Associate Director of Accountability and Data Analytics

Job description

Job Requisition ID: 58586 Opening Date: 09/09/2026 Closing Date: 10/07/2026 Agency: Illinois Board of Higher Education Salary: Commensurate with experience, starting salary within the range of $86,500-max $110,000/yr Job Type: Salaried Category: Full Time Number of Vacancies: 1 Bargaining Unit Code: None Merit Comp Code: Agency Excluded from Collective Bargaining Coverage Work Hours : 8:00am-4:00pm Mon-Fri Anticipated Hybrid Work Schedule Availability :It is required that a person reports to the headquarters on this job position as necessary (could be weekly, monthly, or other schedule) dependent on operational need Headquarter Location :Springfield - 1 N Old State Capitol Plz Work County :** IBHE offers remote and hybrid work arrangements, based on position and supervisor discretion. IL residency is required. Travel within IL is expected, as required by the work. Agency Contact : A resume is required. Please attach a DETAILED Resume/Curriculum Vitae (CV) to the MY DOCUMENTS section in order to be considered. About the Illinois Board of Higher Education (IBHE) IBHE has been supporting higher education in Illinois for more than 50 years. We are a dedicated team of professionals, overseen by a Board appointed by the Governor, who are working for a strong, equitable higher education system, which we believe is essential for the state to thrive. We work with leaders in colleges, universities, state and federal government agencies, governors, legislators, and other entities to strategically further this mission. In its strategic plan, A Thriving Illinois: Higher Education Paths to Equity, Sustainability, and Growth, IBHE has identified three goals and 25 strategies to help achieve its vision of a higher education ecosystem that ensures individuals, families, and communities across the state thrive. • Equity - Close equity gaps for students who have been left behind. • Sustainability - Build a stronger financial future for individuals and institutions. • Growth - Increase talent and innovation that drives economic growth. About the position: The IL Board of Higher Education (IBHE) is responsible for extensive data collection, analysis, and reporting to share data to increase understanding in support of improved enrollment, persistence, and student completion. The Associate Director of Accountability and Data Analytics is responsible for leading the build out and support of IBHE’s accountability system, and interpreting and analyzing data to inform high-quality, actionable analytics that support Agency decisions and goals; responsible for drawing on insights and communicating findings in accessible ways to non-technical audiences, including through dashboards, interactive data tools, and reports. IBHE offers the State's competitive benefits package Major Duties and Responsibilities • Drives the design, and development of the higher education accountability system; defines and documents the metrics, business rules, and data logic that underpin it, and independently advances its capabilities to meet emerging agency and policy needs; performs complex data integration, analysis, reporting, and visualization in support of A Thriving Illinois • Performs sophisticated data integration, analysis, and interpretation across the research lifecycle; Extracts and transforms data from multiple sources using ETL processes while ensuring accuracy, completeness, and integrity; Safeguards data privacy and compliance standards; Identifies meaningful trends, patterns, and anomalies using statistical techniques and predictive modeling; Conducts ad hoc analyses to address emerging questions; Translates complex analytical findings into clear, actionable insights for both technical and non-technical stakeholders through reports, visualizations, and presentations • Partners with cross-functional teams to establish and maintain data quality standards, ensure data integrity, implement best practices, and uphold compliance requirements across the organization; works with institution partners to design and develop metrics • Develops compelling dashboards, interactive data tools, and executive presentations that track key performance indicators and business metrics; Delivers actionable insights to leadership and stakeholders through clear, visually engaging reports that drive informed decision-making • Designs, implements, and maintains robust processes and procedures to safeguard data security and protect sensitive information across all systems and workflows • Identifies inefficiencies in current data processes and suggests improvements or automation to streamline workflows and enhance data accuracy and usability • Other duties as assigned, within scope of position Position Requirements and Qualifications Education: Required: • A minimum of a Master's degree* from an accredited institution in Data Science, Data Analytics, Social Science, Education, or a related field *In lieu of a Master's degree, a Bachelor's degree from an accredited institution in a related field and five (5) or more years of professional experience in an institutional research capacity may be substituted. Preferred: - Additional, relevant graduate-level (or higher) certifications Experience: Required: • 5+ years of relevant professional experience • Experience in the design, development, and implementation of streamlined or automated reporting solutions • Demonstrated proficiency with SQL, including experience writing moderately complex queries against a data warehouse or relational database • Experience with one or more common statistical or analytical software packages (e.g., R, SAS, SPSS, Stata) • Experience with data warehousing, data migration and/or data integration techniques Preferred: • Experience in Higher Education • Experience developing reports and dashboards in a data visualization tool, with proficiency in Power BI Knowledge Requirements Advanced knowledge in the manipulation of data to provide charts, graphs, and reports Advanced knowledge of data integrity methods and techniques Required Skills and Traits • Ability to align data strategy with business objectives • Strong project management and organizational skills; Ability to meet deadlines and follow through on the completion of projects and initiatives • Technical aptitude with strong logical, problem solving and decision-making skills, strong analytical skills, and attention to detail; ability to process large datasets and extract meaningful insights. • Commitment to public service and passion for education and equity • Excellent interpersonal skills, with a strong focus on collaboration and teamwork; ability to build and maintain positive working relationships with all stakeholders • Demonstrated ability to work with a variety of constituents and stakeholders, such as other state agency staff, institutional faculty and staff, employers, and community-based partners • Excellent problem-solving and written and verbal communication skills • Ability to work independently managing projects, while ensuring alignment to and coordination with a larger vision and initiative Organizational Relationship Position reports to the Director of Research, Analytics, & Data. There are no direct reports to this position. The main form of communication will be through email. Please check your “junk mail”, “spam”, or “other” folder for communication(s) regarding any submitted application(s). You may receive emails from the following addresses: