Director of Institutional Research

Who We Are

Colby-Sawyer College is a comprehensive liberal arts-based institution located in the scenic Lake Sunapee area of New Hampshire. We have friendly people, beautiful nature, and small-town amenities and shops. We are located about 35 minutes south of Dartmouth College and just 1 hour 30 minutes from Boston. For more information see Lake Sunapee Region Chamber of Commerce, NH.

We strive to always be a people-first organization. We are passionate about building and sustaining an inclusive and equitable working environment for all employees. If you are looking for a place where you will feel welcome and that you belong, Colby-Sawyer College is that place.

Colby-Sawyer is especially interested in candidates who can contribute to the diversity and excellence of the institution. Applicants are encouraged to share what they can offer and how they can help us to achieve and maintain these values in their cover letter.

Position Description

Reporting to the President, the Director of Institutional Research supports the mission and vision of Colby-Sawyer College and is responsible for providing leadership, technical expertise, and support in developing and maintaining a comprehensive institutional research program to enhance institutional assessment, effectiveness, and decision-making. Overall responsibilities include research and analysis, evaluation of institutional outcomes, and strategy formation with key campus partners. The position is also responsible for compliance with federal and accreditation reporting regulations.

Diversity, inclusion, and equity are essential to our work at Colby-Sawyer College. We are passionate about building and sustaining inclusive and equitable work and learning environments that give all a sense of belonging. We commit to enriching ourselves and the college by taking part visibly in activities that promote inclusion and equity in a broad range of ways to understand and engage with the world, identify challenges, and to discover, design, and deliver solutions throughout the year.

Responsibilities

• Identify information needs by working with relevant stakeholders and understanding their decision support needs. Anticipate questions through review of data, information, and research and policy studies, including those related to institutional, state, and national conversations around higher education.
• Collect, analyze, interpret, and report data and information. Create, submit, and update institutional reporting documents (Common Data Set (CDS), Departmental Annual Reports, Fact Book, IPEDS, and institutional dashboards). Serve as the institutional IPEDS keyholder and ensure institutional compliance with federal and accreditation requirements. Provides assistance to faculty and staff in identifying appropriate data collection for academic program reviews and to ensure reliable, appropriate, and timely use of institutional information. Coordinates or conducts other institutional research as necessary, including qualitative and quantitative studies and policy analysis using surveys, statistical methods, and focus groups to enhance the planning and decision-making processes of the College and develops and maintains College information on the Fast Facts website.
• Provides benchmarking and data on enrollment trends, retention, staffing, workload, student-faculty ratio, diversity, equity, and inclusion, and grant applications.
• Serves as a member of institution-wide committees particularly in the areas of data and information, retention, strategic planning and others as assigned.
• Provide guidelines and support for college offices’ internal survey and assessment needs.
• Creates, formats, and delivers presentations on institutional data and analyses at high levels, including senior administrators, Board of Trustees, faculty, staff and students.
• Stays abreast of new developments and trends in higher education and institutional research, which may lead to new studies or modification of current projects.

Qualifications Bachelor’s degree in relevant field; Master’s degree preferred. Three years of experience in institutional research, planning and higher education administration. A combination of education and experience may be considered.