"Institutional Research Specialist"

Position Summary

The Institutional Research Specialist will have a strong command of technical skills and domain expertise necessary to construct, validate, and automate research reports. Their responsibilities will encompass the preparation of reports and data submissions, aligning with the needs of academic program review, federal and state reporting requirements. With meticulous attention to detail, the Specialist will uphold the accuracy and integrity of the reported data while collaborating closely with stakeholders to gather pertinent information and ensure adherence to reporting standards.

Additionally, the Institutional Research Specialist will support new and existing development initiatives related to institutional research. This includes performing complex applied research, designing and executing analytical and statistical studies, and assisting in the design and management of information systems and databases to support institutional research activities.

As a project leader, this position plays a crucial role in the collection, development, and analysis of data to support strategic planning efforts that align with and support the mission of Dallas College. The Institutional Research Specialist will collaborate with stakeholders across the institution to ensure accurate and timely reporting, and to provide valuable insights and recommendations based on data analysis.

Required Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities

• In-depth understanding of current issues and trends in higher education.
• Familiarity with federal and Texas rules and regulations related to the functional area, or the ability to quickly acquire knowledge in this area.
• Demonstrated knowledge of the principles and practices of outcomes assessment in higher education.
• Possessing a keen ability to formulate insightful research questions, demonstrate proficiency in employing appropriate research methods, and effectively communicate research findings.
• Strong familiarity with the Structured Query Language (SQL), Data Visualization tools, Statistical Programming, Relational Databases, and enterprise software-as-a-service (SaaS) systems.
• Proven ability to work independently and collaboratively on both repetitive tasks and new and unfamiliar projects.

Key Responsibilities

• Respond to ad hoc requests and prepare accurate institutional responses to internal and external queries regarding admissions, enrollment, retention, and student outcomes.
• Design, build, validate, and automate institutional reports, encompassing federal and state reporting, legislative reporting, and program review, including IPEDS, CBM, NSC, NSLDS, and other relevant reporting requirements.
• Assist in curating reports and dashboards, ensuring that data products maintain appropriate levels of confidentiality and privacy in accordance with data set guidelines.
• Promote and enforce consistency of data and definitions across various data domains and reporting contexts within the institution by notifying stakeholders when an error is found.
• Develop and maintain documentation on dashboards, models, business rules, and presentation standards to ensure accuracy and clarity of information.
• Support new and existing development initiatives in institutional research, performing complex applied research, conducting comprehensive analytical and statistical studies.
• Collaborate in the design and management of information systems and databases to facilitate institutional research activities.
• Provide leadership in data retrieval, development, and analysis to support strategic planning that aligns with and supports Dallas College's mission.
• Serve as a liaison between Institutional Research and Data Engineering/Data Science teams to ensure alignment of data and data models with institutional reporting needs.
• Assist in the development and maintenance of live and longitudinal extract data models, ensuring accuracy and consistency over time and evolving reporting requirements.
• Make recommendations for updates to data models to better align with institutional reporting needs.
• Conduct quality assurance and quality control reviews of dashboards to ensure accuracy and reliability of data.
• Develop research methods and approaches to address information requests from senior administration, deans, department chairs, faculty, staff, and other stakeholders across the campus.
• Continuously seek professional development opportunities to enhance knowledge and skills in the field of institutional research.
• Complete required Dallas College Professional Development training hours per academic year.
• Perform other duties as assigned.

Physical Requirements

Normal physical job functions performed within a standard office environment. Reasonable accommodations may be made to individuals with physical challenges to perform the essential duties and responsibilities.

Minimum Qualifications

• Master's degree in a research-related field, such as statistics, mathematics, social science, behavioral science, information science, or an equivalent combination of academic degree achievement and professional experiences.
• Ph.D. degree in one of these fields is preferred.
• Three (3) years of experience in research methodology, including expertise in statistical analysis, trending, interpretation of data and findings, and familiarity with data collection, preparation, processing, classification, and forecasting.
• Three (3) years of experience in institutional research, with a strong understanding of its principles and practices.
• Three (3) years of experience in reporting to IPEDS, CBM, NSC, or NSLDS, demonstrating proficiency in navigating and complying with reporting requirements.
• Three (3) years of experience utilizing data visualization software, such as Tableau or Power BI, to effectively present data and insights.
• Three (3) years of experience utilizing database querying tools, such as SQL, SAS, Python, or R, to extract and manipulate data for analysis.
• Bilingual preferred.