Senior Statistician

Senior Statistician

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Overview

The Office of Institutional Research (OIR) provides information to support university decision-making through a variety of analytic activities, data-gathering tasks, and research projects. OIR serves as a clearinghouse for most statistical information about the University.

This position is an expert individual contributor, conducting institutional research at a level which requires the management of nuanced data, creation of supporting data systems, and marshalling of expertise from across related offices. The Senior Statistician will determine what data are relevant to a particular set of issues and either arrange for the collection of additional data or obtain data from existing University resources, including various electronic databases. The analyst will determine what statistical technique is most appropriate to a question (e.g., descriptives, OLS or logistic regression, propensity weighting, etc), carry out analysis, and prepare and present reports.

This position will collect, refine, and manage data from internal and external information systems, surveys, and data stewards, engaging data systems in new ways as required to serve University leadership and reporting. The Senior Statistician will bring high levels of precision and rigor to data maintenance and analysis, as data elements may have multiple definitions and different audiences may require idiosyncratic interpretations. The Senior Statistician will act as a resource to colleagues across the University and will work on a range of topics such as admissions and student data, compensation analysis, and other topics as needed to support Yale's leadership. The Senior Statistician will identify and implement appropriate analytic methods, consulting relevant scholarly literature as needed to inform methodological choices and ensure alignment with best practices in the field.

This understanding will enable the Senior Statistician to design the most effective analytical approaches to address broad questions and to recommend methods for emerging topics of interest. Drawing on deep methodological expertise, the Senior Statistician will convey clearly the strengths and limitations of analytic approaches, articulate valid interpretations of results, and guide stakeholders toward appropriate use of data and findings.

The position will collaborate with multiple offices and cultivate relationships across the University to strengthen data collection, analysis, and the effective use of institutional data. The Senior Statistician will work with administrators and/or faculty leaders to determine what data and analyses may best inform a given University question. They will act as a principal data expert to execute analyses at the highest level of quality, bringing depth of knowledge to complex analytic and reporting efforts, instilling confidence in results and ensuring rigor in interpretation. This includes marshalling support and promoting the development of supporting data infrastructure and processes as needed.

The position reports to the Director of the Office of Institutional Research. Please note that finalists may be required to provide additional information or work samples to demonstrate proficiency in key competencies relevant to the role.

Required Skills and Abilities

1. Advanced expertise in statistical methods and research design relevant to higher education, including causal inference and multivariate analysis; ability to select, apply, and validate methods and to clearly communicate assumptions, limitations, and valid interpretations to inform decision-making.

2. Proficient in one or more programming languages for statistical analysis and data preparation (e.g., R or Python preferred; SAS, Stata, MATLAB). Proven ability to create large, complex data sets from disparate sources while managing data quality – both for statistical analysis and data management.

3. Demonstrated skill in producing visualizations using coded processes (e.g., Tidyverse, Quarto, Shiny).

4. Commitment to pairing effective data communication with rigorous research design and analysis. Excellent collaborative interpersonal skills with ability to translate technical information to non-technical audiences, interacting successfully with diverse stakeholders. Exercises sound judgment, tact, and discretion.

5. Proven ability as trusted independent operator, handling multiple tasks to meet deadlines; ability to prioritize and follow through on projects. Ability to adapt to changes in work priorities, weighing multiple factors (e.g., mission, client goals, statistical rigor, research ethics, timeline), seeking alternatives and creative solutions.

Preferred Education and Experience

Experience with R or Python. Experience or training in design of quantitative and qualitative assessments. Experience executing queries against relational databases (e.g., SQL). Master's Degree or higher in Biostatistics, Statistics, or a related quantitative field such as data science, social sciences, econometrics, public health, and computational sciences.

Principal Responsibilities

1. Conducts institutional research; analyzes internal and peer data to support the study of issues relevant to university policies. Manages process around creation of high value data products from complex, sensitive data sources. 2. Accesses multiple University data sources: extracts, merges, and/or collects relevant data. 3. Manages and transforms institutional/transactional data for analysis and reporting purposes; consistently strives toward a high level of data integrity. Acts as expert resource to colleagues within and outside of OIR to enhance quality of data and analysis across multiple teams. 4. Prepares materials and clearly and effectively communicates information to internal and external audiences. Designs and generates summary analysis at the University level. 5. Works collaboratively and independently to prepare data for submission to external data exchanges (e.g., IPEDS, AAUDE). 6. Uses advanced statistical knowledge to provide support in managing and analyzing data. 7. Provides analytic support to faculty and administrative committees and to University leadership. 8. Prepares reports and presentations using both text and graphics. 9. Develops protocols for survey-based collection of data, as needed. Designs data-gathering instruments and related procedures. Tests, refines and finalizes instruments for use in research studies. 10. Stays abreast of relevant issues in higher education, as well as new tools or techniques that could be used to improve the collection, storage, or reporting of university data. Convenes analysts and other data colleagues in a community of practice to enhance data use and analytical skills across University units. 11. May perform other duties as assigned.