@mjandrews I think that is the general pattern. Looking through the nycflights repository as an example, there is no extra build script and the Travis CI file specifies a standard package build process (i.e. the data files aren't always rebuilt).
But of course I don't want to discourage you from improving your build process! If you already know how to write a Makefile, the RStudio configuration part is relatively easy in comparison. First save the Makefile in the root of the package and add it to .Rbuildignore. Then in RStudio go to Build -> Configure Build Tools... and choose Makefile from the dropdown menu. Then when you type Ctrl/Cmd+Shift+B, it will execute your Makefile.
See this previous discussion for other ideas.