Chief Data Officer

REPORTS TO:  Collegewide President

ROLE:  The Chief Data Officer (CDO) is responsible for strategic leadership of the College's institutional research functions, including strategic planning, data governance, compliance reporting, accreditation support, and research initiatives. Reporting directly to the Collegewide President, the CDO works collaboratively with senior leadership, faculty, staff, and external stakeholders to provide the vision, leadership, and management of institutional data and analysis. The CDO is responsible for interpretation and analysis, based on accurate, reliable, and relevant data, that informs decision-making and policy development at the College. The CDO also oversees the development and implementation of assessment tools and methodologies to measure the effectiveness and impact of the College's programs and services. The CDO fosters a culture of inquiry and evidence-based practice across the College and promotes the use of data and analytics to enhance student success and institutional excellence.

ESSENTIAL FUNCTIONS & RESPONSIBILITIES:

QUALIFICATIONS: 

• Provides guidance on policy and planning to senior leadership and other stakeholders.
• Develops and executes a comprehensive data warehouse strategy aligned with organizational goals and objectives. Defines the architecture, design principles, and roadmap for the data warehouse infrastructure to support current and future data needs.
• Leads efforts to integrate and manage data from diverse sources such as students, administrative offices, faculty, staff, and alumni, within the data warehouse environment. Implements robust data integration processes, ensuring data quality, consistency, and reliability. Leads the advancement of business intelligence (BI) and analytics capabilities by utilizing data stored in the warehouse. Works closely with business stakeholders to identify and establish key performance indicators (KPIs), delivering actionable insights crucial for informed decision-making. • Coordinates and responds to all State, federal and organizational data requests (Middle States Accreditation and annual institutional reports including IPEDS, Maryland Higher Education Commission (MHEC), and AAUP Compensation Surveys)
• Represents the College to outside research and planning group and serves as liaison to various accrediting bodies.
• Collaborates with the Deans, developing and applying methods for evaluating student learning outcomes and educational objectives.
• Develops and administers institutional surveys and produces actionable reports
• Develops and implements a comprehensive and coherent institutional research and assessment plan that supports the institution's strategic plan, accreditation standards, and institutional effectiveness framework.
• Ensure the accuracy, validity, reliability, timeliness, and accessibility of institutional data and information, and establish and maintain data governance and quality control policies and procedures.
• Monitors and anticipates the trends and issues in higher education that affect institutional research and assessment, best practices, and emerging technologies in the field.
• Serve as the steward of data and information and fosters a culture of data literacy and quality by providing training and guidance on how to use data, analysis, and information for decision making purposes, and support the development of data skills and competencies among different stakeholders.
• Engages and collaborates with various institutional committees and liaises with the IT team on data governance issues.
• Other duties as assigned.

QUALIFICATIONS:  To perform this job successfully, an individual must be able to perform each essential duty satisfactorily. The requirements listed below are representative of the knowledge, skill, and/or ability required. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

• Master's degree or higher in a quantitative discipline, including social sciences or statistics.
• Minimum four years' experience in senior or executive leadership.
• Minimum five years of experience in institutional research in higher education or a similar role in higher education, including leading and managing complex projects and teams.
• Excellent statistical and analytical skills, with an ability to explain complex data analysis to a diverse set of constituencies. 
• Demonstrated knowledge of quantitative and qualitative research methods, statistics, Microsoft Excel, and relational databases. Prior experience with Jenzabar, SQL Power BI and Tableau preferred.
• Proficiency in writing and presenting clear and compelling reports and proposals for different audiences and purposes, such as accreditation, strategic planning, assessment, and grant applications.
• Proven ability to work effectively with diverse stakeholders, such as faculty, staff, students, administrators, and external partners, and to foster a culture of data-informed decision making.
• Proven ability to manage multiple projects concurrently. 
• Knowledge of best practices and ethical standards in institutional research, as well as relevant federal and state regulations and policies.
• Excellent communication, interpersonal, organizational, and leadership skills.
•  Knowledge of state and federal requirements for the gathering, reporting, and dissemination of data from higher education institutions.
• Demonstrated commitment to developing and fostering best practices and policies to promote diversity, equity, and inclusion, and building an environment in which all members of the College community are treated with dignity and respect.
• Interest in the College’s distinctive pedagogy and approach, including lifelong learning.
• Willingness and interest in staying abreast of developments in higher education and liberal education, including accreditation.

St. John’s College is committed to attracting and retaining a diverse community, and we are proud to be an equal opportunity employer. We invite applications from candidates with unique backgrounds and strive to create and maintain an environment that is inclusive, equitable, and welcoming.

AN EQUAL OPPORTUNITY EMPLOYER