Senior Research Associate

Senior Research AssociateThe George Mason University Office of Institutional Effectiveness and Planning (OIEP) invites highly qualified candidates to apply for the position of Senior Research Associate. George Mason University has a strong institutional commitment to the achievement of excellence and diversity among its faculty and staff, and strongly encourages candidates to apply who will enrich Mason's academic and culturally inclusive environment.About the Position:The Office of Institutional Effectiveness and Planning (OIEP) is seeking a Senior Research Associate to conduct a range of complex analyses using internal and external data sources. This position will:Partner closely with colleagues within and outside of OIEP in the development of actionable analytical research focused on student success; faculty activity and productivity; classroom utilization; competitive positioning; instructional cost; and other institutional effectiveness projects that inform university planning and initiatives;Disseminate the results of research projects to campus partners and senior leadership through oral presentations, written reports, and dynamic dashboards;Support accreditation and state/federal compliance reporting through the collection, analysis, and reporting of relevant data.Responsibilities:The Senior Research Associate will:Execute complex quantitative analyses in support of academic planning, data informed strategic decision-making and external reporting. Topics would include, but not be limited to, student success (e.g., retention, persistence, completion/degree production, time to degree/credits to degree, career outcomes); space analysis; faculty activity and productivity; personnel planning; institutional performance benchmarking; and, ad-hoc studies based on current higher education developments;Create accessible and dynamic data visualizations and dashboards for campus use that inform and advance strategic decision-making across the institution broadly and within the schools/colleges and senior leadership;Support cross-functional teams in the development of data integrations and tools that align disparate data sources, including courses, faculty, fiscal, space, etc. For example, partnering to advance efforts to improve the faculty productivity tool or support the work of the Academic Affairs Data Integrity Advisory Council in identifying data issues and resolutions;Identify and integrate external data sources (e.g., National Student Clearinghouse, IPEDS, NCES sample surveys, Survey of Earned Doctorates, U.S. Census) in order to better understand the student experience and career outcomes, etc.;Support the collection of key institutional data utilized for federal, state, and external reporting and assist in the development of efficiencies for standardized collection, analyses, and reporting;Support regional and programmatic accreditation;Engage in national conversations to identify and anticipate institutional research needs through enhanced knowledge of industry developments and trends. This may include participation in national conferences, scanning of online higher education sources, etc.;Perform other special and ad-hoc duties as assigned.Required Qualifications:Master's degree in quantitative disciplines such as Business Administration, Public Policy, Statistics, Educational Research, or a related discipline, or equivalent combination of education and experience;Significant progressive full-time professional experience (generally five (5)+ years) with institutional research/institutional effectiveness;Knowledge of ERP such as Banner, PeopleSoft, SAP;Experience programming in a statistical analysis package;Demonstrated experience working with relational databases to extract and merge data from multiple sources;Working knowledge of a visualization tool such as SAS Viya, Tableau, Power BI, or R Shiny;Demonstrated knowledge and experience in statistical analysis, including multivariate statistics and research design;Demonstrated advanced written and verbal communication skills with various technical and non-technical audiences.Preferred Qualifications:Doctoral degree;Full-time professional experience of at least seven years of progressive experience with institutional research/institutional effectiveness;Experience programming in SAS.

For full consideration, applicants must apply for position number FA480z at https://jobs.gmu.edu/; complete and submit the online application; and upload a cover letter, resume, and a list of three professional references with contact information.

"Great Careers Begin at Mason! George Mason University is an innovative, entrepreneurial institution with national distinction in both academics and research. Mason holds a top U.S. News and World Report "Up and Coming" spot for national universities and is recognized for its global appeal and excellence in higher education.Mason is currently the largest and most diverse university in Virginia with students and faculty from all 50 states and over 135 countries studying in over 200 degree programs at campuses in Arlington, Fairfax and Prince William, as well as at learning locations across the commonwealth. Rooted in Mason's diversity is a campus culture that is both rewarding and exciting, work that is meaningful, and opportunities to both collaborate and create.If you are interested in joining the Mason family take a look at our current opportunities and catch some Mason spirit at jobs.gmu.edu/!George Mason University, Where Innovation is Tradition."