Xavier University is seeking applications for the position of Student Retention and Engagement Data Analyst. This role is integral to supporting student success initiatives by leveraging data to inform strategies that enhance student engagement, retention, and overall student experience. This staff member will work collaboratively with student affairs, academic support, and institutional research teams to build dashboards, identify at-risk student populations, and evaluate the effectiveness of engagement and retention initiatives.
The Student Engagement and Retention Data Analyst is responsible for understanding key student success theories, strategies and their metrics, collecting, analyzing and preparing both descriptive and analytical dashboards and reports, and providing guidance on data governance to inform student affairs and student engagement practices, student success strategies, retention interventions, and institutional decision-making. The staff member will provide key data informed insights for enhancement of the student experience.

MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS:

• Bachelor’s degree in a field related to data analysis, data science, statistics, computer science.
• Proficiency in performing descriptive and inferential statistics, regression analysis, hypothesis testing, and multivariate analysis to support data-driven insights.
• Predictive Modeling skills (Knowledge of machine learning techniques, e.g., linear regression, decision trees, clustering) to develop predictive models for student success, retention, and other outcomes.
• Experience in Workflow Automation (scripting to automate repetitive tasks, including ETL processes, report generation, and dashboard updates).
• Ability to design clear, effective visualizations that simplify complex data for diverse audiences, using tools like Tableau, Power BI, or ggplot in R.
• Attention to detail in data cleaning, ensuring data accuracy, and maintain.
• Strong command of SQL for querying large datasets and joining tables to extract relevant information from relational databases.
• Familiarity with data manipulation libraries (e.g., Pandas in Python, dplyr in R) to preprocess data from multiple sources.
• Understanding of data governance principles, with the ability to work with data storage solutions and databases that ensure data security and integrity.
• Strong organizational skills, problem-solving skills and attention to detail.
• Ability to work independently on multiple projects

PREFERRED QUALIFICATIONS:

• Experience with Banner and/or Workday systems.
• Experience with student affairs, student success, and/or student retention initiatives in higher education.
  To ensure consideration, interested and qualified candidates should submit a resume, cover letter and the names and contact information of three professional references on Xavier University’s website. Review of applications will start on August 29, 2025. Application will be accepted until the position closes at the University’s discretion.

• Work with stakeholders to understand the key questions, metrics, and data which will help build a data-informed decision-making process.
• Develop working relationships with Student Affairs division to know their work and data needs to best support their goals.
• Develop governance and collection methods, validate and clean data from multiple sources to ensure data quality and data security.
• Develop dashboards and reports supporting Student Affairs using tools and systems such as SQL, R, Tableau, Workday, Banner.
• Conduct analyses that inform student affairs practices, student success strategies, retention interventions, and institutional decision-making.
• Provide additional Banner and Workday report-building support in Institutional Research to assist the overall institutional mission to implement data-informed decision making.