Data Analyst and Evaluation Specialist

Overview

Term: 18 months 

The Data Analyst and Evaluation Specialist provides data analysis and insights to support operational and strategic decision making pertinent to student success. This includes responsibility for sourcing, understanding, consolidating, and analyzing data to support university wide, faculty specific and department level student success initiatives including but not limited to academic success and retention (e.g., University 101 and the Foundation term), new student transition initiatives (e.g., 7000+ new undergraduate first year students), cross campus advising strategy (200+ advisors) and supporting new and evolving strategic initiatives. Insights inform strategic direction and leadership decisions for campus wide, faculty specific or department level initiatives. Effective communication of analysis and findings is a key attribute of this role and essential to enable all stakeholders (e.g., department heads, managers, directors) to have context for recommendations and actions.

Responsibilities

Data Acquisition and management

• Operates within University policies and exercises best practices for privacy and confidentiality, and records and information management. Advises internal stakeholders on best practices for data and records management
• Creates and maintains documentation as needed to ensure business continuity and best practices are used consistently by the SSO
• Develops a deep understanding of available data, systems, dictionaries, and distribution channels from multiple information systems across the university
• Operates with data quality standards and identifies data anomalies and discrepancies to appropriate institutional data stewards for resolution
• Explores utilization of tools, systems, and practices to recommend and improve data and information analysis
• Applies descriptive and inferential statistics to understand trends, patterns, and dependencies with respect to a variety of strategic and operational issues
• Collaborates with campus partners (i.e., APS units, faculties) to improve and automate data reporting and dissemination (e.g., Power BI dashboards)
• Consults with Institutional Analysis and Planning (IAP) and Information Systems and Technology (IST) and other departments on the design, implementation, testing and operation of any computer systems required for the collection, storage, reporting and analysis of data and trends related to student success
• Educates themselves and others on understanding how bias, privilege and discrimination can impact data collection and overall interpretation of information

Data Analysis and Reporting

• Communicates findings, recommendations, and data through reports, presentations, and visual analytics
• Collaborates with IAP, UWaterloo Life (Associate Provost, Students Office), MUR, faculties, and other departments to further analyze data from large institutional student surveys (e.g., National Survey of Student Engagement, Incoming Student Survey, Student Experience Survey, iBarometer, etc.) and develop complementary inquiries that inform department level and university level responses. The Specialist makes recommendations on how university level data informs SSO strategic direction (e.g., strategic direction of faculty action plans)
• Works with large complex datasets to clean, merge and format lists for SSO and on behalf of the university (e.g., emails to all incoming undergraduate students, emails to current international students)
• Supports the Associate Provost, Students (APS) office insights initiatives by providing SSO student engagement data to support evidence-based decision-making and articulation of the student experience journey
• Prioritizes and responds to ad hoc and routine data inquiries
• Uses an equity and anti-racist informed approach to qualitative and quantitative data collection, interpretation, and dissemination
• Responsible for updating and continuously improving (e.g., automation) power BI dashboards from different data sources
• Works with multiple, varied clients (department heads, Associate Deans) to identify, clarify, and fully understand their questions or problems to provide effective data answers and solutions
• Develops accurate graphs, reports, dashboards, and presentations to convey complex information in an understandable and compelling manner
• Develops and prepares analytical models, reports, and relevant data visualizations (including dashboards, graphs, presentations, and web applications) to inform evidence-based decision-making for SSO leadership, APS and campus partners (e.g., Associate Deans) This includes monitoring student enrolment for key programs, student survey outcomes, key performance indicators, etc.
• Supports indicator development and ongoing reporting for SSO operational and strategic measures
• Analyzes trends and patterns over time using various benchmarks and comparative data

Leadership, relationships, and consultation

• Provides strategic direction to the management and leadership teams in the creation and ongoing maintenance of their outcomes-based evaluation plans, data gathering methods, tools, analysis, and use of the results to support the strategic direction of the office including faculty specific and campus wide initiatives
• Provides training and competency building opportunities to all SSO staff in support of building and maintaining a culture of evidence
• Supports and advises the SSO leadership team with respect to any new or evolving research strategies, opportunities, and results as well as any analyses that may assist with decisions about priorities and long-range planning
• Collaborates closely with counterparts in IAP to seek input and advice with respect to SSO initiatives, including but not limited to survey management and interpretation, forecasting, retention definition and analyses and participation in large-scale surveys such as NSSE. Contribute SSO progress and outcome indicators to support various institutional accountability measures, including those related to the university strategic plan
• Leadership on specific data analytics projects as required both within the SSO, APS Office and campus wide and/or faculty specific as appropriate. This may include supporting advanced and complex research, collection, organization and analysis of data and information
• Provides evidence-based direction on KPIs for areas across the SSO
• Advises and keeps SSO teams informed about any plans, features, and results of IAP and/or other department or faculty-related studies and data that may affect student success
• Builds constructive relationships to support business process and data-related collaboration with university partners (Registrar's Office, Institutional Analysis and Planning, Marketing and Undergraduate Recruitment, Graduate Studies and Postdoctoral Affairs, APS Office, faculty leadership)
• Serves on committees and working groups, offering data and analytical expertise, and fostering data information sharing and collaborative approaches on a variety of projects
• Lead teams without direct supervisor responsibilities

Other

• Participates in SSO events and in the administration of SSO-wide responsibilities, and other such general and specific duties as may from time to time be determined (i.e.: orientation, convocation)
• Provides coaching, training, and co-op student development to assure student growth and development

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in business, Statistics, Economics, Data Analytics, or a combination of equivalent experience and education
• At least 3 years of experience in a data analysis and/or research role – working with complex datasets
• Strong educational and professional background in data management, statistical analysis, associated computer applications, program evaluation, and related applied social research methods
  • Python and/or R experience with manipulating, transforming, and visualizing data
  • Creation of reports and dashboards in Power BI utilizing various data connections
  • Experience establishing data connections using APIs an asset
  • Experience working with relational databases and creating queries in SQL
  • Advanced knowledge of Excel (functions/formulas, pivot tables, Power Query, and macros)
• Experience within an educational setting strongly preferred
• Experience developing assessment/evaluation processes and plans for both large- and small-scale programs and initiatives strongly preferred
• Experience developing surveys for data collection and performing data analysis
  • Experience utilizing Qualtrics an asset
• A record of and commitment to participating in ongoing learning and engagement in the areas of equity, diversity, inclusion anti-racism and accessibility. The Analyst connects this learning to their overall SSO assessment, evaluation, and data analysis practices
• Experience with social science research methods including quantitative and qualitative required
• Demonstrated leadership and guidance in using descriptive and inferential statistics to understand trends, patterns, and dependencies with respect to a variety of strategic issues
• Experience with data governance and privacy is highly preferred
• Demonstrated knowledge of barriers to student success (systematic, historic, issues of access) for underrepresented or non-traditional students and students who are academically at risk. Knowledge of how these barriers may impact data collection techniques and overall program evaluation practices
• Strong understanding of the assessment/evaluation process including assessment/evaluation instrument design
• Strong knowledge of data management, manipulation, interpretation, and analysis skills using statistical analysis or data transformation tools including Excel, SQL, Python, and/or R. This includes a strong knowledge of a variety of reporting and data visualization tools, such as Tableau or Power BI
• Proven ability to deliver timely, accurate, comprehensible, professional-quality data analytical reports
• Strong organizational skills coupled with the ability to handle multiple tasks, meet deadlines, and excel in a fast-paced environment characterized by changing priorities
• Excellent communication skills: ability to converse articulately with university administrators and other campus stakeholders including ability to translate analysis results to a non-technical audience
• Ability to use descriptive and inferential statistics to analyze data; and knowledge of various methodologies to gather data (surveys, interviews, focus groups, community forum, literature reviews, environmental scans; situational analysis, needs assessment, etc.)
• Ability to work independently and as part of a team

Equity Statement

The University of Waterloo acknowledges that much of our work takes place on the traditional territory of the Neutral, Anishinaabeg, and Haudenosaunee peoples. Our main campus is situated on the Haldimand Tract, the land granted to the Six Nations that includes six miles on each side of the Grand River. Our active work toward reconciliation takes place across our campuses through research, learning, teaching, and community building, and is co-ordinated within the Office of Indigenous Relations.

The University values the diverse and intersectional identities of its students, faculty, and staff. The University regards equity and diversity as an integral part of academic excellence and is committed to accessibility for all employees. The University of Waterloo seeks applicants who embrace our values of equity, anti-racism and inclusion.  As such, we encourage applications from candidates who have been historically disadvantaged and marginalized, including applicants who identify as First Nations, Métis and/or Inuk (Inuit), Black, racialized, a person with a disability, women and/or 2SLGBTQ+.

Positions are open to qualified candidates who are legally entitled to work in Canada.

The University of Waterloo is committed to accessibility for persons with disabilities. If you have any application, interview, or workplace accommodation requests, please contact Human Resources at hrhelp@uwaterloo.ca  or 519-888-4567, ext. 45935.