Executive Director for Institutional Effectiveness

The University of Idaho (U of I) invites applications for the position of executive director for institutional effectiveness. The executive director will provide visionary leadership, and high-level direction of institutional effectiveness at U of I to equip colleagues with the data, analyses, and information needed to achieve key institutional goals. Goal areas include strategic enrollment; student success; curricular delivery and efficiency; budgeting; assessment and accreditation; federal, state, and other reporting; and other university priorities. To help the institution define key metrics, develop strategies, and gauge progress, the executive director will provide strategic leadership, high-caliber collaboration, problem-solving, and creativity. Further, the executive director will guide collaborations with a broad range of colleagues, including disciplinary faculty, academic administrators, assessment and accreditation professionals, research support units, human resources professionals, and others. The person in this newly defined role will supervise the creation of intuitive, user-friendly interactive dashboards and other resources for sharing data broadly throughout and beyond the campus community while maintaining requisite protections.

Further, the Executive Director will promote a U of I culture of data-informed decision-making by leveraging relevant experience in designing and executing a broad range of quantitative analyses, building a data-literate culture, implementing data democratization, and working with qualitative and mixed-methods studies. For example, the Executive Director will design and implement trainings to effectively engage colleagues at all levels of data literacy in using institutional data in decision-making and program improvement. The person in this position will draw on prior leadership experience to nurture a collaborative, responsive culture in units supervised, with an emphasis on completing routine but essential tasks while also designing analyses, tools, and approaches needed to achieve university goals in key areas.

To fulfill this charge, the Executive Director will supervise U of I’s Institutional Research (IR) and Assessment and Accreditation (AA) offices and will report to the Office of the Provost and Executive Vice President through the Vice Provost for Academic Initiatives (VPAI). A key focus for this new role will involve building out the IR team and establishing effective collaboration between the IR and AA teams. Working closely with the VPAI and other colleagues, the Executive Director will help UI build cultural norms of using evidence-based practices in education, operations, and resource allocation; assessing these practices’ impact; and iteratively improving outcomes.

Building/Maintaining a University Culture of Effective Data Use – 20% Effort

1. With the University Assessment and Accreditation Committee (UAAC), the Assessment and Accreditation team, VPAI, and others, identify the steps needed to create/maintain norms of engaging with and effectively using data across key institutional priority areas, e.g., improving students’ academic and co-curricular outcomes, increasing curricular efficiency, and better utilizing key metrics to inform resource allocation.
2. Collaboratively design and implement creative approaches to engaging the campus community to improve data literacy and data-informed decision-making.
3. Measure the success of these approaches and use data to continually improve their outcomes.

Collaborating with University Partners on Data Projects - 25% Effort

1. Meet regularly with key stakeholders, e.g., research support units, the UAAC, associate deans, chairs/heads, and others to understand key needs, such as intuitive, accessible interactive dashboards integrated into platforms already in use.
2. Design and implement creative approaches to meet such needs.
3. In collaboration with the VPAI, prioritize requests to best achieve institutional goals.

Providing Strategic Direction for Assessment and Accreditation – 25% Effort

1. With the VPAI, define and prioritize goals for the AA team.
2. Manage the team effectively to optimize its performance and collaborations with IR and other units, faculty, and staff.
3. Advocate for, mentor, and professionally develop the AA team.

Providing Strategic Direction for Institutional Research – 25% Effort

1. With the VPAI, define and prioritize goals for the IR team.
2. Manage the team effectively to optimize its performance and collaborations with AA and other units, faculty, and staff.
3. Advocate for, mentor, and professionally develop the IR team.

Other Duties as Assigned – 5% Effort

• Complete additional projects and tasks as assigned by the Office of the Provost and Executive Vice President, via the VPAI.

• Master’s degree
• Three years’ experience in the following
• Creating a culture of data literacy, data democratization, and data-informed decision-making as demonstrated in application materials.
• Strategic leadership to forward key institutional goals and effectively balance multiple competing priorities by providing needed data, analyses, and solutions.
• Leadership in designing processes for maximum efficiency in routine reporting as demonstrated in application materials.
• Leading the development of intuitive, accessible, interactive dashboards and other tools that broaden data access and promote effective data use institution wide.
• Experience designing and executing quantitative studies, and knowledge of qualitative and mixed methods study design.
• Creativity and flexibility in meeting stakeholder needs while sustaining integrity of data definitions and other unit priorities as shown in application materials.

• Ph.D. in statistics, educational measurement, assessment, cognitive science, database management, machine learning, or other relevant discipline.
• Demonstrated experience collaborating effectively with assessment, accreditation, research support, and other colleagues, including disciplinary faculty and academic administrators; building, leading, and contributing to effective cross-unit working groups; and tailoring effective communications in formal and informal settings.
• Experience establishing, communicating, and leading others to implement a vision for promoting effective data use across an organization, including a demonstrated ability to effectively engage hesitant, skeptical, and/or inexperienced colleagues in developing data literacy and the capacity to use data effectively to inform decision-making.
• Experience establishing unit priorities; motivating direct reports and staff to achieve priorities; and building collaborative, responsive, high-performing teams.
• Demonstrated experience engaging faculty, staff, and students in using data effectively to improve academic, curricular efficiency, operational, budgetary, and other outcomes. Such experience will ideally include designing and implementing trainings, professional development materials and workshops, and the like.
• Strong experience in sophisticated analytical projects, e.g., diagnostic and prescriptive analyses designed to help identify students who could succeed with particular interventions and/or to measure the effectiveness of such interventions.
• Experience leading or co-leading the development of data governance policies; structures and demonstrated knowledge of data definitions, storage, and management; and experience designing, implementing, or applying data ethics policies.
• Evidence of strong initiative, creativity, and problem-solving skills.
• Knowledge of federal, state, and other reporting required for institutions of higher education.

Founded in 1889, the University of Idaho is the state’s land-grant institution and its principal graduate education and research university, bringing insight and innovation to the state, the nation and the world. The student population numbers more than 12,000, including first-generation college students and ethnically diverse scholars at locations in Moscow, Boise, Coeur d'Alene and Idaho Falls. As the only institution in the state to be classified by the prestigious Carnegie Foundation as “higher research activity,” University researchers expended over $109 million in expenditures last year.

Consistently recognized as one of the best public colleges in the United States by The Princeton Review, and a noted national leader in student-centered learning and interdisciplinary research that promotes public service, the University combines the strength of a large university with the intimacy of small learning communities and a focus on helping students succeed and become leaders. Over 2,500 faculty and staff support and guide 120 Bachelor's, 83 Master's and 33 doctoral degree options in the colleges of Agricultural and Life Sciences; Art and Architecture; Business and Economics; Education, Health and Human Sciences; Engineering; Law; Letters, Arts, and Social Sciences; Natural Resources and Science. Through an institution-wide commitment to diversity, multiculturalism and community, the University of Idaho actively engages in recruiting and retaining a diverse workforce and student body.

The University is a dynamic and integral part of the fabric of Idaho and, as such, plays a key role in the state’s economic development. With extension offices in 42 counties, the University is committed to enhancing the scientific, economic, social, legal and cultural assets of the state and takes pride in a commitment to teaching, research, agriculture, outreach, extension and collaboration. The University provides access to publicly supported medical education through a multi-state partnership with University of Washington’s School of Medicine, and the U of I College of Law is among the nation’s best small state public law schools. Unique academic partnership opportunities are also afforded with other universities and colleges in Idaho, as well as Washington State University, located only 8 miles away in Pullman, Washington.

The residential campus located in Moscow is a place of transformation and lasting traditions. With more than 200 student groups and a vibrant culture, the University is home to the renowned Lionel Hampton International Jazz Festival, for which U of I became the first public university to receive the National Medal of Arts, the nation’s highest arts honor. Vandal athletic teams compete in 14 men's and women's NCAA Division I sports. Competing in the Big Sky Conference, the Vandals are reigning conference champions in women’s basketball, women’s golf, men’s golf, women’s soccer and women’s tennis.

For additional information about the University of Idaho, please view the website links below:

• Homepage
• Leadership
• Strategic Plan 2016-2025