Research Analyst I

Position Overview:

Responsible for assisting in organizing, developing, and carrying out research processes that lead to the compilation and presentation of data for use in internal and external reports. Performs standard and sophisticated data analysis, including statistical analysis, in support of university planning and administration. Coordinates assigned research analysis projects. The general schedule of this position is Monday through Friday, 8:00 am to 5:00 pm, with some flexibility.

Department Specific Essential Job Functions:

Keeps current with issues and trends in higher education and demonstrates professional activity in the field of institutional assessment. Conducts literature reviews in support of assessment projects. Works with other Academic staff in assisting faculty and staff to better understand how to understand and work with assessment data. Assists faculty and staff in obtaining information from Blackboard Analytics, institutional and university surveys, and other information tools.

Uses appropriate hardware and software tools to develop reports and presentations to effectively communicate with a variety of organizational units and representatives. Uses Excel, Access, and SPSS to collect and maintain data to be analyzed and presented to agencies, organizations, University administration, etc. Coordinates data access with Information Technology (database usage). Responds to ad hoc requests for information from faculty, administrators, and external organizations. Designs and coordinates special projects and studies.

Participates in data exchange with other higher education institutions. Attends and participates in meetings and committees as needed or requested. Completes tasks and reports accurately and on time. Assists leadership to ensure the integrity and reliability of assessment data distributed by the University. Coordinates and prepares reports to OSRHE, Academic Affairs, HLC, and other state and federal entities to ensure that UCO meets its state and federal accountability reporting requirements. Assists with preparing data for Program Reviews, benchmarking/performance indicators, strategic planning, specialized accreditations, and similar areas. Helps develop and maintain assigned components of the Academic Effectiveness website. Develops and documents processes for routine reports. Performs other related duties as assigned.

Job Level:

Scope & Impact: This position is an entry-level professional position, with actions that may have a measurable impact on operations within a work group.

Communication & Interaction: Routinely answers questions and provides information and data requested by individuals within or outside of the work area.

Effective Knowledge: Demonstrates ability to execute tasks according to standard operating procedures and/or direction. Demonstrates ability to learn the new subject matter, coupled with attention to detail and responsiveness to feedback.

Problem Solving & Judgement: Performs a variety of duties following established policies and procedures. Resolves problems by selecting from approved alternatives based on past practices, established procedures, or direction. Relies on direct supervision is available to set priorities and objectives, and to assist in problem resolution.

Qualifications

Qualifications Required:

Requires a bachelor’s degree in a job-related field or 4+ years of equivalent work experience in a chosen field that provides knowledge of and exposure to fundamental theories, principles, and concepts. Requires the application of expertise in a chosen field to achieve results.

Qualifications/Experience Preferred:

Master's degree. Higher education experience. Experience with statistical package (SPSS or SAS), SQL, Banner or Peoplesoft, Report writer software, and/or website development. Experience creating surveys and survey design.

Knowledge/Skills/Abilities:

Skilled in longitudinal data collection and management. Ability to work independently with a high level of initiative on project assignments and to work collaboratively on team projects. Excellent oral and written (narrative, tabular, graphical) communication skills. Present findings and recommendations. Ability to accurately proofread reports and data. Good organizational, analytical, and problem-solving skills. Ability to approach problems objectively. Ability to exercise good judgment, diplomacy, tact, and patience. Ability to reason logically and creatively and apply that logic to research topics. Ability to establish and maintain cooperative and collaborative working relationships with others. Ability to apply research theory, methodology, and applied statistics. Ability to organize, prioritize, and schedule work on a multitude of research-related requests. Ability to handle concurrent tasks. Ability to demonstrate flexibility in a dynamic environment, including managing interruptions and changing priorities to meet concurrent deadlines. Ability to work with requestors to clarify their needs and optimize the utility of research results. Ability to carry out repetitive tasks and to apply tasks to new projects.

Physical Demands:

Reasonable accommodations (in accordance with ADA requirements) may be made, upon request, to enable individuals with disabilities to perform essential functions.