is not typical for an individual to be hired at or near the top of the starting salary range for their role.

This hire will additionally be eligible for discretionary bonus or incentive compensation. Variable compensation may depend on various factors, such as individual and organizational performance.

Benefits:

• Medical, dental, and vision insurance plans; dependents and domestic partners eligible
• 20+ days of PTO annually, in addition to paid firm and floating holidays
• Daytime leave policy for community service and flextime for fitness activities (up to 10 hours per month each)
• 401(k) retirement savings plan with annual discretionary company matching contribution
• Health savings account, healthcare and dependent care flexible spending account, and pre-tax commuter plans
• Employee assistance program with counseling services and resources available to all employees and immediate family
• Wellness programs including gym discounts, incentives to promote healthy living, and family access to the leading app for sleep, meditation, and relaxation
• Fertility treatment coverage and adoption or surrogacy assistance
• Paid parental leave with phase back to work program for birthing and non-birthing parents
• Access to milk shipping service to support nursing employees during business travel
• Discounted pet health insurance coverage for dog and cat family members
• Company-provided life, AD&D, and disability insurance
• Financial wellness resources and membership in a robust employee discount program
• Access to employee resource groups, merit-based advancement, and dynamic professional growth opportunities

Benefits kick in day one; learn more at eab.com/careers/benefits.

This position may be based in Washington, DC or Richmond, VA

This opening is not eligible for visa sponsorship at this time; EAB will thus consider candidates who possess U.S. work authorization that does not require employment-based visa sponsorship now or in the future.

At EAB, we believe that to fulfill our mission to “make education smarter and our communities stronger” we need team members who bring a diversity of perspectives to the table and are committed to fostering a workplace where each team member is valued, respected and heard.

To that end, EAB is an Equal Opportunity Employer, and we make employment decisions on the basis of qualifications, merit and business need. We don’t discriminate on the basis of race, religion, color, sex, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, age, non-disqualifying physical or mental disability, national origin, veteran status or any other basis covered by appropriate law.