Executive Director of Institutional Research and Assessment

leader will foster a culture of responsible, transparent, and actionable data use; align data governance, analytics, assessment, and emerging technologies with institutional goals; and serve as a trusted advisor on the interpretation and strategic application of institutional data. The next Executive Director will also help define OIRA's future role as both a steward of UVM's official institutional data and a strategic partner with leaders across the University.

OIRA is responsible for the use and reporting of the University's official institutional data and statistics regarding students, faculty, and staff, including accreditation, IPEDS reporting, and college ranking data, to name a few. The next Executive Director will provide institutional leadership, in partnership with Enterprise Technology Services, for data governance, stewardship, and architecture to ensure secure, accurate, reliable, and accessible data that supports regulatory reporting, contractual obligations, external requirements, institutional accountability, and lifecycle management practices that ensure data is collected, maintained, used, and retained in ways that are purposeful, efficient, and sustainable. They will work to advance an enterprise business intelligence and analytics strategy, including institutional metrics, dashboards, and self-service capabilities, while building campus-wide capacity for data-informed decision-making, data literacy, privacy and security, and the responsible and ethical use of advanced analytics and artificial intelligence, and lead adoption of these tools and practices across units to ensure consistent and effective use.

UVM is composed of nine schools and colleges, including the nationally recognized Larner College of Medicine, and offers a broad array of undergraduate, graduate, and professional programs. UVM enrolls approximately 14,000 students, including undergraduate, graduate, and medical students, across a variety of teaching modalities, and is supported by more than 4,000 faculty and staff. The University of Vermont is a public land-grant R1 research university, and is consistently recognized for its leadership in sustainability, inclusive excellence, and student engagement, and has been ranked among the nation's top public universities for making an impact. The schools and colleges offer over 100 bachelor's degrees and more than 120 graduate degrees and certificate programs. To learn more about UVM, please visit: https://www.uvm.edu/

Priorities and Expectations for Leadership

Providing Support and Direction to a Strong Team

The OIRA office has a team of analysts and assessment professionals who are deeply committed to meeting the needs of the University. The next Executive Director will have the opportunity to build on this strong foundation by clarifying priorities, strengthening internal alignment, developing a sustainable service model, and positioning the team as a responsive, trusted, and strategic partner to academic and administrative units across UVM. In partnership with colleagues from Enterprise Technology Services, the Executive Director will also provide leadership for the data governance and data stewardship structures of UVM.

Providing Institutional Data and Analytics to Undergird the Implementation of the New Strategic Plan

As President Tromp establishes the University's strategic direction through the finalization of the new strategic plan, Green, Gold, and Bold, there will be strong interest from many stakeholders across the institution in OIRA's support for data-identification and analysis of data sets at a variety of levels. The identification, definition and tracking of institution-wide metrics of achievement, and the distribution across the institution of responsibilities for achieving these metrics will be a first priority. OIRA will also support individual units, both in identifying and tracking their contributions to the institution-wide metrics outlined in the strategic plan, and for metrics specific to their divisional and unit goals. In this work, the Executive Director will have the opportunity to work closely with a variety of leaders across the campus in defining measures, identifying data sources, and then providing regular and timely reporting on the progress toward strategic objectives.

Support for Accreditation Analysis and Reporting

As a large public land-grant research university with an affiliated major medical center, UVM has significant institutional, programmatic, accreditation, financial aid, IPEDS, ranking, and external reporting obligations. The different programs, schools and colleges look to OIRA to assist with identification of key data needed for accrediting purposes, as well as retrieving, analyzing, and formatting the data elements to meet accreditation requirements. While OIRA has a strong reputation for excellence in this work, the new Executive Director will have the opportunity to further enhance the office's approach, and where appropriate, formalize and standardize processes to support accreditation reporting across the institution.

Using Key Institutional Data to Provide Future Projections of Key Policy Areas and Make Policy Recommendations

As institutional data becomes increasingly integrated throughout the institution, and the use of AI becomes ever more ubiquitous, the need for sophisticated analysis and the ability for university leadership to utilize the analysis quickly and effectively becomes even more important. The next Executive Director has the opportunity to shape the future of UVM's data use, working closely with stakeholders such as members of the senior leadership team, Deans, and other campus leaders, as well as with key offices that support access in a variety of ways. As the University advances a phased approach to ERP readiness and broader enterprise systems planning, the Executive Director will play an important role in aligning institutional data, analytics, reporting, and governance capabilities with evolving institutional needs. The Executive Director will have the opportunity to enhance existing relationships, build new ones, and advance a more comprehensive institutional view of UVM with this broader institutional picture. The next leader should be a proactive partner across the institution who only facilitates ease of access to an ever-growing data set, but who also provides strategic advice and insights about institutional/departmental efficiencies, makes policy recommendations, and supports future planning and projections.

About The University of Vermont

Founded in 1791 as the fifth college in New England, the University of Vermont is one of the nation's oldest universities, and among its most distinctive. Located in Burlington, Vermont's vibrant cultural and economic center, UVM is the state's public flagship university, land-grant institution, and only comprehensive research university.

From its earliest days, UVM has paired academic rigor with moral courage. It was among the first institutions in the nation to embrace a secular charter, to educate women, and to graduate African-American students. Vermont was the first state to outlaw slavery, and that legacy of fairness, justice, and public responsibility continues to shape UVM's identity today.

UVM is a top research university of ideal size, large enough to offer a breadth of ideas, resources, and opportunities, yet scaled to enable close faculty-student mentorship across all levels of study, from bachelor's to doctoral programs. From its earliest days, UVM has paired academic rigor with moral courage. It was among the first institutions in the nation to embrace a secular charter, to educate women, and to graduate African-American students. Vermont was the first state to outlaw slavery, and that legacy of fairness, justice, and public responsibility continues to shape UVM's identity today.

In 2025, UVM achieved R1 Research Activity designation, placing it among fewer than three percent of U.S. higher education institutions. This milestone reflects sustained growth in research activity, interdisciplinary collaboration, and externally funded discovery, while preserving UVM's long standing reputation as a student centered, community engaged university.

Guided by Our Common Ground principles, UVM creates, shares, and applies knowledge to serve humanity. The university is committed to improving and sustaining life for people, communities, and the planet, advancing meaningful inquiry, and strengthening democratic society. UVM's mission is centered around student-centered education that develops critical thinkers and engaged citizens; research and creative activity that address complex, real-world challenges; and public engagement and service, particularly in partnership with the people and communities of Vermont.

UVM enrolls approximately 15,000 students, including undergraduate, graduate, and medical students, across many modalities, and is supported by more than 4,000 faculty and staff. The university's scale fosters close faculty student engagement and a strong sense of community, while its breadth enables meaningful impact across disciplines and sectors. Students at UVM learn not only in classrooms and laboratories, but alongside faculty mentors, in communities across Vermont, and through hands-on experiences that connect knowledge to real-world impact.

UVM comprises nine schools and colleges, including the nationally recognized Larner College of Medicine, and offers a broad array of undergraduate, graduate, and professional programs in-person, online, and in a hybrid format. The university's research enterprise spans disciplines—from biomedical and health sciences to environmental studies, engineering, agriculture, social sciences, humanities, and the arts—united by a strong emphasis on interdisciplinary collaboration and public impact. UVM is consistently recognized for its leadership in sustainability, inclusive excellence, and student engagement, and has been ranked among the nation's top public universities for making an impact. The nine schools and colleges offer over 100 bachelor's degrees and more than 120 graduate degrees and certificate programs.

Key Responsibilities

Successful candidates for this role will possess many of the following skills and experience:

• Lead the development and execution of a strategic institutional research, data, and analytics agenda that provides timely, credible, and actionable insights to support University leadership, advance strategic priorities, and strengthen planning and decision-making;
• Provide institutional leadership, in partnership with Enterprise Technology Services, and other key stakeholders, for data governance, stewardship, architecture, access, privacy and security, records management, and lifecycle practices to ensure secure, accurate, reliable, and accessible data that supports regulatory reporting, contractual obligations, external requirements, and institutional accountability, and lifecycle management practices that ensure data is collected, maintained, used, and retained in ways that are purposeful, efficient, and sustainable and that data is properly destroyed at the end of life in accordance with the University's Records Retention Schedule;
• Advance an enterprise business intelligence and analytics strategy, including institutional metrics, dashboards, and self-service capabilities, while building campus-wide capacity for data-informed decision-making, data literacy, and the responsible and ethical use of advanced analytics and artificial intelligence, and lead adoption of these tools and practices across units to ensure consistent and effective use;
• Champion the University's compliance, privacy, information security, acceptable use, and records management programs and principles, modeling responsible data use and guiding others in the ethical, secure, and appropriate use of institutional data;
• Advance assessment strategies and analytics that enable academic and administrative units to interpret and apply evidence of instructional quality, student learning and support, and operational effectiveness;
• Oversee the design and implementation of a strategy for the administration of internal surveys, the development of performance metrics, and the interpretation of benchmark data to support evidence-based institutional planning;
• Lead institutional research, assessment, and analytics efforts that support student success, persistence, retention, and degree completion, providing actionable insights that inform institutional strategy and student-centered decision-making;
• Provide strategic direction and day-to-day leadership for research analysts and professional staff who support institution-wide data, analysis, reporting, assessment, and data strategy objectives; establish office priorities, staff assignments, workflow, and budget practices that support departmental and divisional goals; develop approaches to assess productivity, communication, and service effectiveness; and collaborate with directors and vice provosts to ensure alignment of OIRA's work with university priorities; and
• Represent OIRA across the university, participate in national organizations, and contribute institutional data expertise on standing and ad hoc leadership groups, task forces, and University committees.

Professional Qualities and Qualifications

Work skills, Experience, Qualifications, and Education Requirements

• A master's degree or higher in data management, computer science, statistics, educational research, higher education, public policy, or a related field;
• At least five years of significant, progressively responsible experience in higher education or a comparably complex organization, including experience supervising employees, building high-performing teams, and leading data collection, analysis, interpretation, and reporting functions;
• Demonstrated expertise in institutional research, assessment, reporting, and qualitative and quantitative research design and analysis;
• Broad and sophisticated understanding of data strategy, governance, stewardship, architecture, privacy, information security, and analytic methods in a university environment;
• Experience with research software applications (e.g. SAS, SPSS) and integrated higher education management software;
• Advanced skills in statistical analysis and software applications used to extract, integrate, analyze, visualize, and communicate data;
• Demonstrated literacy and efficacy with artificial intelligence, including the capacity to evaluate AI-enabled tools, apply them responsibly to institutional research and assessment functions, and guide others in their ethical and effective use;
• Exceptional ability to translate complex data into clear strategic insights, compelling narratives, and actionable recommendations for a wide range of audiences;
• Knowledge of applicable laws, codes, regulations, policies, and procedures;
• Intellectual rigor, sound judgment, and a professional reputation that inspires credibility and trust among senior leaders, faculty, staff, and external stakeholders;
• Demonstrated ability to work effectively, collegially, and diplomatically in a complex shared-governance environment; and
• Excellent oral, written, and interpersonal communication skills.

University Leadership

President Marlene Tromp

Dr. Marlene Tromp is the 28th President of the University of Vermont and Professor of English. She brings to UVM an outstanding record of leadership at public universities. Her presidency begins as UVM is in the wake of record-breaking research and student outcomes and is poised to build upon its tradition of excellence as Vermont's flagship comprehensive research university and land-grant institution.

Prior to her role at UVM, Dr. Tromp served as president of Boise State University for six years. She has been a leader in higher education nationally, serving on the Association of Public and Land-Grant Universities Board, and the Board of the American Council on Education. She has spent the majority of her administrative career at AAU institutions. She served as the campus provost and executive vice chancellor at the University of California at Santa Cruz, and also served as a dean and vice provost at Arizona State University. She remains a dedicated scholar and is the author of several books and articles on Victorian literature and culture.

Provost Linda Schadler

Dr. Linda Schadler is the Interim Provost and Senior Vice President at the University of Vermont and Professor of Mechanical Engineering. Dr. Schadler was the dean of the College of Engineering and Mathematical Sciences.

Dr. Schadler graduated from Cornell with a B.S. in materials science and engineering, and received a PhD in materials science and engineering from the University of Pennsylvania. After two years of post-doc work at IBM Yorktown Heights, Schadler served as a faculty member at Drexel University in Philadelphia, before spending 22 years at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute. She has co-authored more than 180 journal publications, several book chapters, and one book. Dr. Schadler is a Fellow of the Materials Research Society and ASM International, as well as a former member of ASM International's Board of Trustees. Dr. Schadler was elected to the National Academy of Engineering in 2025.

Burlington, Vermont

Burlington is a premier 'College Town', located on the shore of Lake Champlain, just minutes from the Green Mountains and Adirondacks. Burlington offers an exceptional quality of life that is integral to UVM's character and charm. With world class food, entertainment, recreation, and views, Burlington is home to the perfect university experience.

Burlington is known for its vibrant waterfront, walkable downtown, thriving arts and food scene, and strong commitment to sustainability. Burlington was the first city in the United States to run entirely on renewable energy. Resident enjoy four distinct seasons and unparalleled access to outdoor recreation, alongside a deep sense of civic engagement and community.

The city's thriving network of startups, growing mid-stage companies, and big-league organizations means that students, faculty, and staff have a wealth of opportunities to explore internships, partnerships, and enjoy a high quality of life. Burlington offers a perfect blend of nature with a dynamic small city culture that makes Burlington a fixture on a number of top lists, including number 10 on USA Today's "Best Small College Towns," number 13 on Travel & Leisure's "America's Best College Towns,", and Kiplinger's "10 Best Cities for the Next Decade".

Anticipated Pay Range: $160,000 – $165,000

Procedure for Candidacy

Review of applications for the Executive Director position will begin immediately and continue until an appointment is made. To assure full consideration, applications should be received by October 9, 2026 and must include:

• A letter of interest addressing the strategic objectives and qualifications identified in the profile;
• A current curriculum vitae; and
• The contact information (email and phone) for five professional references, including their relationship to the candidate (References will be contacted at a later date in the search process and only with the permission of the candidate)

The University of Vermont is being assisted by AGB Search. Application materials should be submitted through the AGB Search portal system here: https://bit.ly/4geAJPQ

Please direct nominations and expressions of interest or any questions regarding the application process to: UVMEDOIRA@agbsearch.com

Andrew Bowen
Senior Executive Search Consultant
andrew.bowen@agbsearch.com (802) 345-1279

Margaret Plympton, Ed.D.
Principal
margaret.plympton@agbsearch.com
(484) 554-4542

The University of Vermont is an Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action Employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability, protected veteran status, or any other category legally protected by federal or state law.

Job Location

Burlington, Vermont, United States

Category

Executive, Executive Director, Mathematics/Statistics

Department

Ofc of Inst'l Rsch&Assessment/30700

FLSA

Exempt

Employee FTE

1.0

Employee Term (months)

12

For full job description and to apply, visit https://www.uvmjobs.com/postings/88261