Senior Research Analyst

JOB TITLE Senior Research Analyst

LOCATION

Worcester

DEPARTMENT NAME

Institutional Research & Assessment

DIVISION NAME

Worcester Polytechnic Institute - WPI

JOB DESCRIPTION SUMMARY

The Senior Research Analyst strengthens WPI's capacity to use data thoughtfully and effectively in support of academic and administrative decision-making. This position combines institutional research, advanced statistical analysis, and data visualization to answer complex questions that improve student success, academic planning, and institutional effectiveness.

The successful candidate is expected to identify meaningful research questions, develop appropriate analytical approaches, validate findings, and communicate results clearly to both technical and non-technical audiences. The analyst will also contribute to expanding the university's predictive analytics capabilities around student success analytics, and other emerging quantitative methods, working with large, complex institutional datasets drawn from multiple institutional data sources.

The Senior Research Analyst will join a team that helps campus partners make sense of institutional data, frame meaningful questions, and use evidence to guide decisions. This position is best suited for someone who enjoys both technical analytical work and the relationship-building required to make institutional data usable, trusted, and actionable.

JOB DESCRIPTION

Responsibilities

• Institutional Effectiveness: Partner with institutional leaders to define research questions, examine progress on institutional priorities, and conduct quantitative analyses that support strategic planning, accreditation, student success, and institutional decision-making.
• Data Mining: Apply advanced statistical methods, predictive modeling, machine learning, and exploratory analysis to examine student success, enrollment, course pathways, and other institutional questions. Develop, validate, document, and communicate analytical findings and model results. Support the development of advanced analytical capabilities, including educational data mining.
• Data Storytelling: Translate complex analyses into clear reports, dashboards, visualizations, and presentations for technical and non-technical audiences.
• Data Preparation and Management: Extract, integrate, validate, and analyze data from multiple institutional systems while developing reproducible analytical workflows and maintaining clear technical documentation.
• Survey Research: Support institutional survey administration, data integration, analysis, reporting, and process improvement while collaborating with campus partners to improve institutional effectiveness.
• Relationship Building: Build collaborative relationships with data stewards, faculty, and administrative offices to improve data quality, analytical capabilities, and evidence-based decision-making across the university.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree required; master's degree preferred in statistics, data science, institutional research, education research, economics, mathematics, computer science, public policy, social science, or another quantitative discipline.
• Minimum of three years of progressively responsible experience in institutional research, applied analytics, data science, program evaluation, or a related quantitative field; equivalent combinations of graduate education and professional experience will be considered.
• Demonstrated experience preparing, integrating, validating, and analyzing large, complex datasets with advanced statistical methods, predictive modeling, machine learning, or related quantitative techniques using Python, R, SPSS, SAS, or comparable analytical software.
• Experience developing dashboards and data visualizations, such as Power BI.
• Experience supporting survey analysis, reporting, or process improvement is preferred.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills.

Preferred

• Intellectual curiosity and enthusiasm for exploring complex institutional questions through quantitative analysis.
• Ability to independently scope ambiguous problems, learn new analytical methods, and extend existing analytical code and methodologies.
• Strong statistical judgment, critical thinking, and attention to detail.
• Commitment to producing reproducible, well-documented analytical work.
• Excellent communication skills and the ability to explain complex analyses to diverse audiences.
• Collaborative mindset with openness to feedback and continuous learning.

This position is not eligible for employer-sponsored work authorization. Candidates must be authorized to work in the United States without employer sponsorship.

Salary Grade 8: $71,800– $90,000 per year (depending on experience)

Salary is based on related experience, expertise, and internal equity; generally, new hires can expect pay between the minimum and midpoint of the range.

Compensation at WPI

FLSA STATUS

United States of America (Exempt)

WPI is an Equal Opportunity Employer. All qualified candidates will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, age, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, veteran status, or disability. It seeks individuals from all backgrounds and experiences who will contribute to a culture of creativity, collaboration, inclusion, problem solving, innovation, high performance, and change making. It is committed to maintaining a campus environment free of harassment and discrimination.