Job Details

Position Summary

The Office of Student Success (OSS) is an administrative office that reports to the Vice Provost for Student Success under the Office of Academic Affairs at Portland State University. OSS is designed to improve the student experience and increase retention and degree completion.

The Senior Data and Research Analyst will support OSS with assessment, research, and strategy development activities in contribution to Portland State's strategic goal to elevate student success. This role will be critical in expanding our nationally renowned success innovations.

Key responsibilities include extracting, analyzing, and reporting data from institutional and external databases to help report student success outcomes such as retention and degree completion rates. The analyst will conduct modeling, analysis, and interpretation of information, and employ data mining and analytics to support decision‑making related to a wide range of student success projects and questions.

Work will primarily involve collecting, analyzing, visualizing, and reporting quantitative data with additional opportunities to analyze qualitative data. Findings will be presented to the Office of Student Success and the broader PSU community, assist in developing assessment plans for student success projects, and analyze project outcomes.

One primary responsibility will be developing and maintaining Tableau dashboards used by faculty and staff across campus to explore and track key performance indicators and student success metrics. This position supports initiatives funded by the Association of Public and Land Grant Universities' Transformational Change Collaborative grant.

Minimum Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree with experience working in a higher education environment or similar field.
• At least two years of progressively responsible technical research or statistical experience, including hands‑on use of statistical software such as SPSS, Stata, R, or equivalent for data analysis and regression modeling.
• Demonstrated ability to conduct descriptive and inferential statistical analyses, including regression, forecasting, and modeling.
• Experience applying predictive modeling or machine learning methods in a higher education context.
• Proficiency in data visualization and visual storytelling using Tableau (including dashboard design, data preparation, and interactive reporting) and other tools such as Flourish.
• Ability to write, speak, and present information clearly and concisely to a wide variety of audiences.
• Demonstrated technical expertise developing queries and reports from enterprise information systems and data warehouses.
• Ability to complete assignments on time and with a high degree of quality and responsiveness, taking projects from start to finish with minimal supervision.
• Experience with information systems, data warehouses, and related business intelligence tools.
• Ability to successfully complete a background check.

Preferred Qualifications

• A Master's degree and at least five years of increasingly responsible work experience in reporting and data analysis.
• Higher education experience.

Key Cultural Competencies

• Create an environment that acknowledges, encourages, and celebrates differences.
• Function and communicate effectively and respectfully within the context of varying beliefs, behaviors, orientations, identities, and cultural backgrounds.
• Seek opportunities to gain experience working and collaborating in diverse, multicultural, and inclusive settings with a willingness to change for continual improvement.
• Adhere to all of PSU's policies including the policies on Prohibited Discrimination & Harassment and the Professional Standards of Conduct.

Environmental Stewardship

Contributes to a culture of environmental stewardship, practices resource conservation, and actively works toward achieving long‑term sustainability goals.

Work Days/Hours

Monday through Friday, 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.

Compensation and Benefits

Salary will depend on experience and will typically start around the Q1 level within the salary band, with a starting annual range of $64,752 to $76,896 (negotiable above this range based on qualifications, budget, and HR approval).

Benefits include 95% premium‑paid healthcare; a generous retirement and vacation package; and reduced tuition rates for employee, spouse, or dependent at any Oregon University System schools. Benefits package is strong and additional details can be reviewed via the total compensation calculator.

Application Instructions

Apply using the “Apply” button on the list view. Submit the following required documents: resume, cover letter, professional references, and a work sample (e.g., Tableau dashboard, static report, or data visualization portfolio) that demonstrates your ability to transform complex data into clear, compelling insights for a non‑technical audience.

Additional application instructions: list three professional references with names, telephone numbers, and email addresses. Upload a work sample under “Required Documents” as requested in question 11.

Additional Information

This is an on‑campus position, Monday to Friday, typically 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. The hiring manager may consider remote work one day per week after a successful completion of the trial service period.

In accordance with the AAUP collective bargaining agreement, this position is open only to current PSU AAUP academic professionals. Article 17 Section 11 references.

Required Documents

• Resume
• Cover Letter
• Professional References
• Work Sample