Assistant Vice President for Institutional Research, Analytics, and Data Strategy

Job Description Summary

The Assistant Vice President (AVP) for Institutional Research, Analytics, and Data Strategy is a University-wide leadership position that reports directly to the Provost. The AVP provides vision, planning, and direction to strengthen Saint Leo University’s capacity for assessment, accreditation, institutional planning, and continuous improvement through advanced analytics and evidence-informed decision-making. This role supervises the Office of Institutional Research staff and leads cross-functional collaboration with Assessment, Accreditation, Enrollment Management, Academic Affairs, and Student Success to ensure that reliable data informs planning and decision-making. The AVP must possess current and advanced technical skills in pulling, cleaning, transforming, and analyzing data while providing leadership to advance a culture of accountability and continuous improvement.

Job Description

Provide leadership and direction for the Office of Institutional Research, ensuring institutional data is accurate, available, and effectively used in support of assessment, accreditation, institutional planning, strategic initiatives, and continuous improvement.

• Collaborate with academic and administrative stakeholders to deliver advanced analytical and business intelligence capabilities that support Saint Leo’s need for data-driven decision-making.
• Oversee institutional data governance, including standards, policies, compliance, and prioritization, with an emphasis on data integrity and transparency.
• Direct the design, implementation, and integration of decision-support systems, including data warehouses, business intelligence platforms, and analytics tools.
• Apply current and relevant technical skills, including demonstrable proficiency in SQL and other relevant coding or query languages, to extract, clean, transform, and visualize data for institutional reporting and analytics.
• Lead statistical modeling, data mining, and predictive analytics to support enrollment management, retention, student progression, program completion, and resource planning.
• Develop dashboards and scorecards for monitoring key performance indicators, accreditation metrics, and institutional goals.
• Partner with University leaders to expand the use of institutional data in academic and administrative planning, program review, and strategic institutional planning.
• Lead a data integrity task force to ensure institutional data is accurate, reliable, and accessible.
• Oversee the preparation and submission of accurate, timely, and compliant reports to federal and state agencies (e.g., U.S. Department of Education, IPEDS), accrediting bodies (e.g., SACSCOC, programmatic accreditors), and other external stakeholders.
• Manage the Institutional Research budget, ensuring fiscal responsibility and alignment with University priorities.
• Provide leadership in people management, including staffing, hiring, evaluation, mentoring, and professional development.
• Facilitate workshops and trainings on analytics, dashboards, reporting, and introductory SQL or other relevant coding skills to build data literacy among internal stakeholders.
• Perform related duties as assigned.

REQUIRED KNOWLEDGE, SKILLS AND ABILITIES:

Knowledge:

• Master’s Degree required; doctorate preferred.
• A minimum of five years of progressively responsible experience in institutional research, learning analytics, data science, or business intelligence, demonstrating increasing technical and analytical complexity.
• Five or more years in management and leadership roles.
• Five or more years of higher education experience, with direct involvement in assessment, accreditation, and institutional planning preferred.

Skills:

• Advanced and current technical skills in data extraction, cleaning, transformation, statistical analysis, and visualization, including demonstrated proficiency in SQL and related scripting languages for database queries and analysis.
• Expertise with data governance, decision-support systems, and business intelligence tools.
• Strong communication skills, including the ability to translate complex data into clear, actionable insights for diverse audiences.
• Skilled in budget development and management.
• Strong leadership and managerial skills, including the ability to motivate, mentor, and develop staff.

Abilities:

• Ability to lead a university-wide office and foster a culture of data-informed decision-making, accountability, and continuous improvement.
• Ability to partner effectively with diverse stakeholders across academic and administrative divisions.
• Ability to align institutional research and analytics with Saint Leo’s mission, accreditation standards, and strategic goals.
• Ability to influence others on the importance of evidence-based planning and gain buy-in for institutional initiatives.
• Ability to remain current on best practices, compliance requirements, and emerging trends in higher education analytics, accreditation, and planning.
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Why Work at Saint Leo?

What it’s Like to Work Here: Ask our employees and the one word they’d use to describe working at Saint Leo University is “Community.” Our team members all share the Saint Leo core values, positive attitudes, and problem-solving abilities, enabling them to provide excellent student-centered service. Our mission is educating and preparing students for life and leadership in a challenging world.  Thank you for your interest in joining the Saint Leo PRIDE!

We are committed to providing our employees with the support they need. At Saint Leo, we offer an array of medical, dental, and vision packages as well as several add-on perks to make your benefits package truly customizable to you and your family needs. Available benefits based on employment status (Full Time vs Part Time).

• FREE Tuition - Employee, Spouse, and Dependents*
• Tuition Exchange Opportunity - Dependent of Employees*
• Generous Paid Leave - Sick, Vacation, and Holidays
• Comprehensive Group Health Plan (Medical, Dental, and Vision)
• Group Medical Plan includes Teledoc, Surgery Plus, Wellness Incentive Program and more!
• 100% Employer-Funded Health Reimbursement Account
• 100% Employer-Paid Short Term Disability Insurance
• 100% Employer-Funded Employee Assistance Program (healthcare and dependent options)
• Employer-provided life insurance
• Discounted On-Campus Dining Meal Plans
• Nationwide Pet Insurance
• Flexible Spending Accounts
• 403b Retirement Plan
• Wellness Center

*Eligibility based on meeting required service period