Job Title: Data Analytics Specialist
Location: USO-Information Tech Services
Regular/Temporary: Regular
Full/Part Time: Full-Time
Job ID: 279369
About Us

The University System of Georgia (USG) is comprised of 26 higher education institutions as well as the University System Office (USO). Within the USO, our administrative operations are primarily housed in the Trinity Washington Building located in downtown Atlanta. Our Information Technology Services (ITS) division is located in Athens. The University System of Georgia Shared Services Center (SSC) is located in Sandersville. The Georgia Public Library System is located in Atlanta. The Georgia Archives is located in Morrow. The State of Georgia Records Center is located in Austell.

Job Summary

ITS is seeking to hire two (2) individuals for the Data Analytics Specialist roles who will be a part of an innovative strategy in the USG to provide shared staffing across the sector in roles vital to institutional success. The mission of the state college sector of the USG focuses on teaching and service.These institutions offer undergraduate degrees and certificates and serve a critical role in providing postsecondary access in the state.

The Data Analytics Specialists will provide analytical support to the nine state colleges to advance their teaching and student success mission and enhance efficiency in operations. By being housed within the system office of Enterprise Data Management and Analytics unit, these professionals will benefit from being part of a team carrying out similar work and be able to leverage system data, infrastructure, and tools. This model allows analyses and analytical tools to be developed once that benefit the entire sector and, where appropriate, other USG institutions.

This position will lead analytical projects for the sector from intake of questions of interest through completion to presentation of findings.Specifically, this professional will have conversations with state college leaders to understand the questions or issues in need of analysis; collaborate with colleagues in the Research and Policy Analysis and Enterprise Data Management and Analytics divisions to translate these needs into requirements and develop approaches to addressing them; collect, clean, and manage data for projects; carry out analyses and development of analytical tools such as data visualizations; and present findings to system and state college leaders and provide training on analytical tools. Analytical approaches will include applied statistics, predictive modeling, and complex interactive data visualizations.The focus of initial projects includes state college student market, retention and graduation rates, workforce demand, and faculty hiring optimization accounting for nuanced academic department context.

The position will be partially remote and have a campus or system office primary work location to be determined based on the successful candidate's home location. The position requires regular travel to state colleges. The position will have a high level of autonomy and be expected to proactively conduct their assigned duties and provide continuous progress updates to system and campus leaders. This role will report jointly to the Assistant Vice Chancellor of Enterprise Data Management and Analytics and the Vice Chancellor for Research and Policy Analysis.

Responsibilities

Meet and Understand - 15%
Meet with state college personnel and leaders to understand areas and issues in need of analytical support. Meet with state college institutional research personnel and practitioners in the focal areas of analyses to understand business processes and gather context.

Translate needs into functional and technical requirements - 15%
Collaborate with colleagues in the Research and Policy Analysis and Enterprise Data Management and Analytics divisions to translate institutional needs into functional and technical requirements and develop approaches to addressing them.

Data analysis and visualization development - 60%
Lead collection, cleaning, and management of data for project. Carry out exploratory analyses to refine analytical approach. Conduct statistical analyses or develop data analytic tools. Gather feedback from system and campus personnel and refine products.

Presentation and user training - 10%
Present findings from analyses and provide user training on data visualizations and analytical tools produced.

Required Qualifications

Educational Requirements
Degree in statistics, data science, computer science, research methods, higher education or related field.
Bachelor's degree required; Masters preferred.
Four or more years of relevant work experience, preferably in providing analytic support in a higher education setting.

Other Required Qualifications
Proven ability to translate complex data analyses into clear, actionable insights tailored for diverse stakeholders, including system leadership, institution leadership, and other functional areas
Experience developing and delivering training materials (including step-by-step guides, in-person demos, and video tutorials) to support institutional capacity in data analysis

Required Experience
The incumbent must possess experience in managing projects and providing superb customer service.
Incumbent must be able to work independently, be flexible and willing to travel to state college campuses. Must be able to manage multiple projects at once.
Quick learner with a proven ability to adapt to new tools and methodologies in fast-paced environments
The successful candidate is intellectually curious, a strong problem solver, and self-reliant in exploring solutions to challenges.
Experience working with cross-functional teams to streamline and improve processes and enhance project data utilization.

Knowledge, Skills, & Abilities

KNOWLEDGE
Experience providing decision support related to postsecondary student enrollment management and success, workforce demand, and faculty and human resources planning
Understanding of key trends and challenges in higher education, particularly in student success, enrollment management, academic program alignment, and faculty workload and course demand

SKILLS
Experience in creating repeatable processes to gather, clean, merge, analyze, and visualize data from institutional data sources; experience working with large data
Understanding of relational databases and experience extracting data from student and human resources information systems;
Proficiency in SQL and other programming languages (Python, R, Stata) for querying, transforming, and analyzing data;
Skilled in data visualization tools such as Power BI (preferred), Tableau, or Qlik to provide actionable insights for decision-makers;
Advanced competency in Microsoft Excel (pivot tables, slicers, and Power Query)
Extensive experience in data analysis and applied statistical methods
Ability to document business processes and technical workflows to support institutional decision-making

USG Core Values

The University System of Georgia is comprised of our 26 institutions of higher education and learning as well as the System Office. Our USG Statement of Core Values are Integrity, Excellence, Accountability, and Respect. These values serve as the foundation for all that we do as an organization, and each USG community member is responsible for demonstrating and upholding these standards. More details on the USG Statement of Core Values and Code of Conduct are available in USG Board Policy 8.2.18.1.2 and can be found on-line at https://www.usg.edu/policymanual/section8/C224/#p8.2.18_personnel_conduct.

Additionally, USG supports Freedom of Expression as stated in Board Policy 6.5 Freedom of Expression and Academic Freedom found on-line at https://www.usg.edu/policymanual/section6/C2653.

Conditions of Employment

Offers of employment are subject to federal and state laws, as well as the statutes, rules, and regulations of this institution, and the Bylaws and Policies of the Board of Regents (BOR) of the University System of Georgia (USG). These Bylaws and Policies are available for inspection upon request.

Equal Employment Opportunity

The University System Office is an equal employment, equal access, and equal opportunity employer. It is the policy of the University System Office to recruit, hire, train, and promote persons without regard to race, color, national or ethnic origin, age, disability, gender, religion, sexual orientation, gender identity or veteran status as required by applicable state and federal laws (including Title VI, Title VII, Title IX, Sections 503, and 504, ADEA, ADA, E.O. 11246, and Rev. Proc. 75-50).

For questions or more detailed information regarding this policy please contact the University System Office Human Resources at 404.962.3242. Individuals requiring disability related accommodations for participation in any event or to obtain print materials in an alternative format, please contact Human Resources.

Other Information

This is not a supervisory position.
This position does not have any financial responsibilities.
This position will not be required to drive.
This role is not considered a position of trust.
This position does not require a purchasing card (P-Card).
This position may travel 1% - 24% of the time
This position does not require security clearance.

Background Check

Offers of employment are subject to a background investigation, including criminal records history, to determine eligibility for employment. Additionally, credentials and employment history stated in your application materials are also subject to verification.

For certain positions, a satisfactory credit check, MVR, or other relevant investigations may also be conducted. The University System Office holds the sole discretion in assessing eligibility for employment.