Skip to main contentSkip to main navigationSkip to footer content

Research Analyst – Data Manager

Official Job Description

Research Analyst – Data Manager

Supervised by: Director of Research and Planning

Department: Institutional Research and Planning

Grade: J

Category: Full-time Professional-Technical

Status: Exempt

Function of the Job

Reporting to the Director of Research and Planning and working collaboratively with the ITS team, the Research Analyst – Data Manager will play a critical role in shaping Sauk Valley Community College’s institutional analytics, decision-making environment, and state and federal reporting. This role will help to contribute to ongoing efforts to design, develop, and maintain our data repository and ensure accuracy and efficiency of integrated data sets. The Research Analyst – Data Manager also contributes to data governance, ensuring that standards for data documentation with the use and sharing of data are implemented and observed.

Duties and Responsibilities

  1. Support the design and maintenance of a data integration solution between various institutional data sources. This includes the creation, automation, scheduling or processes to extract and transform data from multiple sources and environments.
  2. Collaborates with data system subject matter experts to capture the functional requirements and then translate them into useable data sets. 
  3.  Develops and maintains details technical specification and documentation of data sources to identify data integrity issues or opportunities for synergy.
  4. Ensure that the integration solutions and processes align with industry best practices in accordance with state and federal guidelines.
  5. Stays current on higher education data management/storage and analytics best practices, topics, trends, and emerging technologies/approaches including data modeling, predictive analytics and data visualizations.
  6. Maintains and expands institutional data dictionary and collaborates with data system subject matter experts to document integrated data sets.
  7. Ensures transparent data access and use processes and develops clear documentation for technical and non-technical users.
  8. Develop Tableau dashboards that are accessible and accurate.
  9. In support of the Director, creates user guides and provides training and assistance to data end-users as needed.
  10.  Meet bi-weekly with the ITS team and Director of Research and Planning to discuss data governance design and concerns.
  11. Assume all other reasonable professional duties and responsibilities as assigned by the supervisor.

Essential Functions

  1. Must understand and support the mission of the community college.
  2. Strong analytical and critical thinking skills, including experience translating complex problems into successful reports or visual solutions. Must be excellent at time management and organization.
  3. Must be able to work effectively in a team environment.
  4. Excellent written and oral communication skills with the ability to provide technical and nuanced information and feedback to both expert and non-technical audiences and to collaborate with stakeholders at all levels of the institution and with external constituents.
  5. Ability to work independently and accurately within specified time frames and experience collaborating with cross-functional teams. Ability to adapt to changing requirements.

Personal Interaction

Frequent and personal contact is made with all levels of college personnel, faculty, students, and organizations.

Supervision Excercised

No supervision required.

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree (preferably in computer science, data analytics, information systems or other field requiring experience with data warehouses, data visualization, and SQL proficiency) including three (3) years of related experience or a master’s degree in computer science, data analytics, information systems or other field requiring experience with data warehouses, data visualization, and SQL proficiency with one (1) year of related experience. Demonstrated proficiency with SQL and/or SQL-based query tools required. Demonstrated proficiency with Tableau visualization development and knowledge of system functionality. Familiarity with COBOL and experience with statistical programming (e.g., SAS, SPSS, Stata, R) preferred. They should be passionate about public higher education, data and analytics, and equitable student success.

Revised: 5/15/2024

Tort Liability Statement:

Coordinates the College Risk Management Program in a capacity appropriate to this position. This includes, but is not limited to, monitoring conditions, events and circumstances present through daily College operations, and communicating observations to the appropriate supervisor or taking necessary actions to correct, prevent or limit safety problems. May serve as a member of a committee that supports the health, safety and/or legal rights of visitors, students and staff. Such committees may include the AA/EEO, Sexual Harassment, and Safety/Loss Control committees. (Risk Management Categories I, III, IV. See Tort file.)

This description is intended to indicate the kinds and levels of work difficulty that will be required of the position that will be given the title and shall not be construed as declaring what specific duties and responsibilities of any particular position shall be. It is not intended to limit or in any way modify the right of the supervisor to assign, direct, and control the work of employees under supervision. The use of a particular expression or illustration describing duties shall not be held to exclude other duties not mentioned that are of a similar kind or level of difficulty.

 

Employee Signature Supervisor Signature

 
Date Signed by Employee Date Signed by Supervisor