Associate VP - Office of Research and Policy Analysis (Chief Data Officer) (Manager IV - Admin Leadership)
About The Position
The Assistant Vice President for Research and Policy Analysis (AVP, ORPA) provides executive leadership and strategic direction for KCTCS's Office of Research and Policy Analysis. The position oversees a multidisciplinary, system-level team responsible for institutional research, analytics, effectiveness, and compliance reporting, and is accountable for the integrity, consistency, and credibility of KCTCS's enterprise data assets. The AVP ensures institutional data and analysis are accurate, compliant with state and federal requirements, and strategically aligned to inform executive decision-making, support accountability, mitigate risk, and advance student and institutional success across the KCTCS system. The position is based at the KCTCS System Office in Versailles, Kentucky, and is a term-contract position with continuance expected based on performance. The hybrid schedule requires working onsite at least three days per work week; schedules are subject to periodic review and may be modified or terminated at any time. The position is exempt and has standard hours of 37.5 per week.
Requirements
- Master’s degree with three years of relevant work experience, or equivalent.
- Significant budget scope, including responsibility related to a multi-million-dollar data warehouse solution and metric calculations allocating millions of dollars to colleges.
- Experience or capacity to lead direct and indirect reports; the posting notes 10 direct/indirect reports.
Nice To Haves
- Doctoral degree in education administration, public policy, data science, information technology, or a related field.
Responsibilities
- Serves on the Executive Leadership Team and provides authoritative, evidence-based insight for system-level strategic and operational decisions.
- Supports the Executive Leadership Team, President's Leadership Team, and Board of Regents by interpreting institutional trends involving enrollment, completion, workforce outcomes, performance-based funding, accreditation, and compliance.
- Frames data for executive audiences by explaining implications, risks, tradeoffs, and opportunities, and maintains leadership confidence in institutional reporting and analytics.
- Leads and advances KCTCS's data and analytics strategy through participation in or leadership of cross-functional internal and external committees, task forces, and workgroups.
- Serves as the system-level data liaison to external agencies and partners, including the Council on Postsecondary Education, IPEDS, and other state and federal entities; represents KCTCS on data governance, reporting standards, and accountability matters.
- Directs and manages ORPA staff, including strategic leadership, prioritization, and performance management.
- Oversees state and federal reporting, enterprise metrics and performance indicators, functional components of the data warehouse and analytics platforms, applied research and analysis, ad hoc executive requests, and professional leadership for college-based IR/IE staff.
- Ensures staff work aligns with system priorities, supports continuous improvement, and meets standards for quality and consistency.
- Promotes collaboration across academic, student affairs, finance, workforce, and administrative units so institutional questions are answered with consistent, trusted, and well-governed data.
- Establishes and reinforces systemwide standards for definitions, methodologies, and reporting practices to promote alignment, reduce risk, and support evidence-based decision-making.
- Provides administrative leadership for ORPA, including office budget management, resource planning, and operational oversight, while stewarding system resources in support of strategic objectives.
Benefits
- Health care coverage for the employee and family
- Vision coverage for the employee and family
- Dental coverage for the employee and family
- Tuition reimbursement or waiver for the employee, spouse, and dependents
- 403(b) retirement plan with a 10% employer match for a 5% employee contribution
- Vacation and sick time
- Work-life balance
- 9.5 paid holidays
- Two weeks of institutional closing pay during the last two weeks of December for qualifying positions
- Employee Assistance Program
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What This Job Offers
Job Type
Full-time
Career Level
Executive
