Academic Dean (Project)

Madani Institute of Applied Learning; North Sydney; Sur place; AUD 160 000 - 230 000; Plein temps

Résumé du poste

Madani Institute of Applied Learning in North Sydney seeks an Academic Dean (Project) to lead the full development of the Bachelor of Applied Counselling and Therapy. You will supervise contracted SMEs, author key curriculum content, and manage the compliance with TEQSA accreditation standards.

This senior role requires expertise in counselling education, strong project and quality assurance skills, and the ability to coordinate cross‑functional teams across multiple subjects within budget and

Qualifications

• Doctoral qualification in counselling/psychotherapy/psychology or related discipline.
• Proven ability to design, develop and gain accreditation for higher education courses in Australia.
• Strong writing, editorial and multi-author coordination skills.

Responsabilités

• Lead the design and development of 24 subjects to TEQSA standards.
• Coordinate the production of all content with contracted SMEs and ensure timely delivery within budget.
• Provide academic leadership for the Institute’s TEQSA accreditation application and liaise with the CEO, Academic Board and external consultants.
• Define course architecture, CLOs, assessment framework and mapping to AQF Level 7 descriptors.
• Maintain quality assurance, governance and participate in Academic Board activities.

Connaissances

Project management

Academic leadership

Curriculum development

Stakeholder liaison

Formation

Doctoral qualification in counselling/psychotherapy/psychology or related discipline

Outils

LMS/SCORM

Description du poste

Madani Institute of Applied Learning - North Sydney NSW

Madani Institute of Applied Learning is a new higher education provider seeking registration with the Tertiary Education Quality and Standards Agency (TEQSA) as an Institute of Higher Education. Its founding course is the Bachelor of Applied Counselling and Therapy, a three-year AQF Level 7 degree of 24 subjects, designed for practice-ready graduates and for pathway entry from the Diploma of Counselling.

Madani is closely associated with the Institute of Applied Psychology (IAP, RTO 70206), an established provider of counselling, hypnotherapy, coaching and business qualifications. The bachelor will draw on IAP’s applied, practice-based teaching philosophy while meeting the Higher Education Standards Framework (Threshold Standards) 2021 in full.

The course is at the design and development stage. All 24 subjects - subject guides, learning content, assessments, readings and eLearning builds - must be produced to accreditation standard within the contract period. This is a build role, not a steady-state academic leadership role.

Purpose of the role

The Academic Dean (Project) leads and delivers the full development of the Bachelor of Applied Counselling and Therapy. The Dean is accountable for the production of all 24 subjects, to TEQSA course accreditation standard, on time and within budget.

The Dean is both project manager and senior academic author. They will personally write a significant share of the curriculum and will commission, brief, manage and quality-assure a team of contracted Subject Matter Experts (SMEs) to write the remainder. They will also provide academic leadership to the Institute’s course accreditation application, working with the CEO, the Academic Board and external consultants.

The role suits an experienced counselling or psychotherapy academic who has designed and accredited higher education courses before, enjoys writing, and can run a complex, multi-author production schedule with discipline.

Key responsibilities

1. Course architecture and academic design

• Finalise the course structure, course learning outcomes (CLOs), graduate attributes and the 24-subject sequence, including prerequisites, majors or streams, and placement/practicum subjects.
• Map CLOs to AQF Level 7 descriptors, the Higher Education Standards Framework (Domain 1 and Domain 3) and relevant professional standards (e.g. PACFA and ACA training standards, the Australian Counselling Association scope of practice).
• Design the assessment framework for the course: assessment types, volume of assessment per subject, moderation, academic integrity controls and the capstone/practicum assessment model.
• Define the credit, articulation and recognition of prior learning (RPL) arrangements for Diploma of Counselling graduates and other pathway entrants.

About Madani and the project

Madani Institute of Applied Learning is a new higher education provider seeking registration with the Tertiary Education Quality and Standards Agency (TEQSA) as an Institute of Higher Education. Its founding course is the Bachelor of Applied Counselling and Therapy, a three-year AQF Level 7 degree of 24 subjects, designed for practice-ready graduates and for pathway entry from the Diploma of Counselling.

Madani is closely associated with the Institute of Applied Psychology (IAP, RTO 70206), an established provider of counselling, hypnotherapy, coaching and business qualifications. The bachelor will draw on IAP’s applied, practice-based teaching philosophy while meeting the Higher Education Standards Framework (Threshold Standards) 2021 in full.

The course is at the design and development stage. All 24 subjects - subject guides, learning content, assessments, readings and eLearning builds - must be produced to accreditation standard within the contract period. This is a build role, not a steady-state academic leadership role.

Purpose of the role

The Academic Dean (Project) leads and delivers the full development of the Bachelor of Applied Counselling and Therapy. The Dean is accountable for the production of all 24 subjects, to TEQSA course accreditation standard, on time and within budget.

The Dean is both project manager and senior academic author. They will personally write a significant share of the curriculum and will commission, brief, manage and quality-assure a team of contracted Subject Matter Experts (SMEs) to write the remainder. They will also provide academic leadership to the Institute’s course accreditation application, working with the CEO, the Academic Board and external consultants.

The role suits an experienced counselling or psychotherapy academic who has designed and accredited higher education courses before, enjoys writing, and can run a complex, multi-author production schedule with discipline.

Key responsibilities

1. Course architecture and academic design

• Finalise the course structure, course learning outcomes (CLOs), graduate attributes and the 24-subject sequence, including prerequisites, majors or streams, and placement/practicum subjects.
• Map CLOs to AQF Level 7 descriptors, the Higher Education Standards Framework (Domain 1 and Domain 3) and relevant professional standards (e.g. PACFA and ACA training standards, the Australian Counselling Association scope of practice).
• Design the assessment framework for the course: assessment types, volume of assessment per subject, moderation, academic integrity controls and the capstone/practicum assessment model.
• Define the credit, articulation and recognition of prior learning (RPL) arrangements for Diploma of Counselling graduates and other pathway entrants.

2. Subject production - delivery of all 24 subjects

• Own the production of every subject to a common template: subject guide, subject learning outcomes (SLOs), weekly topic learning arc, lecture content, learning activities, prescribed and recommended readings, assessment tasks, marking rubrics and tutor notes.
• Personally author a significant portion of the curriculum, with an expected allocation of approximately 6-8 subjects or equivalent, concentrated in the foundational and capstone subjects.
• Commission the remaining subjects from contracted SMEs, writing detailed subject briefs so that each SME delivers to specification.
• Review and approve every subject at defined quality gates (brief, outline, first draft, final draft, eLearning build), and return work for revision where it does not meet standard.
• Ensure each subject is ready for conversion to the Institute’s online learning format (SCORM/LMS build), working with instructional design and eLearning production staff.

3. SME and team management

• Identify, recruit, contract and onboard SMEs with current academic and clinical credibility in counselling, psychotherapy, psychology, ethics, research methods and related fields.
• Negotiate SME scopes of work, fees and timelines within the approved project budget.
• Manage SME performance day to day: briefings, progress check-ins, feedback on drafts, resolution of quality or deadline issues, and replacement of underperforming contributors.
• Supervise the Instructional Designer(s) and Project Coordinator assigned to the project.

4. Project management

• Build and maintain the project plan: work breakdown for 24 subjects, milestones, dependencies, resourcing and critical path.
• Report progress, risks and budget position to the CEO monthly and to the Academic Board as required.
• Manage the project budget for SME fees, copyright and reading permissions, external review and production.
• Maintain a risk register for the project and escape early where timelines or quality are at risk.
• Establish the document control, version management and file naming systems for all course materials.

5. Quality assurance and accreditation

• Lead the academic components of the TEQSA course accreditation application, including the course proposal, subject outlines, assessment samples, staffing profile and benchmarking evidence.
• Arrange external peer review of the course and of a sample of subjects by suitably qualified academics from registered higher education providers.
• Benchmark the course against comparable Australian bachelor degrees in counselling and psychotherapy and document the results.
• Ensure all materials meet copyright, accessibility (WCAG 2.1 AA) and academic integrity requirements.
• Respond to Academic Board and external consultant feedback and revise materials accordingly.

6. Academic governance and leadership

• Serve as a member of the Academic Board and its Course Advisory / Teaching and Learning committees during the project.
• Contribute to the development of academic policies required for registration (assessment, academic integrity, moderation, grievance, credit and RPL), in collaboration with the CEO and compliance consultants.
• Advise the CEO on the academic staffing profile required to teach the course on commencement, including minimum qualification levels under HESF 3.2.
• Represent the Institute professionally with external stakeholders including professional associations, peer reviewers and placement partners.

Selection criteria

Essential

• A doctoral qualification (PhD or professional doctorate) in counselling, psychotherapy, psychology or a closely related discipline, consistent with HESF 3.2 requirements for academic leadership of an AQF Level 7 course. A Master's degree with an exceptional record of course development and scholarship may be considered.
• Demonstrated experience designing, developing and gaining accreditation for higher education courses in Australia, preferably including a TEQSA course accreditation or re-accreditation.
• Substantial experience writing higher education curriculum — subject guides, learning content and assessment — to a high standard, with examples available on request.
• Proven ability to manage multi-author content production: commissioning, briefing, managing and quality-assuring subject matter experts to deadline and budget.
• Strong project management capability, including planning, scheduling, risk management, budget control and reporting to executive and board level.
• Deep knowledge of the Higher Education Standards Framework (Threshold Standards) 2021, the AQF and constructive alignment of learning outcomes, teaching and assessment.
• Current knowledge of counselling and psychotherapy practice, theory and professional training standards in Australia (PACFA, ACA).
• Excellent written and interpersonal communication, with the judgement and resilience to work in a start-up environment with evolving structures.

Desirable

• Current or recent registration as a counsellor or psychotherapist (PACFA or ACA) and clinical practice experience.
• Experience with online and blended course design, including authoring for LMS/SCORM delivery and working with instructional designers.
• Experience teaching or leading programs that admit students via VET pathways and credit transfer.
• Experience as a member of an academic board, course advisory committee or similar governance body.
• A record of scholarship or publication in counselling, psychotherapy or higher education pedagogy.

Conditions of engagement

• Fixed-term contract of 12 months, full-time. Engagement may be as an employee or, by agreement, as an independent contractor through an ABN.
• Remuneration is negotiable and will reflect the seniority of the role and the candidate's experience.
• The position may transition to an ongoing academic leadership role (e.g. Dean or Head of School) subject to TEQSA registration, course accreditation and funding.
• The successful candidate must hold or obtain a current Working with Children Check (NSW) and a National Police Check before commencement.
• All course materials developed in the role are the intellectual property of Madani Institute of Applied Learning.
• Occasional travel within Australia may be required for peer review, benchmarking and stakeholder meetings.
• Madani is an equal opportunity employer and welcomes applications from people of all backgrounds.