Data Scientist - Colorado Community College System : Job Details

Salary: $78,000.00 - $81,000.00 Annually Location : Denver, CO Job Type: Professional/Tech Full-time Remote Employment: Flexible/Hybrid Job Number: GJA-299###-####2025-NC Department: CCCS Information Technology Division: CCCS Institutional Research/Business Intelligence Opening Date: 08/04/2025 Closing Date: 8/13/2025 11:59 PM Mountain Department Contact Information: Nikki Cimino: [email protected] Description The Colorado Community College System (CCCS) is hiring a Data Scientist to join our System Office's Business Intelligence team. We're looking for someone who is self-directed, an excellent communicator, and skilled at querying relational databases like SQL. If you're looking for an opportunity to build a new role and directly contribute to the success of an organization's strategic plan, this position may be for you! CCCS provides generous leave, , and flexible work schedules, including hybrid-remote work within the state of Colorado. Note: This position is term-limited and funded two (2) years after the employee's start date.Examples of Duties As the Data Scientist, you will be responsible for leading large data analytics and research projects relating to , as well as others requested by external partners. This role will require you to analyze, interpret, and present information and research findings on student, faculty, and college variables for college strategic planning, problem solving, and decision-making. You will identify and interpret student trend data as it applies to long-range and strategic planning. The Data Scientist utilizes data mining and statistical analysis techniques to analyze a range of issues, including enrollment management, marketing and recruitment, academic programs, economic mobility, post-graduation outcomes, and institutional planning, to assist in the development of long-term strategies necessary to ensure the health of the institution.

• Work with CCCS stakeholders to develop an assessment plan and methodology to evaluate the organization's new strategic plan.
• Develop recurring, continuing, and on-demand research projects, including project design, execution, analysis, and evaluation.
• Plan and present research analyses for decision making, problem solving, and the development of policies and procedures.
• Develop and plan new research projects as appropriate to meet the colleges' needs for program evaluation and strategic planning.
• Interpret complex data analyses by applying findings to contextual settings. Develop insights, reports, and presentations that tell a compelling story to enable and influence decision making; participate in peer reviews; and provide context related to data interpretations and/or limitations as appropriate.
• Lead the development of advanced analytical and/or statistical models enabling informed business decisions by determining data and analytical requirements; translate models and gain stakeholder agreement for implementation; craft complex models leading to actionable insights; and test, refine, and validate models.
• Develop reports and dashboards that facilitate measurement of strategic plan goals using SQL, Cognos, and/or Edify.

Required Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in statistics, data science, analytics, economics, social science, computer science, business administration, or a related quantitative field. Master's degree preferred.
• Three years of experience (preferably in an educational environment) working with complex research projects and incorporating a variety of research methods.
• Three years of experience using SAS, R, SPSS, or Python for data mining.
• Two years of experience with both descriptive and inferential statistics.
• Two years of experience using SQL or Cognos to query data systems.

Supplemental Information Attributes that will contribute to success in this position:

• Applied knowledge of productivity software including Microsoft Word, Microsoft Excel and Microsoft PowerPoint.
• Strong verbal and written communications skills.
• Interpersonal, organizational, and problem-solving skills necessary to work with diverse groups of stakeholders.
• Ability to maintain a high degree of confidentiality.
• Ability to prioritize work assignments, manage multiple concurrent tasks, and meet established deadlines with minimal supervision.
• Knowledge of Colorado higher education legislation.
• Knowledge of state and federal regulations pertaining to data privacy laws in an educational environment. Practiced in utilizing data visualization software.
• Significant business domain expertise in the field of higher education.
• Thorough understanding of conducting educational research and applying statistical data analysis methods.
• Practiced in utilizing web-based research and reporting tools (e.g. dashboards, web-based data tools, and data entry forms).
• Practiced in utilizing unstructured data in analyses.
• Practiced in creating and delivering reports for users.
• Very knowledgeable in both descriptive and inferential statistics.
• Practiced in querying data systems such as COGNOS and Banner.
• Practiced in preparing data reports including narrative and other depictions (e.g. charts, tables, graphs, statistical analysis) that assist administrators and other decision-makers.

Work Location/Travel Expectations:

• The office for this position is located at 1059 Alton Way, Denver, CO 80230.
• Occasional in-office time for meetings may be required.
• May require occasional in-state travel to system community colleges or out-of-state travel to conferences.
• Alternative Work Arrangements, including flexible schedules and hybrid-remote work, may be available. All work must be completed in the state of Colorado.

The Colorado Community College System is the state's largest provider of higher education and workforce training, consisting of 13 colleges and over 35 locations across the state, educating approximately 113,000 students annually. In addition, we train more than 4,000 Coloradans each year through customized employer training programs. Our mission is to provide accessible, responsive learning environments where students can achieve their educational, professional and personal goals in an atmosphere that embraces academic excellence, diversity and innovation. We are an organization that encourages individuals to bring their whole selves to work. CCCS believes when all human qualities are regarded with dignity and respect and when everyone has access to the individualized support they need, all will have the opportunity to thrive. In all aspects of the employment process, decisions are made based on merit, competence, performance and business need without regard to race, color, religion, sex, disability, age, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, pregnancy, creed, ancestry, national origin, marital status, genetic information, military status, or any other protected status in accordance with applicable law. Note: per the , an applicant may redact information from their resume, cover letter, and/or transcripts that identifies their age, date of birth, or dates of attendance at or graduation from an educational institution. If your position requires us to review an official transcript, without redacting, we will request one as part of our conditional offer process. In order to evaluate work experience against established requirements for positions, we are still requesting dates of service (month and year) for positions in the applicant's work history. A career at the Colorado Community College System's administrative office comes with great perks. Whether you are responsible for strategic System leadership or provide high quality administrative and technical support, you will reap a rewarding experience being a part of an enterprise which assists thousands of students to elevate their lives each year. Our System Office culture emphasizes and celebrates professionalism in performance of jobs and diversity in our workforce. Our focus on outcomes rather than tasks is supported with flexible work arrangements, and the expectation that our employees perform best when they are engaged and enjoy a degree of autonomy in how they approach the delivery of quality work product. You will admire the friendly culture of our system office and be inspired by our team environment and dedicated employees. We offer the following benefits:

• Our employees stay because of the work/life balance they are able to obtain at the System Office. This includes generous leave benefits:
  • Administrator/Professional-Technical (APT) positions earn 15 hours of annual leave and 10 hours of sick leave each month - based on fulltime status.
  • Classified employees earn generous levels of annual and sick leave based on their years of service.
  • CCCS employees receive 11 paid holidays per year, many of which are observed between December 25th through January 1st.
  • CCCS employees have leave available for a variety of additional personal needs such as academic/volunteer activities, bereavement, public health emergencies, and more.
• Many positions are eligible for alternate work arrangements that may include flexible schedules and/or working remotely within Colorado.
• CCCS offers comprehensive health, dental, and vision plans with considerable employer contributions. We also offer employer-paid life insurance. For a complete overview of our benefits, visit our
• CCCS employees are eligible for Federal Public Service Student Loan Forgiveness. For more information, go to the website.
• As a CCCS employee, you have an opportunity to become a lifelong-learner and enjoy considerable savings for the college education of you and your dependents through our tuition reimbursement program.
• We offer retirement savings through via our defined benefit or defined contribution plans. CCCS employees are also eligible to participate in a robust set of supplemental retirement options such as a 401K, 457, and/or 403b.
• All state employees are eligible to participate in , which offers discounts for retailers and services and other benefits resources.
• CCCS offers employee assistance services to you and your household members at no cost through the Colorado State Employee Assistance Program (). Available services include counseling, professional coaching, webinars, mediation, financial assistance, and more.