Assistant Director of Institutional Research

Chief Objective of Position

The Assistant Director of Institutional Research supports the university’s mission by providing advanced data analysis, reporting, and strategic insights that inform decision-making and foster institutional effectiveness. A primary focus of this role is the development, implementation, and maintenance of a centralized university data system to enhance accessibility and understanding of institutional data. This position also oversees the preparation of both standard reports and ad hoc analyses to meet the evolving needs of stakeholders.

Work Tasks

Working closely with the Director for Institutional Research, the Assistant Director will:

Data System Development and Maintenance

• Actively participates in ERP modernization initiatives, including contributing to data governance discussions, evaluating changes to data access and reporting infrastructure, and ensuring continuity of institutional reporting through system transitions.
• Collaborate with stakeholders across the university to design and develop a centralized data that integrates critical institutional data.
• Utilize data visualization tools (such as Tableau, Power BI, or similar) to create interactive dashboards and reports that cater to a wide range of audiences.
• Ensure the accuracy, security, and usability of the system by developing protocols for data integrity and regular system updates.
• Assists in the maintenance and enhancement of institutional datasets.
• Work to enhance University data storage, retrieval, and accessibility.
• Coordinate and contribute to matters of data quality, ensuring that institutional data is consistent, accurate, and complete.

Data Collection and Analysis

• Conduct analysis of institutional data for planning, evaluation, and assessment.
• Collaborates with colleagues from across the University in the collection, analysis, and reporting of institutional data.
• Identifies and collects University-wide facts and figures for archiving.
• Support planning and program evaluation efforts of the University.
• Coordinate and contribute to data analysis and the dissemination of associated information.
• Support the University’s ongoing program review process and college accreditation reporting needs.
• Coordinate and assist in the collection, verification, and analysis of institutional, instructional, and student data supporting routine reporting, non-routine requests for information, state and federally mandated reporting, external surveys, as well as supporting compliance with other governing and accrediting agencies. Ensure institutional compliance and timely submissions.

Institutional Research and Reporting

• Conduct and disseminate both routine and ad hoc analyses to support decision-making, planning, accreditation, and compliance efforts.
• Prepare standard reports, including institutional performance metrics, enrollment trends, and retention analyses.
• Respond to requests for custom data insights by creating targeted reports and visualizations.

Collaboration and Consultation

• Partner with academic and administrative units (such as the University Registrar, Office of the Provost, Human Resources, and Student Affairs) to understand their data needs and provide actionable insights through custom analyses.
• Provide consultation to end-users on accessing and interpreting data.
• Maintains a positive and professional customer service and/or relations within the office/department and with all constituencies to include students, faculty, staff, guests, and employees.

Continuous Improvement

• Monitor and evaluate trends in institutional research and data visualization, recommending new tools and approaches as needed.
• Stay informed about emerging best practices in institutional research and higher education analytics.

Special Projects and Additional Duties

• Serves as an institutional research representative in university-wide data governance and system modernization efforts, contributing IR perspective to decisions about data definitions, access, and reporting architecture.
• Participate in and lead special projects that support institutional goals, including data initiatives and cross-departmental collaborations.
• In the absence of the Director, serve as the Director.
• Perform other duties as assigned by the Director of Institutional Research to meet the evolving needs of the university.
• Demonstrates a positive and professional attitude and treats everyone with dignity and respect. Fully supports CNU Traditions and the “Students First” value at CNU and routinely goes the extra mile in providing service.
• Follow workplace safety regulations and adhere to applicable standards, processes, and programs established for your position.
• Immediately report work-related incidents and unsafe work conditions to your supervisor and participate in accident investigation requests.
• Performs other duties as assigned.

Knowledge, Skills, Abilities (KSA's) related to position

• Detail-oriented with strong problem-solving skills.
• Strong interpersonal and communication skills.
• Strong quantitative and analytical skills.
• Strong information management and retrieval skills.
• Proficiency in computer technologies, to include the use of word-processing, spreadsheet, reporting, and/or statistical software applications.
• Excellent organizational skills.
• Demonstrated ability to exercise discretion when working with sensitive and confidential information.
• Demonstrated ability to multitask a wide variety of unrelated projects while under firm deadlines.

Required Education

Master’s Degree, or a Bachelor’s Degree with work experience that equates to an advanced degree.

Experience Required

• Experience analyzing data from a variety of sources.
• Experience interpreting and applying policies and guidelines.
• Experience in the use of office, statistical and/or reporting software.

Additional Consideration - Experience

• Experience working in/with Institutional Research or in a college/university setting.
• Functional experience in admission, financial aid, student records, enrollment management, or related area at the college/university level.
• Experience in data extraction or report writing from a large-scale relational database such as Banner.
• Experience in the use of Tableau, SAS, SPSS; TOAD, SQL, Crystal Reports; Ellucian Banner; MS Office Suite.
• Experience working with sensitive and confidential information in an appropriate manner.
• Experience working with cloud-based ERP or SaaS platforms, particularly as they relate to data access, reporting infrastructure, or integration with institutional analytics environments.
• Experience automating IPEDS or state-level reporting using SQL or R.
• Familiarity with API integrations between ERP systems (Banner) and visualization tiers.
• Advanced knowledge of Data Modeling (Star Schema, Snowflake) for institutional effectiveness.

CNU Information

Christopher Newport University is anchored in excellence, and that is reflected in our ranking as the #1 regional public university in Virginia and #3 among regional public universities in the South. We are an inclusive and kind community, founded on our shared values of honor, scholarship, service and leadership. We offer an outstanding liberal arts education provided by dedicated, gifted teacher-scholars who are supported by a compassionate team of faculty and staff. Our 4,500 undergraduate and graduate students pursue more than 90 areas of study, as they live and learn on a largely residential campus. CNU’s on-campus performing and visual arts centers offer Broadway shows, world-class performances, engaging exhibitions, transformative lectures and classes, and more. Our athletics program is the winningest at any level in Virginia.

Christopher Newport University is in the heart of Newport News, a vibrant city with breathtaking scenery and unique experiences. The city and region offer affordable neighborhoods, local and name-brand shops, diverse dining options, local parks and water access, and fun recreational opportunities. Whatever your interests and goals, you belong at CNU! For further details and information about Christopher Newport, visit cnu.edu.