Senior Advisor Metrics & Reporting

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McGill University seeks a Senior Analyst for the “DNA to RNA: An Inclusive Canadian Approach to Genomic-based RNA Therapeutics” (D2R) initiative, backed by a $165 million grant from the Government of Canada’s Canadian First Research Excellence Fund (CFREF) and additional funding from various organizations over seven years, starting in 2023. D2R aims to unify Canadian and international research strengths at McGill and partner sites, striving to become a global leader in genomics-based RNA Therapeutics. It forms an interdisciplinary hub of discovery and innovation, connecting genomic insights to RNA-targeted therapy development, supported by data and social science methodologies for knowledge interpretation and translation. D2R’s partnership with industry seeks to convert robust genomics and RNA science into new therapies and address related policy and social challenges.

Performance measurement of the D2R program is crucial for meeting the Canada First Research Excellence Fund’s (CFREF) objectives, outcomes, and reporting mandates. The complexity of D2R, with its large scale, varied stakeholders, and interdisciplinary nature, means the Performance Management Plan (PMP) spans over 40 metrics across institutional strategy areas like Global excellence, Talent attraction and retention, Knowledge mobilization, Contributions to strategic priorities, Innovation, and Equity, diversity, and inclusion. This necessitates sophisticated processes and tools for thorough monitoring and reporting.

Position Summary

Reporting to the Associate Director, Funding and Reporting, the Senior Analyst is based in the D2R support unit. The incumbent will provide for the planning, development, implementation and maintenance of systems, policies and programs required to manage metrics and data. He/ she will focus on the development and implementation of strategies that support the needs of the University’s D2R Performance Management Plan (PMP) and establish processes for continuous monitoring of key performance indicators. The Senior Advisor will be using analytical skills and statistical knowledge, perform modelling analysis to direct the planning and implementation of solutions that address organization-level issues and questions. He/ she will develop large and complex data sets to support analyses and participate in the preparation of.

Primary Responsibilities:

• Participate in establishing the strategic direction of modelling, recommendations, and solutions for D2R’s decisions and orientation.
• Provide senior professional expertise in the delivery and support of data models and visualizations required for D2R’s planning and performance monitoring related to the research program, carry out trend analyses and logistics, in situations involving diverse practices and precedents.
• Provide guidance to D2R leadership and senior administration on issues affecting annual budget planning process. Develop scenarios and modelling to assess the impacts of policy changes, initiatives and proposals put forth by D2R leadership and external government agencies.
• Develop in-depth analysis of complex issues. Articulate alternatives, synthesize findings and make recommendations to D2R leadership.
• Create and maintain documentation on functional and technical specifications for analytics applications.
• Attend senior level D2R committees and represent the unit at internal and external meetings.
• Manage a team of professional and administrative staff.

Specific Responsibilities

• Develop and implement a comprehensive Performance Measurement Plan (PMP) based on the metrics table that was established in the CFREF application for D2R.
• Develop, implement, and manage processes and tools to monitor progress of D2R towards objectives and goals.
• Track progress against defined KPIs and flag concerns and make recommendations on lagging indicators, as necessary, and course corrections to the D2R leadership.
• Ensure high level of data quality and consistency of reporting. Develop a data dictionary with clear definitions and reference to data sources, methodologies and tools for analysis, and metric owners to build a system that ensures consistency of monitoring over the life span of the D2R initiative.
• Establish baseline values for the metrics and key performance indicators and develop recommendations for measurement of targeted outcomes at the mid-point and at the end point of the D2R initiative. Ensure that the methodologies for data collection and analysis are consistent over time to ensure high quality reporting of D2R progress.
• Manage, plan, and execute a variety of data analyses to monitor output and impacts and ensure that reporting goals are met and are coherent with D2R’s objectives and conform to the guidelines of its funding partners.
• Determine the best way to present key performance indicators to D2R governance committees as part of the regular reporting and use data visualization/reporting tools (such as Tableau and/or Power BI or Excel) to share the data.
• Develop and present reports for the Board of Directors, funders and other committees, as required including graphic representation of metrics and key performance indicators for presentations.
• Provide guidance to the D2R Financial Officer on the development of templates for budget forecasts. Track expenditures and develop forecasts for D2R research and operational funds and prepare reports on same.
• Track funding from researchers and other partners with support from other D2R team members.
• Ensure timely and accurate filing of reports to relevant government agencies.
• Provide senior professional expertise to D2R leadership in any data related mandate such as collecting and organizing large and complex data sets to inform D2R programs. Consolidate data from a variety of different sources and perform analyses and special projects.
• Ensure effective maintenance of the datasets and apply best practice for D2R data management and data governance including adequate protection of personal data and application of the FAIR principles (findability, accessibility, interoperability, and reusability).
• Research, acquire, implement, and oversee tools for analysis and management that are essential for research planning and data analysis. Use available resources available at McGill such as SciVal for bibliometrics.
• Develop and compile statistics and metrics for inclusion in reports and oversee the production of publications and other materials.
• Define training strategy and develop training materials for data analysis and facilitate presentations and training sessions.

Other Qualifying Skills and/or Abilities:

• Excellent administrative skills with a record of successfully bringing together diverse stakeholders and experts from across disciplines, sectors, and jurisdictions.
• Strong analytical skills, with direct experience in analysis and development of large sets of data related to research output and impact, such as bibliometrics.
• Experience articulating insights drawn from data. Excellent communication skills, written and verbal.
• Ability to make presentations and develop/compose complex and sensitive documents targeted to multiple audiences.
• Direct experience developing strategies and building projects to ensure their success within a public or private sector research environment.
• Self-motivated, with strong organizational skills, able to effectively prioritize a wide range of responsibilities, able to undertake multiple projects and tasks simultaneously, and to work well under pressure.
• Strong technical skills in the Office 365 suite, Word, SharePoint, and Teams with advanced skills in Excel. Proficiency in analytical /data visualization tools are preferable, including Tableau, Power BI.
• Must be able to meet tight deadlines and demonstrate a high level of leadership and professionalism in working with a team of people to achieve specific outcomes.
• Service-oriented approach to people and a proven ability to problem solving.
• Bilingual in both written and spoken English and French is required. McGill University is an English-language university where day to day duties may require English communication both verbally and in writing. The level of English required for this position has been assessed at a level #4 on a scale of 0-4.

Minimum Education and Experience:

Bachelor’s Degree 5 Years Related Experience /

Annual Salary:

(MPEX Grade 07) $87,090.00 – $108,860.00 – $130,630.00

Hours per Week:

33.75 (Full time)

Supervisor:

Associate Director Funding and Reporting

Position End Date (If applicable):

Deadline to Apply:

2024-03-15

McGill University hires on the basis of merit and is strongly committed to equity and diversity within its community. We welcome applications from racialized persons/visible minorities, women, Indigenous persons, persons with disabilities, ethnic minorities, and persons of minority sexual orientations and gender identities, as well as from all qualified candidates with the skills and knowledge to productively engage with diverse communities. McGill implements an employment equity program and encourages members of designated groups to self-identify. Persons with disabilities who anticipate needing accommodations for any part of the application process may contact, in confidence, [email protected] .