BereaCorps: Continuous Improvement Data Associate

Please note that references provided at the time of application for staff positions will not be contacted until the applicant has been offered the position.

Description

BereaCorps positions are grant-funded, one-year contract positions from June 1, 2025 - May 31, 2026, with the possibility of a one-year extension. The positions are only available to 2024 and May 2025 Berea graduates, that have completed all of their coursework by May 2025.

The Continuous Improvement Data Associate will support departments across campus in an effort to identify and remove waste from Berea College’s daily activities, while helping departments become more effective and efficient. This position will include rigorous training in the fundamentals of Lean Continuous Improvement methodologies as they apply to both manufacturing and business processes. The associate will support campus departments as they complete continuous improvement projects and individuals as they complete Lean Green Belt certification. The associate will apply continuous improvement strategies as both a project team member and project leader across campus. The associate will also be the point person for data analysis and reporting for the Office of Continuous Improvement.

Your Key Responsibilities

To perform this job successfully, an individual must be able to perform each essential duty satisfactorily. The requirements listed below are representative of the knowledge, skill, and/or ability required. Regular and predictable attendance is essential. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

• Support the Berea College Continuous Improvement Director in all aspects of leading continuous improvement efforts across Berea College. This includes, but is not limited to, meeting facilitation, training sessions on continuous improvement, data entry, project recruitment and other duties as assigned.
• Coordinate the data collection, storage, and analysis of continuous improvement projects both in the Office of Continuous Improvement and across campus departments.
• Ensure the accuracy of continuous improvement projects related to data metrics and analysis.
• Complete data analysis for the Operations Division and across campus departments, as requested.
• Demonstrate an eagerness and ability to learn the fundamental principles of Continuous Improvement, and a willingness to effectively teach them across various Campus settings.
• Conduct independent research for solutions and process options for stakeholders from all areas of campus.
• Inspire a desire in project participants to look for change and remove burdensome waste from existing processes.
• Lead process mapping events to successfully reduce non-value-added effort and cost in campus departments, while supporting them in becoming more effective and efficient.
  
  

Other roles/duties will be assigned as necessary to assist the College in the attainment of the goals set forth and the enhancement of a positive, respectful learning environment for all staff, faculty, and students.

What You'll Bring

Education required to ensure success in this position:

• Bachelor’s Degree from Berea College with a graduation date in 2024 or spring 2025
  
  

Experience required to ensure success in this position:

• Experience with Lean in a practical application on campus is strongly preferred
• Understanding and experience of data analysis
• Ability to visually and orally present and explain findings, trends, and metrics
• Experience presenting to groups is a plus. Desire to develop this skill is required
• Experience with Lean in a practical application on campus is strongly preferred
• Previous exposure to Lean or Continuous Improvement techniques or theory is strongly preferred
  
  

Special Skills, Knowledge, And Abilities

• Demonstrates a proficiency in mathematics
• Demonstrates proficiency in computer skills including data processing and spreadsheets
• Ability to present to large groups in a confident and effective manner
• Ability to work independently and in a team setting
• Excellent communication (oral, written and visualization) and interpersonal skills
• Strong organizational skills and ability to set priorities and meet deadlines
• Attention to detail, and problem-solving skills
• Demonstrates an ability and willingness to learn
• Strong computer literacy and aptitude to become proficient in the use of the following: Power BI, Qualtrics, MS Excel and PowerPoint, among other programs needed for specific projects
  
  

License, certification, or registration necessary:

• None required, but position will be expected to achieve Lean Green Belt certification
  
  

Physical requirements:

• Ability to sit in an office/computer setting for extended periods of time
• Ability to participate in workplace organization/5S events in all areas of the Campus. Some of these events will occur in office environments, others in food service, recycling, student crafts, etc.
• Ability to lift 20-25 pounds occasionally during workplace organization/5S events
• Ability to navigate campus and public grounds and buildings
  
  

Environmental conditions:

• While most of this work takes place in an office environment, this position requires us to work alongside clients from every area of the campus community. Work can take place either indoors or outside.
  
  

Ability to operate the following vehicles or equipment:

• Standard office equipment
• Computer
  
  

Founded in 1855, Berea College is nationally recognized as the first coeducational and interracial college in the South. Berea has a longstanding commitment to interracial education and is one of the most racially diverse private liberal arts colleges in the United States. With an emphasis on service to Appalachia and beyond, Berea enrolls more than 1,500 students from 46 states and U.S. territories and more than 70 countries. Berea College admits students who are unable to afford tuition and provides all of them with a no-tuition promise, valued at more than $204,000. Berea’s students excel in the College’s supportive yet demanding academic environment, and most are the first in their families to attend college. As one of only nine federally recognized Work Colleges, all Berea students are expected to work 10-12 hours weekly in various positions across campus. Berea College is listed #20 in overall ranking in the U.S. by the Wall Street Journal /College Pulse college rankings , 2023 . The Washington Monthly ranks Berea College #2 Best Liberal Arts College and #1 in Social Mobility, 2023. Money Magazine ranks Berea #20 Best Overall College and #10 for Best in the South, 2023 . Berea College is also the only institution in Kentucky to receive the 5-Star Rating from Money Magazine, 2023.

Located where the Bluegrass Region meets the Cumberland Mountains, the town of Berea (pop. 16,000) lies forty miles south of Lexington and is approximately two hours from Cincinnati, Louisville, and Knoxville. More information about Berea College is available at

Berea College, in light of its mission in the tradition of impartial love and social equality, welcomes all people of the earth to learn and work here.

Berea College is always looking for talented, self-motivated individuals to join our team. If you think you are ready to be a part of an exciting team, then we encourage you to continue with this applicant friendly, online job application!

Berea College is an Equal Opportunity Employer that recruits and hires qualified candidates without regard to race, religion, sex, sexual orientation, age, national origin, ancestry, citizenship, disability, or veteran status.

Our Benefits

Berea College offers a comprehensive benefits package to eligible employees and their families including health care, dental, vision, retirement, health savings accounts, flexible spending accounts, life insurance, short-term disability, long-term disability and an Employee Assistance Program. The benefit package also includes access to the

Eligible staff employees also receive paid holidays, vacation, and sick leave.

Part-time employees who work an average of 24 hours per week over the course of a year, receive benefits on a pro-rated basis.

To learn more details, visit our benefits page at

Our Unique Culture

Berea College strives to be a place where people with various Christian interpretations, different religious traditions, and no religious traditions work together in support of

Over the past century, various leaders of the College have applied the College’s inclusive scriptural foundation and spirit to their expanding world and welcomed those whose beliefs were consistent with the Christian gospel of impartial love. Therefore, Berea College today affirms its inclusive Christian tradition even as it respects the traditions of Jews, Muslims, Buddhists, and Hindus, as well as other faiths, and those holding no religious beliefs. We strive not to ignore our differences, but rather seek to understand each other honestly and respectfully, and together create a climate where anyone can openly discuss what they believe without fear of sanction. To that end, all persons who are willing to share in the spirit and the work of the Great Commitments as shaped by its preamble are welcome to study, to teach, and to work at Berea

Labor Supervision

In support of Berea College’s great commitments, staff and faculty serve as labor supervisors. Our fourth great commitment, The Dignity of Labor, promotes learning and serving in community through the student Labor Program, honoring the dignity and utility of all work, mental and manual, and taking pride in work well done. Student Labor Supervision includes scheduling, assigning, and approving student work, developing students' workplace acumen, and providing tangible work experience. To learn more about the labor program office please see the following link