Senior Research Analyst

U24

Office of Institutional Research

Thomas Edison State University was founded in 1972 to break down barriers to degree completion. Fifty years later, it proudly serves a diverse body of adult students with innovative and professionally relevant academic programming in a predominantly online delivery. Our team of high-energy student-focused professionals is welcoming new members who are making their mark in education and are ready to help change the lives of thousands of adult students across New Jersey and around the world.

Candidates who are excited by changing lives, committed to the success of all and want to be challenged by new and innovative opportunities, should submit an application.

Summary:

Thomas Edison State University is seeking to hire an experienced Sr. Research Analyst to work in the Office of Institutional Research. The Institutional Research office plays a key role in providing data, analysis and research that supports strategic and operational decision making for the University. The Office, though the leadership of the Associate Vice President, Institutional Planning and Research, is a key advisor to the President, COO, and senior leadership team, as they assess the health and trajectory of the University. As such, the Sr. Research Analyst provides analytical and research leadership and expertise in support of those efforts. In addition, as TESU continues to build out a nuanced retention and engagement model to drive increased graduation outcome goals, the Sr. Research Analyst will support the work of assessing student success initiatives and conduct predictive modeling related to student retention/success. 

The Sr. Research Analyst will have primary responsibility for survey creation, development, administration and reporting. The Sr. Research Analyst will also have primary responsibility for administering course evaluations. The Sr. Research Analyst will engage in career outcomes assessment, strategic planning, and University assessment initiatives. They will also provide data and information needed for compliance and operational reporting. 

Examples of Work:

Surveys and Course Evaluations

-Administers annual surveys (Graduate Survey, Five Year Out Survey, Inactive Student Survey, etc.) as well as Adhoc surveys throughout the year. Provides survey and data consultations with staff. Summarizes survey results in Executive Summaries and in interactive reporting tools (e.g., PowerBI). 

-Sets up and administers the monthly course evaluations. Disseminates monthly reports to staff, prepares annual course evaluation report.

Research and Analysis

-Conducts research and prepares reports on issues of importance to the University (e.g., persistence and graduation, course completions, course evaluations, student success factors, student satisfaction, student experiences, etc.). 

-Responds to specific research questions and data requests from within and outside the institution. Conducts analytical studies and reports. 

-Compiles data for use in various management reports in an efficient, timely, and accurate manner. 

-Utilizes external databases (e.g., National Student Clearinghouse, IPEDS database tools, Analyst, Alumni Pathways, etc.) to address issues related to students as well as to obtain peer comparison data. Prepares summaries of research findings. 

Reports and Compliance Reporting

-Produces information needed to complete external compliance surveys and reports (e.g., federal (IPEDS), regional, state, partnerships, etc.). 

-Prepares user-friendly, complex tables and charts for use in presentations and reports (e.g., PowerPoint presentation, Excel charts and tables, tables). Develops informative materials for dissemination and presentations. Summarizes survey and analysis results using interactive, visualization tools (e.g., PowerBI) as well as narrative reports.

-Assists with the preparation of monthly enrollment and course reports, and annual reports. 

Data files & Data Integrity

-Assists with the development and/or maintenance of office databases and data files using spreadsheets and other relational or statistical databases (e.g. Excel, Access, SPSS). 

-Maintains standard operating procedures for the Office. Develops analytical structures to measure and inform key indicators and measures. 

-Identifies, documents, and resolves data integrity and coding issues. Establishes and maintains procedures for proofreading, editing, and checking accuracy of work. 

-Maintains confidentiality of student information. Follows protocols for securing data files.

Other

-Assists the Associate Vice President with producing data reports, developing papers and/or presentations for internal and external audiences. 

-Establishes liaisons and coordinates activities with other University staff and/or organizations that relate to and/or impact assigned responsibilities. 

-Participates on University-wide committees, workshops, and activities. 

Knowledge, Skills & Abilities:

-Must be proficient with creating, setting up and administering surveys to students, staff, mentors. Must have experience working with panel data and with setting up branching questions or survey logic. 

-Must have experience in setting up and administering course evaluations.

-Must be knowledgeable about issues related to adult college students’ motivation and factors that predict their success in college. Should be knowledgeable about issues impacting higher education. 

-Should have experience working with IPEDS and the IPEDS Data Center. 

-Should have knowledge of assessment, strategic planning, and/or quality assurance in a higher education environment. 

-Should be experienced working with the National Student Clearinghouse data and other national datasets.

-Must possess advanced skills in using software applications specifically including SPSS and Microsoft Office (e.g., Word, Excel, Access, PowerPoint), and Adobe. Must be proficient in EXCEL. Must be experienced in using Qualtrics or other survey software. Should be experienced in PowerBI and other data visualization tools. 

-Must be proficient in the ability to extract, edit, compile, analyze, and interpret data. Should be experienced in descriptive and predictive analytics. Must be able to communicate results, informally or formally, in a clear manner. Must be able to write executive summaries and narrative reports. 

-Must possess strong analytical reasoning, critical thinking, and problem-solving skills, excellent writing skills, and understand descriptive and inferential statistics. 

-Must be detail oriented and able to work in a fast-paced office. Must be able to organize, prioritize, and multitask. Must be flexible. Must be experienced in handling confidential information. 

-Must be able to work both independently and as part of the group. Should embrace and enjoy a strong collaborative work approach.

Requirements:

Education: Graduation from an accredited college with a bachelor’s degree supplemented by at least a master’s degree in a field related to the position to be filled or an equivalency as determined by the appointing authority. Degree should be in a field with an emphasis on data analysis, research, survey development, and/or assessment (e.g., social sciences, or other closely related field.

Experience: At least 5 years professional experience in a field in a higher education institution that is directly related to the functions of the position to be filled (e.g., Institutional Research, academic data analysis, survey development, etc.), or equivalency as determined by the appointing authority. Applicants should be knowledgeable about issues related to adult students in higher education, specifically related to factors that impact adult college student’s motivation, engagement, persistence, and graduation. ). Applicants who do not possess the required education may substitute required experience on a year-for-year basis (30 credit hours is considered one year of college). 

-A Ph.D. or an Ed.D. degree may be substituted for two years of the required experience. 

Preferred candidate: The preferred candidate will have at least 5 or more years of Institutional Research experience, be proficient in survey development, administration, and analysis, experienced in using National Student Clearinghouse data, experienced in conducting predictive analytics, strong knowledge about issues related to adult college students’ motivation and factors that predict their success in college, has experience working with of career outcome tools, is experienced with academic program reviews, accreditation, and compliance reporting, and has experience with interactive data reporting tools (PowerBI). 

Work Hours: 8:30-4:30 M-F

How to apply:

All applicants are expected to attach a cover letter that includes a description of the type of institutional research office that the applicant worked in, applicant’s experience working on institutional research projects, experience with developing and administering surveys and course evaluations and how their past experiences relate to the requirements of the Sr. Research Analyst position. The cover letter should also include applicants experiences working with or doing research on adult/nontraditional college students.

*TESU strives to offer a flexible work environment while balancing the operational needs of the University. As such, we have several options for hybrid-work schedules. Positions determine what type of hybrid-work schedule is available and, if necessary, adjustments are made to support University operations. 

Thomas Edison State University is an Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action Employer