Data Analyst

Compensation Range:

Position Summary

The Data Analyst on the Data & Insights team works cross-functionally with data engineers, data scientists, and business experts in an agile environment to help National University deliver a better student experience using data and analytics. The analyst collaborates on a variety of projects that include building analytical models, coding, data visualizations, and storytelling to help identify opportunities for our students, our faculty, and our staff. This role is particularly focused on supporting the Financial Aid department and understanding higher education financial aid systems and regulations. Our teams and projects are organized in an agile methodology, with scrum teams serving distinct pillars of the organization, allowing the incumbent to become an expert in one of our key business and data domains: i.e., academics and institutional research, student operations (advising, financial aid, etc.), marketing/enrollment, and University partnerships.

Additionally, the analyst responds to requests, gathers requirements, and designs reporting, with an opportunity to work cross-functionally and develop relationships with business owners, helping them apply data and insights for student success, continuous organizational improvement, and achievement of strategic goals.  The analyst conducts full lifecycle analysis to include requirements, activities, design, and reporting.

The Data Analyst turns data into actionable insights that can inform business decisions, helping to ensure that National University meets regulatory requirements while enhancing financial performance.

Essential Functions:

• Use Structured Query Language (SQL) to gather and assess data across new and legacy data warehouses.
• Engage with stakeholders, particularly within the Finance, Accounting, Financial Aid, Financial Aid, and Compliance departments, to translate data requests into technical requirements for reporting and accurately size requests for sprint planning.
• Collaborate with data engineers and data governance colleagues on the data production lifecycle from request to fulfillment, communicating on request requirements, definitions, database needs, quality assurance (QA), security, and development operations movement between DEV, UAT, and PROD environments.
• Design and develop compliance-driven reports for federal, state, and internal financial aid reporting, including but not limited to financial statements, budgeting, forecasting, and other financial compliance reports, ensuring accuracy and regulatory compliance.
• Adhere to style guides and, where appropriate, templates in developing Excel files, Power BI paginated reports, and Power BI dashboards that convey information in an actionable and understandable format.
• Identify, analyze, and interpret trends or patterns in complex data sets, particularly in the context of financial performance and compliance.
• Manage stakeholder expectations and project manage design, development, and delivery of data solutions, own data analysis where needed, and communicate outcomes/insights to various collaborators to inform decisions for improvements in financial processes and compliance.
• Filter and clean data by reviewing reports and performance indicators to locate and correct data errors or inconsistencies.
• Work within scrum teams and the sprint process to prioritize business and information needs.
• Locate and define new process improvement opportunities related to finance and reporting.
• Other duties as assigned.

Supervisory Responsibilities: N/A

Requirements:

Education & Experience:

• Bachelor’s degree required; preferably in Data Science, Computer Science, Statistics, Finance, Accounting, or other quantitative fields.
• Master’s degree preferred.
• Minimum of two (2) years of experience in data analytics, with a strong understanding of financial systems, reporting, and compliance, required.
• Previous experience working in finance or accounting preferred.Experience constructing custom datasets for analysis, particularly with Financial Aid data, preferred.
• Experience with advanced data visualization platforms like Power BI preferred.
• Experience constructing custom datasets for analysis, particularly in financial data, preferred.
• Experience in higher education preferred.
• Experience working in a technology-driven enterprise is a plus.
• All skills, abilities and education will be considered for minimum qualifications.

Competencies/Technical/Functional Skills:

• Knowledge of federal, state, and internal higher education compliance reporting, including Gainful Employment, Fair Value Transparency, IPEDS, enrollment reporting, 1098-T forms, and other financial aid-related reports, preferred.
• Knowledge of financial statements, financial compliance, accounting, budgeting, forecasting and other financial-related reports, preferred. 
• Strong analytical skills with the ability to collect, organize, analyze, and disseminate significant amounts of information with attention to detail and accuracy.
• A demonstrated ability to use SQL to query and extract findings from large datasets in relational databases such as SQL Server, Teradata, Oracle, etc.
• Proficient in SQL query design, generation, and reporting.
• Expert in Excel pivot tables and charts, especially in the context of financial data.
• Ability to work closely with business owners, especially within Finance, to translate needs into technical data requirements and solutions.
• Quick and adaptable thinker; willing to discover alternative solutions to technical problems.
• A desire to solve complex problems with creative and concise solutions.
• Excellent written and verbal presentation skills – ability to communicate findings with non-technical stakeholders in concise and simple terms.
• Ability to thrive in a collaborative, team-oriented environment.
• Self-organized and able to successfully complete assignments on time in a fully remote environment.
• Capable of performing in a professional and friendly manner despite conditions of deadlines and pressure.
• Ability to work on multiple projects, both independently and as a team member. Adjusts to changing environments while sustaining value-added services.
• Proficient in Microsoft 365 Office suite (Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook).

Location: Remote

Travel: No Travel Required

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Candidate receiving offers will be offered a salary/pay rate commensurate with experience that vary based on a candidate’s qualifications, skills, and competencies.  Absent exceptional circumstances, candidates will be offered a salary within this range for this position. The minimum salary will be offered based on the minimum exemption threshold based on state of residency. Base pay is one component of National University’s total rewards package, as we are dedicated to supporting the needs of the “whole you” with our holistic approach to employee benefits by offering comprehensive well-being benefits for you and your family.  For full details about our benefit plan offerings, please visit benefits.nu.edu. For Part-time benefits, please click here.

National University is committed to maintaining a high-quality, diverse workforce representative of the populations we serve. National University employs more than 5,000 faculty and staff and serves over 41,000 students. We are united in our mission to meet the global education demands of the 21st Century and are dedicated to creating a supportive academic and work environment that allows students, faculty and staff to develop their interests and talents while experiencing a sense of community and a commitment to diversity. With programs available both online and at our many campus locations, National University is a leader in creating innovative solutions to education and meeting the needs of our diverse student population, including adult learners and working professionals.

National University offers an opportunity to work in an innovative environment that supports diversity.

National University (NU) is proud to be an equal opportunity employer and does not discriminate against any employee or applicant per applicable federal, state and local laws. At NU, a diverse mix of highly talented, innovative and creative people come together to make the impact of a lifetime for each of our student learners. All qualified applicants will receive equal consideration for employment, education, and admission at National University. We are focused on equality and believe deeply in diversity of race, color, ancestry, age, family care status, veteran status, marital status, creed, religion, sex, gender, sexual orientation, religion, ethnicity, national origin, and other legally protected group status.