Assistant Director, Research Services, Strategic National Arts Alumni Project

Job Posting Title:

Assistant Director, Research Services, Strategic National Arts Alumni Project

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Hiring Department:

Department of Theatre and Dance

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Position Open To:

All Applicants

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Weekly Scheduled Hours:

40

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FLSA Status:

Exempt

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Earliest Start Date:

Immediately

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Position Duration:

Expected to Continue Until Feb 28, 2029

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Location:

New York

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Job Details:

General Notes

Arts + Design Alumni Research DBA The Strategic National Arts Alumni Project (SNAAP), a non-profit 501c3 organization, seeks candidates for the position of Assistant Director of Research Services.

SNAAP is a research organization that has collected and analyzed data from over 200,000 arts graduates from across North America. Starting in 2008, over 300 colleges and universities have participated in the SNAAP survey, and SNAAP data have been used for assessment, curriculum reform, recruitment, benchmarking, alumni engagement, advocacy, and more. SNAAP has changed the national conversation on the value of an arts degree.

SNAAP’s overarching mission is to maximize the success and impact of creatives in society by driving evidence-informed change in training and illuminating the value of arts and design education. More information can be found at https://snaaparts.org/.

The next iteration of the SNAAP survey will be launched in Fall 2027.

NOTE: This position is 100% remote.  This is a fixed, 5-year position: funding is expected March 2024 - February 2029.

Responsibilities

• Respond to client requests, prepare analytical reports, and respond to external data requests. SNAAP contracts with post-secondary institutions to survey their arts alumni and then presents the alumni responses back to institutions in the form of institutional reports. All participating institutions receive detailed analyses, presenting alumni responses to all questions on the SNAAP questionnaire. The Assistant Director, Research Services will be tasked with preparing and delivering the institutional reports to institutions. SNAAP anticipates a minimum of 100 participating institutions in the 2027 survey. In addition to institutional client requests, SNAAP receives requests from time to time from external researchers looking to access the SNAAP database. The Assistant Director, Research Services will vet the individual requests, obtain a signed data-sharing agreement, and deliver the requested data from the SNAAP database.

• Organize and produce SNAAP’s customized reports for participating schools. Some institutions will request customized reports in addition to the standard reports produced by SNAAP. These reports will be created by the Assistant Director, Research Services and provided to the institution at a cost. The cost and availability of these customizable reports will be determined by the Assistant Director, Research Services, based on the complexity of the requests. The estimated percentage of time spent on this responsibility is approximate.

• Develop programs and opportunities to help schools/colleges better understand and use their alumni data.  Many participating institutions have expressed the need for assistance in understanding their alumni data presented in the institutional reports. Some institutions have research staff who can manipulate the data and meet with the various departments and stakeholders on campus to disseminate and explain the data where appropriate. But many do not. For institutions that do not, the rich arts alumni data provided by SNAAP collects institutional dust on a shelf.  The Assistant Director, Research Services will work with the individual institutions to help them make their SNAAP data actionable. With this additional support from SNAAP, participating institutions will be able to successfully use their data for alumni outreach, recruitment, program & curricular change, planning, assessment and advocacy.

• Manage the SNAAP Research Fellowship Program: SNAAP intends to develop a Research Fellowship program through which advisement and financial assistance are offered to several scholars engaged in research related to underserved communities. Fellows will be provided access to the extensive SNAAP database and will be expected to produce research using the SNAAP data. The Assistant Director, Research Services will help select the Fellows through a national search, and will work with the individual Fellows, providing support and guidance when necessary.

• Develop and operate the SNAAP Panel of arts alumni. SNAAP is in the process of establishing a national panel of arts alumni to enable timely responses to field-specific inquiries via topic-driven and targeted small-scale surveys. This initi