Entry Level Operations Research Analyst Jobs in Alberta

This competition is open to all applicants however; internal candidates and applicants who were former employees of the University of Alberta will be given priority consideration before external candidates. Please log in to verify your internal candidate status.

There is also a permanent Research & Enrolment Analyst opportunity available. If you would like to be considered for both opportunities, please submit an application to both competitions 

This position has a term length of one year.

Location - This role is hybrid with a mix of remote and in-person. Work primarily takes place at North Campus, Edmonton.

Reporting to the Assistant Registrar, Enrolment Research, Analytics and Insights, the Research & Enrolment Analyst plays an integral role by providing critical analysis and interpretation of enrolment data for strategic and tactical planning within the Office of the Registrar (RO) at the University of Alberta.

• Generate, collect, analyze, and report data for enrolment projection/forecasting.
• Conduct research to provide insight for strategic and tactical planning. This will often involve data sources both within and external to the university involving Advancement Services, Dean of Students, government agencies such as Apply Alberta, or other educational institutions.
• Monitor the effect of initiatives and statistical results on Enrolment Services and Enrolment Management and provide analysis of the success of the initiatives on our student population.
• Take the lead in identifying issues and providing direction with respect to the building and sharing of complex operational data reporting, provision of answers, and methods to obtain answers about the University of Alberta Student population to the Office of the Registrar Executive, and also make information available to Faculties, Departments and Administrative Units.
• Respond to inquiries with evidence-based analyses to provide answers to questions from the Faculties, Departments, Administrative Units, University and Registrar Executive. When initiating new reports or agreements with university executives or external parties, negotiations are undertaken in collaboration with the Registrar or the Registrar's executive team.
• Keep relevant analyses up-to-date for immediate reference by the University and Office of the Registrar senior executive officers, planning and presentation units, and external partners.

• Related undergraduate degree in Social Sciences, Economics, Statistics, or related disciplines with excellent knowledge of statistical research and analytical methods and related software /technology.
• Three years of experience conducting research and analysis (from information searches and selection through statistical compilation and analysis) that provides answers to critical questions within strategic time limits.
• Expertise in both qualitative and quantitative aspects, preferably in a post-secondary environment.
• Continuous upgrading of computer software (e.g., SAS, R, Python, Tableau, Excel), statistical and social scientific analytical skills as techniques and technology evolve.
• Superior ability to work cooperatively with colleagues and with data specialists in other units and provide leadership in information gathering, trend analysis and predictive analysis.
• Strong ability to analyze data, suggest recommendations, and present results to senior management.
• Excellent written and oral communication skills for consultations and reports.
• Excellent time management in balancing demands in a way that will ensure access to critical data, reports, or analysis within strategic time limits, including accurate preliminary estimates of project time expectations.

Application Instructions

Click "Apply Now" to submit your resume and cover letter in one PDF file.

This position is subject to all applicable terms and conditions of the collective agreement between the Governors of the University of Alberta and the Non-Academic Staff Association (NASA).

• Take lead responsibility for analyzing trends in the following broad fields: Enrolment Services and Enrolment Management, including Local, National, and International students, as well as specific student populations such as Indigenous students.
• Take a lead role in the Office of the Registrar's production of Business Intelligence.
• In collaboration with the Assistant Registrar, Enrolment Research, Analytics, and Insights, develop, revise, monitor, and evaluate the enrolment reporting needs of the Office of the Registrar.
• In collaboration with the Enrolment Management Service Partners and faculties, deliver necessary statistical and trend enrolment analyses to support planning; common areas of focus include demand estimates, admission criteria, recruitment priorities, and comparisons of student performance.
• Conduct research analysis for the relevant data from existing sources or through new surveys, often in consultation with other internal offices such as the Enrolment Management Service Partners, portfolio teams under Deputy Provost Student and Enrolment, and faculties.
• Develop innovative research projects to inform strategic planning and promote a culture of evidence-informed decision-making.
• Develop necessary visualization tools to reflect enrolment trends and support enrolment management.
• Collaborate with campus partners to ensure the relevance, consistency, and accuracy of data products and relevant behind-the-scenes logics, which involves discussions of methodologies and conducting the User Assessment Tests (UAT).
• Carry out the necessary analytics, especially statistical, but also qualitative where appropriate, to explore and highlight nuances in key issues to provide answers to questions or develop positions.
• Refine the analysis and information as determined in consultation with the requesting office or department.
• Develop and maintain enrolment projections to ensure business leads within the Office of the Registrar and the Campus Community have relevant input for planning.
• Prepare effective presentations of key research and analysis to be delivered either in person or electronically.
• In response to requests that emerge from senior executives or management, consult as necessary to identify the particular questions that require analysis.
• Work with communications and marketing to develop the annual enrolment report for internal and external audiences.
• Conduct research and retain comparators from other institutions to facilitate comparing our business processes and performance metrics to best practices from other institutions.
• Review resulting data compilations and reports to identify insights of significance to the University as well as any questions of validity and reliability.
• Conduct consultations to gather insight on the needs of the RO and University community and ensure that the studies and reports published meet those needs.
• Engage RO staff in understanding the value contained within the University's data.
• Keeps current on the methods and tools available within and external to our Enrolment Management and Reporting systems and recommends appropriate approaches and tools.