Research Associate Jobs in Kentucky

Title: Associate VP - Office of Research and Policy Analysis (Chief Data Officer) (Manager IV - Admin Leadership)

Salary Range: $93,180 (Minimum)- $121,140 (Mid-Point) (Salary is to commensurate with education/experience and internal equity)

Contract Term Length: 12 Months

Standard Hours: 37.5

Work Location: Hybrid

FLSA Status: Exempt

College: KCTCS System Office

Campus Location: KCTCS System Office

Department: SO/Provost/ORPA

Total Rewards

KCTCS System Office offers a competitive benefits package and an attractive work environment that supports excellence, innovation, and creativity, including:

• Exceptional health care, vision, and dental coverage for you and your family
• Tuition reimbursement/waiver for you, your spouse, and dependents
• 403(b) retirement plan: a 5% employee contribution receives a 10% employer match
• Vacation/Sick Time
• Work-Life Balance
• 9.5 Paid Holidays
• 2 Weeks Institutional Closing Pay (Last 2 weeks of December) for qualifying positions
• Employee Assistance Program

Job Summary

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. This 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 that 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.

Positions with the KCTCS System Office located in Versailles, KY are term-contract positions, with the expectancy of continuance based on performance.

KCTCS offers a hybrid work schedule with a requirement to be onsite a minimum of 3 days per work week. Hybrid work schedules are subject to periodic review and may be modified or terminated at any time

Job Duties:

Executive leadership and decision support: Serves as a member of the Executive Leadership Team (ELT), providing authoritative, evidence-based insight to inform system-level strategic and operational decision-making. Regularly supports ELT, the President's Leadership Team (PLT), and the Board of Regents (BOR) by interpreting complex institutional trends related to enrollment, completion, workforce outcomes, performance-based funding, accreditation, and compliance. The AVP frames data in an executive and strategic context, clarifying implications, risks, tradeoffs, and opportunities, and ensures leadership confidence in the accuracy and reliability of institutional reporting and analytics.

Enterprise Data Strategy and External Representation: Leads and advances KCTCS's data and analytics strategy by chairing or participating in formal and informal cross-functional internal and external committees, task forces, and workgroups. Examples include performance-based funding, Workforce Pell implementation, KYSTATS' Research Agenda Committee, the Commonwealth Education Consortium data team, and the Institutional Research/Institutional Effectiveness (IR/IE) Peer Team. Serves as the system-level data liaison to external agencies and partners, including the Council on Postsecondary Education (CPE), the National Center for Education Statistics (IPEDS), and other state and federal entities, representing KCTCS in matters related to data governance, reporting standards, and accountability.

Operational Leadership and Staff Management: Directs and manages ORPA staff, providing strategic leadership, prioritization, and performance management to ensure timely and accurate delivery of core functions. These functions include state and federal reporting, development of enterprise metrics and performance indicators, stewardship of the functional components of KCTCS's data warehouse and analytics platforms, applied research and analysis, ad hoc executive requests, and professional leadership for college-based IR/IE staff. The AVP ensures staff work aligns with system priorities, supports continuous improvement, and meets high standards of quality and consistency.

Enterprise Integration and Data Governance: Serves as an enterprise connector linking institutional strategy, data, and execution. Fosters collaboration across academic, student affairs, finance, workforce, and administrative units to ensure leadership questions are answered using consistent, trusted, and well-governed data. Establishes and reinforces standards for definitions, methodologies, and reporting practices across the system to promote alignment, reduce risk, and support a culture of
evidence-based decision-making.

Administrative and Fiscal Leadership: Provides administrative leadership for the Office of Research and Policy Analysis, including management of the office budget, resource planning, and operational oversight, ensuring effective stewardship of system resources in support of strategic objectives.

Minimum Qualifications:

Master’s degree with 3 years’ relevant work experience or equivalent.

Preferred Qualifications:

Doctoral degree preferred - in education administration, public policy, data science, information technology, or related field.

Additional Skills Requested:

Significant budget scope (e.g., department is currently working with Technology Solutions to implement a new data warehouse solution with a multi-million dollar price tag; responsible for metric calculations that allocates millions of dollars to colleges (e.g., $25 million in performance funding)). Direct reports manage additional staff- 10 direct/indirect reports.

Employee Rights - Employee Polygraph Protection Act

Equal Opportunity Employer - The Kentucky Community and Technical College System is an equal educational and employment opportunity institution.