Director of Research and Analysis
West Virginia Higher Education Policy Commission

Job Info

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Remote work arrangements may be considered on a case-by-case basis.

GENERAL JOB SUMMARY:

This position serves as the lead member of the Division of Research and Analysis' research team, which is responsible for gathering, analyzing, and interpreting West Virginia specific higher education data in order to provide accurate and meaningful information to stakeholders (institutions, researchers, legislators, etc.).

JOB DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES:

This position serves as the Division of Research and Analysis' research team lead, providing guidance and direction to other team members on prioritization of projects, the timeliness and accuracy of responses to data and research requests, the agency's research agenda, and other areas as directed by the Senior Director of Research.

The position is responsible for fulfilling data requests from a variety of interested parties, such as Commission and Council staff, campus administrators, education researchers, and state legislators, as well as performing independent research studies that inform West Virginia education policy. This involves synthesizing research needs into salient, specific data requests to internal data programmers, followed by analyzing, interpreting, and presenting the data in a meaningful manner, and studying current and proposed policies to assess their actual or potential impact on students, institutions, the system(s), or the state.

The position is also responsible for establishing an agency research agenda based on current and emerging trends in higher education and working with external researchers to align research requests with the approved research agenda. Further, the position will conduct independent research (descriptive and inferential statistics, survey, etc.) on topics related to student access and success as well as institution effectiveness and present findings to stakeholder meetings and at state and national conferences.

Additionally, the incumbent is responsible for the production of annual and ad hoc agency reports and the development and maintenance of online data resources. These include statutorily mandated higher education reports, including but not limited to the Higher Education Almanac, Fall Enrollment Report, and Academic Readiness Report, as well as the "Higher Education Explorer" online data portal.

The position will provide limited ongoing research and program evaluation services to other divisions within the agency as directed by the Senior Director of Research.

REQUIRED KNOWLEDGE, SKILLS, AND ABILITIES:

• Ability to access and analyze a wide array of student-level, institutional, state, and national datasets.
• Ability to complete diverse tasks ranging from long-term, multi-stage research projects to fast-paced legislative data requests.
• Willingness to work in a collaborative environment and receive constructive feedback from colleagues.
• Strong written and verbal communication skills, interpersonal acumen, and the ability to work productively in a team environment.
• Must be highly organized and detail oriented.
• Extensive knowledge of generally accepted practices in research design and data analysis.
• Ability to use statistical packages such as SPSS, SAS, or Stata, and have advanced statistics proficiency.
• Proficiency in Microsoft Office suite and ability to learn new data analysis and reporting software.

MINIMUM EDUCATION AND EXPERIENCE:

Requires a doctoral degree in education, public policy, or a research-oriented field.

Candidates who have completed all requirements for a doctoral degree except the dissertation (ABD), and are within 1 year of degree completion on the effective hire data may be considered.

Four years recent relevant experience required.

Closing date: Applications will be accepted until position is filled.

Application process:

In addition to filling out the job application, qualified candidates must submit a letter of interest and current contact information for three professional references.

DETAILS OF RELEVANT EXPERIENCE MUST BE SHOWN IN THE WORK SECTION OF YOUR APPLICATION TO RECEIVE CREDIT FOR YOUR EXPERIENCE.

Final candidates are subject to employment and credential verification, as well as reference and background checks.

Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action Employer

The West Virginia Higher Education Policy Commission and the Community and Technical College System of West Virginia are equal opportunity employers. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, age, or protected veteran status and will not be discriminated against on the basis of disability. The Commission and Council provide a collegial, respectful and inclusive environment that values the diversity, creativity and contributions of its staff.

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