Associate Director of Research

Position: Full-time state government non-merit position
Starting Date: Open until filled
Location: In-person position in Frankfort, KY, with option for limited remote work with approval of supervisor
Compensation: TBD

The Council on Postsecondary Education is responsible for the coordination of a multi-sector, statewide higher education enterprise comprising Kentucky’s public universities and community and technical colleges serving nearly 250,000 students. In addition, the CPE licenses private for-profit and nonprofit colleges and universities operating in the state.

Overview

As an integral member of the Council’s Data, Research and Advanced Analytics team, the Associate Director of Research will work with CPE staff, board members, and external stakeholders to measure and communicate progress on the goals of the 2022-30 Kentucky Strategic Agenda for Postsecondary Education (Higher Education Matters). The position is charged with implementing the CPE research agenda by conducting policy and data analysis, writing research proposals and literature reviews, and delivering final research and analysis for use by CPE staff, state and campus leaders, and policy makers. The Associate Director will serve as a key liaison to KYSTATS, aligning CPE’s research agenda with analytics and research conducted through the statewide longitudinal data system (SLDS). This position reports to the Executive Director of Data and Advanced Analytics.

Duties and Responsibilities

Conduct research and analysis using data from the Kentucky Postsecondary Data System (KPEDS), the State Longitudinal Data System (SLDS), The Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS), and other national data sources.

• Implement the CPE research agenda and align research deliverables with the priorities of the Council’s strategic agenda.
• Manage all research projects and ensure that deadlines are met, and information is communicated to external stakeholders and staff.
• Lead all external and collaborative research projects acting as CPE’s liaison.
• Analyze information, determine conclusions, and write narrative to create continuous output of analytical briefs, white papers, and research manuscripts.
• Create and maintain knowledge of national and state research and trends pertaining to postsecondary education and policy.
• Perform data reviews for CPE data disseminated by the Administrative Data Research Facility (ADRF) research platform.
• Present research and analysis to CPE leadership, campus representatives, and the CPE board.
• Identify grant opportunities and submit research proposals for additional funding to support CPE research agenda.
• Supervise interns for designated research projects.
• Perform other duties as assigned by Executive Director.

Qualifications

• A master’s degree in a relevant field such as higher education, public policy, economics. A doctoral degree is preferred.
• At least five years of progressively responsible experience in data extraction, research design and statistical work involving collection, compilation, and analysis of data. This includes experience managing and querying large relational databases, using programming languages (SQL) to extract data or create and maintain datasets.
• Experience using statistical software (Stata, SPSS, etc.), or programming languages (Python, R) for data analysis and presentation.
• An understanding of and experience in practices used for institutional research or applied research in higher education.
• The ability to prioritize competing demands in a changing, collaborative environment.
• Strong follow-through skills and attention to detail, especially under deadline pressures.
• Strong communication and interpersonal skills with a desire to work as part of a team and to interact with the higher education community.
• A mix of strong analytical, research, writing, and communication skills, with an emphasis on policy analysis and the interpretation and presentation of quantitative data.
• Experience with program/policy evaluation or assessment of targeted interventions.

Contact Information

Interested applicants should send a letter of application, a resume, and the names, titles, and contact information for at least three professional references to:

Rae Smith, Human Resources
Kentucky Council on Postsecondary Education
100 Airport Road, Second Floor
Frankfort, KY 40601
Rae.smith@ky.gov

The Council on Postsecondary Education is committed to a diverse workforce, equal opportunity and nondiscrimination. CPE prohibits discrimination because of race, color, religion, sex, national origin, sexual orientation, gender identity or expressions, ancestry, age, pregnancy or related medical condition, marital or familial status, disability, veteran status, political affiliation, or genetic information.