University of California Office of the President Hiring for INSTITUTIONAL RESEARCH AND PLANNING ANALYST at Oakland, CA  Full Time

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UC OFFICE OF THE PRESIDENT

At the University of California (UC), your contributions make a difference. A world leader producing Nobel and Pulitzer prize recipients with over 150 years of groundbreaking research transforming the world. Choose a career where you can leverage your knowledge, skills and aspirations to inspire and support some of the greatest minds in the world, and those who will follow in their footsteps. Working at the University of California is being part of a unique institution, and a vibrant and diverse community. At the University of California, Office of the President, we propel our mission through impactful work locally, in government centers and systemwide. We are passionate people, serving the greater good.

The University of California, one of the largest and most acclaimed institutions of higher learning in the world, is dedicated to excellence in teaching, research and public service. The University of California Office of the President is the headquarters to the 10 campuses, six academic medical centers and three national laboratories and enrolls premier students from California, the nation and the world.

DEPARTMENT OVERVIEW

The department of Institutional Research and Academic Planning (IRAP) is a central service unit of the Office of the President. IRAP provides timely, accurate, consistent and reliable information about UC and the environment in which it operates. Through evidence-based analyses, IRAP supports and guides enrollment planning, policy creation and revision, program and campus budget reviews, and UC operations. IRAP also produces the annual Accountability Report, which assesses UC’s activities, achievements and operations through data-driven narratives and visualizations. This position is eligible for a remote work arrangement within the state of California. The selected candidate must reside within the state of California or be willing to relocate.

POSITION SUMMARY

The incumbent is a key member of the IRAP team and functions in the following areas: Uses skills as an experienced survey administration professional to develop survey questions, examine survey validity and reliability, and oversee survey administration for a wide variety of purposes. Uses knowledge and experience in higher education and student learning to interpret responses to student survey questions, write reports and topic briefs, and provide suggestions and recommendations for policy change. Uses or develops skills as a data management professional as a member of the data validation team to conduct data validation, resolve issues and errors and support content experts in analyzing the data. When resolving issues, balances practical considerations with industry best practices to determine a solution that fits the situation. For instance, clients in periodic surveys may wish to modify questions to obtain clearer answers; this must be balanced with the importance of comparing responses from the current survey administration with prior administrations. Has experience with industry best practices for working with extremely sensitive personally identifiable information including social security numbers. Can be assigned to sensitive data such as individual responses to Food Security and Campus Climate surveys and can even be assigned to use social security numbers if necessary. Incumbent takes individual responsibility to maintain confidentiality of these data and protects them from any security breach. Incumbent is a primary member of the survey support team which conducts a wide variety of surveys for program offices in UCOP and the campuses. Surveys cover a diverse variety of populations and topics, including ongoing surveys such as the Undergraduate and Graduate Cost of Attendance Surveys, the Graduate Student Support survey, the Undergraduate Experience Survey (UCUES), and the Graduate Career Pathways Survey. IRAP also conducts one-time surveys for a variety of clients such as the Food Security survey to support a presidential initiative conducted for the campuses. Incumbent can be assigned to any of the periodic or one-time surveys which require understanding and resolving a wide variety of problems. Incumbent is a member of the data validation team and during periods of heavy data validation workload conducts data validation on the wide variety of data types owned by IRAP including in the areas of student, faculty, staff and finance. For assigned data submissions, resolves data problems identified by the different subject matter experts in IRAP as well as gross errors identified by the incumbent. Works to incorporate identified problems into automated processing for future file submissions in assigned areas. Incumbent has a wide toolbox of methods and techniques and uses good judgment when developing an analysis plan for a particular problem.

Responsibilities

* 30% Survey Development and Administration: Works on survey development and implementation. Conducts environmental scanning to stay abreast of national trends in survey administration and identifies similar surveys conducted by others to find comparison data for the IRAP survey being conducted. Prepares and implements survey test plans for assigned surveys. A survey test plan includes developing test cases and validating test responses. Monitors server performance and online system during survey data collection period, resolves respondent issues. Conduct or assist survey team members and clients in conducting in-depth and comprehensive research to examine survey validity and reliability and ensure collected information is reliable and adequate to answer clients’ research questions. Plans and hosts regular meetings with UC campus survey coordinators to review and discuss survey instruments and administration planning. Collaborates with UC campus survey coordinators and clients to develop strategies to encourage student participation in the survey study to improve response rate. Works collaboratively with team members to validate admissions and longitudinal data to ensure data quality and accuracy.

* 40% Survey Data Analysis and Research Support: Research, gather, analyze, and summarize information for complex survey data research projects in specific subject areas (e.g. undergraduate and graduate student experience, basic needs, student well-being and mental health, campus climate and cost of attendance). Engage in data compilation, predictive modeling, statistics, trend analysis, report development, and archiving activities to support IRAP’s proactive direction, UC goals of student success as well as to address constituent functional needs. Design research to examine issues related to student experience, completion, and outcomes using multiple data sources such as survey data, institutional data, and external data (e.g., the National Student Clearinghouse and IPEDS). Synthesize issues and present them in a creative and non-technical manner. Under the director’s guidance, work directly with the Provost, the Academic Senate, and administrative leadership at UCOP and campuses to provide analytical support for their decision making. Use advanced and appropriate methodologies to examine issues and challenges students may have in their college experience and provide recommendations for policy change and improvement of student success based on evidence from comprehensive and longitudinal studies.

* 15% Reporting: Creates survey results reports and topic briefs summarizing survey methodology and presenting results in appropriate ways to a non-technical audience. On assigned surveys, is responsible for supporting client data analysis. Provides answers to ad hoc requests from OP management and others about survey results. Creates dashboards and data tables using Tableau to report responses. Produces proactive topic briefs as well as briefs on assigned topics tailored for non-technical audiences, which can be in written or online using data visualization tools such as Tableau. Actively explores new technical tools and compile potential data sources to enhance survey data reporting and analysis, assisting clients in interpreting survey results.

* 15% Data Stewardship: Prepares data files and codebook for clients. Develops continual improvement processes for data submissions assigned for validation, and good working relationships with IRAP content experts and campus data providers in assigned areas. Validates survey data and create datasets based on specifications and the standardized file template for IRAP Digital Commons. Develops and employs complex tests to analyze submitted data, identifying data errors and problems at the time of submission. Coordinates with survey team members to develop survey data stewardship guidelines. ensuring the maintenance of an integrated and high-quality longitudinal database for recurring surveys, including administrative data variables.

Required Qualifications

* Advanced knowledge in survey research theories and methodologies including expertise in survey question creation and conducting in-depth analyses on survey validity and reliability.

* Demonstrated knowledge of research theories related to student experience, campus climate, student development, and other areas pertinent to student success.

* Substantial experience in assessing undergraduate and graduate student experience, development, and learning outcomes.

* Thorough understanding of the historical context and current trends in college surveys designed and administered to evaluate student experience and success.

* Excellent verbal, written, and data visualization communication skills.

* Strong knowledge in survey administration and analysis techniques including statistics or social science research methods.

* Extensive experience administering a large scale survey and conducting survey research to examine student learning experience, engagement, challenges, basic needs, participation in extra-curriculum, etc.

* Substantial experience in using survey tools such as Qualtrics and similar. Knowledge of data management and statistical tools such as SAS, DB Visualizer, SQL and similar.

* Advanced knowledge in data management and integration solutions to higher education, especially student data and experience working with sensitive data including survey responses and personally identifiable information.

* Strong ability to exercise good judgment, make effective decisions, solve problems, and to pay attention to detail.

* Excellent interpersonal skills with the ability and desire to work on multi-disciplinary teams on multi-task and work on quick turnaround tasks of critical importance.

* Demonstrated abilities to work independently with minimal guidance and as part of a team toward IRAP’s vision and common goals, and to coordinate efforts and collaborate with internal and external clients.

Education

* Bachelor’s degree or equivalent training in survey research, higher education, social science, statistics or related area, along with a minimum of 4 years of relevant experience.

SALARY AND BENEFITS

Job Title
Institutional Research Analyst 4

Job Code
005876

Salary Grade
Grade 24

Payscale:
$121,000 – $138,000

Full Salary Range:
$95,300 – $178,100

The University of California, Office of the President, is required to provide a reasonable estimate of the compensation range for this role. This range takes into account the wide range of factors that are considered in making compensation decisions including but not limited to experience, skills, knowledge, abilities, education, licensure and certifications, and other business and organizational needs. It is not typical for an individual to be offered a salary at or near the top of the range for a position. Salary offers are determined based on final candidate qualifications and experience. The full salary range shows the growth potential for this position and the pay scale is the budgeted salary or hourly range that the University reasonably expects to pay for this position.

Benefits: For information on the comprehensive benefits package offered by the University visit:

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION

This position is eligible for a remote work arrangement within the state of California. The selected candidate must reside within the state of California or be willing to relocate.

HOW TO APPLY

Please be prepared to attach a cover letter and resume with your application.

APPLICATION REVIEW DATE

The first review date for this job is March 22, 2024. The position will be open until filled.

CONDITIONS OF EMPLOYMENT

Background Check Process: Successful completion of a background check is required for this critical position.

Smoke Free Work Environment: The University of California, Office of the President, is smoke & tobacco-free as of January 1, 2014.

As a condition of employment, you will be required to comply with the University of California , as may be amended or revised from time to time. Federal, state, or local public health directives may impose additional requirements.

EEO STATEMENT

The University of California, Office of the President, is an Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action Employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability, age or protected veteran status.

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