Director of Data Strategy

Work in a purpose driven career with MaKami College, public post-secondary college that has been helping students for over 20 years with locations in Edmonton and Calgary, Alberta.
MaKami College offers students in-person, online, and blended programs in Massage Therapy, Health Care Aide, Business Administrative Assistant, Medical Office Assistant, and more. Rapidly growing, we are working to expand our campuses into cities across Canada, and continuously working to add programs to our course catalogue. We work with our team to grow and develop in areas they are passionate about, focusing on our MaKami Pillars - Leadership, Professionalism, Helpfulness, and Inspiration. MaKami team members are provided with many opportunities for professional career growth in a fulfilling and dynamic work environment.
The MaKami team is passionate about creating generational change through education, and we provide the tools and a safe environment for our staff to change the lives of our students and their families.
**Purpose of this role**:
The purpose of this role is to drive a culture of data-informed decision-making across MaKami College. This role will lead the strategy, infrastructure, and execution of all data collection, analysis, reporting, and insights supporting student recruitment, retention, government compliance, and the pursuit of grant and funding opportunities.
Key Accountabilities
- Develop and lead a comprehensive data strategy that supports MaKami’s mission of barrier-free education, aligning data priorities with institutional goals.
- Build and oversee a team of data professionals responsible for analytics, business intelligence (BI), and data infrastructure.
- Create a data governance framework to ensure accuracy, integrity, privacy, and responsible use of institutional data.
- Drive actionable insights across the marketing and admissions funnel, including digital campaigns, lead quality, conversion rates, and demographic targeting.
- Analyze student journeys to identify patterns in engagement, success, and attrition, and work with departments to improve support systems and retention strategies.
- Champion lifetime value models and engagement metrics to inform marketing ROI and resource allocation.
- Lead the data collection, validation, and reporting required for provincial and federal government reporting, including performance metrics and regulatory compliance.
- Collaborate with academic and student support teams to track and report on outcomes for underrepresented, Indigenous, newcomer, and low-income learners.
- Identify and monitor equity-related data (e.g., access, outcomes, barriers) to improve services and demonstrate commitment to inclusive education.
- Create dashboards and storytelling tools to communicate success and impact to internal and external stakeholders.
- Partner with community and government relations teams to build data-driven cases for funding and partnerships.

**Educational Qualifications**:

- Bachelor’s or master’s degree in data science, Business Analytics, Public Policy, Education, or related field.
- Certification in data analytics or BI tools preferred
- Training in data privacy, ethics, or compliance
- Familiarity with grant writing and impact reporting frameworks
- Strong leadership, organizational, and project management skills.
- Excellent communication and interpersonal skills.
- Reliable and dependable
- Excellent communicator with a strong command of the English language (both verbal and written)
- Strong interpersonal skills to work effectively in a team environment.

**Experience**:

- 8+ years of progressive experience in data analytics or business intelligence, including 3+ years in leadership or executive role.
- Strong knowledge of BI tools (Power BI, Tableau), CRM and marketing platforms and data management systems.
- Experience with government reporting, grant-writing, or public sector compliance is highly desirable.
- Experience leading data initiatives in post-secondary education or nonprofit sectors
- Background in designing and implementing data governance policies
- Experience working with diverse and equity-seeking populations
- Proven success in securing grants or funding through data-driven proposals
- Experience integrating data systems across departments
- Track record of building dashboards and visualizations for executive decision-making
- Experience with predictive modelling, machine learning, or AI in education or marketing contexts
- Passion for social impact, education access, and working with diverse populations.
- Excellent communication, presentation, and team leadership skills.

**Perks & Benefits**:

- Health Spending & Lifestyle Accounts
- Educational Allowance for Professional Development
- Emergency Allowance for Unexpected Needs
- Free Massages at Our Student Clinic
- Discounts on College Programs & Courses
- Staff Discount in College Store
- On-Site Gym Access
- Free Parking