Academic Program Director, Master of Social Work Program

The Academic Program Director (PD) is a key leadership position within the university; he/she/they promote and support a quality academic experience for learners by ensuring an engaging courseroom environment that facilitates achievement of program outcomes. The Program Director has oversight of curricula quality and rigor, and works to ensure curricula are professionally relevant, current, efficient, effective, and cohesive. This management position contributes to a range of activities related to excellence in curriculum design/delivery and assessment effectiveness, learner success, satisfaction and engagement. Work closely with deans, assistant/associate deans, and faculty directors, as well as relevant university departments, to manage systems and processes related to curriculum creation and delivery. He/she/they coordinate with the relevant faculty directors to remain aware of issues related to discipline content. The Program Director acts as a liaison to other departments including Portfolio Strategy, Doctoral Affairs, Course Development, Center for Faculty Excellence, Faculty Hiring, HR, Accreditation and Institutional Effectiveness, Learner Affairs, and others as required.

• Spearhead and oversee the development and revision of academic offerings.
• Utilize analytics and evidence-based practices to develop and execute actions that drive continuous quality improvement application in learner success, teaching, engagement, academic quality, and curricula development.
• Preside over efforts to ensure appropriate academic programmatic accreditation and/or licensure is obtained and maintained.
• Ensure assigned academic offerings align with professional trends and standards, while seeking professional validation wherever possible (in the way of credentials, licensure, alignment with existing or emerging standards/programmatic requirements, etc.)
• Oversight of curriculum development according to external standards and in alignment with university design principles; supervision of SME course development and leadership.
• Lead specialized accreditation process, self-study, etc.; ensure alignment to HLC best practices in university faculty oversight of curriculum. 
• Build and nurture internal and external partnerships and relationships that drive success of the school and academic offerings.
• Orchestrate and optimize course offering/scheduling.
• Supervise Core faculty; conduct Core faculty performance reviews.
• Host faculty meetings focused on program and curricula.
• Collaborate with Faculty Director on the hiring of new faculty.
• Address learner programmatic issues (academic, professional disposition, behaviors).
• Teach or mentor twice a year.
• All other duties as assigned.

• Knowledge of principles and methods for curriculum development, andragogy, and assessment. 
  • Knowledge of online teaching, competency-based education, and direct assessment.
  • Discipline knowledge.
  • Ability to objectively analyze program/course quality data and implement recommendations relevant to improving learner outcomes.
  • Ability to maintain program compliance with all regulatory rules, and national program accreditation standards.
  • Familiarity with program development and evaluation.
  • Ability to advise and assess learning effectiveness and quality of the education experience.
  • Ability to provide significant impact on learner retention plus direct impact on cost, revenue and quality assurance within a program area.
• Navigation – Integration of program, academic and regulatory considerations with business strategies and plans.
  • Manage multiple academic and administrative projects.
  • Resolve multi-faceted types of problems encountered involving courses, faculty, regulatory or administrative issues.
• Adaptability/Flexibility — Open to change.
  • Drive results despite ambiguity.
• Innovation — Creativity and alternative thinking to develop new ideas for and answers to work-related problems.
• Stress Tolerance —Ability to accept constructive criticism and deal with high stress situations. 
• Leadership - Ability to operate independently (leading, collaborating and executing) in a highly ambiguous, matrixed environment with high interdependencies.
  • Be a doer, focused not just on thought partnership but on getting things done and executing both independently and with others.
  • Lead by listening, be highly collaborative, and productively contribute opinions to critical decision-making processes.
  • Act independently to achieve results in support of business goals and strategies with a program area.

Work Experience:

• Masters in Social Work graduate level program director experience required. Minimum of 2 years preferred.
• Knowledge and experience with CSWE accreditation policies, procedures and program maintenance required.
• Demonstrated contribution to the discipline including publishing, committee involvement, or professional association involvement.
• A minimum of 3 years teaching in an accredited program or related field; online higher education teaching experience.
• Demonstrated leadership in academia or in a practitioner setting.
• Significant experience in supervisory/leadership responsibilities for faculty including recruitment, retention, performance results and development.  
• Significant experience managing and working with remote teams and a matrix environment preferred.
• Be proficient in Microsoft Office Suite programs.
• Ability to travel as required/needed. 

Education:

• All degrees must be conferred and from a regionally accredited institution. Copies of required certificates and licenses and unofficial transcripts for all graduate degrees with the institution and conferred degree and date must be attached.

• Masters degree in Social Work from an accredited Council on Social Work Education and regionally or nationally accredited program required.
• Doctorate degree in Social Work or closely related area to include Human Services, Psychology, Counseling, Sociology, Education or a closely related area required.

Certificates, Licenses and Registrations:

• Social Work Licensure required and willingness to obtain Minnesota Social Work Licensure upon hire and prior to starting the position required.

Other:

• Must be able to travel 10% of time.
• Must be able to lift 25 lbs.
• Typical office setting.
• Mobility within the office including movement from floor to floor.
• Travel via plane, car, and metro may be required to perform this job.
• Must be able to work more than 40 hours per week when business needs warrant
• Access information using a computer.
• Effectively communicate, both up and down the management chain.
• Effectively cope with stressful situations
• Strong mental acuity
• Regular, dependable attendance and punctuality are essential functions of this job. Other essential functions and marginal job functions are subject to modification.

• SEI is an Equal Opportunity employer committed to a diverse and inclusive community. We welcome applications from all. While it is not typical for an individual to be hired at or near the top end of the pay range at SEI, we offer a competitive salary and benefits package.  The actual base pay offered to the successful candidate may vary depending on multiple factors including, but not limited to, job-related knowledge/skills, experience, business needs, geographical location, and internal pay equity. Our Talent Acquisition Team is ready to discuss your interest in joining SEI. The expected salary range for this position is below.

If you require reasonable accommodations to complete our application process, please contact our Human Resources Department at Careers@strategiced.com.