Research Associate

Employer Info:

Pennsylvania State University

http://www.psu.edu/
Job Name
Research Associate
Posting Date
05/09/2017
Brief Description
The Research Associate will be an integral member of the Department of Planning and Institutional Research, responsible for analytics development and analysis in support of the University’s strategic planning and decision-making activities. The qualified candidate must have a strong understanding of the complexities of data management and transformation and of databases and data analysis techniques. S/he will be responsible for translating student, faculty, and staff data into clear, usable, actionable information. The primary responsibilities of the Research Associate generally fall into one of the three areas of effort: 1) extraction and manipulation of data from various data sources, 2) knowledge discovery through analysis of data, and 3) visualization and communication of information derived from data to a broad range of campus stakeholders.
Job Category
Institutional Research
Job Type
Full-Time
Education Level Required
Masters
Location City
University Park, PA 16802, United states
How to Apply
Apply online at: https://psu.jobs/job/71221
Penn State is an equal opportunity, affirmative action employer, and is committed to providing employment opportunities to all qualified applicants without regard to race, color, religion, age, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability or protected veteran status.
Direct Link
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Job Details
Essential Functions: The Research Associate’s responsibilities include acquiring and maintaining a deep understanding of University data and how its integration and analysis can inform decision-making; and applying best practices to working with databases, tables and extracts. The Research Associate will work collaboratively with various University offices to ensure data integrity by developing a deep understanding of University data. S/he will work with large complex data sets, merge current with historical records, use database query tools, and develop programming logic that can be deployed and repeated to extract, translate, and load data into various systems. S/he will use statistical and analytical software and data discovery tools to identify trends and patterns. S/he will design, develop, and test predictive models using a variety of data mining and advanced statistical analysis techniques. The Research Associate will create reports that interpret and make meaning of data and contextualize them for a variety of audiences to use in institutional decision making. S/he will develop University performance metrics, which may include the merging of disparate internal and external data sets (e.g., student, faculty, facilities, and financial data). Along with other PIR staff, S/he will fill various ad hoc requests, especially those requiring programming skills. S/he will collaborate with various internal clients (e.g., department heads, deans, directors) to understand their information needs and develop innovative, effective solutions. S/he will use data visualization and reporting tools to display and summarize data, trends, and patterns. S/he will compare consistency of data against other data sources and establish automated procedures for analysis and reporting. S/he will be responsible for maintaining detailed and accurate documentation of all projects. The Research Associate will serve as a technical support resource and contribute expertise to develop a body of technical knowledge within Planning and Institutional Research. This job will be filled as a level 4, or level  5, depending upon the successful candidate's competencies, education, and experience.

Qualifications: Typically requires a Master's degree or higher plus three years of related experience, or an equivalent combination of education and experience for a level 4. Additional experience and/or education and competencies are required for higher level jobs. Master’s degree in Statistics, Mathematics, Computer Science, Informatics, Educational Research, MIS, Social Science, or related field or, PhD degree with one or more years of experience in an academic or industry-related setting analyzing and synthesizing complex data sets to produce highly readable, informative reports, and presentations is highly desirable. Required skills and abilities include: expertise utilizing statistical tools, forecasting methods, data mining algorithms, and data visualization software; exceptional deductive and inductive reasoning skills; creative thinker who proposes innovative ways to look at problems using data mining; advanced knowledge of SPSS, R, SAS Tableau, MS Excel, Python or relevant software for extracting, managing, manipulating, aggregating, analyzing, mining, visualizing, and reporting data; demonstrated experience with SQL; experience in statistical analysis and modeling techniques including probability and statistical models, forecasting techniques, time series and trend analysis, regression, analysis of variance and multivariate analysis, factor analysis, hypothesis testing, etc.; ability to conceptualize, document, and communicate complex data processes to end users; self-motivated with a strong orientation for customer service and the ability to explain sophisticated technical concepts to all levels of colleagues; experience in the higher education domain or possess a strong enthusiasm to learn about higher education; demonstrated ability in using data visualization software and tools, creating visualizations for presentations, etc.; ability to clearly communicate and accurately present methodology and results of analyses to various technical and non-technical internal audiences using a variety of visual, written and/or verbal formats; and excellent interpersonal, written and verbal communication skills including a customer service orientation and ability to interact and communicate effectively with University faculty and staff. Preferred skills and abilities: experience working with Oracle BI (OBIEE), Microsoft Access, and Tableau; experience working with PeopleSoft Campus Solutions (or other student information / ERP system); experience with Oracle PL/SQL and Access SQL; experience crafting results for the visually impaired (accessibility); and web programming skills.