Lead IAR Data Analyst

If you’re passionate about building a better future for individuals, communities, and our country—and you’re committed to working hard to play your part in building that future—consider WGU as the next step in your career. Driven by a mission to expand access to higher education through online, competency-based degree programs, WGU is also committed to being a great place to work for a diverse workforce of student-focused professionals. The university has pioneered a new way to learn in the 21st century, one that has received praise from academic, industry, government, and media leaders. Whatever your role, working for WGU gives you a part to play in helping students graduate, creating a better tomorrow for themselves and their families. The salary range for this position takes into account the wide range of factors that are considered in making compensation decisions including but not limited to skill sets; experience and training; licensure and certifications; and other business and organizational needs. At WGU, it is not typical for an individual to be hired at or near the top of the range for their position, and compensation decisions are dependent on the facts and circumstances of each case. A reasonable estimate of the current range is: Grade: Professional 312 Pay Range: $109,900.00 - $170,400.00 Job Description The Lead IAR Data Analyst is a senior-level individual contributor responsible for transforming complex data into actionable insights that inform strategy, improve outcomes, and support decision-making across the university. Working closely with stakeholders across Institutional Analytics & Research (IAR), Data Engineering, Product Management, Finance, EdTech, Enrollment, and Faculty teams, this role leads high-impact analytics initiatives, answers complex business questions, and delivers compelling data-driven recommendations. The ideal candidate combines advanced technical expertise with exceptional storytelling skills, translating data into meaningful insights tailored to audiences ranging from managers to senior executives. This role requires a highly autonomous analyst who can independently drive projects, influence organizational decisions, and serve as a trusted advisor to senior leaders. In addition to deep expertise in analytics, visualization, and data modeling, the Lead IAR Data Analyst is expected to mentor peers, contribute to analytics best practices, and elevate team capabilities through knowledge sharing and thought leadership. While this is not a people leadership position, it carries elevated expectations for strategic influence, stakeholder partnership, and leadership through expertise. The Lead IAR Data Analyst is a senior-level individual contributor responsible for transforming complex data into rigorous, actionable insights that drive decision-making across the university. This role partners closely with leaders and stakeholders across Institutional Analytics & Research (IAR), Data Engineering, Product Management, Finance, EdTech, Enrollment, and Faculty teams to answer critical business questions, deliver meaningful research, and influence strategic direction through data storytelling. The ideal candidate brings deep analytical expertise, operates with a high degree of autonomy, and serves as a trusted advisor to stakeholders across the organization. Success in this role requires the ability to move beyond reporting data to generating insights, influencing decisions, and helping others elevate their analytical capabilities. What You'll Do

• Lead complex analytics and research initiatives by documenting business needs, translating user stories into technical requirements, and delivering solutions with a student and equity-centered lens.
• Answer complex business questions through advanced analysis, forecasting, statistical techniques, and extensive knowledge of university data assets across multiple domains.
• Identify, investigate, and resolve complex data quality issues while partnering with Data Engineering to improve the accuracy, consistency, timeliness, and validity of institutional data.
• Collaborate with Data Engineering and other analytics partners to develop complex ETL/ELT processes, data pipelines, data products, and enterprise data standards.
• Transform data into compelling narratives, dashboards, visualizations, and presentations that drive understanding and action among stakeholders ranging from managers to executive leadership.
• Participate in defining and promoting data visualization standards and best practices across the university.
• Serve as a subject matter expert, mentor, and trusted resource for peers by sharing knowledge, providing constructive feedback, and helping elevate team capabilities. What You'll Bring
• Bachelor's Degree in a related discipline.
• 7 years of related experience in Data Analysis, Business Intelligence, Data Science, Statistics, Decision Intelligence, Research, Learning Science, or Behavioral/Cognitive Psychology.
• Advanced SQL proficiency, including queries and subqueries, joins, filtering, aggregation, window functions, common table expressions (CTEs), data modification (INSERT, UPDATE, DELETE), view creation, and performance tuning.
• Extensive experience using Tableau, Power BI, or similar business intelligence tools to create impactful visualizations and executive-ready reporting.
• Experience with conceptual and logical data modeling, dimensional models, star schemas, snowflake schemas, slowly changing dimensions, and enterprise data architecture concepts.
• Experience with descriptive statistics, causal analysis, inference, forecasting methodologies, regression techniques, and classification algorithms.
• Ability to perform with very high levels of autonomy, reliability, self-direction, and a strong bias for action while managing competing priorities with minimal supervision. What Makes You Successful Highest Priority Attributes
• Ability to operate with a high degree of autonomy and make strategic decisions without heavy reliance on leadership. The ideal candidate understands the appropriate path forward and independently drives work.
• Demonstrated mastery of analytics capabilities, moving beyond intermediate proficiency to deep expertise in role-related skills, analytical practices, and business problem-solving.
• Strong ability to translate data into actionable insights rather than simply reporting information.
• Expertise in building and communicating data-driven narratives tailored to different audiences, including executive stakeholders.
• Ability to adjust analytical rigor, messaging, recommendations, and storytelling appropriately for SVP-, VP-, manager-, and operational-level audiences. High Priority Attributes
• Leadership mindset despite the role being an individual contributor position, with the ability to influence decisions and outcomes through expertise and partnership.
• Proven mentoring and coaching capability, including helping junior analysts develop skills, competencies, and analytical thinking.
• Experience serving as a subject matter expert and trusted resource for peers and business partners.
• Ability to elevate team performance through knowledge sharing, cross-skilling, and upskilling other team members.
• Demonstrated success partnering effectively with senior stakeholders and navigating complex organizational environments. Why This Role Stands Out This is an individual contributor role, not a people leader position. However, the performance bar is intentionally higher because of the seniority level, expected leadership influence, and strategic impact of the position. The successful candidate will support stakeholders across the broader organization rather than a single functional area, collaborating with teams including Enrollment and other key university partners. This role requires strong executive presence, exceptional stakeholder management skills, and the ability to influence decisions through data, i