University of Pennsylvania
Director of Strategic Data Analysis and Planning, Penn GSE
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University Overview
The University of Pennsylvania, the largest private employer in Philadelphia, is a world-renowned leader in education, research, and innovation. This historic, Ivy League school consistently ranks among the top 10 universities in the annual U.S. News & World Report survey. Penn has 12 highly-regarded schools that provide opportunities for undergraduate, graduate, and continuing education, all influenced by Penn’s distinctive interdisciplinary approach to scholarship and learning. As an employer, Penn has been ranked nationally on many occasions with the most recent award from Forbes who named Penn one of America’s Best Large Employers in 2023.
Penn offers a unique working environment within the city of Philadelphia. The University is situated on a beautiful urban campus, with easy access to a range of educational, cultural, and recreational activities. With its historical significance and landmarks, lively cultural offerings, and wide variety of atmospheres, Philadelphia is the perfect place to call home for work and play.
The University offers a competitive benefits package that includes excellent healthcare and tuition benefits for employees and their families, generous retirement benefits, a wide variety of professional development opportunities, supportive work and family benefits, a wealth of health and wellness programs and resources, and much more.
Posted Job Title
Director of Strategic Data Analysis and Planning, Penn GSE
Job Profile Title
Associate Director D, Information Technology
Job Description Summary
The Director of Strategic Data Analysis and Planning is a senior strategic partner to the Dean, Chief of Staff, and school leadership, responsible for leading institutional research, analysis, and planning in support of schoolwide decision-making. Reporting to the Chief of Staff and based in the Dean’s Office, the Director serves as the central integrator of data and analysis across GSE, bringing together information from multiple systems and domains to support strategic planning, resource allocation, program review, and institutional storytelling. The Director also serves as the primary school liaison to the University’s Office of Institutional Research, coordinating institutional data requests, aligning definitions and methodologies, and ensuring consistency between school-level analysis and University reporting.
The Director leads complex cross-cutting analyses, and translates leadership questions into coherent, actionable insights. Working in close collaboration with data stewards across admissions, student records, finance, HR, grants, faculty affairs, communications, and IT, the Director ensures that GSE can answer the questions that matter most with clarity, consistency, and confidence.
The role requires hands-on technical fluency, including the ability to independently query and validate data (e.g., using SQL and related tools), assess data quality, and translate technical outputs into clear institutional insights. The Director deploys deep analytic judgment, strong institutional acumen, and the ability to move fluidly between technical detail and strategic interpretation in service of the Dean’s priorities, and the mission, vision, and goals of the School.
Job Description
Key Responsibilities
- Institutional Decision Support and Strategic Analysis:
- Serve as the primary analytic partner to the Dean’s Office and School academic and administrative leadership on schoolwide strategic questions.
- Design and deliver integrative analyses that draw on multiple data systems (e.g., enrollment, programs, staffing, budget, space, and outcomes) to support decisions related to strategy, goals, resource allocation, new initiatives, and implementation of Together for Good.
- Develop and maintain a small, high-value set of dashboards, briefing materials, and analytic routines that provide leaders with a consistent, trusted picture of institutional performance and emerging issues.
- Translate complex analyses into clear narratives, visuals, and recommendations that support timely and confident decision-making.
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Institutional Research and Planning Leadership:
- Lead institutional research in support of internal and external program reviews, new program proposals, accreditation- or compliance-related analysis, and long-range planning efforts.
- Partner with academic and administrative leaders to interpret data in context and connect findings to concrete planning and improvement actions.
- Establish analytic standards and expectations, moving the school toward a proactive and disciplined planning agenda and a culture of data-informed decision-making.
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Data Governance, Stewardship, and Liaison:
- Convene and coordinate GSE’s network of data stewards across key functional areas, serving as a neutral integrator and convener for cross-cutting data questions.
- Work with stewards to clarify shared definitions, improve data quality, identify gaps, and prioritize integration and reporting needs.
- Serve as GSE’s primary point of contact with the University’s Office of Institutional Research & Analysis (IR&A) on institutional data standards, reporting, and cross-school analyses.
- Address in a timely and effective way all data-related requests from IR&A, the Provost’s Center, President’s Center, and other University units.
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Data Storytelling and External Reporting:
- Support the Dean’s Office, Office of Development and Alumni Relations, and other units in communicating a clear, accurate, and compelling institutional story to internal and external audiences, including University leadership, the GSE Board of Advisors, local and global partners, and other stakeholders.
- Develop data-informed narratives, visuals, and summaries that explain trends in enrollment, programs, faculty, students, and resources.
- Ensure alignment between internal planning analyses and external representations of the school’s work and impact.
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Office Leadership and Special Projects:
- Provide leadership and direction for the Office of Institutional Research and Planning, including supervision of an Associate Director.
- Lead special projects as assigned by the Dean or Chief of Staff.
- Handle sensitive information with absolute confidentiality and represent the Dean’s Office with professionalism and sound judgment.
Perform additional duties as assigned.
Qualifications
ESSENTIAL:
- A Bachelor of Science and 5+ years of experience or equivalent combination of education and experience.
- Strong consultative capabilities: translating ambiguous questions into analytic workplans, aligning stakeholders, and delivering on tight timelines.
- Experience with student, HR, finance, and/or CRM systems (e.g., Slate, Workday, Salesforce, Qlik, or similar) and translating operational processes into analytic definitions.
- Demonstrated ability to independently extract, validate, and integrate data across multiple systems.
- Familiarity with data governance practices (shared definitions, data stewardship networks, documentation, and change control).
- Skilled in data visualization and institutional storytelling for both internal governance audiences and external stakeholders (boards, donors, university leadership).
- Experience with: SQL tools, business intelligence and visualization platforms, statistical/analysis tools, spreadsheet and reporting tools, and institutional systems.
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PREFERRED:
- Advanced degree in higher education, public policy, statistics, data science, analytics, or a related field.
- Higher ed institutional research experience, especially in a decentralized environment.
- Experience supporting program review, accreditation, compliance reporting, and/or new program proposals with rigorous, defensible analysis.
- Advanced SQL proficiency and experience building repeatable analytic pipelines (e.g., views, stored procedures, reproducible queries, QA checks).
All applicants must submit a cover letter, along with their resume/CV, detailing their interest in the position. Cover letters may be uploaded to the same section as the resume/CV section.
Job Location - City, State
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Department / School
Graduate School of Education
Pay Range
$101,750.00 - $120,000.00 Annual Rate
Salary offers are made based on the candidate’s qualifications, experience, skills, and education as they directly relate to the requirements of the position, and in alignment with salary ranges based on external market data for the job’s level. Internal organization and peer data at Penn are also considered.
Equal Opportunity Statement
The University of Pennsylvania is an equal opportunity employer. Candidates are considered for employment without regard to race, color, sex, sexual orientation, religion, creed, national origin (including shared ancestry or ethnic characteristics), citizenship status, age, disability, veteran status, or any class protected under applicable federal, state, or local law.
Special Requirements
Background checks may be required after a conditional job offer is made. Consideration of the background check will be tailored to the requirements of the job.
University Benefits
- Health, Life, and Flexible Spending Accounts: Penn offers comprehensive medical, prescription, behavioral health, dental, vision, and life insurance benefits to protect you and your family’s health and welfare. You can also use flexible spending accounts to pay for eligible health care and dependent care expenses with pre-tax dollars.
- Tuition: Take advantage of Penn's exceptional tuition benefits. You, your spouse, and your dependent children can get tuition assistance here at Penn. Your dependent children are also eligible for tuition assistance at other institutions.
- Retirement: Penn offers generous retirement plans to help you save for your future. Penn’s Basic, Matching, and Supplemental retirement plans allow you to save for retirement on a pre-tax or Roth basis. Choose from a wide variety of investment options through TIAA and Vanguard.
- Time Away from Work: Penn provides you with a substantial amount of time away from work during the course of the year. This allows you to relax, take vacations, attend to personal affairs, recover from illness or injury, spend time with family—whatever your personal needs may be.
- Long-Term Care Insurance: In partnership with Genworth Financial, Penn offers faculty and staff (and your eligible family members) long-term care insurance to help you cover some of the costs of long-term care services received at home, in the community, or in a nursing facility. If you apply when you’re newly hired, you won’t have to provide proof of good health or be subject to underwriting requirements. Eligible family members must always provide proof
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