Senior Research Associate for Faculty Analysis

Employment Type: Permanent Staff (EHRA NF)

Vacancy ID: NF0010167

Position Summary/Description:

This position may be eligible for a hybrid work arrangement that may include a partially remote work location, consistent with System Office policy. UNC Chapel Hill employees are generally required to reside within a reasonable commuting distance of their assigned duty station.

The Senior Research Associate for Faculty Analysis is a key member of the Office of Institutional Research, Planning, and Assessment ( IRPA ), a team of data analysis and evaluation professionals within the UNC -Chapel Hill Provost’s organization. This position will maintain a secondary reporting relationship with the Office of Faculty Affairs ( OFA ), also in the Provost’s Office. The purpose of this position is to bring together OFA’s subject matter expertise on faculty and IRPA’s research and analysis skills to promote an efficient, well-coordinated, data-informed approach to understanding and supporting the University’s faculty.

The Senior Research Associate is responsible for conducting data analysis, reporting, and evaluation related to the status and experiences of the more than 4,000 faculty members at UNC -Chapel Hill. This role synthesizes complex data from multiple institutional sources to respond to a wide range of strategic and operational questions about faculty. Topics include recruitment, retention, promotion, compensation, professional development, productivity, faculty satisfaction with the institutional support and work life balance, and other topics. The role will support the evaluation needs of the Provost’s Office, Faculty Affairs, the Center for Faculty Excellence, accreditation bodies, external ranking agencies, UNC System Office requests, Board of Trustees requests, and campus leadership needs.

The work of the Senior Research Associate will provide campus leadership and faculty stakeholders with actionable insights that inform policy development, strategic planning, and decision-making. This includes gathering and analyzing data, and developing reports, presentations, and responses to ad hoc questions that translate data into clear, meaningful narratives and visualizations. The role will also contribute to institutional reporting requirements, benchmarking initiatives, and special studies aligned with university priorities. The Senior Research Associate will collaborate closely with colleagues in IRPA , OFA , academic units, Human Resources, and other central offices on initiatives to enhance faculty data quality, access, and appropriate use.

Education and Experience:

Demonstrated ability to work collaboratively and productively with professionals at all levels of the University and across units.

Demonstrated ability to apply advanced knowledge of social science research and evaluation designs and methodology, including quantitative, qualitative, and mixed-methods.

Experience conducting advanced statistical analyses using tools such as R, SAS , SPSS , Stata or comparable analytical software, including application of appropriate statistical methods and clear interpretation of results.

Experience extracting data from data warehouses, data marts, and other institutional data sources. Proficiency in writing queries and code (e.g., SQL , R, Python, or similar) to retrieve, prepare, and analyze data.

*Experience designing and populating dashboards using PowerBI or Tableau, provide data literacy tools to enhance user experience.

Essential Skills:

Exceptional oral and written communication skills.

Professional work experience in higher education.

Experience developing questionnaires and analyzing data from logic models, surveys, and focus groups.

Experience applying project management best practices to track assignments, timelines, and the sequence of activities leading to deliverables.

AA/EEO Statement:

The University is an equal opportunity employer and welcomes all to apply without regard to age, color, gender, gender expression, gender identity, genetic information, national origin, race, religion, sex, or sexual orientation. We encourage all qualified applicants to apply, including protected veterans and individuals with disabilities.