Job Description Summary:
The Office of the Vice Provost for Research (OVPR) supports all sponsored research project activity and large portions of internal funding for research projects across the George Washington University’s schools and units. The Data Analyst, Research reports to the Director of Operations and Projects within OVPR and is responsible for performing general analytics on data sets in the area of university research activity.
Activities include: defining data requirements, data collection, processing, cleaning, analysis, reporting and visualization. Examines and identifies data patterns and trends to help answer business questions and improve decision making. Identifies areas to increase efficiency and automation of data analysis processes.
This position supports the integrity of research data and OVPR data stewardship in defining data elements and data governance. Works closely with the university’s Business Intelligence and Information Technology teams to define visualization and data requirements based on user needs and understanding of applicable business systems and industry requirements.
Assists in creating reusable queries, identifies data patterns and trends, reviews and analyzes results, and devises or modifies procedures to solve problems. With the guidance of the Director of Operations and Senior Project Manager, the Data Analyst responds to ad hoc data requests and to surveys conducted by external agencies. Performs data imports, extraction, database maintenance and reporting. Assists in creating data related process documentation and helps train others as needed.
Specific responsibilities include:
Data Analysis and Reporting: Supports creating, integrating, and managing multiple data sets across all divisions within OVPR. Builds understanding of research data needs from multiple stakeholders and advises OVPR and IT on how to best move forward. This will include routine data imports, extractions and integration of data from both university Data Warehouse and multiple other sources, timely analysis and interpretation of data.
Data Visualization: Primarily using Excel and PowerBI, develops and enhances graphical representations of research trends and internal metrics that display research administrative data in a meaningful and easy to comprehend manner. Works closely with GW’s Information Technology and Business Intelligence Services to inform dashboard needs related to research, including the PI Dashboard. Supports testing and provides input when enhancements are completed.
Data Governance: Participates in data governance processes to verify data quality and ensure accurate analysis and reporting. Assists in project development, roles-based access, and assessment and implementation of ERP systems. Supports continuous assessment of OVPR data needs and management reporting for areas of improvement.
Information Requests: Uses various data analytics tools to perform data extractions and report building to respond to information requests. Documents and understands user requirements, considers capacity and limitations of current systems, and responds in a consistent way that meets customer needs while maintaining data integrity. Assist in developing queries and reports and makes recommendations for how to best display data for reporting and analysis purposes. Provides data support and analysis required for recurring inputs to external groups. Maintains historical comparisons of research activities. Investigates research trends for schools, departments and Principal Investigators (PIs). Makes recommendations for how to streamline reporting processes. Creates process documentation related to requests and responsibilities and provides training to others as applicable.
Systems Administration: Builds understanding of systems used by OVPR for managing research processes as it relates to data collection, data integration and data integrity. Understands system interfaces and builds necessary reports for data analysis. Participates in requirements gathering for system builds that allow for data collection and process workflow for various OVPR offices.
Performs other related duties as assigned. The omission of specific duties does not preclude the supervisor from assigning duties that are logically related to the position.
Minimum Qualifications:
Qualified candidates will hold a Bachelor’s degree in an appropriate area of specialization. Degree must be conferred by the start date of the position. Degree requirements may be substituted with an equivalent combination of education, training and experience.
Preferred Qualifications:
Ability to understand data analysis logic and data system structure in order to correctly interpret complex data. Skills include ability to respond to fast-paced projects thoroughly and accurately, ability to translate business requests into technical analysis, and attention to detail.
Knowledge in Microsoft Excel and Power BI preferred. Knowledge of Microsoft Access, SQL, R, Visual Basic, and Tableau preferred.