Director of Institutional Research and Data Management

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INITIAL REVIEW DATE (IRD)

UC Santa Cruz jobs are posted until filled. All application materials submitted by 11:59 pm on the IRD will be routed to the hiring team for consideration. NOTE: Applicants who miss the IRD are still encouraged to apply; their materials will still be forwarded for consideration if requested by the hiring team. Application materials cannot be accepted outside of the jobs portal. Applications cannot be edited on an applicant's behalf. For more information about the IRD and the applicant review process, view this link.

The IRD for this job is: 04-06-2026

ABOUT UC SANTA CRUZ

UC Santa Cruz is a public university like no other in California, combining the experience of a small, liberal arts college with the depth and rigor of a major research university. It's known as an unconventional place where innovation and experimentation is part of the campus's DNA. That playful, bold spirit still thrives today, all on a campus renowned as among the most beautiful in the world.

DEPARTMENT OVERVIEW

Budget Analysis and Planning (BAP) is a strategic unit within Finance, Operations and Administration that advises the Chancellor, Provost and Executive Vice Chancellor, Vice Chancellor/Chief Financial Officer, and other campus executives on the effective management of the campus operating budget and overall fiscal health. BAP serves the campus through the integrated work of three core units-Budget Office; Data Management; and Institutional Research, Analytics, and Planning Support (IRAPS)-whose coordination creates strong analytical and operational synergies by aligning budget, data, and institutional research.

The Budget Office supports campus leadership through budget development, policy analysis, oversight, and management of annual campus resource allocations in coordination with the Office of the President. Data Management provides centralized data governance and reporting services and supports downstream systems and decision-support tools. IRAPS delivers institutional reporting, analytics, data visualization, and survey administration to support planning and policy development. Together, these functions enable BAP to provide accurate, actionable information that supports informed resource decisions and effective budget planning and implementation.

JOB SUMMARY

The Executive Director of Institutional Research and Data Management serves as the campus data champion, providing strategic leadership for a comprehensive institutional research and data infrastructure program that supports academic planning, enrollment management, institutional reporting, policy development, and strategic decision-making at a major research university. Reporting to the Associate Vice Chancellor for Budget Analysis and Planning, the Executive Director oversees institutional research, data management, analytics, and reporting functions, ensuring the integrity, security, accessibility, and strategic use of institutional data.

The role leads a team of analysts and data professionals, manages the university's data warehouse and emerging data platforms, and serves as a key liaison to internal and external stakeholders, including system-wide offices and national data consortia. Now is a particularly exciting time for the new Executive Director to join the UC Santa Cruz team as the campus is in the midst of a multi-year data and reporting modernization effort, called the Common Data Platform (CDP) project. Leveraging a modernized data stack composed of Snowflake, dbt, Fivetran, GetCensus, and Sigma Computing, we are on the cusp of transforming the information and reporting experience for the campus.

APPOINTMENT INFORMATION

Budgeted Salary: $200,000 - 230,000/annually. Salary commensurate with skills, qualifications and experience.
Under California law, the University of California, Santa Cruz is required to post a reasonable estimate of the compensation for this role. The salary shown above is the budgeted amount the University reasonably expects to pay and the salary extended should not exceed this posted amount.

Benefits Level Eligibility: Full benefits

Schedule Information:

• Full-time, Fixed
• Percentage of Time: 100%, 40 Hours per Week
• Days of the Week: Mon-Fri
• Shift Includes: Day, Evening

Employee Classification: Career appointment

Job End Date: None

Work Location: UC Santa Cruz Main Campus

Union Representation: Non-Represented

Job Code Classification: BUS SYS ANL MGR 2 (000655), Grade 27

Travel: Never or Rarely

JOB DUTIES

30% - Strategic Leadership & Institutional Research

• Lead a comprehensive institutional research and data strategy aligned with the university's mission and strategic goals.
• Develop and implement a vision for data-informed decision-making across academic and administrative units.
• Oversee the production of analytical and statistical studies to support institutional planning, policy development, and student success.
• Guide the development and dissemination of standard reports (e.g., Fact Books, Campus Profiles) and ad hoc analyses.
• Represent the university in inter-institutional data exchanges and external reporting efforts (e.g., IPEDS, U.S. News, AAUDE).
• Provide data-driven insights to support executive decision-making, strategic planning, and institutional effectiveness.
• Oversee the design and execution of research studies and surveys on student success, academic programs, and institutional performance.
• Serve as a key advisor to senior leadership on policy development, enrollment trends, and resource planning.

30% - Data Management & Stewardship

• Direct the development, maintenance, and modernization of institutional data and reporting systems, including data warehouses and cloud-based platforms (e.g., Snowflake, Fivetran, dbt, BI tools).
• Lead the institution's data stewardship efforts, including the definition and standardization of institutional data elements.
• Establish and enforce data governance policies, ensuring data integrity, internal controls, data quality controls, and compliance with FERPA and other regulations.
• Ensure data systems are secure, compliant, cost-effective, and responsive to institutional needs.
• Collaborate with IT, data stewards, and subject matter experts to streamline data integration across enterprise systems.

15% - Project Leadership & Innovation

• Lead multi-year planning and implementation of data and reporting modernization initiatives, including the Common Data Platform.
• Direct complex projects involving data architecture, reporting infrastructure, and analytics tools.
• Promote a culture of innovation, assessment/continuous improvement, and proactive problem-solving.
• Partner and work closely with campus source system stewards, business process owners, offices of record, system users and constituency groups, information technology partners, third-party vendors and consultants to design, implement, maintain, and streamline the campus data warehouse and reporting services.

15% - Staff and Resource Management

• Lead, manage, recruit, and train professional analysts, data scientists, and technical staff.
• Conduct annual performance evaluations for direct reports and provide coaching, mentoring, and professional development opportunities.
• Establish and communicate clear goals and performance expectations aligned with Budget, Analysis, and Planning, and campus priorities.
• Provide feedback, address concerns, and ensure staff perform duties in line with the unit's and the university's objectives.
• Resolve personnel issues promptly, ensuring minimal disruption to the unit's function.
• Provide strategic direction to the team, guiding the unit toward achieving set goals and priorities.
• Foster a positive, inclusive work environment that encourages accountability, service excellence, and continuous improvement.
• Oversee fair and effective distribution of responsibilities, ensuring team members are deployed appropriately.
• Establish and maintain effective communication processes within the unit and with external departments.
• Manage unit budgets and allocate resources to support strategic priorities and operational excellence.

10% - Stakeholder Engagement & Communication

• Serve as a strategic advisor to senior leadership on data trends, enrollment forecasting, and institutional performance.
• Partner with IT, enrollment management, academic affairs, and other units to align data strategies with institutional needs and deliver actionable insights.
• Lead or participate in campus-wide committees related to enrollment, planning, assessment, and data governance.
• Represent the institution in system-wide and national data consortia and professional organizations (e.g., AIR, EDUCAUSE, AAUDE).

REQUIRED QUALIFICATIONS

• Bachelor's degree in a related area and/or equivalent experience and/or training.
• Extensive experience in and strong passion for empirical research and answering hard questions with data.
• Experience in successfully leading change management activities and managing their impact across multiple areas.
• Experience in the management of ongoing technology infrastructure acquisition and expansion, to include the identification and integration of emerging technologies while mitigating risk and optimizing services.
• Experience in adapting, integrating, and modifying existing programs, reports, or vendor-supplied products for use within a large and complex technical environment.
• Advanced knowledge of business intelligence practices and tools (e.g., SAP BusinessObjects, Tableau), data platforms (e.g., Snowflake, SQL, GitHub), programming, and report writing.
• Advanced proficiency with data visualization tools, statistical tools, and data retrieval and manipulation tools.
• Excellent analytical skills with the ability to translate data into actionable insights and communicate findings through visualization.
• Excellent strategic thinking skills.
• Excellent project management, collaboration and organizational leadership skills.
• Excellent facilitation skills.
• Demonstrated management skills, with the ability to assess, evaluate, coach, and mentor professional and technical staff.
• Excellent problem-solving skills with a strong ability to quickly evaluate complex issues, identify multiple options for resolution, and resolve issues.
• Excellent oral communication skills, with the ability to present complex data to diverse audiences.
• Excellent written communication skills.
• Excellent interpersonal skills.
• Demonstrated ability to develop and maintain high standards of customer service.
  

PREFERRED QUALIFICATIONS

• Advanced degree in a related area.
• Deep expertise in institutional research, data infrastructure and analytics, and higher education policy and planning.

SPECIAL CONDITIONS OF EMPLOYMENT

• Selected candidate will be required to pass a pre-employment criminal history background check.
• Selected candidate must pass the employment misconduct disclosure process.
• Ability to work long periods of time at a computer with or without accommodation.

• The selected candidate will be required to work primarily on campus, with periods of remote work possible based on operational needs. If a hybrid work schedule is confirmed, the selected candidate must be able to

  work successfully from a home/remote office and be able to fulfill the requirements of the UCSC telecommuting agreement.

• Selected candidate will be required to complete training within established time frames as directed including UC compliance training.
• Ability to travel to multiple work locations on and off campus.
• Ability to travel nationally.
• Ability to maintain appearance and conduct suitable for working in a professional setting.
• Selected candidate will be required to complete training within established time frames as directed including UC compliance training.
• The University of California has implemented a Vaccination Policy covering all employees. Employees, including new hires, are required to comply with any applicable policies relating to the University of California vaccine program.
• Exercise the utmost discretion in managing sensitive information learned in the course of performing their duties. Sensitive information includes but is not limited to employee and student records, health and patient records, financial data, strategic plans, proprietary information and any other sensitive or non-public information learned during the course and scope of employment. Understands that sensitive information should be shared on a limited basis and actively takes steps to limit access to sensitive information to individuals who have legitimate business need to know. Ensure that sensitive information is properly safeguarded. Follow all organizational policies and laws on data protection and privacy. This includes secure handling of physical and digital records and proper usage of IT systems to prevent data leaks. The unauthorized or improper disclosure of confidential work-related information obtained from any source on any work-related matter is a violation of these expectations.

MISCONDUCT DISCLOSURE REQUIREMENT

As a condition of employment, the final candidate who accepts a conditional offer of employment will be required to disclose if they have been subject to any final administrative or judicial decisions within the last seven years determining that they committed any misconduct; received notice of any allegations or are currently the subject of any administrative or disciplinary proceedings involving misconduct; have left a position after receiving notice of allegations or while under investigation in an administrative or disciplinary proceeding involving misconduct; or have filed an appeal of a finding of misconduct with a previous employer.

• "Misconduct" means any violation of the policies or laws governing conduct at the applicant's previous place of employment, including, but not limited to, violations of policies or laws prohibiting sexual harassment, sexual assault, or other forms of harassment, discrimination, dishonesty, or unethical conduct, as defined by the employer. For reference, below are UC's policies addressing some forms of misconduct:
  • UC Sexual Violence and Sexual Harassment Policy
  • UC Anti-Discrimination Policy
  • Abusive Conduct in the Workplace

SAFETY STATEMENT

All UCSC employees must understand and follow job safety procedures, attend required health and safety training, proactively promote safety at work, and promptly report actual and potential accidents and injuries.

NOTICE OF AVAILABILITY

EEO/AA

The University of California is an Equal Opportunity Employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability, age, protected veteran status or other protected categories covered by the UC Anti-Discrimination Policy.

It is the policy of the University of California to undertake affirmative action and anti-discrimination efforts, consistent with its obligations as a Federal and State contractor.