Manager, Operational Analytics

About Niche

Niche is the leader in school search. Our mission is to make researching and enrolling in schools easy, transparent, and free. With in-depth profiles on every school and college in America, 140 million reviews and ratings, and powerful search tools, we help millions of people find the right school for them. We also help thousands of schools recruit more best-fit students, by highlighting what makes them great and making it easier to visit and apply.

Niche is all about finding where you belong, and that mission inspires how we operate every day. We want Niche to be a place where people truly enjoy working and can thrive professionally.

About The Role

We are looking for an experienced, analytically rigorous, and collaborative Manager of Operational Analytics to lead the team responsible for how Niche measures, understands, and improves its partner relationships and operational performance. This is a high-impact player-coach role at the center of how Niche delivers value to the schools and districts it serves.

The Manager of Operational Analytics leads all analytics related to partner-facing data products, operational dashboards, prospect and enrollment analytics, and the customer health frameworks that inform retention strategy. You will manage a team of three analysts and serve as a strategic analytical partner to Sales, Client Success, Implementation Services, RevOps, Finance, and Data Engineering. This includes being embedded directly in team meetings and workflows, developing first-hand awareness of how data is being used, where gaps exist, and what's needed before it becomes a problem.

The ideal candidate is a hands-on analytical leader with expertise in AI who sets strategy, drives cross-functional prioritization, and is equally comfortable doing the work. This role reports to the VP of Analytics.

What You Will Do

Strategic Leadership:

• Lead, mentor, and grow a team of three analysts, building a culture of accountability, continuous learning, and analytical excellence
• Partner with functional leaders to roadmap analytical needs 
• Set analytical strategy and own cross-functional prioritization across operational domains
• Partner with the VP of Analytics to develop and execute the operational analytics roadmap in alignment with business priorities
• Serve as a player-coach: establish frameworks and standards while contributing hands-on analytical work when it matters
• Champion the adoption of AI and emerging analytics tools including coding assistants and LLM-based workflows to accelerate the team's analytical output and continuously raise the bar on what the function can deliver

Partner Performance & Reporting:

• Lead the end-to-end delivery of partner-facing reporting, performance dashboards, and external-facing analytics that support renewal, retention, and new business conversation
• Own delivery monitoring and cross-functional work with implementation and fulfillment teams to keep operational analytics accurate and actionable.
• Define and evolve customer health scoring frameworks, engagement-to-renewal models, and account insights tools that give client-facing leadership defensible, data-backed signals on account health and churn risk
• Track onboarding health, time-to-value benchmarks, and product adoption metrics to drive partner success across product lines
• Serve as the bridge between business stakeholders and Data Engineering, defining measurement requirements, diagnosing data problems, and ensuring a reliable, self-service metrics layer across the organization
• Play a lead role in the design and adoption of a company-wide self-serve metrics layer, partnering closely with Data Engineering to ensure business logic is well-defined, governed, and accessible across the organization
• Regularly report operational analytics performance to senior leadership with clear insights and recommendations, and continuously refine measurement frameworks across the teams you support

What We Are Looking For

Education

• Bachelor's degree in Business Administration, Data Science, Statistics, Economics, or a related field. A Master's degree is a plus

Experience

• 5+ years of experience in business analysis, data analytics, or a closely related data function
• 2+ years of experience managing or leading analysts, with a demonstrated track record of developing high-performing teams
• Proven ability to translate complex analytical findings into clear, actionable insights for non-technical stakeholders
• Demonstrated experience building or owning self-service analytics frameworks that empower business users
• Experience working in a fast-paced, cross-functional environment with shifting priorities
• Resilience and a strong ability to deal with ambiguity and change

Skills

• Senior proficiency in SQL; comfortable writing, reviewing, and troubleshooting complex queries independently
• Strong proficiency in data visualization platforms such as Tableau, Looker, Snowflake, or similar tools
• Strong project management skills with the ability to manage multiple workstreams simultaneously
• Excellent communication and presentation skills, with the ability to convey complex data to diverse audiences
• Hands-on experience using AI-assisted development tools (e.g., Claude Code) to accelerate analytical workflows; a track record of helping teams integrate these tools into day-to-day practice
• A genuine practitioner of AI-assisted analytics. Comfortable using tools like Claude Code in your own work and proven in your ability to bring a team along with you. We're looking for someone who sees AI fluency as a core part of what it means to be a high-performing analytics team in 2025, not a nice-to-have
• Data-driven decision-making mindset with rigorous attention to data quality and accuracy

Nice to Have

• Experience with dbt, Python, Snowflake, or Hex
• Experience building customer health scoring or retention analytics frameworks
• Background in SaaS, education technology, marketplace, or B2B analytics environments
• Experience in the education sector or working with schools and colleges

Compensation 

Our national target base salary range is $116,000 - $145,000, plus participation in our Annual Bonus and Stock Option Program. Base compensation will be commensurate with experience and skills.

At Niche, our Total Rewards Philosophy is centered around creating a workplace environment that attracts, motivates, and retains top talent by providing a comprehensive and competitive rewards package.  This philosophy is built on the principles of performance-based compensation, best-in-class benefits and work-life balance, and employee well-being.

Interview Process

Candidate experience is a top priority for our talent and hiring teams.  We believe in providing a transparent, authentic and comprehensive interview process where you have the opportunity to learn about us while we get to know you and your experience.  The interview process is outlined here:

• Phone Screen with Talent Acquisition Partner - 30 Minutes

• Video Interview with Hiring Manager - 30 Minutes

• Team Interview - 3 separate 30 Minute Interviews

• Case Study & Presentation

• Hiring Manager Follow-up - 30 Minutes

Why Niche?

• We are a fully flexible workforce empowering our employees to choose to work remotely, in our Pittsburgh office or whatever combination suits you
• Full time, salaried position with competitive compensation in a fast-growing company
• Best-in-class 100% paid employee health plan, including vision and dental and supplemental coverage
• Flexible Paid Time Off Policy
• Stipend that allows you to build your work from home office in a style and function that suits your personal preferences
• Parental leave for all employees (12 weeks fully paid) in addition to short term disability for birthing parents
• Meaningful 401(k) with employer match
• Your ideas and work will make an immediate impact on our company and millions of users
• You will join a team that cares about you, our mission, our work - and celebrates our wins together!

Niche will only employ those who are legally authorized to work in the United States without sponsorship now or in the future for this opening.  

We are currently hiring in states where we currently have employees: AZ, CO, CT, DE, FL, GA, IL, IN, KY, LA, ME, MD, MA, MI, MO, NE, NV, NH, NJ, NY, NC, OH, OK, OR, PA, SC, TN, TX, VA, WA, DC, WV.

Candidates only.  No recruiters or agencies, please. Sorry, we do not offer relocation assistance.

Niche is an equal opportunity employer committed to fostering an inclusive, innovative environment with the best employees. Therefore, we provide employment opportunities without regard to age, race, color, ancestry, national origin, religion, disability, sex, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, or any other protected status in accordance with applicable law.

All interviews are being held remotely. If there are preparations we can make to help ensure you have a comfortable and positive interview experience, please let us know.