Research Associate Visa Sponsorship Jobs in Kentucky
Research associate visa sponsorship jobs in Kentucky are concentrated in Lexington and Louisville, where the University of Kentucky, University of Louisville, and major life sciences employers like Lexmark and Ashland drive steady demand. Pharmaceutical research, biomedical sciences, and materials science are the dominant hiring fields for internationally sponsored candidates in this state.
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Get Access To All JobsTitle: 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.
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.
Research Associate Job Roles in Kentucky
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Search Research Associate Jobs in KentuckyResearch Associate Jobs in Kentucky: Frequently Asked Questions
Which companies sponsor visas for research associates in Kentucky?
The University of Kentucky and University of Louisville are among the most active sponsors of research associates in the state, particularly for postdoctoral and lab-based roles in biomedical and pharmaceutical sciences. Private-sector employers including Ashland Inc. and regional life sciences companies in the Louisville corridor also have histories of sponsoring H-1B visa workers for research positions, based on Department of Labor LCA disclosure data.
Which visa types are most common for research associate roles in Kentucky?
The H-1B is the most common visa for research associate roles in Kentucky, as these positions typically require at least a bachelor's degree in a specific scientific field, meeting the specialty occupation standard. Universities frequently sponsor J-1 visas for postdoctoral researchers through exchange visitor programs. Candidates with a master's or doctoral degree may also be petitioned under EB-2 immigrant visa categories by university or private-sector employers pursuing permanent sponsorship.
Which cities in Kentucky have the most research associate sponsorship jobs?
Lexington and Louisville account for the large majority of research associate sponsorship activity in Kentucky. Lexington is home to the University of Kentucky and a growing cluster of biomedical and agricultural research institutions. Louisville supports life sciences and pharmaceutical research through institutions like the University of Louisville and Norton Healthcare. Smaller research activity exists near Bowling Green, but opportunities there are considerably more limited for internationally sponsored candidates.
How to find research associate visa sponsorship jobs in Kentucky?
Migrate Mate filters job listings specifically by visa sponsorship availability, so you can search research associate roles in Kentucky without sifting through positions that don't offer sponsorship. Focusing your search on university research centers in Lexington and Louisville, as well as life sciences employers in the Louisville metro area, will surface the most active sponsors. Migrate Mate lets you narrow by state and role type simultaneously, which is particularly useful for a niche market like Kentucky.
Are there any Kentucky-specific factors research associates should know before applying?
Kentucky's research hiring is heavily tied to its two flagship universities, meaning the academic hiring calendar matters. Faculty-led lab positions often open in late fall and early spring cycles, which affects when H-1B or J-1 sponsorship processes are initiated. The state's life sciences sector is growing but smaller than neighboring Ohio or Tennessee, so the total number of sponsoring employers is more limited. Candidates with advanced degrees in pharmaceutical sciences, biology, or materials science are best positioned for Kentucky's sponsoring employers.
What is the prevailing wage for sponsored research associate jobs in Kentucky?
U.S. employers sponsoring a visa must pay at least the prevailing wage, which is what workers in the same role, area, and experience level typically earn. The Department of Labor sets this rate to make sure companies aren't hiring foreign workers simply because they'd accept lower pay than a U.S. worker. It varies by job title, location, and experience. You can look up current prevailing wage rates for any occupation and location using the OFLC Wage Search page.