Assistant Vice President Institutional Research and Assessment

Overview

Academic Career & Executive Search is pleased to assist Mass Art in its search for Assistant Vice President for Institutional Research Assessment.

Massachusetts College of Art and Design (Mass Art) seeks a highly collaborative and analytically sophisticated leader to serve as AVP for Institutional Research and Assessment (AVPIRA). This role drives institutional decision-making, continuous improvement, and student success at Mass Art, a small, mission-driven public college of art and design. Reporting to the Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs, the AVPIRA works with senior leadership to translate data into insight and action with measurable impact.

This is a hands-on, campus-based role for a systems thinker and trusted advisor who can build effective data practices, communicate findings clearly to diverse audiences, and foster a culture of evidence-informed decision-making.

This is a fully on-site position and offers a generous benefits package.

• Lead the development, implementation, and monitoring of a system of integrated planning, assessment, and evaluation across the institution, including research and analysis, environmental scanning, benchmarking, trend analysis, key performance indicators, and reporting progress to inform decision making.
• Provide guidance and support to the President, Provost, and senior leadership in planning, strategic initiatives, and institutional improvement.
• Develop statistical models and customized analyses to support enrollment and retention goals for the College.
• Collaborate with Information Technology, Finance, Student Success and Enrollment Management, and other departments to ensure data integrity from all sources.
• Provide predictive analytics in support of the Strategic Plan.
• Coordinate reporting to eliminate redundancy and increase effectiveness.
• Prepare data and communications for review and information sharing with internal and external stakeholders, including the Department of Higher Education, Board of Trustees, accrediting entities, and government agencies.
• Support planning, goal setting, and assessment with an equity lens across academic departments, student services, and other administrative areas.
• Support academic departments in data needs for end-of-year reports and program reviews.
• Serve as the College’s primary accreditation liaison.

• Experience identifying appropriate assessment methods and directing analysis of assessment data and documentation processes.
• Strong organizational skills and ability to manage multiple tasks and projects simultaneously; capable of designing and managing complex projects.
• Excellent oral and written communication skills with the ability to present complex data clearly to a lay audience.
• Knowledge of state and federal regulations pertaining to data collection and research in higher education or not-for-profit organizations.
• Ability to motivate, manage, and supervise a team to achieve goals.
• Commitment to an inclusive approach and working effectively with a diverse community on campus and in the broader community.

• Master’s degree
• Seven or more years of senior-level experience in business intelligence/data analysis, data-driven decision-making, quality improvement, institutional research, or related fields in higher education or not-for-profit organizations
• Experience in experimental design, building statistical models (multivariate and/or path analysis, regression, segmentation, decision trees, time series)
• Proficiency with computer applications (spreadsheets, word processing, databases); knowledge of statistical tools (e.g., SPSS, SAS, Qualtrics)
• Excellent communication skills with the ability to clarify and simplify data for non-experts

• Higher education experience
• Massachusetts or other public higher education experience
• Creativity, flexibility, tenacity, optimism, high energy, and sense of humor

Founded in 1873, Mass Art is the nation’s first and only independent, free-standing public college of art and design. Mass Art offers undergraduate and graduate programs across 18 disciplines and…