Assistant Director, Academic Programs - Health & Kinesiology

Laseagrant; Urbana (IL); On-site; USD 65,000 - 75,000; Full time

Job summary

The University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign's Department of Health and Kinesiology seeks an Assistant Director to lead academic programs, enrollment planning, scheduling, and program analytics, supporting undergraduate and graduate operations.

The role collaborates with associate heads, coordinates minors and certificates, communicates with college marcom, and uses data-driven insights to inform decisions while ensuring student success and operational excellence.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree required; Master’s degree preferred.
• Three years in education, training or work experience in academic operations or program administration.
• Demonstrated experience in higher education and working with multiple stakeholders.

Responsibilities

• Serve as operational lead for undergraduate and graduate academic programs.
• Coordinate minors and certificates and department focus areas.
• Coordinate course scheduling, instructional resources and projections; work with course schedulers.

Skills

Higher education policies

Strong communication

Confidential information handling

Student success focus

Education

Bachelor’s degree

Master’s degree preferred

Tools

Excel

PowerPoint

MS Office

Job description

Assistant Director, Academic Programs - Health & Kinesiology

University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

TheDepartment of Health and Kinesiology (HK) in the College of Applied HealthSciences is one of the largest and most dynamic academic units at theUniversity of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, serving more than 1,900 undergraduateand graduate students across a diverse portfolio of degree programs, minors,and certificates. The Assistant Director plays a key leadership role insupporting HK’s academicoperations and program coordination. This is an excellent opportunityfor a collaborative and strategic leader who enjoys working in a dynamic,student-centered environment.

Job Summary

This position serves as an operational lead responsible for integrating enrollment planning, course scheduling,instructional planning, program analytics, academic communication, minors, andstudent issue resolution across the department. The individual will providedirect support to the associate heads and leadership to academic programoperations, ensuring effective delivery of undergraduate and graduate programs .

Duties & Responsibilities

• Serve as an operational lead for undergraduate and graduate academic programs.
• Assist the head and associate heads in visioning and leading new academic initiatives.
• Coordinate minors and certificates.
• Coordinate department focus areas.
• Coordinate marketing and communication efforts related to HK courses and faculty and communicate with College marcom in relation to department needs and requests.
• Ensure alignment with departmental and college priorities.
• Analyze course enrollment trends and program data in relation to impact on class size and number of course sections needed.
• Provide data-informed recommendations to the Associate Heads.
• Determine instructional resource needs, including faculty and TAs.
• Coordinate course scheduling, instructional assignments and projections.
• Work closely with department course schedulers.
• Develop PowerPoint presentations and other visual materials to communicate data findings and outcomes with the faculty.
• Collaborate with college central units to ensure close coordination between department and college-level functions.
• Serve as an escalation point for academic concerns and program-related issues.
• Coordinate with faculty and advisors to facilitate course assignments, timetable scheduling, and the timely resolution of student concerns.
• Serve as a liaison for Academic Affairs and program-related matters with the College.
• Serve as a liaison with the College's Marketing and Communications team.
• Serve as an ad hoc member of the Health and Kinesiology Educational Policy Committees.
• Perform other duties as assigned in support of departmental academic operations and program coordination.

Minimum Qualifications

1. Bachelor’s degree.
2. A total of three (3) years (36 months) in education, training and/or work experience in academic operations, program administration, and/or educational initiatives (Note: Master’s Degree in an area consistent with the duties of the position may be substituted for one (1) year of work experience.)
3. Demonstrated experience in higher education

Preferred Qualifications

• Master's degree in higher education administration, educational leadership, health/kinesiology, public administration, or a related field.
• Demonstrated project management, problem-solving, and relationship-building abilities.
• Demonstrated ability to manage complex projects involving multiple stakeholders and competing priorities.
• Experience using data and analytics to support planning and decision-making.
• Experience collaborating effectively with faculty, advisors, administrators, students, and other partners.
• Proficiency with Microsoft Office applications, including Excel, PowerPoint, and data-reporting tools.

Knowledge, Skills and Abilities

• Knowledge of higher education academic policies, procedures, and program administration.
• Excellent communication skills with the ability to effectively convey information and collaborate with multiple stakeholders.
• Ability to exercise sound judgment and manage confidential information
• Commitment to student success, operational excellence, and continuous improvement.

Appointment Information

This is a 100% full-time Civil Service 5003 - Program Director position, appointed on a 12-month basis. Theexpected start date is as soon as possible after the close of this search. Thepreviously determined salary range for this position is $65,000 - $75,000. Westrive to provide a competitive salary, considering factors such as availablemarket data, internal equity, candidate experience and qualifications,collective bargaining agreements, and budget constraints. The final salaryoffer will be determined through a thorough assessment of these elements.

Workauthorization is not available for this position.
For more information on Civil Service classifications, please visit the SUCSS web site at https://www.sucss.illinois.gov/pages/classspec/default.aspx .

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Champaign-Urbana

Artificial Intelligence (AI) tools may be used in some portions of the candidate review process for this position; however, all employment decisions will be made by a person.

This position is intended to be eligible for benefits . This includes Health, Dental, Vision, Life Insurance, a Retirement Plan, Paid time Off, and Tuition waivers for employees and dependents.

The University of Illinois System is an equal opportunity employer, including but not limited to disability and/or veteran status, and complies with all applicable state and federal employment mandates. Please visit Required Employment Notices and Posters to view our non-discrimination statement and find additional information about required background checks, sexual harassment/misconduct disclosures, and employment eligibility review through E-Verify .

Applicants with disabilities are encouraged to apply and may request a reasonable accommodation under the Americans with Disabilities Act (2008) to complete the application and/or interview process. Accommodations may also be requested on the basis of pregnancy, childbirth, and related conditions, or religion. Requests may be submitted through the reasonable accommodation portal , or by contacting the Office for Access & Equity at 217-333-0885, option #1, or [e-mail] .

Requisition ID: 1037664
Job Category: Professional and Administrative
Apply at: https://jobs.illinois.edu