Assistant Director, Strategic Analysis, Research, and Reporting

Position Title: Assistant Director, Strategic Analysis, Research, and Reporting

Department: Strategic Analysis, Research, and Reporting

Advertised Pay: Upper $70,000's

Campus Location: Washburn University

Application Deadline: Application review will begin as applications are received and will continue until the position is filled. Applicants can be assured of full consideration if submitted by October 20, 2025.

Position Summary: The Assistant Director, Strategic Analysis, Research, and Reporting (SARR) is responsible for assisting with the management of the SARR office as delegated by the SARR Executive Director. The Assistant Director facilitates the collection and analysis of institutional data to support informed, data-driven decision-making by faculty, staff, and administrators. The Assistant Director must exercise confidentiality and discretion in performing assigned duties.

About Washburn University: Washburn University is a teaching-focused, student-centered, public institution located in the metropolitan setting of Topeka that has earned national recognition for its high-impact programs for first-generation students. Washburn has a student body of over 5,500 undergraduate, graduate, and law students, a significant and growing number of whom are first-generation and Pell-Grant eligible. The University has created educational pathways for all students to be successful and achieve their educational goals.

Washburn is dedicated to recruiting and retaining a dynamic faculty, staff, and student body and cultivating a robust learning and working environment and curriculum. We employ more than one thousand faculty and staff on our campuses throughout Topeka and strive to offer competitive wages, an excellent benefits program, and a supportive culture and a healthy work/life balance. Washburn seeks to create an environment that reflects our core values for creating positive IMPACT: inclusion, modernization, partnership, achievement, community and transformation. In 2024, Washburn was recognized as one of the best colleges in the nation to work for, according to Great Colleges to Work For® program.

Essential Functions:
• The Assistant Director performs analysis, reporting, and dissemination on a wide range of data related to Washburn’s academic and business operations. The Assistant Director applies descriptive and inferential statistical techniques, and designs and conducts quantitative research and analysis, from conception through a final written report. Interpret and summarize results.
• Provide recommendations to the SARR Executive Director for use by Washburn leadership for strategic planning and data-based decision making.
• Manage multiple concurrent projects, develop analyses, and apply statistical models. Completed work must be accurate and consistent.
• Analyze complex datasets and clearly organize and summarize results in tables, charts, and other documents using quantitative and visual data representations. Prepare information for use by internal and external constituents requesting information.
• Work with Washburn constituents to determine information needs and how to best access information. This may include identifying problems, offering solutions to resolve those problems, and/or looking for alternative ways to respond to questions. Compile and analyze data, develop and deliver reports in response to specific information requests.
• Determine requirements and generate data-driven responses for mandated reporting to the federal and state governments, accrediting associations, and external surveys, including but not limited to, Integrated Postsecondary Education Data Systems (IPEDS), the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES), the Kansas Board of Regents (KBOR), the Higher Learning Commission (HLC), U.S. News & World Report, and Common Data Set (CDS).
• Facilitate and coordinate population identification, survey distribution and planning, extraction of results, analysis of new data, and data integration into existing databases to support participation and response to national surveys, such as the National Survey of Student Engagement (NSSE).
• Document all project processes, sources, and techniques to ensure consistent application of the methodology in future projects.
• Collaborate with the Associate Provost/Vice Presidents of Academic Affairs, the Director of Assessment, and other stakeholders tasked with assessment and program review. Provide data analysis, technical assistance, and support for the coordination, monitoring, and support of the assessment of student learning outcomes and the review process for academic programs.
• Assist with identifying and collecting appropriate accreditation evidence and resolving data collection and analysis gaps.
• Assist with managing data collection and results using online survey systems, course evaluation software, and assessment-related software applications.
• Effectively use various software, including advanced skills in Microsoft Excel and IBM SPSS, to perform analyses and display results.
• Use TOAD to write SQL to extract data from relational databases and review output for validity, consistency, and accuracy.
• Perform additional job-related duties as assigned or as appropriate.

Required Qualifications:
• Master’s degree in an area of study appropriate to the duties of the position, such as educational research, higher education administration, behavioral sciences, social science, mathematics, etc.
• Three years of direct work experience in a research position at a higher educational institution, including one or a combination of the following areas: higher education research, research design, qualitative and quantitative statistical methods, data inference, or analysis.
• Experience leading and providing significant support of higher education compliance, assessment, and/or accreditation processes.
• Experience in the administration of surveys, maintenance of technology platforms, documentation of processes, and scheduled timelines for reporting.
• Experience managing or leading a team.
• Experience working with large data sets and a working knowledge of statistical analysis software or equivalent technical capabilities.
• Demonstrated effective interpersonal and communication skills.
• Proven ability to communicate effectively in numerical and graphical form.
• Demonstrated experience managing multiple projects, working independently and collaboratively with multiple constituencies.
• Proven capability to maintain confidentiality and use discretion.
• Demonstrated proficiency in the use of SPSS or R.
• Ability to perform relational database queries using SQL.
• Proficiency in using Microsoft Office suite.
• Demonstrated ability to access and analyze data for effective decision making.
• Demonstrated ability to write research reports and make presentations appropriate for a senior management audience as well as other audiences across the institution.
• Detail-oriented with a commitment to accuracy.
• Effective research, analytical, organizational, critical thinking, and quantitative skills.
• Commitment to partnership and collaboration in a team environment.
• Demonstrated ability to proficiently coordinate and manage multiple projects and work effectively under tight deadlines.

Preferred Qualifications:
• Proven experience in or knowledge of SISs and enterprise reporting system software in higher education.
• Demonstrated experience in or knowledge of Higher Education business systems.

Exempt, Full-time, Mon-Fri, 8am-5pm   
Background Check Required