Specialist - Research-Fixed Term

Working/Functional Title
Data Scientist
Position Summary
Michigan State University's Global Innovations in Development, Engagement, & Scholarship (Global IDEAS) within International Studies and Programs supports international engagement under the MSU Strategic Plan 2030. Its main objectives are to communicate key international data to university leadership and the public and serve as a campus-wide analytical resource. Global IDEAS collaborates with external partners and donors, facilitates communities of practice, and provides proposal development and project management support to MSU faculty and academic units, toward enhancing opportunities for faculty and staff to conduct research, education, and outreach.

Global IDEAS manages MSU's , which provide visualizations of MSU's Externally Funded International Projects, International Student Enrollment, Education Abroad, International Agreements Data, and International Research Collaboration. These dashboards utilize Tableau, Tableau Prep, and SQL Oracle to draw from MSU's electronic data warehouse (EDW). International Studies and Programs (ISP) collaborates with units across campus to streamline and upgrade the international data plan.

Global IDEAS seeks a Data Scientist who is curious, creative, and can see both the big picture and work with attention to detail. The successful candidate will have strong technical, interpersonal and communication skills to convey findings to various audiences and positively influence university leadership. The Data Scientist will need to articulate complex issues to a non-technical audience clearly and effectively. Daily activities may include development of data representations and visualizations, advising on predictive models and creating easy to understand reports and dashboards. This will be a full-time (100% FTE) 12-month fixed-term position funded for one year with the possibility of reappointments depending on funding and performance.

ISP is currently operating under a hybrid modality structure, with staff working three days in person and two days remote. Global IDEAS values individual and group differences and encourages applicants who will contribute to a culture of inclusion on campus.

Primary responsibilities include:

Data Analysis and Reporting

• Analyze, interpret, summarize, and present data and findings in a clear, comprehensive, and effective manner
• Conduct internal and external benchmarking analysis for ISP
• Develop and design reports and dashboards in Tableau

Consultation, Decision Support, and Strategic Planning

• Consult with and support ISP leadership and units by pulling and analyzing data
• Collaborate with other campus units on communicating, building, and evaluating data tools and streamlining data reporting
• Provide analysis and decision support for university international initiatives, projects, and planning
• Develop and conduct training capacity workshops for ISP units in various topics, such as basic descriptive statistics, Microsoft Excel and Power Automate, ChatGPT and Language Learning Models, and monitoring and evaluation

Database Management and Development

• Build custom SQL to meet reporting requirements and manage ISP International Data Portals
• Perform query tuning and root cause analysis to optimize database performance and correct errors
• Develop SQL to create database tables, views, and stored procedures to support data storage and report development
• Provide targeted training on tools and platforms when necessary

Representation and Trend Monitoring

• Represent ISP on university-wide data-related committees
• Keep apprised of trends and conversations about data in higher education and international education

Equal Employment Opportunity Statement
All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, citizenship, age, disability or protected veteran status.
Required Degree
Doctorate -Statistics, computational science, a social science discipline, or related field including other degrees with a strong quantitative emphasis
Minimum Requirements

• Doctorate degree in statistics, computational science, a social science discipline, or related field including other degrees with a strong quantitative emphasis
• A strong track record demonstrating success in collaborative research and/or outreach projects and to form interdisciplinary teams as appropriate to pursue opportunities
• Five or more years of experience in statistical consulting, research, data mining, data science, data management and analysis
• Excellent communication skills including, presenting, editing, and writing as well as accuracy and attention to detail required
• Three to five years of related experience in data analysis, SQL development, data warehousing and data visualization
• Experience writing advanced SQL queries; expertise with Oracle PL/SQL, expertise with Tableau

Desired Qualifications

• Ability to use data retrieval and manipulation, and expertise in statistical tools such as SAS, SQL, STATA, R, D3, Python, and data visualization tools such as Tableau and Tableau Prep
• Proven excellence in program management and project management
• Prior experience working in a university setting and with higher education related data (student, research, business support systems)
• An understanding of data warehouse technologies (Oracle preferred); familiarity with data integration processes using enterprise ETL tools (DataStage preferred) and the role of data stewardship
• Ability to model and analyze data in statistical tools (SPSS, R, SAS, Python, or similar) combined with experience integrating large datasets from a variety of sources; experience with ETL tools (DataStage, Informatica)
• Ability to work closely with clients to build custom dashboards
• Provide support for data analysis to support ISP centers and other units in developing and streamlining data reporting
• Use research findings to make recommendations to administrators to contribute to decision making for short- and long-term planning
• In-depth knowledge of university administrative organization, policies, procedures, and practices for institutional research-oriented roles.

Required Application Materials
A complete application will include a cover letter, CV and sample of work.
Review of Applications Begins On
08/26/2024
Website
;br>Department Statement
Our Mission

Global Innovations in Development, Engagement, and Scholarship (Global IDEAS) catalyzes interdisciplinary thought, research, and action to solve global/grand challenges in an international development context. We facilitate communities of practice; collaborate and engage with external partners and donors; enhance opportunities for faculty and staff to conduct research, education, and engagement; and provide proposal development and project management to support MSU's international objectives.

Our Vision

MSU faculty and staff:

• are sought after by partners around the world for collaborative endeavors;
  
• have increased access to funding sources to support their engagement in international development projects;
  
  
• develop competitive and high-quality proposals for impactful projects; and
  

• are recognized as thought leaders in the international development space and help shape dialogue.
  

MSU Statement
Michigan State University has been advancing the common good with uncommon will for more than 160 years. One of the top research universities in the world, MSU pushes the boundaries of discovery and forges enduring partnerships to solve the most pressing global challenges while providing life-changing opportunities to a diverse and inclusive academic community through more than 200 programs of study in 17 degree-granting colleges.

Advertised: Aug 5, 2024 Eastern Daylight Time
Applications close: Aug 29, 2024 Eastern Daylight Time

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