Assistant Director - Program Development

NU USA Northeastern University; Boston (MA); On-site; USD 60,000 - 85,000; Full time

Job summary

Northeastern University in Boston seeks an Assistant Director, Program Development to help design and rollout master’s and doctoral programs across campuses, collaborating with chairs, program directors, and enrollment management to align with workforce needs.

You will lead market research, develop non-traditional educational products, ensure governance and accreditation compliance, and partner with the Dean’s Office and Innovation Planning teams to grow the college’s program portfolio.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree (or equivalent).
• Minimum of 3–5 years of experience with academic and administrative projects, preferably in higher education and with adult learners or in a high customer service environment.
• Strong project management and organizational skills with attention to detail and a commitment to quality, including the ability to consistently produce high-quality work under tight deadlines.
• Effective interpersonal, oral presentation, and written communication skills.
• Strong analytical skills, including the ability to interpret market research, enrollment data, and trends to inform program development decisions.

Responsibilities

• Organize and understand data about enrollment trends, student program interests, and employer hiring needs across campuses.
• Develop new master’s and doctoral programs that help the college achieve these goals by working with department chairs, graduate associate chairs, and program directors.
• Understand and develop opportunities to roll out college programs across campuses.
• Support development of non-traditional educational products, including non-credit classes, programs, pathways, modules, and badges.
• Support opportunities for students to take cross-college classes.
• Support online program development and online program offerings in coordination with Experiential Digital Global Education.
• Assist Associate Director of Graduate Education in all program development activities, communication, and coordination.
• Ensure governance, accreditation, and licensure compliance.

Skills

Project management

Organizational skills

Interpersonal communication

Written communication

Market research

Education

Bachelor's degree

Master’s degree (preferred)

Job description

About the Opportunity Job Summary

The Assistant Director, Program Development supports the Associate Dean for Graduate Education in developing a portfolio of academic programs that meet the college’s goals of delivering high-quality programs with strong enrollment. This role supports the development of traditional and non-traditional educational products by college departments and academic units for rollout across Northeastern’s campuses, working to create programs and educational products that satisfy prospective student demand while leveraging current and emerging areas of faculty teaching expertise. The Assistant Director develops programs aligned with the college’s enrollment and teaching goals, the college’s teaching expertise and capacity, and the needs of graduates’ employers. The Assistant Director works with the Dean’s Office to understand the college’s enrollment goals and programmatic priorities, and with Central Enrollment Management to understand enrollment trends and opportunities. This role also engages directly with employers to understand hiring needs, organizes marketing and survey data related to new program development, and partners with the Innovation Planning and Development group to explore job market and technology trends and conduct market research. The Assistant Director collaborates with the Experiential Digital Global Education group on online program development. Working closely with department chairs, graduate associate chairs, and program directors, the Assistant Director develops new master’s and doctoral programs that help the college achieve its strategic goals. This includes identifying programming opportunities, connecting faculty in emerging areas, and facilitating discussions among collaborators to support curriculum development and program proposals. The Assistant Director ensures new programs comply with governance, accreditation, and licensure guidelines, and collaborates with counterparts in other colleges to develop interdisciplinary programs. The Assistant Director also works with network campuses, the Dean’s Office, and Central Enrollment Management to understand priorities and opportunities for program development across the network, identifying opportunities to roll out existing programs and partnering with department chairs, graduate associate chairs, and program directors to develop them. Additionally, this role works to develop non-traditional educational products, including those involving industry partners, that support the college’s enrollment goals, engaging with employers to identify areas of interest and facilitating discussions with academic leadership to develop employer-focused educational modules and badges.

Key Responsibilities & Accountabilities

• Organize and understand data about enrollment trends, student program interests, and employer hiring needs across campuses.


• Develop new master’s and doctoral programs that help the college achieve these goals by working with department chairs, graduate associate chairs, and program directors.


• Understand and develop opportunities to roll out college programs across campuses.


• Support development of non-traditional educational products, including non-credit classes, programs, pathways, modules, and badges.


• Support opportunities for students to take cross-college classes.


• Support online program development and online program offerings in coordination with Experiential Digital Global Education.


• Assist Associate Director of Graduate Education in all program development activities, communication, and coordination.


• Ensure governance, accreditation, and licensure compliance.

Minimum Qualifications Required

• Bachelor’s degree (or equivalent).


• Minimum of 3–5 years of experience with academic and administrative projects, preferably in higher education and with adult learners or in a high customer service environment.


• Strong project management and organizational skills with attention to detail and a commitment to quality, including the ability to consistently produce high-quality work under tight deadlines.


• Effective interpersonal, oral presentation, and written communication skills.


• Strong analytical skills, including the ability to interpret market research, enrollment data, and trends to inform program development decisions.


• Ability to balance multiple demands from demanding constituencies and navigate ambiguity to drive projects forward independently.


• Ability to function effectively as a member of a team in a dynamic, fast-paced work environment, with flexibility and initiative to navigate shifting priorities.


• Ability to work across the organization with a wide spectrum of individuals that includes students, faculty, academic managers, program office personnel, and Deans.


• Responsive to feedback and committed to continuous improvement.

Preferred

• Master’s degree.


• Experience with academic coordination.


• Familiarity with academic governance, accreditation, and program approval processes.

Required Documents

• Resume


• Cover Letter

Position Type

• Academic Administration

Additional Information

Northeastern University considers factors such as candidate work experience, education and skills when extending an offer. Northeastern has a comprehensive benefits package for benefit eligible employees. This includes medical, vision, dental, paid time off, tuition assistance, wellness & life, retirement- as well as commuting & transportation. Visit https://hr.northeastern.edu/benefits/ for more information. Without regard to race, religion, color, national origin, age, sex, sexual orientation, disability status, or any other characteristic protected by applicable law.

Compensation

Grade/Pay Type: 108S Expected Hiring Range: $60,315.00 - $85,192.50. With the pay range(s) shown above, the starting salary will depend on several factors, which may include your education, experience, location, knowledge and expertise, and skills as well as a pay comparison to similarly-situated employees already in the role. Salary ranges are reviewed regularly and are subject to change.

Founded in 1898, Northeastern is a global research university and the recognized leader in experiential lifelong learning. Our approach of integrating real-world experience with education, research, and innovation empowers our students, faculty, alumni, and partners to create worldwide impact. Our global university system provides our community and academic, government, and industry partners with unique opportunities to think locally and act globally. The system—including 14 campuses across the U.S., U.K., and Canada, 300,000-plus alumni, and 3,000 partners worldwide—serves as a platform for scaling ideas, talent, and solutions. The university’s residential campuses for undergraduate and graduate degrees are located in Boston, London, and Oakland, California. Our research and graduate campuses are in the Massachusetts communities of Burlington and Nahant; Arlington, Virginia; Charlotte, North Carolina; Miami; Portland, Maine; Seattle; Silicon Valley, California; Toronto; and Vancouver. Northeastern’s personalized, experiential undergraduate and graduate programs lead to degrees through the doctorate in 10 colleges and schools across our campuses. Learning emphasizes the intersection of data, technology, and human literacies, uniquely preparing graduates for careers of the future and lives of fulfillment and accomplishment. Our research enterprise, with an R1 Carnegie classification, is solutions oriented and spans the world. Our faculty scholars and students work in teams that cross not just disciplines, but also sectors—aligned around solving today’s highly interconnected global challenges and focused on transformative impact for humankind.