Job Description

Bemidji State University (BSU) and Northwest Technical College (NTC) invite applicants to join our team as an Institutional Research Analyst. This position plays a critical role in supporting the data, analytics, and reporting functions for BSU and NTC. Reporting to the Head of Staff, this position provides advanced data analysis, reporting, modeling, and technical expertise to support institutional planning, enrollment management, academic affairs, student success initiatives, accreditation, and regulatory compliance across both institutions.

As a key technical contributor within the Institutional Research Office, the Analyst collaborates closely with institutional leaders and partners across both institutions to support data-informed decision-making. This role contributes to building a modern, integrated, and forward-looking institutional research and analytics function aligned with strategic priorities.

This role operates within a cross-institutional environment, supporting aligned data practices and reporting across both BSU and NTC

Responsibilities of the Institutional Research Analyst include:

• Data Analysis and Institutional Reporting. Percent of Time: 40%
  • Retrieving, cleaning, validating, and analyzing institutional data from internal and external systems to support institutional decision-making.
  • Developing recurring and ad hoc reports in response to requests from academic, administrative, and executive leadership.
  • Building and maintaining dashboards, visualizations, and reporting tools aligned with institutional key performance indicators (KPIs) and strategic priorities.
  • Conducting disaggregated analyses to support the identification of equity gaps and informing inclusive student success strategies.
  • In coordination with IT, maintaining and updating power BI reports and the BI server.
  • Contributing to the preparation and validation of required state, federal, accreditation, and Minnesota State system reports.
  • Incorporating external data sources, including benchmarking and workforce or demographic data, where appropriate to support institutional analysis.
  • Maintaining data documentation and ensuring accuracy in alignment with institution-wide data governance standards.
  • Assisting in developing ad-hoc queries, dashboards and reports for other areas on campus (e.g. Records, Financial Aid, Finance, etc.). Applying sound analytical judgment in selecting appropriate methodologies, data sources, and reporting approaches to meet institutional needs.
• Academic Affairs and Enrollment Analytics. Percent of Time: 25%
  • Analyzing enrollment trends, admissions data, retention rates, course enrollments, faculty workload data, and program performance indicators.
  • Developing and supporting forecasting models related to enrollment, scheduling, and student success.
  • Providing data analysis to assist Deans, School Chairs, and enrollment leaders in planning, assessment, and resource allocation.
  • Contributing to equity-focused analyses to identify opportunity gaps and informing institutional improvement strategies.
• Institutional Effectiveness and Assessment Support. Percent of Time: 15%
  • Administering institutional surveys and assisting in survey design, implementation, and analysis, working collaboratively with campus stakeholders to ensure alignment with institutional priorities and informational needs.
  • Compiling and analyzing survey results and assessment data to support accreditation and institutional effectiveness efforts, partnering with academic and administrative units to ensure data is contextualized, accurate, and actionable.
  • Assisting academic and administrative units in interpreting performance metrics and assessment findings, facilitating understanding and use of data to inform decision-making, planning, and continuous improvement.
• Data Governance and Technical Collaboration. Percent of Time: 10%
  • Supporting implementation of campus-wide and cross-institutional data governance standards and reporting procedures.
  • Collaborating with Information Technology and institutional stakeholders to ensure accurate data extraction and alignment across systems.
  • Identifying data inconsistencies and recommending improvements to enhance reporting reliability and process efficiency.
  • Working effectively within a shared governance environment, supporting collaboration with faculty, staff, and administrative partners.
• Professional development Cross-Functional Collaboration. Percent of Time: 10%
  • Collaborating with colleagues across BSU and NTC to advance a culture of evidence-based decision-making.
  • Maintaining professional knowledge of best practices in institutional research, analytics, and reporting methodologies.
  • Supporting additional projects and initiatives as assigned by the Head of Staff.