Assistant Dean, Graduate Programs

Northwestern University; Evanston (IL); On-site; USD 140,000 - 150,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Health insurance

Dental insurance

Vision insurance

Paid vacation and holidays

Parental leave

Tuition benefits

Retirement savings plans

Wellness programs

Job summary

Northwestern University’s School of Professional Studies seeks an Assistant Dean for Graduate Programs to lead the creation, development, and management of graduate degrees and certificates. You will guide strategic direction, foster industry and academic partnerships, and ensure program quality across on-campus and online offerings.

The role includes recruiting faculty, managing contracts, and aligning policies with SPS’s mission.

Qualifications

• PhD or other terminal degree.
• 5 years of academic administrative experience including staff and faculty management and program development.

Responsibilities

• Lead development and management of SPS graduate degree programs and graduate certificates.
• Oversee recruitment of faculty for SPS graduate programs and manage annual contracts for faculty leadership.
• Develop partnerships with industry and academia to enhance program quality and growth.
• Manage graduate program budgets and ensure alignment with market demand and revenue goals.

Education

PhD or other terminal degree

Job description

Department: School of Professional Studies

Salary/Grade: EXS/12

Target hiring range for this position will be between $140,000 to $150,000 per year. Offered salary will be determined by the applicant's education, experience, knowledge, skills and abilities, as well as internal equity and alignment with market data.

A well-qualified candidate within this department or unit has been identified and will be considered for the position along side other qualified candidates identified through a competitive recruitment process. The University reserves its right to give priority consideration to internal qualified candidates.

Job Summary:

The Assistant Dean for Graduate Programs provides leadership for the creation, development, delivery, and management of graduate degree programs and graduate certificates offered by the School of Professional Studies. This individual is a member of the SPS management team and collaborates with senior leadership to guide strategic direction, identify new growth opportunities, facilitate cross-departmental implementation and programmatic alignment, and lead continuous improvement activities required to maintain SPS's competitiveness and position as a premier school for adult students. A key responsibility of this position is to develop new and existing industry and academic partnerships and ensure the academic quality of all graduate offerings. This position retains oversight for the recruitment of faculty to teach in SPS graduate programs, including hiring and evaluating full-time faculty and managing annual contracts for the faculty directors and other faculty leadership positions. With other academic units, this position develops faculty resources for teaching and course design to promote high quality, inclusive, and career relevant teaching. The position will work with the Senior Director of Marketing and Enrollment Management to develop marketing and recruitment strategies and will collaborate with key stakeholders within Northwestern to ensure adequate operational support for all graduate programs, as well as develop, implement, and enforce academic policy. In addition, the Assistant Dean works with admissions committees to determine admissions and academic standards for new and current programs and oversees the admissions review process. The Assistant Dean is responsible for managing the graduate program and administrative budgets, authorizing expenditures and providing fiscal oversight. Currently, this position manages 17 distinct on-campus and online professional master's programs and 50+ graduate certificate programs.

The position will also lead high-level projects that support SPS's mission, as warranted by the Dean or Associate Dean of Academics.

Specific Responsibilities

• Program development strategy - in collaboration with the Associate Dean of Academics and academic staff, guides the research and strategy for the development of new graduate programs and other growth opportunities
• Program and quality management - collaborates with program directors, advisory boards, and faculty to maintain academic excellence and quality instruction in all programs; manages and conducts ongoing assessments of existing programs to ensure alignment with market demand, industry trends, and student needs along with revenue goals
• Faculty management and development -- conducts final review of all faculty hires; reviews and revises annual faculty director contracts; reviews full-time faculty performance and revises contracts for renewal; leads faculty development efforts for all graduate faculty (resource development, workshops, mentoring program, etc.); addresses escalated concerns regarding faculty conduct and performance raised by staff and students
• Partnership management - develops and manages relationships with external stakeholders and partners; develops systems to improve and enhance service and increase program alignment across graduate programs
• Academic policy -- provides leadership in the development of academic policies, procedures, and quality standards for on-campus and graduate students.
• Operations and staff management-- assists Director in organizing staff duties and business processes & procedures. Assists in hiring and developing staff.
• Marketing and recruitment--represents graduate programs at student recruitment events, and provides training for internal staff (recruiters, advisors, registration staff, marketing team, etc.) to ensure that graduate programs are accurately and strongly represented; develops marketing and recruitment strategies in collaboration with Marketing and Enrollment Management for all graduate programs.
• Events--collaborates with other SPS staff on school-wide faculty and student events, such as Symposium, Convocation, new student orientation for Accelerated Programs, annual All Faculty meeting, etc.
• Budget -- retains fiscal oversight for budgets and expenditures for all graduate programs

Minimum Qualifications

• PhD or other terminal degree
• 5 years of academic administrative experience including staff and faculty management and program development

Preferred Qualifications

• 7-10 years of academic administrative experience including program creation and administration, managing staff, and budgeting
• Strategic planning experience
• In-depth knowledge of sound academic policies and procedures
• In-depth familiarity with models of adult learning, including higher education teaching experience

Benefits

• health, dental, vision, disability, and life insurance
• paid vacation and holidays
• paid medical/sick and parental leave
• tuition benefits for the employee and dependents
• pre-tax and flex spending accounts for commuting and dependent care
• generous retirement savings options
• wellness programs

For a comprehensive overview of available benefits, including eligibility details, visit us at https://www.northwestern.edu/hr/benefits/index.html to learn more.

Work-Life and Wellness

Northwestern offers comprehensive programs and services to help you and your family navigate life's challenges and opportunities, and adopt and maintain healthy lifestyles.

We support flexible work arrangements where possible and programs to help you locate and pay for quality, affordable childcare and senior/adult care. Visit us at https://www.northwestern.edu/hr/benefits/work-life/index.html to learn more.

Professional Growth & Development

Northwestern supports employee career development in all circumstances whether your workspace is on campus or at home. If you're interested in developing your professional potential or continuing your formal education, we offer a variety of tools and resources. Visit us at https://www.northwestern.edu/hr/learning/index.html to learn more.

Northwestern University is an Equal Opportunity Employer and does not discriminate on the basis of protected characteristics, including disability and veteran status. View Northwestern's non-discrimination statement. Job applicants who wish to request an accommodation in the application or hiring process should contact the Office of Civil Rights and Title IX Compliance. View additional information on the accommodations process.