Description
The University of Tennessee System (UT) seeks an Assistant/Associate Vice President for Institutional Research & Analysis (AVP-IRA) to provide strategic leadership for enterprise-wide institutional research, analytics, data governance, and decision support. Reporting to the Vice President for Academic Affairs, Research, and Student Success (VPAARSS), the AVP-IRA serves as a trusted advisor to senior leaders, the President's Cabinet, and the Board of Trustees, ensuring that reliable data and evidence-based insights inform policy, planning, and resource allocation across the system. The role also serves as a key partner to peers within the Division of Academic Affairs, Research, and Student Success and to institutional research and technology leaders across UT's campuses and institutes, promoting consistency, collaboration, and excellence in institutional reporting and analysis.
A central priority of the role is developing collaborative relationships and building organizational capacity across the UT System. The AVP-IRA will foster a culture of data-informed decision-making, support the professional development of staff, and work closely with campuses, institutes, and system offices to advance shared goals. The position also leads research and policy analyses on critical issues such as enrollment, student outcomes, workforce trends, budgeting, resource allocation, and institutional effectiveness while staying abreast of emerging practices in higher education. The AVP-IRA is expected to translate complex data into clear recommendations that support student success, academic excellence, research growth, operational effectiveness, and long-term institutional strategy.
As Tennessee's land-grant university system, UT serves more than 64,000 students across multiple campuses and statewide institutes, generates over $525 million in annual research expenditures, and contributes more than $4 billion annually to the state's economy. The AVP-IRA will join a system committed to the goals of the Be One UT 2025–2030 Strategic Plan and its values of innovation, collaboration, transparency, and excellence, helping university leaders leverage data and research to expand opportunity, strengthen impact, and advance the university's mission across Tennessee.
A detailed leadership profile is available at wittkieffer.com.
WittKieffer is assisting the University of Tennessee System in this search. Applications can be submitted through the WittKieffer Candidate Portal. Applicants should submit, as separate documents, a CV or résumé and a letter of interest that addresses the themes outlined in this profile. For full consideration, candidate materials should be received by August 26, 2026.
Nominations and inquiries can be directed to Ryan Crawford and Maya Holt-Brockenbrough at UTS-AVPIRA@wittkieffer.com.
The University of Tennessee is an EEO/AA/Title VI/Title IX/Section 504/ADA/ADEA institution in the provision of its education and employment programs and services. All qualified applicants will receive equal consideration for employment without regard to, and will not be discriminated against on the basis of, race, color, national origin, religion, sex, pregnancy, marital status, sexual orientation, gender identity, age, physical or mental disability, or covered veteranstatus.
Inquiries and charges of violation of Title VI (race, color, national origin), Title IX (sex), Section 504 (disability), ADA (disability), ADEA (age), sexual orientation, or veteran status should be directed to the (EEO). Requests for accommodation of a disability should be directed to the ADA Coordinator at theEEOoffice.
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