Senior Data Analyst

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

Senior Data Analyst

Job Profile Title

Data Analyst Senior

Job Description Summary

Wharton School Overview

Founded in 1881 as the world’s first collegiate business school, the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania is shaping the future of business by incubating ideas, driving insights, and creating leaders who change the world. With campuses in both Philadelphia and San Francisco, Wharton has over 850 staff, a faculty population of more than 235 renowned professors, and 5,000 undergraduate, MBA, executive MBA, and doctoral students. Each year 13,000 professionals from around the world advance their careers through Wharton Executive Education’s individual, company-customized, and online programs. More than 104,000 Wharton alumni form a powerful global network of leaders who transform business every day. Wharton is home to a dynamic community of staff, bringing a wide range of skills, experiences, and perspectives. To learn more, visit www.wharton.upenn.edu.

Reporting to the Senior Director, Office of the Deputy Dean, the Senior Analyst for Institutional Research and Data Administration at the Wharton School is responsible for the collection, validation, maintenance, analysis, and dissemination of data in support of the School's teaching and research mission. This role works with and serves a broad constituency of clients and collaborators, supporting the Dean, Deputy Dean, and Academic and Administrative departments. This team also produces reports and information shared with University leadership and organizations external to the University. The incumbent provides detailed, actionable insights through advanced data analysis, reporting, and visualization, and facilitates data-driven decision making, strategic planning, policy development, and assessment and evaluation. This position requires the ability to develop and execute formalized approaches to process design and maintenance, policy development, and procedures that ensure data quality and integrity.

The Senior Analyst is part of a team of two overseeing institutional research and data administration within the Deputy Dean's Office, regularly working with sensitive and confidential data. The incumbent designs, manages, and executes complex projects with a range of stakeholders and end-users, and collaborates with technical colleagues across Wharton. Key projects and responsibilities include technical project leadership and execution of annual faculty reporting and merit processes, survey management for external ranking surveys, data visualization to identify trends and patterns in complex data sets, data management and automation, and course evaluations for undergraduate and graduate teaching.

Job Description

Job Responsibilities

• •Faculty Data Projects: Serve as project lead for full life cycle of compilation, analysis, and reporting on faculty activity and performance for the Dean and Deputy Dean. Collect, compile, and analyze relevant data and documentation from faculty and academic departments. Facilitate effective communication across relevant departments with regard to confidential and sensitive data. Manage processes and reporting related to faculty compensation, including annual faculty merit and summer research compensation.
• •Internal and External Survey Projects: Design, manage, and execute project life cycles in the context of both external ranking surveys and internal surveys and data collection projects such as external ranking surveys, online course evaluations, and faculty reporting. Plan, organize, and manage complex details of data projects, including collaboration with IT on software conversions and modifications, gathering data from relevant departments and divisions, communicating with external constituents, faculty, staff, students, and alumni, ensuring data quality and validity, and delivering results.
• •Data Analysis & Visualization: Identify trends and patterns in complex datasets. Use visualization tools (e.g. Tableau, Power BI) to create compelling data stories and dashboards that communicate complex findings to non-technical stakeholders and facilitate decision making. Apply advanced analytical techniques to transform complex data sets into intuitive and easy-to-understand formats, providing contextual information and insights that help stakeholders understand the significance and implications of data. Provide recommendations for actions or next steps where appropriate.
• •Data Reporting Projects: Manage assigned ad hoc and cyclical reporting requests from the Dean and Deputy Dean in a timely and client-centered manner. Utilizing data from disparate sources, design, code, test/simulate, debug, and document data processes. Set up automated processes to produce regular data reports, filter and clean data, and develop data validation and quality assurance processes for each project.
• •Data Governance & Administration: Lead collaborations with colleagues to maintain data processes, documentation, and reporting structures for the Dean and Deputy Dean's Office. Work with Wharton Computing to ensure that applications, analysis, and databases are secure, reliable, and scalable to support the growing needs of the school. Design quality assurance procedures for data and projects. Maintain up-to-date knowledge of emerging technologies to ensure that systems remain current. Contribute to data governance and security efforts, and participate in efforts to standardize data maintenance and perform systematic audits to ensure data accuracy.
• •Other duties and responsibilities as assigned

Qualifications

• •A bachelor's degree in data science, statistics, economics, business analytics, computer science, or a related field.
• •4-6 years of progressively responsible professional experience in data analysis, survey design, project management, and reporting in a higher education setting strongly preferred.
• •Proficiency in data visualization and analytics tools (e.g. Tableau, PowerBI) with proven ability to develop and maintain dashboards for executive-level decision-making.
• •Demonstrated experience managing and leading large, complex data projects, including collaboration across multiple stakeholders and departments.
• •Strong knowledge of database management, query optimization, as well as knowledge of programming languages such as Python or R for advanced data analysis.
• •Understanding of data governance principles related to data quality, security, access, and ethical use, as well as an understanding of formalized approaches to system design and maintenance.
• •Experience auto