Institutional Research and Data Specialist

**Job Description**:
**INSTITUTIONAL RESEARCH AND DATA SPECIALIST**

**RESEARCH AND ACADEMIC INNOVATION**

NorQuesters are difference makers and we’re searching for someone who can start small and think BIG in the design, coordination, support, development, and execution of data storage, modeling, visualization, reporting and analytic solutions, for our Institutional Research team.

Reporting to the Manager, Institutional Research, the Institutional Research and Data Specialist works with stakeholders to discover, analyze, and evaluate reporting needs in order to design appropriate solutions and assist in interpreting and analyzing data from an institutional research lens.

Working closely with data warehousing to model, maintain, and grow Research data assets from both internal administrative and external sources, the Specialist creates and delivers comprehensive and timely data visualizations to internal stakeholders to support informed decision making and planning, providing training and support to stakeholders regarding data interpretation and data literacy, and to support self-service of interactive data visualizations.

**HOW YOU’LL MAKE A DIFFERENCE**
- Explore college data to discover patterns, meaningful relationships, anomalies, and trends, aligning with established institutional research approaches.
- Design college-wide and project specific data views and reports.
- Perform analysis for a wide range of requests using data in different formats and from various platforms.
- Analyze strategic and operational problems and creates models that help analyze these problems.
- Develop frameworks to support data, information, and reporting requirements of Institutional Research.
- Determine the most appropriate presentation methodologies for each project.
- Contribute to data collection instruments and methodologies to support research framework.
- Ensure reports and presentations are appropriate to internal and external audiences as defined by the project plan and delivered in a timely manner.
- Continually strive to uncover synergies to improve processes, methodologies, communication strategies, quality, and timeliness of deliverables.
- Develop and update process and policy manuals to ensure quality processes and support succession planning.
- Liaise with external stakeholders, networks, and service providers to support data collection and reporting requirements.
- Assist with design and development of data extraction and cleansing routines, data warehouses, and reporting components including queries, views, OLAP cubes, reports, and dashboards.
- Act to improve data timeliness, accuracy, and clarity.
- Ensure that business intelligence services and related information are confidential, reliable, and available.
- Provide specialist guidance to support data testing and quality assurance, contributing to continuous improvement of data quality.
- Work closely with data owners to understand source conditions and constraints, developing plans to export source data into the data warehouse to make available for reporting.
- Coordinate the collection and reporting of standard performance indicators for internal and external reporting Researches, developing and implementing best practices in supporting research (market research, competitor analysis, viability reviews, etc.) for new and renewed program development, and for program (annual and comprehensive) reviews.
- Develop, maintain, and refine a College-wide process of planning and evaluation for service and support departments to ensure quality improvement, addressing external accreditation and accountability requirements.
- Develop and design analytical protocols, processes, and templates for obtaining and reporting on specific and identified metrics relating to new and renewed programs and program reviews (evaluation) including annual reviews, viability reviews, and detailed visioning and reviews.
- Support the process of program renewal and improvement by supporting timely and accurate information and analysis of program performance (enrolment reports, program performance database, program evaluations, graduate and satisfaction surveys, etc.).

**WHAT YOU BRING**
- Related undergraduate degree or equivalent training in social sciences or sciences.
- Graduate degree in the social sciences is a definite asset.
- Formal training in data visualization, data modeling/management, and/or programming would be an asset.
- 3+ years’ in creating data visualizations from a range of datasets (ideally in Power BI).
- Intermediate to advanced computer skills in word processing, spreadsheets, graphing, database and statistical packages, including (but not limited to) MS Office Suite (Word, Excel, Access, PowerPoint, Outlook, Visio), Power BI, SPSS, NVivo, Adobe.
- 2+ years’ experience managing projects - ability to manage a variety of concurrent projects.

**WHAT MAKES YOU A DIFFERENCE MAKER?**

As a difference maker you bring:

- Demonstrated research (quantitat