Decision Support Assistant/Decision Support Analyst

Ball State University

Muncie, IN

ID: 7283069 (Ref.No. BSU45008)
Posted: Recently posted
Application Deadline: Open Until Filled

Job Description

For Decision Support Assistant:
In this role, you'll work closely with the university community to develop and maintain report and business term definitions, ensuring thorough documentation of these decisions. You'll become a subject matter expert on Data Cookbook to bolster Data Governance efforts at BSU and maintain existing data visualizations to enhance data understanding and support effective decision-making. Responsibilities also include validating dashboard data with Institutional Research, testing dashboards for issues, and collecting specifications from college stakeholders to deliver high-quality reports in various formats. Additionally, you'll support the director with meeting agendas, minutes, and follow-ups, update project management software for Decision Support staff, support the evaluation of items covered by the Data Rating System, and help create technical documentation for the university community. You will also support the completion of external survey requests such as those from US News, CDS, and IPEDS.
For Decision Support Analyst:
In this position you will have the opportunity to leverage BSU’s data warehouse and other systems to provide data analysis that supports the university in data informed decision making. You will have responsibility for data collection, extraction, cleaning, and analysis/analytics. You will prepare reports of official university data to both internal and external constituents. Under supervision, you will be responsible for analyzing, validating, and managing institutional data coming from the student information database, Banner, and other ancillary systems to the Data Warehouse and use that data to develop valid, sustainable practices. Support and participate in strategic planning and unit outcomes, accreditation needs and other items related to institutional effectiveness. You’ll work collaboratively on projects with colleagues inside and outside the Office of Decision Support.

Ball State has an opening in its Office of Institutional Research and Decision Support for either a Decision Support Assistant or a Decision Support Analyst, depending on qualifications. This role is essential to advancing data-informed decision-making at the university. The Assistant role provides support in areas like data visualization, reporting, and data governance, while the Analyst takes on more advanced data analysis and reporting tasks. If a qualified Analyst candidate isn’t found, we will hire instead at the Assistant level (please carefully review the qualifications). This position offers the chance to contribute to important projects and grow in a collaborative, data-focused environment.

Job Function:

Minimum Education:

For Decision Support Assistant:
Bachelor’s degree or equivalent in Computer Science, Economics, Mathematics, Psychology, Sociology, Statistics, or related field from an accredited university. In lieu of Bachelor's degree, an associate’s degree will be considered when combined with applicable work experience.
For Decision Support Analyst:
Bachelor's degree in Computer Science, Economics, Mathematics, Psychology, Sociology, Statistics, or related field from an accredited university.

Preferred Education:

For Decision Support Assistant:
Graduate-level course work, certification, or degree from an accredited college or university.
For Decision Support Analyst:
Graduate degree from an accredited college or university.

Minimum Experience:

For Decision Support Assistant:
None
For Decision Support Analyst:
One year of experience as an analyst.

Preferred Experience:

For Decision Support Assistant:
One or more years of relevant work experience, including internships and graduate assistantships, in accessing data from Data systems to perform analyses and produce comprehensive reports. Previous experience working in higher education. Experience with technical writing.
For Decision Support Analyst:
Three or more years of relevant work experience in accessing data from multiple sources to perform analyses and produce comprehensive reports; experience with statistical software such as Stata, R, SPSS, and/or SAS. Previous experience working in higher education.

Duties and Responsibilities:

Work with the Director of Decision Support to develop and document report and business term definitions; maintain documentation of those decisions in appropriate systems.
Become a subject matter expert on the use of Data Cookbook to support documentation of Data Governance efforts at BSU.
For Decision Support Assistant:
Provide front-line support for explaining to users how to use existing Data Visualizations to facilitate understanding of how to access those visuals and how to use Tableau to access data.

For Decision Support Analyst:
Create Data Visualizations to support understanding of data and help decision-makers make effective decisions.
For Decision Support Assistant:
Validate dashboard data in conjunction with Institutional Research. Perform dashboard testing and find/report issues in existing dashboards.

For Decision Support Analyst:
Provide training on data tools and data warehouse use to university stakeholders.
For Decision Support Assistant:
Support collection of specifications from a wide variety of college stakeholders and use those specifications to prepare high quality reports and visualizations.

For Decision Support Analyst:
Collect specifications from a wide variety of college stakeholders and use those specifications to prepare high quality report solutions in both visual and more traditional formats.
For Decision Support Assistant:
Support the director with meeting agendas, minutes, and follow-up items. Enter updates for Decision Support staff in project management software.

For Decision Support Analyst:
Participate as a member of the MIDAS Data Management Committee and Data Governance subcommittees.
For Decision Support Assistant:
Support the documentation and organization of all the data products and processes covered by the BSU Data Rating System.

For Decision Support Analyst:
Support evaluation of items covered by the Data Rating System.
For Decision Support Assistant:
Help create technical documentation for the university community to help support effective use of Data Cookbook, Tableau and other systems.

For Decision Support Analyst:
Help create policies for data governance and support compliance.
Support the completion of external survey requests (US News, CDS, IPEDS, etc) in conjunction with Institutional Research.
Perform other related duties as assigned.

At Ball State University, we recognize inclusive excellence as an integral endeavor to fulfill our University’s mission and our strategic plan. We recruit, support, and retain a diverse population of students, faculty, and staff. We encourage and reward diversity of thought. We promote a work environment that encourages and rewards innovation and creativity. We pledge to keep Inclusive Excellence at the highest level of institutional importance and as a foundation in all that we strive to do. Our over-arching goal for Inclusive Excellence is to adopt a university-wide Inclusive Excellence approach to academic, administrative support, and service functions of the university. We believe Inclusive Excellence must be infused in every step we take.

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