The AVP oversees a program of institutional effectiveness designed to support the mission of the university, to promote continuous improvement, and to inform decision-making and planning. The AVP works with university leadership to ensure quality in alignment with institutional mission, the strategic plan and strategic objectives. The AVP actively builds and facilitates a culture of evidence and continuous quality improvement and contributes knowledge of evaluation and improvement approaches based on best practices. The AVP supervises the areas and staff of the Office of Institutional Effectiveness, which includes accreditation and compliance, data analytics, institutional research, and assessment of student learning functions, and staff of those areas. The AVP serves as the Accreditation Liaison Officer to the Higher Learning Commission.

Main Responsibilities

• Develop and lead a system of institutional effectiveness planning, evaluation, and reporting for academic and non-academic units to measure progress toward university objectives; work with units to provide support for the development, discussion and analysis of improvement metrics
• Manage a data governance program in collaboration with data governance and technology planning committee; chair the data governance council made up of primary data stewards.
• Develop new ways to provide and communicate data to university decision-makers, including developing and improving data analytics capability, providing meaningful data visualizations, and developing dashboards
• Serve as the Accreditation Liaison Officer to the Higher Learning Commission; coordinate reaccreditation processes
• Serve as the primary contact for academic compliance to the Minnesota Office of Higher Education, NC-SARA, Illinois Board of Higher Education, Colorado Commission on Higher Education; collaborates on Department of Education submissions, as required; assure compliance with regulatory requirements and quality expectations; complete required annual registrations and reporting
• Support institutional research and analysis activities, including the oversight and/or development of surveys and other methods of data collection, in conjunction with relevant departments and the IRB, to ensure consistency in the analysis and use of survey data across university departments

Requirements

• Knowledge and application of evaluation and continual improvement principles, tools and best practices in higher education
• Strong quantitative and qualitative research methods and design, data collection, statistical analysis and reporting skills, including ability to tailor reports to a variety of stakeholder audiences; demonstrated ability to interpret and disseminate institutional data
• Excellent interpersonal and oral communication skills
• Superb writing skills
• Excellent organization skills, self-direction, and the ability to work both independently as well as leading a team
• Attention to detail and high degree of accuracy in all work products; ability to work in a dynamic, fast-paced environment, and respond rapidly to change 
• Master’s degree required from a regionally accredited institution of higher learning required; doctorate preferred.
• Commitment to innovative, authentic and practical evaluation and improvement efforts
• Proven experience in the design, organization and management of complex projects
• A record of successful service leading an organizational unit, committees and shared governance groups
• A minimum of 5 years of experience with institutional accreditation 
• A minimum of 7 years of leadership experience in higher education; knowledge of higher education operations and best practices in evaluation