Research & Data Analyst

Salary Range: $60,000 - $65,000

The University Performance and Survey Analytics (UPSA) unit in the USF Office of Decision Support routinely: (1) provides data to and analyzes data from organizations that are interested in higher education performance metrics, and (2) conducts survey research on the student population.  Senior university leadership utilizes information about USF’s performance and the student experience in strategic efforts to improve USF’s competitive advantage in the marketplace of higher education.

The Research & Data Analyst will contribute to the work of the University Performance & Survey Analytics Team by:
•    Collecting and managing data from various USF offices.
•    Performing analyses on university rankings and survey data for routine and ad hoc reports.
•    Creating data visualizations using Power BI.
•    Creating and maintaining documentation.
•    Reporting data and complex information in a non-technical manner.

• Coordinate the collection of data for submission to third party organizations.
• Conduct data analyses on university rankings and survey data.
• Develop Power BI dashboards for use by the university community.
• Conduct data analyses and reports on special projects and ad-hoc requests.

Minimum Qualifications: 

This position requires a Bachelor’s degree in a field directly related to the research or data analysis responsibilities and a minimum of one year of research experience; or a Master’s degree in one of the same fields. Progressively responsible work experience may substitute for the college on a year for year basis.

Degree Equivalency Clause: Four years of direct experience for a bachelor’s degree.
• Senate Bill 1310- The Florida Senate (https://www.flsenate.gov/Session/Bill/2023/1310) is conditional upon meeting all employment eligibility requirements in the U.S.
• SB 1310: Substitution of Work Experience for Postsecondary Education Requirements
• A public employer may include a postsecondary degree as a baseline requirement only as an alternative to the number of years of direct experience required, not to exceed:
• (a) Two years of direct experience for an associate degree;
• (b) Four years of direct experience for a bachelor’s degree;
• (c) Six years of direct experience for a master’s degree;
• (d) Seven years of direct experience for a professional degree; or
• (e) Nine years of direct experience for a doctoral degree
• Related work experience may not substitute for any required licensure, certification, or registration required for the position of employment as established by the public employer and indicated in the advertised description of the position of employment.
• Minimum Qualifications that require a high school diploma are exempt from SB 1310.

Preferred Qualifications:

•    Master’s degree in social science (e.g., Psychology, Public Health), data science, business intelligence, or related field. 
•    Professional experience with Qualtrics or other survey software.
•    Professional experience with Power BI or other Business Intelligence software.
•    Professional experience with Microsoft SQL databases.
•    Professional experience with SPSS.
•    Experience working in a data-oriented position in a higher education setting, preferably in an Institutional Research type of office.
•    Experience with analyzing higher education data from various third-party sources (e.g., US News, IPEDS, etc.).
•    Experience with submitting data to external organizations (e.g., US News, Common Data Set, Peterson’s, etc.).

Special Skills:

•    Strong critical thinking, organization, and communication skills.
•    Strong ability to collect, organize, and analyze data.
•    Professional experience working with analytical software and languages (e.g., SPSS, SAS, MS SQL, etc.).
•    Strong ability to present complex material orally and in writing.
•    Strong ability to interpret data to audiences of varying skillsets.
•    Ability to work independently as a member of a team with varying skillsets.

Working at USF

With approximately 16,000 employees, the University of South Florida is one of the largest employers in the Tampa Bay area. We are dedicated to cultivating a talented, engaged and driven workforce that strives to be bold. Employees excel in USF‘s rich academic environment, which fosters their development and advancement. In 2025, Forbes recognized USF as one of Florida’s best large employers, ranked No. 1 among the state’s 12 public universities. Our first-class benefits package includes medical, dental and life insurance plans, retirement plan options, employee and dependent tuition programs, generous leave, and hundreds of employee perks and discounts.

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