Institutional Research & Assessment Specialist – Institutional Effectiveness and Planning – Office of the Provost

Building on a Carnegie Mellon culture dedicated to continual innovation and renewal, the Office of the Vice Provost for Institutional Effectiveness and Planning will lead CMU further into an era of data-informed self-evaluation in support of the university's mission and strategic goals. The office plays a critical role in leading, championing and facilitating data-driven decision-making at CMU, including data governance and integrity and provides strategic guidance for planning, evaluation, data analysis and research methodologies that support key initiatives and stakeholders across the university.

The Institutional Research & Assessment Specialist will support the university’s institutional research and assessment activities, with a particular focus on survey research, program evaluation, and applied data analysis. This role brings together assessment design, implementation, and reporting and visualization, contributing to evidence-based decision-making across academic and administrative units.

This position collaborates with partners across the provost division, colleges, human resources, student affairs, and other university units. The successful candidate will combine strong analytical and organizational skills with the ability to communicate findings clearly to both technical and non-technical audiences.

Core responsibilities include:

Survey Research

• Distribute surveys, manage contact lists, monitor results, and create reports for university partners.  
• Assist with gathering requirements for new surveys and revisions of existing surveys.
• Assist with communicating survey results and summarizing survey results into data stories and action items.
• Utilize AI-supported tools, as appropriate, to assist in analyzing survey data, identifying patterns, and enhancing efficiency while maintaining data integrity, privacy, and methodological rigor.

Qualitative Research

• Assist in planning and facilitating focus groups and interviews, including developing protocols and guiding questions.
• Coordinate logistics such as participant recruitment, scheduling, and session preparation.
• Support qualitative data collection, including notetaking, transcription, and data organization.
• Assist with coding and analyzing qualitative data to identify themes and key insights.
• Utilize AI-supported tools, as appropriate, to assist in organizing, coding, and identifying themes in qualitative data, while ensuring accuracy, confidentiality, and thoughtful interpretation of findings.
• Contribute to summarizing findings and translating qualitative insights into clear, actionable recommendations for university partners.

Data Visualization & Communication

• Develop dashboards and reports in Power BI that translate assessment data into actionable insights.
• Contribute to the development of data stories that highlight key findings and recommendations.
• Assist with maintaining and updating existing dashboards and reports.

Collaboration & Support

• Collaborate with institutional research staff and campus partners to clarify assessment goals, translate stakeholder needs into meaningful research questions, and develop areas of inquiry that guide data collection and analysis.
• Provide basic guidance to campus partners on survey design, data interpretation, and assessment practices.
• Ensure adherence to data governance, privacy, and ethical standards (e.g., FERPA compliance).
• Identify data issues or process improvements and recommend solutions.

Adaptability, excellence, and passion are vital qualities within Carnegie Mellon University. We are in search of a team member who can effectively interact with a varied population of internal and external partners at a high level of integrity. We are looking for someone who shares our values and who will support the mission of the university through their work.

You should demonstrate:

• Ability to translate and communicate data through clear, accessible data stories and visualizations tailored to diverse audiences.
• Ability to work with sensitive information, maintain confidentiality and use discretion.
• Ability to pay close attention to detail; keep and maintain accurate and detailed reports and records.
• Ability to prioritize work and handle multiple tasks simultaneously.
• Openness and willingness to learn new technologies to better perform job functions.

Qualifications:

• Bachelor’s degree required, Master’s degree preferred.
• 0-2 years of related work experience.
• Experience with survey tools (e.g., Qualtrics) and data analysis software (e.g., R, Python, S