Director of Institutional Research and Assessment

Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute

 

Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute has been an academic powerhouse for its nearly 200year history. This tradition of academic excellence can be quantified, in part, by Rensselaer’s inclusion on the most important global “top college and university” ranking lists, including U.S. News and World Report. Rensselaer is changing the world in a bigger, bolder ways, and it seeks a highly accomplished leader to serve the Director of Institutional Research and Assessment.

 

Under the leadership of President Shirley Ann Jackson, Ph.D., Rensselaer’s comprehensive educational and research programs cut across academic disciplines, giving students the opportunity to learn and to grow into world leaders in their chosen fields. Rensselaer attracts undergraduates, graduate students, and working professionals from around the world. The Institute’s long-standing reputation draws students from across the U.S and the globe; a total of 49 States and 63 countries are represented in Rensselaer's student body. Students are encouraged to work in interdisciplinary programs that allow them to combine scholarly work from several departments or schools. Rensselaer offers over 145 programs at the bachelor’s, master’s, and doctoral levels. Students are encouraged to work in interdisciplinary programs that allow them to combine scholarly work from several departments or schools.

 

Rensselaer’s more than 450 faculty members include National Science Foundation Presidential Faculty Fellows, members of the National Academy of Engineering, the National Academy of Sciences, and Fellows of other eminent professional organizations.

 

Important investments in the research and academic enterprise, along with the student experience, have been the hallmark of the Rensselaer Plan and the Rensselaer Plan 2024.  Aggressive recruiting of world-class faculty has continued since the implementation of The Plan in 2001. The Institute has made significant investments in creating new faculty positions and has promoted the development of clusters of distinguished research faculty (Constellations) in strategic areas of research emphasis. 

 

About the Position

The Director of Institutional Research and Assessment reports to the Provost and provides leadership and development of a comprehensive institutional research and assessment program to support the Institute’s mission and goals. The Director partners with academic and administrative portfolios to develop and manage comprehensive institutional research, assessment programs, and strategic planning efforts that support the curricular, analytical, informational, reporting, and regional accreditation needs of the Institute. The Director is responsible for collecting, analyzing and disseminating a wide range of data related to Rensselaer’s academic and business operations. 

 

 Knowledge, Skills and Abilities

• Knowledge of the Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPDES) and National Center for Education Statistics (NECS) reporting and survey tools and requirements
• Knowledge of Middle States and other accreditation organizations’ expectations concerning student learning assessment requirements
• Through understanding of sophisticated analytical methods and techniques and concepts
• Ability to develop a good rapport with other administrative staff both within and outside the data management and manipulation arena
• Data retrieval capabilities to facilitate report and feedback needs
• Excellent organization skills and excellent people skills
• Ability to deal with often conflicting priorities and to participate is a dynamic and fast-paced office
• Ability to use MS Office Suite, including Outlook, Word, Excel and Power-point

 

 The Successful Candidate

The successful candidate will have experience working with data dictionaries and in the use of computer applications to extract and manipulate data to produce statistical reports and analysis. Experience and knowledge in survey design, administration, and analysis in reporting the institutional data. Understanding of dimensional modeling and experience in supporting broad user base in Business Intelligence environment is highly desirable including data visualization. Experience with statistical analysis software such as SAS or SPSS is preferred.

 

A Master’s degree in an analytical discipline such as mathematics, computer information systems or related field with an emphasis on quantitative research methods and statistics is required. The candidate is required to have a minimum of seven years of working experience as a data and research analysist or comparable position. Previous experience in higher education, related to institutional research is required.

 

How to Apply

Interested candidates should send a letter of application and resume that relates the applicant's skills, abilities, knowledge, and professional experiences to the stated qualifications for the position and notable achievements. The application materials should be sent electronically to RPIDIRA@wspelman.com.  The subject line in the email should be RPIDIRA. Confidential inquiries may be made by contacting Megan Spelman at Megan@wspelman.com or (585) 366-4329.

 

All applications are considered confidential and neither references nor personal or professional contacts will be contacted without prior knowledge or approval of the candidate. Materials will be received as submitted and will be considered until the position is filled. 

 

Rensselaer has a strong institutional commitment to diversity and is an Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action employer. As such, the Institute welcomes applicants who will bring a diverse intellectual, geographical, gender, and ethnic perspectives to the Rensselaer community.