Senior Associate, Finance Policy and Programs

Application Due Date: Open until filled; however, preference will be given to applications received before October 18, 2024.
Position: Full-time, state position
Location: Frankfort, KY, with limited telecommuting
Travel: In-state and limited out-of-state travel Retirement: TIAA
Compensation: $62,000 to $72,000 depending on education and experience.

About the Council on Postsecondary Education

The Council on Postsecondary Education (CPE) is Kentucky’s coordinating body for postsecondary education and is committed to strengthening the commonwealth’s workforce, economy, and quality of life through ongoing improvement and efficient operation of a high-quality, diverse, and accessible system of higher education.

Function of the Position

This position reports to the Director of Finance Policy and Programs. This person will work with other finance unit colleagues, CPE Executive Leadership, and campus chief budget officers to help develop the Council’s biennial budget recommendation for postsecondary education, formulate staff’s annual tuition and mandatory fee ceiling recommendation, analyze postsecondary data, and facilitate the review and approval of interim capital project, Endowment Match Program, and asset preservation funding requests.

Duties and Responsibilities

Capital Projects

The Senior Associate supports the Finance Director in performing the Council’s statutory, policy, and regulatory responsibilities pertaining to capital projects. This includes developing postsecondary institution biennial capital project recommendations, reviewing institutions’ interim capital project requests, preparing staff recommendations for action by the Council, and identifying system wide capital planning priorities.

Trust Funds

This position works with the Finance Director, CPE Executive Leadership, and campus officials to develop biennial budget recommendations for the Council’s strategic investment and incentive trust funds. Should funds be authorized, this position administers and monitors trust fund programs and reports on program outcomes.

Research and Analysis

The Senior Associate supports the development of Council policies and programs by conducting various statistical and descriptive analyses of postsecondary data from the Kentucky Postsecondary Education Data System (KPEDS), Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS), State Higher Education Finance (SHEF) Survey, postsecondary institution audited financial statements, and other sources.

Also, this position synthesizes academic and other public policy research, performs environmental scans, contacts content experts, and presents key research findings as needed to support policy analyses and evaluations.

Data Collection and Reporting

The Senior Associate collects, validates, and maintains higher education finance data as retrieved from Kentucky postsecondary institutions, KHEEA, and other data providers. The position leverages the Council’s data collections to participate in national and regional higher education finance surveys conducted annually.

Tuition Reciprocity

The Senior Associate assists with periodic negotiations of the Council’s tuition reciprocity agreements and exchanges policy-relevant data with participating states, including Indiana, Ohio, and West Virginia.

Special Projects

This position will perform other duties as assigned by the Director of Finance Policy and Programs or Vice President for Finance Policy and Programs.

Qualifications

Required

• Bachelor’s degree in public policy, political science, statistics, finance, accounting, business administration, or related field.
• Intermediate to advanced proficiency with Microsoft Word, Excel, and PowerPoint.
• Excellent written and verbal communication and presentation skills

Preferred

• Master’s degree in public policy, political science, statistics, finance, accounting, business administration, or related field.
• Experience working with education and finance data.
• Experience with federal, state, or postsecondary institution policy in the areas of budgeting, tuition and fee setting, performance funding, or student financial aid.
• Working knowledge of GASB and FASB advisory statements, particularly in the area of financial reporting.
• Experience working with Tableau and other business intelligence tools.

Application Process

Interested applicants should send a letter of application specifically addressing the responsibilities and qualifications of the position, a resume, and the names, titles, and contact information for at least three professional references to CPE.HR@ky.gov.