The AVP for Institutional Research & Analysis leads a team of talented individuals at the University of Tennessee System in efforts to equip executive leaders and key stakeholders with insightful and reliable data that propels thoughtful planning and evidence-based decision making to advance the university’s mission. The AVP-IRA reports to and supports the Vice President for Academic Affairs, Research, and Student Success and works closely with the president’s office, the president’s cabinet, the UT Board of Trustees, peers within the UT System, and other university leaders on a regular basis. In addition to ensuring the data used for reporting and analysis are valid and reliable, the AVP-IRA provides evidence-based recommendations, decision support, and expert counsel on all topics related to the university’s mission and goals. The AVP-IRA is pivotal in convening and collaborating with institutional research (IR) and analysis colleagues across the UT campuses to coordinate and align IR efforts while promoting consistency and clarity in all institutional reporting.
The role touches all aspects of the University from a functional standpoint—including student data (admissions, enrollment, retention, graduation, and financial aid), academic/curriculum, human resources, financial, research, facilities, and advancement/development. The AVP-IRA is focused on enterprise data stewardship, analytics, institutional research, and survey and analytics consulting projects that leverage existing data resources, encourage the integration of multiple data sets across traditional organizational boundaries, and involve rigorous and robust statistical methods.
The AVP-IRA directs a portfolio of strategic projects through their leadership of a team that includes a Director of Institutional Research, a Director of Business Intelligence, an Assessment Coordinator, Data Developers, Data Analysts, Data Visualization personnel, and graduate assistant
Job Duties
- Data Stewardship & Quality Assurance — Oversees data governance, quality control, and the integrity of institutional data assets to support reliable decision-making across the System.
- Official Reporting & Dashboards — Develops, maintains, and enhances current, as well as new, official reports, dashboards, and data products for the System, ensuring accuracy, timeliness, and relevance to audiences internal to UT and to public audiences.
- Strategic & Institutional Planning Support — Provides insightful and analytical support, translating data into actionable insights that inform short- and long-term institutional priorities and planning.
- Ad Hoc Analytical Studies — In response to system priorities and strategic planning, initiates, designs, and conducts ad hoc research and analytical studies using sound and appropriate quantitative and qualitative methodologies and communicates findings clearly to a wide variety of audiences.
- Program Assessment — In partnership with colleagues at the UT campuses & institutes, proactively assesses the quality, efficiency, and effectiveness of academic and administrative programs, including peer benchmarking and trend analysis.
Strategic Leadership and Executive Support
- Serves as a senior advisor to the VP-AARSS and the UT executive leadership team on matters of institutional data, research, and analytics.
- Fosters a data-informed culture across the UT System and within the AARSS team, upholding the System's values of integrity, innovation, transparency, collaboration, and excellence.
- Provides presentations, reports, and briefings to the Board of Trustees, President's Cabinet, President/Chancellors group meetings, Faculty Senate, Tennessee Higher Education Commission (THEC), and other bodies as needed.
- Monitors the broader higher education and accreditation environments at the system, state, and national levels and uses that knowledge, along with in-depth research and analysis, to make recommendations that inform policy decisions and institutional strategy.
Develops and Leads Collaborative Teams
- Supervises and provides leadership to the institutional research and analytics team, including professional staff responsible for data warehousing, data quality, reporting, and ad hoc analyses.
- Fosters collaborative relationships between the Institutional Research & Analysis team and other units within the Division of Academic Affairs, Research, and Student Success and across the UT System.
- Focuses on ongoing professional development of staff, with the goal of increasing and improving the team's capacity to conduct analyses in a timely and accurate manner, initiate insights, and to build tools that support leadership decision-making.
- Manages direct reports and allocates work to drive team performance, ensuring alignment of process and priorities.
- Provides oversight of the administrative operations of the office, including budget and accounts.
- Using accepted frameworks and national networks, equips campus and institute personnel with knowledge and skills to expand their organizational impact and maximize their resources.
- Creates internal capacity by streamlining processes and prioritizing resources.
Data Collection, Reporting, and Compliance
- Works with campuses and institutes to develop and maintain common data definitions and standards for report elements, ensuring that data are standard, meaningful, and consistently interpreted.
- Oversees the timely and accurate submission of required federal reports (e.g., IPEDS) and state reports (e.g., THEC submissions) and other legal requirements.
- Represents the University at state and federal meetings, task groups, and professional associations related to institutional research and data reporting.
Analytics, Business Intelligence, and Data Infrastructure
- Collaborates with campuses and the Office of Information Technology (OIT) to maintain and enhance the enterprise data warehouse/consolidated data repository for real-time data retrieval and access, serving campuses, system-wide staff, the Board of Trustees, and other constituencies.
- Provides guidance on data governance, predictive analytics, machine learning, data visualization, and business intelligence best practices.
- Oversees the development and maintenance of dashboards, data products, and self-service analytics tools that reduce the reporting burden on campuses and streamline data requests.
- Translates available data and analysis into relevant and timely information for use in internal and external communications, including regular and special reports.
Research and Policy Analysis
- Leverages collaborative relationships with the UT Government Relations team, the AVP of Research in AARSS, and other campus colleagues.
- Designs and develops research approaches utilizing sound methodologies—both inferential and descriptive—for specific research questions facing the System and its institutions.
- Conducts and oversees studies on enrollment, budgeting, resource allocation, workforce trends, student outcomes, faculty productivity, and other critical higher education issues.
- Stays current with the literature and industry best practices in higher education, data science, and institutional research to identify topics for new research and to align research project goals with broader System initiatives.
Required Qualifications
- Master's degree in a social science discipline, educational research, higher education administration, data science, statistics, or a closely related field. A doctoral degree is preferred.
- Seven years of progressively responsible experience in institutional/organizational research, data management, analytics, and/or policy analysis in higher education or an equivalent setting (10 years preferred).
- Five years of experience conducting analytical and policy studies that support decision-making and planning.
- Experience analyzing data from national and state database systems (e.g., IPEDS, state longitudinal data systems).
Knowledge, Skills & Abilities
- Data & Analytics Expertise: Advanced skills in data management, quantitative and qualitative analysis, statistical methods, and data visualization. Familiarity with ELT processes, data warehousing concepts, and business intelligence platforms.
- Higher Education Knowledge: Deep knowledge of higher education topics such as enrollment management, student outcomes, faculty productivity, research expenditures, institutional productivity and efficiency, and applicable laws and regulations.
- Strategic Communication: Excellent oral, written, and presentation skills with demonstrated ability to analyze, integrate, and clearly communicate complex information at the conceptual, strategic, and tactical levels to diverse audiences.
- Leadership & Collaboration: Demonstrated leadership skills and the ability to lead cross-functional research and business intelligence teams. Strong facilitation and organizational skills and the ability to foster teamwork and build collaborative relationships across campuses and administrative units.
- Project Management: Knowledge of project management principles and the ability to manage multiple concurrent initiatives.
- Data Governance & Integrity: Commitment to quality, accuracy, and integrity in all data and reporting activities. Knowledge of data governance frameworks and best practices.
- Stakeholder Engagement: Ability to effectively navigate and maintain a consistent and effective presence in the larger community of internal and external stakeholders, including state and federal agencies.
The University of Tennessee System is the state’s oldest higher education institution and preeminent public university. The UT System is comprised of campuses at Knoxville, Chattanooga, Pulaski and Martin; the Health Science Center at Memphis; and the statewide Institute of Agriculture and Institute for Public Service. With a presence in each of Tennessee’s 95 counties and through the combined force of education, research and outreach, the University serves students, business and industry, schools, governments, organizations and residents statewide.
