Job Title: Assistant Vice President for Institutional Research and Assessment
Department: Institutional Research and Assessment
Classification: Exempt
Grade: 16
FTE/Working Schedule: 1.0 FTE

Position Overview:

The Assistant Vice President for Institutional Research and Assessment (AVP-IRA) collaborates with senior leadership to lead the design, integration, and deployment of data-informed strategies to improve institutional effectiveness and guide strategic change. Reporting to the Provost and working closely with the President and the President's Cabinet, the AVP-IRA plays a leadership role in data governance, collaborating with various data stewards across campus to ensure accountability to institutional goals/objectives and external standards.  The AVP-IRA brings research to bear on student success initiatives, including convening or supporting ad hoc committees and task forces devoted to these efforts. The AVP-IRA plays a central role in accreditation and provides guidance to campus partners regarding development, collection, and use of their data to assess progress on institutional priorities and strategic indicators.

The Office of Institutional Research and Assessment (IRA) at Carleton College is dedicated to providing accurate, timely, and relevant data and analysis to support institutional planning, decision-making, and assessment. IRA collaborates with units across the college to promote a culture of evidence-based practice and continuous evaluation, and to facilitate the college's mission of providing an exceptional liberal arts education.

Applications received by July 1, 2025, will receive full consideration.

Compensation:

The expected starting salary range for this position is between $135,700 and $140,200. Actual pay will be adjusted based on job-related factors permitted by law, such as experience and training; licensure and certifications; market factors; departmental budgets; and responsibility.

Essential Job Functions/Responsibilities: 

The AVP-IRA will provide leadership and vision for the college’s institutional research and assessment efforts, supporting strategic planning, data-informed decision-making, and continuous evaluation. The AVP-IRA will lead a team (the Director of Academic Assessment, the Assistant Director of IRA, and a temporary Workday Report Writer) responsible for collecting, analyzing, and disseminating institutional data, as well as developing and implementing assessment strategies to measure student learning and institutional effectiveness.

Strategic Leadership:

• Proactively identify issues of concern or value to the college and marshal institutional data to study these topics. Serve as a key advisor to senior leadership on matters related to institutional effectiveness, data analysis, and assessment.

• Provide leadership and strategic direction for the college’s institutional research and assessment functions. Work with senior leadership to set priorities and vision for this unit and help set and manage expectations; engage partners across campus in collecting and studying institutional data.

• Collaborate with senior leadership, faculty, and staff to oversee and assure the implementation of a comprehensive, sustainable institutional research and assessment plan aligned with the college’s strategic goals.

• Work closely with the VP and Dean of Admissions & Financial Aid and the VP & Treasurer to forecast and model enrollment at the college.

• Serve in a core role on the College's institutional accreditation team.

Institutional Research and Data Analysis:

• Play a leadership role in the collection, analysis, and reporting of key institutional data, which may include enrollment, student demographics, retention, graduation rates, survey data, faculty and staff data, and financial information.

• Collaborate with others to maintain and extend the existing institutional data storage and reporting infrastructure, including how data is shared both internally and externally.  Expand community understanding of and access to existing data and analysis.

• Conduct statistical analyses and prepare reports to support strategic planning, decision-making, and external reporting requirements. Manage a high volume of requests that need to be vetted, filtered, prioritized, communicated, and accomplished.

• Deploy data visualization tools to present complex data in a clear and accessible manner.

Oversight of Assessment of Student Learning and Institutional Effectiveness:

• Oversee the development and implementation of assessment strategies to measure student learning outcomes and institutional effectiveness.

• Monitor support provided to academic departments and administrative units in the development and implementation of assessment plans.

• Ensure the analysis of assessment data and feedback to faculty and staff to improve teaching, learning, and institutional effectiveness.

Team Leadership and Management:

• Supervise and mentor a team of institutional research and assessment professionals.

• Foster a collaborative and supportive work environment.

• Support professional development opportunities for team members.

• Manage the budget for the IRA office.

Data Governance and Compliance:

• Guide institution-wide collaborations to develop and implement data governance policies and procedures. Co-chair a shared governance body, which serves to set data policy and steward the collection, integrity, and use of data.

• Ensure compliance with federal and state reporting requirements, as well as accreditation standards.

• Maintain the confidentiality and security of institutional data.

Communication and Collaboration:

• Communicate timely, complex data and assessment findings to a variety of audiences, including senior leadership, faculty, staff, the Board of Trustees, and external stakeholders.

• Develop and deliver presentations and reports that are clear, concise, and persuasive.

• Collaborate with other departments and offices across the college, as well as consortial groups, to support institutional research and assessment initiatives.

• Serve on various campus governance committees as assigned.

Education/Experience/Skills: 

Required:

• Master’s degree, with Ph.D. preferred, in a relevant field (e.g., statistics, higher education administration, social sciences).

• Minimum of 5-7 years of experience in institutional research and assessment.

• Effective project management skills, including the ability to oversee and prioritize multiple projects. Attention to detail, with a commitment to accuracy and quality.

• Ability to effectively lead and inspire a high-functioning team.

• Curious, creative, and a strategic thinker with the ability to align institutional research and assessment efforts with the college’s strategic goals.

• Knowledge and experience in data science, statistics, education, or social science research, including both quantitative and qualitative research skills

• Excellent written and oral communication skills, with the ability to tailor communication to a variety of audiences. Proven ability to use data visualization tools to effectively communicate findings.

• Ability to identify and address challenges related to and discovered by data collection, analysis, and assessment. Strong problem-solving skills, with a systems thinking approach.  Experience supporting organizational change.

• Experience with data governance and compliance. Commitment to ethical data practices.

Preferred: 

• Technical proficiency with enterprise software systems, preferably including Workday.

• Professional experience in a higher education setting.

• Experience with assessment of student learning and institutional effectiveness.

• Experience with higher education processes including accreditation, compliance, and reporting.

Must have the ability to understand and follow written and oral work instructions, operations, safety procedures, and hazardous labels. 

Note: This position description is not intended to be all-inclusive. Employees may perform other related duties to meet the ongoing needs of the organization. 

Carleton College is an equal opportunity educator and employer. Carleton College does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, creed, ethnicity, religion, sex, national origin, marital status, veteran status, actual or perceived sexual orientation, gender identity and expression, status with regard to public assistance, disability, or age in providing employment or access to its educational facilities and activities.

Carleton also offers a robust suite of benefits including: A generous 403(b) retirement plan with a 10% employer contribution and 2% employee contribution. Medical, dental, vision, life and disability insurance. Paid time-off, including 20 vacation days, 8 paid holidays, 3, floating holidays, 2 weather days, and extra days at the end of the calendar year to make a continuous week off before New Year’s. Employee Assistance Program (EAP) for all employees. A dependent tuition program after six years of service.

Founded in 1866, Carleton College is a private, coeducational liberal arts college of roughly 2,000 students located in the historic river town of Northfield, Minnesota. Carleton College occupies more than 1,000 scenic acres of campus, arboretum, over 100 campus buildings, and athletic fields. Located 40 miles south of Minneapolis and St. Paul, Carleton offers access to the cultural advantages of a major metropolitan area.