Office of Institutional Research and Assessment
(Two Vacancies Available)
Central Connecticut State University invites applications to join the Office of Institutional Research and Assessment as a full-time Institutional Research Specialist. We seek applicants who thrive in a fast-paced environment with strong attention to detail, excellent project management skills, and a desire to leverage large data bases in support of student success and institutional effectiveness.
Central Connecticut State University is the first publicly funded university in the state. As we recently celebrated 175 years of academic excellence and innovation
About Central’s Office of Institutional Research and Assessment
The Office of Institutional Research and Assessment collaborates with offices from all divisions within the university to improve institutional effectiveness. The Office contributes significantly to institutional accreditation (New England Commission on Higher Education, NECHE), strategic planning, assessment of student learning, factors leading to student success, as well as standard state and federal reporting.
Position Profile
Performs data analysis and facilitates the long-range planning and program assessment processes of the university. In addition to data extraction, data visualization, and compiling information for reporting, provides analytical and statistical analyses to support assessment/evaluation of institutional programs, processes, and other institutional needs. Creates, maintains, and documents queries and analyses used to support the institution's research and planning efforts.
Supervision Exercised
May supervise professional and/or support staff and student workers.
Position Responsibilities
- Performs data analyses and identifies trends in support of institutional planning.
- Creates, implements, maintains, and documents statistical programs, indexed archives of information and reports suitable for responding to surveys, questionnaires, as well as federal and state data collection and accountability requirements.
- Queries databases such as census and live student and employee information systems, understanding when it is appropriate to use census or live, in support of institutional decision making and reporting requirements.
- Develops and maintains reports, dashboards, and visualizations using analytic and reporting tools.
- Collaborates with campus offices on data governance activities related to census files and institutional reporting by helping establish common data definitions and standards, assisting with the development and maintenance of data dictionaries and validation routines, and supporting efforts to improve data quality and integrity across systems for accurate, reliable, and reproducible reporting, research, and decision-making.
- Reviews, audits, and verifies the accuracy of institutional data; reconciling data from multiple sources to create unified longitudinal datasets/databases.
- Designs and executes complex SQL queries to extract and manipulate data from large-scale relational databases, data blocks, and data cubes to create clear and accurate reports as well as compelling visualizations and dashboards using tools such as Power BI and Argos.
- Engages in both quantitative and qualitative research, analyzes data and shares the results and inferences with relevant faculty, staff, committees, and administrators.
- Prepares institutional studies, plans, and program assessments as directed.
- Collaborates with stakeholders across the institution, including planning bodies and committees, to support their data needs and institutional reporting requirements.
- Collaborates with other staff members to cross-train as necessary and support a cooperative work environment.
- Performs other duties and responsibilities related to those above which do not alter the basic level of responsibility of the position.
Knowledge, Skills and Abilities
Knowledge of and ability to use SQL, statistical packages (SPSS, R, SAS), Excel, and data visualization and reporting tools. Knowledge of and ability to interpret and apply federal and state laws and regulations as well as university and BOR/CSCU policies and procedures. Knowledge of and ability to analyze data, apply appropriate statistical methods, to support planning and assessment. Knowledge of and ability to manage, query, clean, and reconcile complex datasets derived from systems such as student and employee information systems. Knowledge of and understanding of data within student/employee information systems. Knowledge of and ability in developing reports, dashboards, and queries to meet federal, state, and institutional reporting needs. Knowledge of and ability to effectively communicate and present data findings to diverse stakeholders. Knowledge of and ability to manage multiple large projects, that require data accuracy and integrity, in a fast-paced environment with strict deadlines, while collaborating with others. Knowledge of and ability to commit to upholding confidentiality and data governance standards. Excellent oral and written communication skills. Effective communication and presentation skills, including use of software such as Microsoft Suite, in the development of charts, graphs, and other data presentation models for various audiences. Ability to handle complex tasks, meet deadlines, and prepare reports.
Work Environment
Typically performs work indoors, on campus, and in person. This is a full-time, on ground position. May be required to work evenings, weekends, or outdoors for programming and events. The work involves extensive use of personal computers, but does not, normally, involve any significant physical effort. May be required to lift educational, training, or other presentational materials.
Applicant Evaluative Criteria
Applicant profiles and supplementary materials will be evaluated for appointment based on the following:
Education:
All applicants must possess a Bachelor’s degree from an accredited institution of higher education.
Experience and Training :
- Four (4) years of experience in research and/or data analysis or relevant areas.
- Professional experience with Banner (or other student information system), data management, and analysis.
- Documented experience with statistical packages (e.g., SPSS, R, SAS), SQL, and proficiency with Microsoft Excel.
- Demonstrated ability to work independently and collaboratively with others, meet deadlines in a fast-paced office environment, be detail oriented, and committed to data integrity, accuracy, and confidentiality.
- Commitment to uphold data governance standards and best practices within institutional research.
- Credentials and experience substantially comparable to the above may also be considered.
Preferred Qualifications:
Ideal Candidate
- Experience writing queries and reports in a college or university institutional research office.
- Documented experience with IPEDS and advanced statistics.
- Demonstrated experience building reports and interactive charts/graphs using analytical and reporting tools.
To Apply
To begin the application process, electronically submit the documents listed below. The position is open until filled with priority to those who apply by May 17, 2026. Please be sure that you explicitly discuss how your experience and skills match each required and preferred qualification.
- Letter of interest addressing the qualifications for this position.
- Current Résumé
- Names of three current professional references with title, email addresses, and telephone numbers.
Incomplete or late applications will not be considered. E-mailed and mailed applications will not be accepted. Please redact any personally identifiable information (i.e., Social Security Number, date of birth, marital status, country of origin) from any documents submitted.
Inquiries may be sent to Martie Kaczmarek, Search Committee Chair, at 860-832-2304 or [email protected].
Compensation and Employee Benefits
The Institutional Research Specialist is compensated at the Administrator 4 salary level in accordance with the State University Organization of Administrative Faculty (SUOAF) Collective Bargaining Union Agreement.
For more information
The State of Connecticut and Central Connecticut State University are proud to offer its employees competitive wages and a wide range of fringe benefits including voluntary and supplemental benefits.
Fringe benefits include: paid personal, vacation and sick leave accruals; medical, dental, and prescription plans; group life insurance; retirement; retiree health care; tuition waiver for employee and eligible dependents at any of the Connecticut State Universities (Central, Eastern, Southern or Western) as well as an array of voluntary and supplemental benefits such as Deferred Retirement Contribution plans, Dependent Care Assistance and Medical Flexible spending accounts; long and short term disability insurance plans.
For more detailed information
As an affirmative action employer, Central Connecticut State University actively seeks and encourages applications from women, minorities, persons with disabilities, and individuals with protected veteran status. The University provides reasonable accommodations to qualified individuals with disabilities upon request.
