The Office of Institutional Research serves as the major source of official data, research, and decision support for University administrators.

Reporting to the Director of Institutional Research, the Institutional Research Analyst works independently and in collaboration with the Director and others to conduct, manage, and support the accurate and timely collection and dissemination of information across a broad range of reporting, research, and decision-support activities.
The Research Analyst will support, guide, and implement a transformation of the University’s data and reporting infrastructure.

Responsibilities include:

Query, compile, transform, and clean data from multiple data sources, including large relational databases, data marts, and flat files

Complete internal and external reporting, verifying accuracy and internal consistency, including required state and federal reports (e.g., IPEDS, Common Data Set, guidebooks)

Update, debug, and troubleshoot SAS code

Update, automate, and document data and business processes

Collect and analyzes data to inform University policies

Prepare clear and effective reports and presentations using both text and graphics

Work with campus partners on data definitions, reporting standards, and data governance

Compile benchmark information about peer institutions

Stay abreast of relevant issues in higher education.

Other additional duties as assigned

Minimum Qualifications

Bachelor’s degree in social science, computer science, statistics, business or a related field with course work in statistics and research methods and a minimum of three years’ related experience in institutional research, data analysis or management of data sets, or an equivalent combination of education, training, and related work experience.

Experience writing original SAS code or similar coding experience with SQL, Python, R or other statistical software.

Strong aptitude for coding.

Proven ability to create large, complex data sets from disparate sources while managing data quality both for statistical analysis and data management.

Strong analytical, critical thinking, and problem-solving skills.

Ability to work as part of a team and communicate with a wide variety of stakeholders.

A commitment to accuracy and quality.
Proven ability to handle and prioritize multiple tasks.

Ability to collect and compile information independently and respond quickly to complex requests.

Collaborative interpersonal communication skills with ability to communicate technical information to non-technical audiences.

Ability to work both independently and collaboratively.

Proficiency with Microsoft Office products.

Demonstrated commitment to work within a diverse environment and work collegially with individuals of different backgrounds.


Preferred Qualifications

5 or more years experience conducting Institutional Research strongly preferred

5 or more years’ experience in original SAS coding strongly preferred

Demonstrated proficiency with Base SAS, including data step programming, merging large and complex data sets, PROC SQL, ODS, PROC TABULATE, MACRO, RETAIN, and array processing

Master’s degree (or higher) in a quantitative social science, public policy, statistics, or economics

Skill in research methodology and design, including descriptive and inferential statistical methods for social sciences, multivariate and trend analyses

Broad experience conducting statistical studies, analyses and report generation, or closely related work

Experience in and knowledge of current issues/trends and institutional research, the strategic use of data in institutional decision-making, and key issues in higher education

Experience with methodologies for displaying information

Experience conducting survey research

Extensive experience with business intelligence tools (particularly Power BI)

Experience developing and analyzing surveys

Founded in 1831, Wesleyan University is consistently ranked among the nation’s top liberal arts colleges and offers an intimate and collaborative learning environment with renowned faculty, cutting-edge facilities, and unique research opportunities. Housed on a beautiful, historic 315-acre New England campus, the University is known for its vibrant campus culture that embraces critical thinking and practical idealism. With approximately 3,000 full-time undergraduates, Wesleyan is primarily an undergraduate institution; it also enrolls around 200 graduate students and offers a Master of Arts in Liberal Studies, Master of Philosophy in Liberal Arts, and PhDs in six disciplines.