Associate Director for Data Science

Special Instructions to Applicants Cover letter is required. This role is currently primarily remote, with occasional onsite attendance required based on business needs. The work arrangement may be modified in the future to support departmental or organizational needs. Position Summary The Analytics and Institutional Research team within the Office of Academic Planning and Budget (APB) aims to foster student success and optimize UCLA's operational effectiveness by facilitating data-driven decision-making. APB serves as the primary source of official data reported from administrative systems across the University, conducts objective research and analysis for decision makers, leverages an understanding of advanced analytical methods to improve understanding of institutional and program performance, builds data collections, facilitates access to institutional data, and advocates for data quality and integrity. Reporting directly to the Executive Director, Analytics and Institutional Research the incumbent will use his/her advanced quantitative skillset to support the current data and reporting needs of numerous campus entities, including the offices of the EVC/P and Chancellor, through a combination of hands on technical programming as well as achieving organizational objectives through the coordinated achievements of subordinate staff. By combining a knowledge of database design principles, modern programming skills and visualization software, advanced knowledge of analytical methods, consultative skills to work with campus stakeholders to understand their needs and translate them into technical requirements, and to manage and direct technical staff, the incumbent will utilize various sources of campus data to optimize campus operations as well as improve student outcomes. As the campus moves towards the creation of a centralized data lake, the incumbent will also need to be adept at working within modern data environments like AWS, be able to offer input and feedback on the provisioning of data governance tools, and understand how these tools can help streamline the work of their team as well as other users of our data environment. The use cases and requests brought to Analytics and Institutional Research team are broad, so a strong understanding of and experience working within higher education is needed to provide accurate, timely, and actionable results to stakeholders, and to help provide the needed background and context for projects delegated to their staff. The most commonly assigned projects require knowledge of data related to students, academic and non-academic employees, finance, facilities, as well as external higher education data providers like the National Student Clearinghouse (NSC) or AAUDE. Salary & Compensation UCLA provides a full pay range. Actual salary offers consider factors, including budget, prior experience, skills, knowledge, abilities, education, licensure and certifications, and other business considerations. Salary offers at the top of the range are not common. Visit UC Benefit package to discover benefits that start on day one, and UC Total Compensation Estimator to calculate the total compensation value with benefits. Qualifications 6 years of experience as a Data Scientist or related field (Required) And Demonstrated experience in the field of institutional research. (Preferred) And Extensive experience with higher education data, especially student and payroll data (Preferred) Advanced knowledge of Tableau to design, enhance, and develop aesthetically pleasing visualizations, including but not limited to, interactive dashboards, scorecards and reports. (Required) Advanced proficiency in SQL, relational databases, and concepts related to data warehousing. Strong understanding of research methods and predictive analytics. (Required) Demonstrated experience in analyzing large data sets to implement solution focused resolutions in relation to automation and coding practices. (Required) Demonstrated experience using modern programming languages for data mining and analysis purposes (e.g. R, Python) with the ability to teach and train others in this skill. (Required) Ability to simplify complex analytics into recommendations that are easily understood and executable. Ability to exemplify a strategic approach to provide research and analytics to support the needs of various departments. (Required) Skill in working independently and as part of a team. Demonstrated success in working in collaborative style, in following through with tasks with minimal supervision, and in promoting a high degree of professionalism in meeting assigned responsibilities. (Required) Skills to communicate information clearly, orally and in writing to a wide variety of individuals and in group settings. Have a consultative mindset that is able to dig deep into a customer's needs and identify data driven solution to bridge this gap. (Required) Identifies, plans and implements projects in specific analytical areas to support the organization's decision-making, problem-solving, strategic planning, and institutional effectiveness areas. (Required) Has knowledge of and ensures appropriate staff have proper data privacy training, including but not limited to FERPA. (Required) Experience developing project plans and identifies any gaps in staffing or technology needed to complete them. (Required) Experience developing data solutions within a native cloud environment (e.g. AWS). (Preferred) Experience managing direct report(s) and providing both contextual and technical guidance when needed. (Preferred) Education, Licenses, Certifications & Personal Affiliations Bachelor's Degree in statistics, sociology, computation science or a related area and / or equivalent combination of education and experience / training (Required) And Master's Degree in statistics, sociology, computation sciences or a related field; or an equivalent combination of education and experience. (Preferred) Special Conditions for Employment Background Check: Continued employment is contingent upon the completion of a satisfactory background investigation. Live Scan Background Check: A Live Scan background check must be completed prior to the start of employment. Schedule Monday - Friday, 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. PST and/or variable based on operational needs. Union/Policy Covered 99-Policy Covered Complete Position Description #J-18808-Ljbffr University of California - Los Angeles (UCLA)