Director, Data Operations

University of Chicago • Chicago, IL

14d • $120,000 - $145,000 • Hybrid

About The Position

The James M. Kilts Center for Marketing’s mission is to advance the study and practice of The Chicago Booth Approach™ to marketing through three mutually reinforcing areas of work: facilitating scholarly research, offering programs to the Booth community, and disseminating thought leadership. The role of Director, Data Operations will be responsible for the success of the Center’s data archive administrative activities. This archive is a valuable data resource for scholars at the University of Chicago and around the world. Joining the Kilts Center offers the opportunity to play a pivotal leadership role at the intersection of academia, data, and innovation. The Director will join a high-performing team and play a meaningful role in shaping the strategy, operations, and evolution of the widely-used academic data repository. The role involves managing others, working closely with faculty and PhD students, industry partners, and other internal departments.

Requirements

• Minimum requirements include a college or university degree in related field.
• Minimum requirements include knowledge and skills developed through 7+ years of work experience in a related job discipline.

Nice To Haves

• Bachelor’s degree.
• Master’s degree.
• Background working in an academic setting.
• Familiarity with data management, analysis, and customer service.
• Demonstrated proficiency with MS Office (Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and Outlook).
• Demonstrated experience leading a team and driving results through the work of others.
• Outstanding verbal, written, and presentation skills, as well as organizational skills.
• Work independently with little supervision; possess a self-motivated disposition; identify opportunities for improvement and recommend effective changes, all while achieving key objectives resulting in desired outcomes.
• Motivation to identify opportunities for improvement and develop thoughtful recommendations for effective changes.
• Excellent strategic planning, critical thinking, analytical, and persuasion skills.
• An inquisitive mindset and commitment to continuous professional development and learning.
• Handle multiple detailed tasks/projects simultaneously and meet strict deadlines with frequent interruptions.
• Demonstrated ability to work effectively and diplomatically with colleagues, as well as with students, faculty and corporate contacts in a multitude of communication methods, including in person, email, and phone.
• Professional demeanor, including tact, discretion, and a customer service-oriented approach.

Responsibilities

• Drives innovation through the thoughtful adoption of new technologies, including generative AI, to improve service, scale, and impact.
• Builds and mentors a talented team in a collaborative, intellectually engaging environment that values continuous improvement and professional growth.
• Executes strategic plans related to the vision and mission of the Center.
• Coaches, develops, manages performance, and supervises staff, including a customer service team.
• Ensures successful customer service operations for data subscribers worldwide.
• Cultivates a culture of excellence in serving hundreds of data subscribers.
• Manages a portfolio of data products available to academic scholars around the world.
• Ensures comprehensive organization, tracking, and reporting across all operations.
• Maximizes efficient use of technologies, including generative AI, and software platforms.
• Proactively identifies opportunities for operational improvement and leads process development and adoption.
• Monitors and reports on financial activity for subscriptions and operations.
• Works across the organization with contracts, accounting, legal counsel, and information technology partners.
• Builds relationships with internal and external stakeholders across academia and industry.
• Guides responsible data governance and policy reviews, and supports the security of Center-housed datasets.
• Participates in data provider relationship management.
• Tracks progress, conducts analysis, as well as prepares for and facilitates project meetings.
• Ensures adherence to quality standards and reviews project deliverables.
• Leads and coordinates the successful integration of vendor tasks and tracks and reviews vendor deliverables.
• Performs other related work as needed.

Benefits

• The University of Chicago offers a wide range of benefits programs and resources for eligible employees, including health, retirement, and paid time off.

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Director
• Number of Employees: 5,001-10,000 employees