Research Analyst

Job Summary:

The Research Analyst supports the Office of Institutional Research & Analytics (OIRA) in advancing Harvard’s mission through accurate, timely, and high-quality institutional reporting and analysis. Reporting to the Assistant Director for Institutional Research, the Research Analyst contributes to the development, validation, and dissemination of official university data used for compliance, accreditation, benchmarking, and decision support.

This position plays a key role in preparing institutional reports and surveys, maintaining OIRA’s data documentation, and assisting in the management of recurring data collections across Harvard’s schools and administrative units. The ideal candidate will bring strong analytical, organizational, and technical skills, with an interest in data governance, higher education, and process improvement.

Job-Specific Responsibilities:

Institutional Reporting & Data Management

• Prepare and validate data submissions for federal, state, and external agencies.
• Extract, clean, and format data from Harvard’s central systems and data warehouse to support recurring institutional reports and ad hoc requests.
• Collaborate with the Assistant Director and other OIRA team members to ensure data accuracy, consistency, and methodological integrity.
• Maintain documentation of data sources, methods, and submission requirements for assigned reports.
• Support the creation of internal and external fact sheets, dashboards, and benchmarking analyses.

Project Management

• Track key deliverables and deadlines for assigned reports within the annual OIRA reporting calendar.
• Coordinate with data providers and stakeholders across the University (e.g., Registrars, HUIT, OFSP, Financial Aid offices) to collect, review, and confirm data inputs.
• Contribute to process improvements by documenting workflows, identifying data issues, and recommending enhancements to reporting efficiency and accuracy.
• Assist with quality assurance reviews of institutional data products prior to publication or submission.

Analytics & Visualization

• Conduct descriptive analyses and prepare visualizations to communicate institutional trends in areas such as enrollment, financial aid, faculty, and student outcomes.
• Support OIRA’s development of canonical datasets and internal reporting tools (e.g., Fact Book, dashboards, or Tableau/R visualizations).
• Contribute to benchmarking and peer comparison analyses 

Collaboration & Continuous Learning

• Work collaboratively within OIRA’s reporting and analytics teams, sharing knowledge, tools, and best practices.
• Engage in professional development to strengthen technical and analytic skills in data management, visualization, and higher education policy.
• Demonstrate commitment to OIRA’s values of accuracy, transparency, collaboration, and service.