University of Virginia

Institutional Research and Analytics (IRA) at the University of Virginia seeks a dynamic and self-motivated individual to fill the role of Data Specialist. A unit reporting to the Office of the Provost, IRA provides accurate data, reliable information, expert analysis, and guidance on utilizing data to support the University's educational, research, and service objectives. 

As the Data Specialist, you will play a critical role in fulfilling IRA's reporting and analytics needs. This involves mastering the content, format, and definitions of various university datasets including (e.g., undergraduate admissions data, enrollment data), and applying that knowledge to fulfill data requests. The Data Specialist will be responsible for identifying, collecting, analyzing, communicating, and reporting student and employee data to meet external reporting requirements.

Collaboration with internal and external partners will be essential to effectively leveraging available data, and identifying required additional data for institutional planning and compliance objectives. The ideal candidate will possess experience with the lifecycle of data sets in higher education (e.g., student data), including data acquisition, cleaning and processing, documentation, data validation and analysis, and visualization. 

Responsibilities:

External Reporting Requirements (50%) 

• Identify and prepare data responses, and manage deadlines and coordination needed to satisfy external data collection requirements including Common Data Set [CDS], Peterson’s survey, College Board, US News and World Report, and others throughout the calendar year using existing data analytics platforms (Qlik Sense and Qlik View) and the student information system to collect and summarize the data in the formats needed for each. 
• Assist other analysts within and outside IRA with state and federal reporting requirements or other analytics projects (e.g., collaborative analyses with other higher education institutions) as needed. Leverage external collaborations and networks to enhance IRA reporting practices. 

Internal Data Analysis and Support (50%) 

• Respond to time critical ad-hoc requests for information from UVA students, faculty, and staff, or external agencies as requested.
• Document methods and procedures related to statistical reporting.
• Coordinate the creation and delivery of reports and analytics related to student enrollment, performance, retention, and degree completion. Contribute to data validation, documentation, and quality reviews of new and existing dashboards and institutional datasets. 
• Promote the expanded use of the IRA resources for departmental planning through outreach and response to user requests. Engage with departments to understand their data needs to determine how best to satisfy their requirements.
• Assist with publication of data on the IRA website and publicly available dashboards. 
• Participate in work groups, attend meetings, and present information as requested. 
• Other duties as assigned.

Qualifications: 

Required:

• Bachelor’s degree in business, math, computer science, data science, statistics, or related field.
• At least four years of data analytics experience performing data mining, reporting and analysis;
• Experience with higher education datasets (e.g., student enrollment).
• Strong organizational and communication skills. 

Preferred:

• Master’s degree in a related field.
• Proven ability with Microsoft Excel pivot tables, filters, and formulas.
• Proven ability in working with software, large data sets, and relational databases.
• Experience with data visualization software (Tableau and/or Qlik Sense). 
• Strong documentation skills and ability to use project management tools to track and handle multiple concurrent tasks and deadlines.
• Self-motivated, with high standards for rigorous and detailed work. 
• Collegiality, intellectual flexibility, and ability to collaboratively work with diverse professionals in different fields is critical. 

Review of applications will begin April 10; the position will remain open until filled.

This is an exempt level, benefitted position. For more information on the benefits at UVA, visit hr.virginia.edu/benefits. 

This position will not sponsor applicants for work visas. The University will perform background checks on all new hires prior to employment.

The expected starting salary is $65,000 commensurate with education and experience.

This is a hybrid position, with mandatory office presence in Charlottesville, VA on specific days (currently Tuesday through Thursday) and the option to work remotely on Monday and Friday. 

Position reports to the Associate Director for Reporting and Analytics, IRA. 

To Apply: 

Please visit our UVA job posting to apply. https://jobs.virginia.edu/us/en/job/R0059329/Data-Specialist-Institutional-Research-and-Analytics

Complete an application online with the following documents:

• CV/Resume
• Cover letter
• Three Letters of Reference

Upload all materials into the resume submission field, multiple documents can be submitted into this one field. Alternatively, merge all documents into one PDF for submission. Applications that do not contain all required documents will not receive full consideration. 

The University will perform background checks on all new hires prior to employment. A completed pre-employment health screen is required for this position prior to employment. 

For questions about the application process, please contact Jon Freeman, Recruiting Specialist, at jf2sw@virginia.edu.

For more information about UVA and the Charlottesville community, please see http://www.virginia.edu/life/charlottesville and https://embarkcva.com/.

The University of Virginia, including the UVA Health System which represents the UVA Medical Center, Schools of Medicine and Nursing, UVA Physician’s Group and the Claude Moore Health Sciences Library, are fundamentally committed to the diversity of our faculty and staff. We believe diversity is excellence expressing itself through every person's perspectives and lived experiences. We are equal opportunity and affirmative action employers. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to age, color, disability, gender identity or expression, marital status, national or ethnic origin, political affiliation, race, religion, sex (including pregnancy), sexual orientation, veteran status, and family medical or genetic information.