Duke University:

Duke University was created in 1924 through an indenture of trust by James Buchanan Duke. Today, Duke is regarded as one of America’s leading research universities. Located in Durham, North Carolina, Duke is positioned in the heart of the Research Triangle, which is ranked annually as one of the best places in the country to work and live. Duke has more than 15,000 students who study and conduct research in its 10 undergraduate, graduate and professional schools. With about 40,000 employees, Duke is the third largest private employer in North Carolina, and it now has international programs in more than 150 countries.

POSITION SUMMARY

The Associate Vice Provost for Institutional Research and Strategic Analytics serves as Duke University’s chief institutional research officer and senior leader for institutional data, reporting, analytics, assessment, benchmarking, and decision support. The AVP develops and operationalizes a comprehensive, service-oriented strategy that makes accurate, accessible, and actionable information available to university leaders and advances academic excellence, research distinction, student success, institutional effectiveness, and competitiveness.

Reporting to the Vice Provost for Finance and Administration through the Provost’s Office, the AVP leads the Office of Institutional Research and serves as a trusted advisor and strategic thought partner to the VPFA, Provost, deans, vice provosts, and other senior leaders. The AVP translates complex data into institutional insight that informs strategy, planning, resource allocation, enrollment, faculty, research, financial, and long-range decision-making.

Working collaboratively across Duke’s decentralized environment, the AVP leads a modern, integrated institutional research and analytics function; strengthens data governance and reporting infrastructure; expands institutional capacity for data-informed decision-making; and partners with information technology leadership to advance the university’s enterprise data and analytics ecosystem. Automation and the responsible use of artificial intelligence will be central to this work, improving the speed, scale, accessibility, and quality of institutional insight while maintaining rigorous validation, transparency, security, and governance.

ESSENTIAL FUNCTIONS AND RESPONSIBILITIES

1. Strategic Leadership, Enterprise Analytics, and Institutional Research

• Provide strategic direction for Duke’s institutional research, analytics, reporting, assessment, benchmarking, and decision-support functions.
• Develop and execute a comprehensive institutional information and analytics strategy aligned with the Duke’s academic, research, and operational priorities, advancing analytic maturity from descriptive reporting to predictive modeling, scenario analysis, and strategic foresight.
• Lead advanced analyses and cross-cutting studies that inform enrollment management, faculty workforce planning, research competitiveness, financial sustainability, resource allocation, student success, and long-range planning.
• Establish a cohesive analytics framework spanning official reporting, operational monitoring, predictive analytics, strategic studies, peer benchmarking, and institutional effectiveness.
• Translate complex data and analysis into clear, actionable insights and recommendations for senior leaders.
• Monitor emerging trends affecting higher education and identify opportunities to strengthen Duke’s institutional effectiveness and competitive position.

2. Comprehensive Reporting, Assessment, and Data Access

• Oversee the collection, analysis, interpretation, and dissemination of institutional data and ensure the accuracy, consistency, and integrity of analytical outputs.
• Design and maintain a unified reporting ecosystem that clearly distinguishes among official standard reports, operational dashboards, and decision-focused analytic studies.
• Direct the development of dashboards, recurring reports, and self-service information resources that provide timely, well-documented, and appropriately secured access to trusted information.
• Lead institutional survey administration, analysis, and communication of findings, including internal stakeholder and customer surveys.

3. Data Governance and Enterprise Technology Partnership

• Co-lead institutional data governance and establish university-wide data definitions, standards, business rules, semantic requirements, and stewardship expectations.
• Advance data quality, accountability, accessibility, security, and responsible use across the institution.
• Partner with the Office of Information Technology and its leadership as the business sponsor for the institutional reporting and analytics requirements of a comprehensive university-wide data warehouse.

4. Required Reporting, Compliance, and Strategic Surveys

• Lead Duke’s federal, state, accreditation, and regulatory reporting activities, including IPEDS and other required data collections.
• Ensure methodological consistency, rigorous validation, institutional integrity, and timely submission of official reports.

5. Institutional Capacity, Consultation, and Collaboration

• Expand institutional capacity for data-informed decision-making through collaboration, consultation, education, outreach, and professional development.

6. Peer Benchmarking and External Engagement

• Oversee comparative analytics across peer and aspirational institutions and translate findings into strategic recommendations.
• Use benchmarking to inform institutional priorities related to research productivity, faculty distinction, student quality and outcomes, institutional reputation, and competitiveness.
• Represent Duke in national institutional research and higher-education analytics forums.

7. Organizational Leadership and Development

• Lead, mentor, develop, and evaluate a team of institutional research and analytics professionals.
• Set the strategic vision, priorities, service model, and operating standards for the Office of Institutional Research.

MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS

• Master’s degree in a discipline grounded in quantitative research, statistics, economics, public policy, data science, higher education, or a related field is required; a doctorate degree is preferred.
• Seven years of leadership experience in institutional research, analytics, strategic planning, data governance, institutional effectiveness, or enterprise data initiatives within a complex organization.