Assessment Specialist (Institutional Research Specialist)

Assessment Specialist (Institutional Research Specialist) - Office of Institutional Research & Effectiveness

POSITION DETAILS

The Office of Institutional Research and Effectiveness is seeking a proactive Assessment Specialist to lead and coordinate institutional assessment practices across the Graduate Center. Reporting to the Director for Institutional Effectiveness, the Assessment Specialist will serve as the primary project manager for regular assessment cycles and as a resource to academic and administrative units on assessment practices.

This position requires a self-motivated professional who can independently manage project timelines, coordinate committee activities, guide administrative offices through assessment processes, and maintain comprehensive documentation of the assessment process, ensuring alignment with accreditation requirements and institutional effectiveness goals.

The Graduate Center of the City University of New York (CUNY) is the focal point for advanced teaching and research at CUNY, the nation's largest urban public university. With over 35 doctoral and master's programs of the highest caliber, the Graduate Center fosters pioneering research and scholarship in the arts and sciences and prepares students for careers in universities and the private, nonprofit, and government sectors. The Graduate Center's commitment to research and scholarship for the public good is exemplified by its more than 30 centers, institutes, and initiatives, including its Advanced Science Research Center (ASRC), a 200,000 square-foot facility in upper Manhattan, designed to promote collaboration among scientists in five areas of global research and innovation: nanoscience, photonics, structural biology, neuroscience, and environmental sciences.

The Graduate Center (GC) benefits from highly ambitious and diverse students and alumni-who in turn teach hundreds of thousands of undergraduates every year. Through its public programs, the Graduate Center enhances New York City's intellectual and cultural life.

This position requires the incumbent to work in the office four days a week and one day remotely. This hybrid work schedule is subject to change.

Duties include but are not limited to:

• Drive and manage the Graduate Center’s student learning outcome assessment cycle in accordance with accreditation requirements and institutional effectiveness goals. Facilitate Outcome Assessment Committee meetings and drive timelines. Develop assessment plans based on committee decisions and manage implementation from data collection through reporting.

• Manage the annual assessment cycle for administrative units, including but not limited to communicating processes and templates, providing guidance, monitoring progress and following up on submissions, and analyzing and reporting on assessment results.

• Manage and support other regular and ad hoc assessment practices and contribute to the accreditation process.

• Works with the Director for Institutional Effectiveness and the Associate Provost for Academic Affairs to create and implement a holistic assessment plan for continuous institutional improvement.

• Collect and analyze assessment results, and report to internal and external stakeholders.

• Manage administration of surveys to ensure robust response rates. Periodically review instruments to ensure alignment and relevance.

• Provide guidance and support for academic and administrative units on their assessment practices.

• Evaluate the information needs of the Graduate Center faculty and staff. Work with the Director for Institutional Effectiveness to develop qualitative and quantitative information, data tools, as well as information dissemination platforms, to support assessment processes.

• Oversee the dissemination of assessment results to the campus community and manage content on the Institutional Research and Effectiveness web pages.

• Perform other duties as assigned.

QUALIFICATIONS

• Bachelor's Degree and four years' relevant experience required.

Preferred Qualifications:

• Master’s degree in a social science or science field, with working knowledge of higher education assessment. Knowledge of and experience with regional accreditation (e.g., Middle States) is preferred.

• Demonstrated ability to take initiative and independently drive complex projects from start to finish. Strong organizational and project management skills, with experience managing multiple timelines and facilitating committees.

• Strong interpersonal skills, with a proven ability to problem-solve and collaborate across academic and administrative departments.

• Strong written and verbal communication skills, with demonstrated ability to translate assessment findings into clear reports and actionable recommendations for diverse audiences.

• Experience in survey design, administration, and reporting (Qualtrics preferred), as well as focus group facilitation.

• Proficiency in qualitative and quantitative data analysis (advanced Excel required; experience with data analytics and visualization tools preferred).

• CUNY TITLE OVERVIEW

• Oversees collection and assessment of data for Institutional Research purposes.

• Compiles, maintains, and analyzes institutional data in various formats

• Produces reports and metrics based on department's needs; responds to time-critical ad-hoc requests

• Loads, extracts, edits, and evaluates data for reporting and analytics

• Maintains selected databases and document libraries, updating and ensuring data quality and accuracy

• May participate in internal and external surveys as needed

• May consult with others in designing methodology for research projects

• Performs related duties as assigned.

• CUNY TITLE

• Higher

Education

• Assistant

• FLSA

• Exempt

• COMPENSATION AND BENEFITS

• $73,294-$98,231 annually. Salary commensurate with education and experience.

• CUNY's benefits contribute significantly to total compensation, supporting health and wellness, financial well-being, and professional development. We offer a range of health plans, competitive retirement/pension benefits and savings plans, tuition waivers for CUNY graduate study and generous paid time off. Our staff also benefits from the extensive academic, arts, and athletic programs on our campuses and the opportunity to participate in a lively, diverse academic community in one of the greatest cities in the world.