General Statement of Duties:

This position reports to the Executive Director of Institutional Research & Assessment.

The purpose of this position is to support specific grants with data management, reporting and institutional research by conducting appropriate analysis and reporting.

This is accomplished by performing research methodology, conducting surveying; conducting informational presentations; providing institutional research support; creating technical documentation; performing database queries (MS Access), designing and maintaining information systems and databases to support the needs of the assigned grants.

The Research Analyst will work on multiple projects simultaneously and will manage multiple project timelines and deliverables.

Experience working in a fast-paced environment, being flexible to changing priorities, and maintaining a high degree of integrity while professionally handling confidential data are required. The ability to multitask, work independently as well as within a team, manage complex projects, and be deadline driven is a must. A self-starting, resourceful, individual with analytical skills, attention to detail, problem-solving and decision-making abilities is the ideal candidate. Experience working remotely a plus.

Grants the position will be responsible for:

US Dept. of Education Title III 2023 - 2027
MA BHE SUCCESS Fund - Annual funding
MA STEM Starter - Annual funding

Responsibilities:

• Extracts and manipulates complex data sets, performs statistical analysis of data, and interprets/organizes results into meaningful reports or visualizations that can be acted upon for grant decision-making, assessment, program improvement and reporting.
• Compile and combine data from multiple sources, formats and types to create data sets optimized for analyses.
• Work closely with Information Technology staff, grant staff and with stakeholders across the institution to ensure accurate participant identification, track and report grant metrics. Write documentation of the tracking and reporting processes.
• Analyze surveys used by the grant, such as the Community College Student Survey of Engagement (CCSSE), and deliver written reports, visualizations and presentations of survey results.
• Complete interim, term-based and annual reporting in partnership with grant staff.
• Works closely to provide data and analytic support to the grant director and grant external evaluators, as appropriate.
• Provide additional analysis for narrative reporting or needs assessment as time permits.
• Participate in meetings, work groups, committees required for the grant(s).
• May perform or assist in the delivery of presentations or technical reports.
• Participate in training and development opportunities to enhance technical skills and understanding of institutional research principles and practices.

Minimum Qualifications:

• Bachelor's degree in social science, educational research, computer science, political science, business analytics, public administration, statistics or other quantitatively oriented discipline;
• At least two years of relevant experience in academic/research environment with assigned responsibilities in research, assessment and/or data science; or
• An equivalent combination of education and experience;
• Applicant must have an understanding of relational databases and experience working with large datasets;
• Experience writing summaries of results for non-technical audiences;
• Experience with virtual meeting software such as Zoom or Microsoft Teams.

Required Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities:

• Applicant must be highly organized and detail oriented with strong written and verbal communication skills, interpersonal acumen, and the ability to work collaboratively and productively with other OIRA personnel and other college employees;
• Advanced proficiency with Microsoft Office Suite with emphasis on Excel and Access are required. Working fluently and independently in Excel, perform data quality control, join data sets with vlookup, and develop reports with pivot tables;
• Knowledge of research design, statistical data analysis (descriptive and inferential) and quantitative research methods.

Desired Qualifications:

Master's degree, or higher, social science, educational research, computer science, political science, business analytics, public administration, statistics or other quantitatively oriented discipline;
Graduate work designing/conducting valid research studies is desirable and my substitute for 2 years experience;
Applicant must possess knowledge of higher education administration and information needs; familiarity with higher education issues, assessment, and performance indicators;
Knowledge of best practices in institutional research/effectiveness and operationalizing data to inform decision making; intermediate statistics proficiency;
Experience working with student information system data; knowledge of state and federal student data privacy and security laws such as FERPA;
Experience working with statistical analysis software, such as SPSS or R
Experience with Tableau or other business intelligence tool to create visualizations.

Equivalency Statement
Applicants who do not meet the qualifications as stated above are encouraged to put in writing precisely how their background and experience have prepared them with the equivalent combination of education, training and experience required for the responsibilities of this position.

Salary: $33.00 per hour

Employee Status: Part Time Grant Funded Ends 6/30/25 with possibility of renewal contingent on grant funding.
Benefits: No
Hours per Week: Varies- total of 630 hours over appointment. Based on grant reporting needs.
Number of Weeks: 52

This position will be eligible for MWCC telework policy with some in-person work required. The position is 100% grant funded for a minimum of 630 hours during the fiscal year (July 1 - June 30) with a work schedule that will align with grant reporting needs.

Schedule will vary based on when the funders announce the reporting deadlines. Typically, the majority of hours to support the grants will be needed in August - mid January. Additional work for specific deadlines is typically 4 weeks prior to the deadline. There will likely be time required between mid-April to mid-June.

The annual hours are contingent on future grant funding. Hours may be added for new grant development.

Mount Wachusett Community College is an affirmative action/equal opportunity employer and does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, national origin, ethnicity, gender, disability, religion, age, veteran status, genetic information, gender identity or sexual orientation in its programs and activities as required /by Title IX of the Educational Amendments of 1972, the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990, Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, and other applicable statutes and college policies. The College prohibits sexual harassment, including sexual violence. Inquiries or complaints concerning discrimination, harassment, retaliation or sexual violence shall be referred to the College's Affirmative Action and/or Title IX Coordinator, the Massachusetts Commission against Discrimination, the Equal Employment Opportunities Commission or the United States Department of Education's Office for Civil Rights.