Research Manager

The Research Manager is responsible for coordinating a comprehensive programme of institutional research to support college-wide planning, assessment, data governance, policy formulation, decision-making and accreditation.

RESEARCH MANAGER

Summary:

The Research Manager is responsible for coordinating a comprehensive programme of institutional research to support college-wide planning, assessment, data governance, policy formulation, decision-making and accreditation. In addition, the Research Manager directs, manages and supervises data collection and compilation, data analysis, a variety of institutional data and research activities for use by key stakeholders, including the Board of Management, government agencies and accrediting agencies.

The Research Manager is expected to actively lead the establishment of a culture of evidence throughout the College. The Manager will work with all faculties, schools and units to increase collaboration and consistency regarding the use of data to better articulate data requirements and ensure data integrity.

The research programme encompasses studies, faculty, curriculum, enrolment, student learning, finance and other areas of higher education to generate information about the institution’s quality and student success.

Duties & Responsibilities:

• Ensure appropriate data are available for institutional decision-making at various levels across the College; including but not limited to the development and publication of an annual Fact Book.
• Provides oversight of survey development, implementation and analysis.
• Conducts and supervises the conduct of in-depth research projects on topics related to institutional priorities such as retention, student completion, faculty and course evaluation.
• Works with various campus constituents to facilitate usage of institutional data for goal setting, assessment, and strategic planning, with a focus on continual improvement.
• Supports College-wide initiatives by identifying and providing appropriate data and analysis to enhance decision-making.
• Tracks and reports on key performance indicators that develop out of planning processes.
• Presents findings and reports to various campus constituents, including the Board of Management, Principal, faculty and others as appropriate.
• Assists faculty, administrators and others to refine research objectives, evaluation and assessment designs; construct datasets and merge data from a variety of sources; determine and execute appropriate statistical and qualitative analyses; and summaries and report on findings.
• Coordinates all research activities including training of staff relating to the College.
• Works with academic staff to identify needs for information and problems for investigation, coordinating faculty participation in institutional studies.
• Supervises the collection, analysis, and preservation of data for use by the College.
• Provides support for self-studies, and accreditation processes, including annual faculty, school, and unit and institutional updates and other accreditation-related reports.
• Ensures accurate and timely submission of reports to internal teams and external agencies.
• Assigns surveys and Institutional-related tasks to the Research Officer.
• Reviews interprets and disseminates findings of research studies.
• Lectures in Research and/or in a related field of study/expertise.

Education:

• An earned Master’s degree in an area of study appropriate to the position, such as higher education administration, behavioral sciences, social science, etc.
• At least three years of direct work experience in research or planning position at a post-secondary educational institution including planning, designing and conducting research.

Knowledge/Skills/Abilities/Competencies:

• Experience working with large data sets and a working knowledge of SPSS statistical analysis software or equivalent technical capabilities
• Demonstrated ability to write research reports and make presentations appropriate for a senior management audience as well as other audiences across the institution
• Knowledge of survey methodology
• Experience leading or providing significant support of higher education accreditation processes (a plus)
• Demonstrated ability to write formal research studies and make presentations appropriate for a senior management audience
• Detail-oriented with an unfailing commitment to accuracy
• Curiosity and the predisposition to generate follow-up questions based on initial question & preliminary data discovery
• Excellent analytical, organizational, critical thinking and quantitative skills
• Outstanding problem identification and problem-solving skills
• Ability to achieve results through collaboration in a teamwork environment
• A self-motivated, resourceful individual who manages time well and follows through
• Ability to coordinate and manage multiple projects simultaneously and work effectively under tight deadlines
• Demonstrated ability to access and analyze data for effective decision-making
• Proficiency in using the Microsoft Office suite