Executive Director, Planning, Institutional Effectiveness and Research
Job Description
Position Summary
- Located 45 minutes from the Nation’s Capital, nestled in a history-rich community of southern Maryland, The College of Southern Maryland (CSM) has been twice named in the top 150 community colleges by the Aspen Institute with academic programs in over 100 disciplines. CSM is among America’s top 100 producers of Minority associate degrees in twenty categories, according to Diverse Issues in Higher Education. CSM offers excellent health insurance benefits; State Retirement Pension plan; wellness programs; Code Green early closure Fridays in the summer; college closure for spring break and several major holidays, including the week between Christmas and New Year; and for several days in March for Spring Break. We are an innovative institution committed to student success and well known for our flexibility to meet student and community needs.The Executive Director of Planning, Institutional Effectiveness, and Research at the College of Southern Maryland (CSM) is responsible for developing, implementing, and managing a comprehensive institutional effectiveness and research program to support evidence-based decision-making, strategic planning, resource allocation, and continuous improvement. The Executive Director leads an effective and wide-ranging program of quantitative and qualitative research that supports decision-making at all levels of the institution through activities such as data analysis, survey research, outcomes assessment, focus groups, and more. The Executive Director must have a strong analytical background, a deep understanding of institutional research in higher education, and the ability to communicate complex data effectively to a diverse range of stakeholders.
The Executive Director must be adept at fostering a student first culture that values and utilizes data for continuous improvement. The role requires a collaborative leader with excellent interpersonal skills, capable of working with diverse perspectives and engendering trust across the college. The Executive Director will also be expected to contribute as a thought partner to the college's senior leadership, advising on trends and key issues that impact strategic initiatives. A commitment to customer service, a flexible and inquisitive approach, and the ability to manage and develop staff and processes to meet the needs of a complex institution are essential.
Reports to: Vice President, Division of Operations and Planning
The College of Southern Maryland conducts background checks in order to ensure the safety and well-being of the College's staff and students. The final candidate for this position will be subject to the following background checks: Criminal History Check and Sex Offender Registry Check.
This position is open until filled. The College of Southern Maryland is an Equal Opportunity Employer.
Specific Duties and Responsibilities
ESSENTIAL JOB FUNCTIONS
50% Institutional Effectiveness and Research:- Provides leadership for the Planning, Institutional Effectiveness, and Research Office’s work in alignment with institutional goals.
- Provides data in support of the strategic plan and strategic initiatives.
- Works with the student success team and other key stakeholders to support Access, Momentum, and Mobility strategies to move the needle on student success.
- Provides information and data-informed analyses to the President, Executive Cabinet, the Associate Vice President for Strategy, and other senior administrators and constituencies.
- Works closely with the Data Governance Team to develop advanced data analytics techniques to uncover insights and trends that drive institutional improvement.
- Identifies informational needs of stakeholders throughout the institution and works with them to provide appropriate information and analysis.
- Supports initiatives to improve data standards and policies, compliance, and accessibility across the institution.
- Collaborates with departments and divisions on assessment and continuous improvement initiatives. Advises each department and division on the completion of their annual assessments and process improvements. Provides institutional communications regarding assessment practices and timelines.
- Monitors and maintains institutional compliance with regulatory guidelines. Formulates, validates, and/or administers reports transmitted to local, state, and federal agencies to ensure data are submitted on schedule, contain accurate information, and comply with reporting requirements.
- Supports college departments and committees with projects that involve data and analysis.
- Coordinates survey data collection from stakeholders throughout the institution.
- Works closely with the Vice President for Information Management and the Associate Vice President for Strategy on the analysis and dissemination of institutional data to support the strategic plan and decision-making processes.
- Works closely with the Information Management Team, the Associate Vice President for Strategy, and the Data Governance Team to develop advanced data analytics techniques to uncover insights and trends that drive institutional improvement.
- Collaborates with the Vice President for Learning and the Director of Academic Programs, Planning & Assessment on student learning outcomes and program outcomes assessment activities.
- Actively supports the college’s Achieving the Dream initiatives.
- Supports disciplinary accreditations and takes a leading role in the institution’s Middle States Commission on Higher Education accreditation activities.
- Partners with the Information Management Team on data governance, data sharing, and data storage policies and procedures.
- Serves on various college-wide and external committees, task forces, project teams, advisory groups, and affinity groups.
- Coordinates data summits, assessment showcases, and other collaborative meetings.
- Collaborates with academic and administrative leaders to integrate analytics and assessment into their planning activities.
- Communicates findings and recommendations effectively to stakeholders, including senior leadership, faculty, staff, and external audiences.
- Provides support to college personnel on the use of data and assessment tools.
- Works collaboratively with academic and administrative leaders to identify data needs and deliver actionable insights.
- Fosters a culture of continuous improvement by promoting the use of assessment and analytics to enhance institutional performance.
- Identifies opportunities for improvement and recommends strategies to address gaps that enhance institutional effectiveness.
- Stays current with emerging trends and best practices in institutional effectiveness, strategic planning, project management, data analytics, and assessment through professional organizations and research.
- Represents the college in external forums to share outcomes and opportunities for further collaboration.
- Supervises the daily operation of the Planning, Institutional Effectiveness, and Research Office.
- Leads and manages a team of researchers and analysts, fostering a collaborative and innovative work environment.
- Manages the operational budget of the Planning, Institutional Effectiveness, and Research Office.
Additional Duties:- Performs other related work as required.
Minimum Education and Training
Required Education
- A Master’s degree in a research-related field is required (e.g., Data Science, Statistics, Social or Educational Research, Higher Education Administration). A Doctorate is preferred.
- Minimum of 3 years of experience in data analytics, institutional research, and assessment in a higher education setting.
- Proven leadership experience with a track record of developing and implementing organizational projects, data strategies and assessment initiatives.
- Significant experience in project management, analytics, assessment, and institutional effectiveness within a higher education setting.
Minimum Qualifications and Standards Required
Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities:
- Expertise with data analytics tools (e.g., SQL, Python, R) and statistical software.
- Functional knowledge and experience using business intelligence and data analytics platforms for building queries, extracting data, reporting, and dashboard creation from student information systems such as Colleague.
- Knowledge and experience with data governance, ensuring data integrity and compliance within business intelligence and data analytics platforms.
- General knowledge of SQL database design, development, and maintenance.
- Functional knowledge and experience using statistical software packages and data visualization tools for data analysis, retrieval, and dissemination is required; experience with Powerbase is preferred.
- Experience producing graphical reports, data visualizations, and interactive dashboards by using appropriate software and tools.
- Excellent communication and interpersonal skills.
- Ability to think strategically and translate complex data into actionable insights.
- Commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion in higher education.
- Demonstrated expertise in data management, statistical analysis, and the use of analytics tools and software.
- Strong understanding of accreditation processes and standards.
- Excellent leadership, communication, and interpersonal skills.
- Proven ability to lead cross-functional teams and collaborate effectively with diverse stakeholders.
PHYSICAL DEMANDS
The work is medium work which requires exerting up to 50 pounds of force occasionally, and/or up to 30 pounds of force frequently, and/or up to 10 pounds of force constantly to move objects.
WORK ENVIRONMENT- Office environment with occasional travel.
- Availability to work outside regular business hours as needed.
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