Employment opportunities

Position description

Position title: Director of Institutional Assessment

Reports to: Associate Vice President of Institutional Effectiveness

Position summary:

The Director of the Office of Institutional Assessment supports the University’s institutional effectiveness efforts through the collection, analysis and distribution of meaningful data. This position works with departments and offices throughout the university to support the development of the Annual Assessment Reports and accreditation by state and national organizations. The director provides leadership in the design, development, coordination, implementation and evaluation of institutional research activities and oversees all survey administration processes, including survey development, design, sampling, data collection, data analysis, reporting and results dissemination; provides support/consultation for academic program review and other program evaluation.

Mission and strategic plan

This position supports Saint Martin’s University’s Sixth Imperative: Achieve a High Standard of Excellence. The Office of Institutional Effectiveness supports the definition of qualitative and quantitative standards of excellence for programs and job functions throughout the university (6.1) – providing tools, training, and resources to support this excellence (6.2) and to work to create a culture of assessment and planning that enables the University to advance its goals based on facts and actionable plans (6.4).

Level of supervision and supervisory responsibility

General Supervision: The employee carries out recurring assignments without specific instruction. The supervisor intercedes and provides direction for only new or unusual problems which involve deviations from normal policies, procedures and work methods. The employee’s work is reviewed upon completion and only periodically to verify compliance with policies and procedures.

Responsibilities and essential functions

General Functions

• Collect, analyze and disseminate findings of quantitative and qualitative data relating to the University’s students, programs, and characteristics, as well as on the higher education field in general, to support strategic planning, decision-making, program development and review, assessment of student learning, and accreditation.
• Establish and maintain currency of the Institutional Effectiveness Intranet and Web site.
• Plans, organizes, interprets, and disseminates results of university-wide administered surveys (e.g. CIRP-TFS; CIRP-CSS; NSSE; FSSE; SSI).
• Plans, develops, and administers other requested surveys, and analyzes their results for faculty and staff.
• Develop, coordinate and conduct ad hoc studies for faculty, staff and students. Includes collecting, interpreting, analyzing and presenting the results and making recommendations based on results.
• Generates data reports for the Annual Assessment Reports and other documents from various relational databases.
• Serves on the University Institutional Effectiveness Assessment Committee.
• Serves as liaison to faculty, staff, students and the public in facilitating university or program requests for assessment information.
• Coordinates with academic departments to develop and implement a continuous, comprehensive, campus-wide outcomes assessment program.

Competencies

• Understanding of higher education requirements and regulations - federal and state regulations and data needs, higher education trends, data definitions and accreditation issues.
• Demonstrated ability to communicate complex information to operational and functional leaders; read, interpret and explain professional materials involving advanced bodies of knowledge.
• Demonstrated experience with quantitative research methods and statistics, and a sound knowledge of qualitative research methods.
• Exercises judgment in answering verbal and written communications with internal and external contacts interpreting University and Institutional Effectiveness policies.
• Provide exceptional customer service when communicating orally with customers in a face-to-face, one-to-one setting and in a group setting (gives instructions, information and responds to questions).
• Produce written documents with clearly organized thoughts using proper sentence construction, punctuation, and grammar.
• Possess word processing, spreadsheet and database proficiency for data entry and queries.
• Possess strong organization and time-management skills.
• Ability to be self-directed and work independently in a team environment.
• Ability to keep pace with the high demands of the department and the position.
• Assist in the administration of Office of Institutional Effectiveness policies and procedures.
• Ability to maintain confidentiality.
• Establish and maintain effective working relationships with diverse individuals including current students, staff, faculty, administrators.
• Must be supportive of a Catholic, Benedictine philosophy of education.

Minimum qualifications:

• Master’s degree or equivalent
• One (1) year data analyses experience
• Advanced knowledge/skills in Excel, relational databases and applied statistical analyses
• Relevant experience in areas including, but not limited to:1) Data collection, analysis and interpretation 2) Strategic planning 3) Project management and assessment 4) Accreditation processes and requirements 5) Assessment of student learning 6) A strong statistical and analytical skill set, demonstrating deep knowledge of financial modeling and trend analysis
• Successfully pass a criminal background check

Preferred qualifications:

• Advanced knowledge/skills in Access, SPSS, SQL, and Survey Monkey.
• Previous experience in an academic/administrative office environment dealing comfortably with complex University, Washington State, and federal regulations.

The principles of the Catholic Benedictine tradition, equal employment opportunity, and nondiscrimination are fundamental to the mission, goals, and objectives of Saint Martin’s University. The University does not discriminate in employment or in the delivery or administration of its educational programs, policies, scholarship and loan programs, athletic or other University programs on the basis of sex, sexual orientation, race, color, religion (except as a bona fide occupational qualification for certain select positions), marital status, national or ethnic origin, military or veteran status, age, or disability.

Students or employees with concerns or complaints about discrimination on the basis of sex in employment or an education program or activity, or any other inquiries related to the University's non-discrimination policy, may contact the following individual:

Cynthia Johnson
Director of Human Resources/Title IX Coordinator
5000 Abbey Way SE, Lacey WA 98503
360-491-4700
CJohnson@stmartin.edu

Consistent with the requirements of Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972 and the regulations adopted under that law, the University has designated the above individual as the University's Title IX Officer, responsible for coordinating the University's Title IX compliance. Individuals may also contact the Office for Civil Rights, U.S. Department of Education, 915 2nd Avenue, Room 3310 Seattle, WA 98174-1099, Telephone: (206) 220-7900, TDD: (206) 220-7907.