Data Analyst and Evaluation Specialist

Location: Waterloo, Ontario, Canada

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Time Type

Full time

Employee Group

Staff

Job Category

Analytics and Reporting

Employment Type

Temporary

Department

Student Success Office - Faculty Relations

Hiring Range

$73,695.42 - $92,119.28

Posting Information

• This posting is for an existing vacancy.
• The internal posting deadline for this position is October 29, 2026, at 11:59PM.
• This position is being offered as a temporary contract. Term:18 months

Job Description

Primary Purpose

The Data Analyst and Evaluation Specialist supports the maintenance of data infrastructure while providing data analysis and insights to support operational and strategic decision making pertinent to student success. This includes responsibility for sourcing, understanding, consolidating, integrating and analyzing data associated with student success activities within the Associate Provost, Students portfolio. These include but are not limited to academic success and retention, writing and communication supports and services, new student transition initiatives, the cross campus advising strategy, student equity, community and leadership development, residence learning, international student experience, intercultural learning, and international mobility and safety abroad.

Insights inform strategic direction and leadership decisions for campus wide or faculty-specific initiatives. Strong consultation skills and effective communication of analysis and findings are essential for collaboration with program managers and to enable all partners (e.g., department heads, managers, directors) to have context for recommendations and actions.

Key Accountabilities

Data Acquisition and management

Operates within University policies and exercises best practices for privacy and confidentiality, and records and information management. Advises internal stakeholders on best practices for data and records management.

Creates and maintains documentation as needed to ensure best practices and enable business continuity.

Develops a deep understanding of available data, systems, dictionaries, and distribution channels from multiple information systems across the university; leads discovery and requirements gathering with departmental teams, and technical system owners to identify data sources, workflows, system constraints, reporting needs, and evaluation requirements.

Operates with data quality standards and identifies data anomalies and discrepancies to appropriate institutional data stewards for resolution.

Explores utilization of tools, systems, and practices to recommend and improve data flow, automation, and information analysis.

Applies descriptive and inferential statistics to understand trends, patterns, and dependencies with respect to a variety of strategic and operational issues.

Collaborates with partners (i.e., ASUs, Faculties) to improve and automate data reporting and dissemination (e.g., Power BI dashboards).

Consults with Institutional Analysis and Planning (IAP) and Information Systems and Technology (IST) and other departments on the design, implementation, testing and operation of any computer systems required for the collection, storage, reporting and analysis of data and trends related to student success.

Follows guidance and best practices from IAP on management of sensitive or otherwise restricted data; collaborates with IAP, IST, the Registrar, and Faculty analysts on data initiatives where possible to reduce duplication of effort to better support the University’s data activities.

Educates themselves and others on understanding how bias, privilege and discrimination can impact data collection and overall interpretation of information.

Data Analysis and Reporting

Develops Power BI dashboards, visualizations, reports, and analytical products supporting real-time monitoring, strategic planning, operational decision making, accountability reporting, portfolio level insights, and articulation of the student experience.

Creates reusable analytical frameworks and data extracts to support ongoing departmental reporting cycles (e.g., SSAC, portfolio reviews, strategic initiatives) and continuous improvement.

Collaborates with teams to interpret findings, refine reporting products, validate insights, and ensure usability across a wide range of stakeholders

Collaborates with IAP, MUR, Faculties, and other departments to support analysis of large institutional student surveys (e.g., CUSC, National Survey of Student Engagement, Incoming Student Survey, Student Experience Survey, etc.) and develop complementary inquiries that inform department level and university level responses. The Specialist makes recommendations on how university level data informs the department’s strategic direction.

Works with large complex datasets to clean, merge and format for the purposes of supporting student programming and service delivery.

Prioritizes and responds to ad hoc and routine data inquiries.

Uses an equity and anti-racist informed approach to qualitative and quantitative data collection, interpretation, and dissemination.

Works with multiple, varied clients (department heads, Faculties) to identify, clarify, and fully understand their questions or problems to provide effective data responses.

Supports the development of program outcomes, assessment plans, and indicator development.

Analyzes trends and patterns over time using various benchmarks and comparative data.

Leadership, relationships, and consultation

Provides strategic direction to the management and leadership teams in the creation and ongoing maintenance of their outcomes-based evaluation plans, data gathering methods, tools, analysis, and use of the results to support strategic direction and decision-making.

Provides training and competency building opportunities to all staff in support of building and maintaining a culture of evidence.

Supports and advises leadership with respect to any new or evolving research strategies, opportunities, and results as well as any analyses that may assist with decisions about priorities and long-range planning.

Leads efforts to ensure departmental data practices are equity informed.

Collaborates closely with counterparts in IAP to seek input and advice with respect to initiatives, including but not limited to survey management and interpretation, forecasting, retention definition and analyses and participation in large-scale surveys such as NSSE. Contributes departmental progress and outcome indicators to support various institutional accountability measures, including those related to the university's strategic plan.

Leadership on specific data analytics projects as required across AP-S and campus wide and/or faculty specific as appropriate. This may include supporting advanced and complex research, collection, organization, and analysis of data and information.

Provides evidence-based direction on KPIs for areas across the department.

Advises and keeps the department informed about any plans, features, and results of IAP and/or other department or faculty-related studies and data that may affect student success.

Builds constructive relationships to support business process and data-related collaboration with university partners (Registrar's Office, Institutional Analysis and Planning, Marketing and Undergraduate Recruitment, Graduate Studies and Postdoctoral Affairs, faculty leadership).

Serves on committees and working groups, offering data and analytical expertise, and fostering data information sharing and collaborative approaches on a variety of projects.

Lead teams without direct supervisor responsibilities.

Other

Participates in departmental events and in the administration of departmental responsibilities, and other such general and specific duties as may from time to time be determined (i.e.: orientation, convocation).

Provides coaching, training, and co-op student development to ensure student growth and development.

Required Qualifications

Education

Bachelor’s degree in business, Statistics, Economics, Data Analytics, or a combination of equivalent experience and education.

Experience

• At least 3 years of experience in a data analysis and/or research role – working with complex datasets.
• Strong educational and professional background in data management, statistical analysis, associated computer applications, program evaluation, and related applied social research methods (qualitative and quantitative methods):
• Python and/or R experience with manipulating, transforming and visualizing data
• Creation and maintenance of reports and dashboards in Power BI utilizing various data connections
• Experience establishing data connections using APIs an asset
• Experience working with relational databases and creating queries in SQL
• Advanced knowledge of Excel (functions/formulas, pivot tables, Power Query, and macros)
• Experience within an educational setting strongly preferred.
• Experience developing assessment/evaluation processes and continuous improvement plans/approaches for both large- and small-scale programs and initiatives strongly preferred.
• Experience developing surveys for data collection and performing data analysis

Experience utilizing Qualtrics an asset

A record of and commitment to participating in ongoing learning and engagement in the areas of equity, diversity, inclusion, anti-racism, accessibility and indigenization. The Analyst connects this learning to their overall assessment, evaluation, and data analysis practices.

Demonstrated leadership and guidance in using descriptive and inferential statistics to understand trends, patterns, and dependencies with respect to a variety of strategic issues.

Experience with data governance and privacy is highly preferred.

Knowledge/Skills/Abilities

Demonstrated knowledge of barriers to student success (systematic, historic, issues of access) for underrepresented or non-traditional students and students who are academically at risk. Knowledge of how these barriers may impact data collection techniques and overall program evaluation practices.

Strong understanding of the assessment/evaluation process including instrument design.

Strong knowledge of data management, manipulation, interpretation, and analysis skills using statistical analysis or data transformation tools including Excel, SQL, Python, and/or R. This includes a strong knowledge of a variety of reporting and data visualization tools, such as Tableau or Power BI.

Strong demonstrated ability to create clear and precise process documentation.

Experience working within collaborative and document management environments (e.g., Microsoft Teams, SharePoint).

Proven ability to deliver timely, accurate, comprehensible, professional-quality data analytical reports.

Strong organizational skills coupled with the ability to handle multiple tasks, meet deadlines, and excel in a fast-paced environment characterized by changing priorities.

Excellent consultation and communication skills: ability to converse articulately with university administrators and other campus stakeholders including ability to translate analysis results to a non-technical audience.

Ability to use descriptive and inferential statistics to analyze data; and knowledge of various methodologies to gather data (surveys, interviews, focus groups, community forum, literature reviews, environmental scans; situational analysis, needs assessment, etc.).

Ability to work independently and as part of a team.

Working knowledge of GenAI concepts and applications as they relate to data analytics, reporting, and decision support in higher education, including an understanding of data readiness, ethical considerations, privacy implications, and limitations of GenAI as a tool.

Equity Statement

The University of Waterloo acknowledges that much of our work takes place on the traditional territory of the Neutral, Anishinaabeg, and Haudenosaunee peoples. Our main campus is situated on the Haldimand Tract, the land granted to the Six Nations that includes six miles on each side of the Grand River. Our active work toward reconciliation takes place across our campuses through research, learning, teaching, and community building, and is coordinated within the Office of Indigenous Relations.

The University values the diverse and intersectional identities of its students, faculty, and staff. The University regards equity and diversity as an integral part of academic excellence and is committed to accessibility for all employees. The University of Waterloo seeks applicants who embrace our values of equity, anti-racism and inclusion. As such, we encourage applications from candidates who have been historically disadvantaged and marginalized, including applicants who identify as First Nations, Métis and/or Inuk (Inuit), Black, racialized, a person with a disability, women and/or 2SLGBTQ+.

Positions are open to qualified candidates who are legally entitled to work in Canada.

The University of Waterloo is committed to accessibility for persons with disabilities. If you have any application, interview, or workplace accommodation requests, please contact Human Resources at [email protected] or 519-888-4567, ext. 45935.