Associate Vice President of Accreditation Operations

ACBSP; Overland Park (KS); On-site; USD 120,000 - 180,000; Full time

Job summary

ACBSP seeks an Associate Vice President, Accreditation Operations to lead and professionalize our accreditation function. Reporting to the Chief Accreditation Officer, you will manage daily operations, supervise staff, and drive continuous improvement across processes and service delivery.

You will coordinate with members, evaluators, and commissioners to ensure consistent, high-quality experiences while shaping the growth path of the accreditation team as the organization evolves.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree required in Business Administration, Higher Education, Organizational Management, or related field.
• Master’s degree highly preferred in Business Administration, Higher Education Administration, Organizational Leadership, or related discipline.

Responsibilities

• Lead and continuously improve accreditation operations and team performance.
• Develop and document scalable processes and workflows for accreditation.
• Supervise staff, foster accountability, and support professional growth.
• Coordinate with staff, evaluators, commissioners, and member institutions to ensure high-quality experiences.
• Represent the department with professionalism to external stakeholders.

Skills

Accreditation expertise

Operational leadership

Team development

Member service orientation

Process improvement

Project management

Communication

Strategic collaboration

Education

Bachelor’s degree in Business Administration / Higher Education / Organizational Management

Master’s degree (preferred) in Business Administration / Higher Education Administration / Organizational Leadership

Tools

Database management

Accreditation management systems

Microsoft Office

Job description

The Associate Vice President, Accreditation Operations is a senior leadership position within ACBSP's accreditation function, responsible for the internal management, coordination, and continuous improvement of ACBSP's accreditation processes and team operations. This role serves as the day-to-day operational leader of the accreditation department, working under the direction of the Chief Accreditation Officer and working toward assuming full internal leadership of the accreditation team over time.

Reporting to the Chief Accreditation Officer, the AVP, Accreditation Operations will work closely with accreditation staff, members, evaluators, and commissioners to deliver consistent, high-quality, and member-focused accreditation experiences. This person will play a central role in rebuilding and professionalizing ACBSP's accreditation operations - establishing clear processes, improving staff performance and accountability, and ensuring that ACBSP's accreditation function operates with the discipline, consistency, and member service orientation that the organization's global membership deserves.

The Associate Vice President, Accreditation Operations is a newly created position reflecting ACBSP's commitment to rebuilding and professionalizing its accreditation function under new executive leadership. This role is intentionally scoped as an internal operational leadership position - with a clear growth trajectory as ACBSP's accreditation function matures and the organization's leadership structure evolves.

The Associate Vice President of Accreditation Operations will report directly to the Chief Accreditation Officer. The Associate Vice President will supervise the accreditation team and will work closely with the President & CEO, Membership, Strategic Communications, Data Strategy, Finance, and external evaluators and commissioners.

Education

• Bachelor's degree required in Business Administration, Higher Education, Organizational Management, or a closely related field
• Master's degree highly preferred - in Business Administration, Higher Education Administration, Organizational Leadership, or a related discipline

Required Experience

• Minimum of 7-10 years of progressive experience in accreditation, higher education administration, or a closely related field - with demonstrated progression into leadership roles
• Demonstrated knowledge of and experience with accreditation processes, standards, and quality assurance frameworks - required
• Experience with business education accreditation (ACBSP, AACSB, IACBE, or similar) strongly preferred; broader higher education accreditation experience acceptable
• Proven experience leading, supervising, and developing professional teams - with a track record of building accountability, improving performance, and fostering professional growth
• Demonstrated experience developing, documenting, and improving operational processes and workflows
• Strong project management skills - with the ability to manage multiple concurrent accreditation processes, timelines, and priorities
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills - including the ability to communicate accreditation requirements clearly and supportively to member institutions, evaluators, and commissioners
• Demonstrated commitment to member service and the ability to translate complex accreditation requirements into accessible, member-friendly guidance
• Proficiency with database management, accreditation management systems, and Microsoft Office products
• Outstanding professional demeanor - with the presence, credibility, and interpersonal skills to represent ACBSP effectively with member institutions, evaluators, commissioners, and external stakeholders

Preferred Experience

• Experience in a higher education institution, accrediting body, or professional association environment
• Familiarity with CHEA recognition standards and the broader U.S. higher education accreditation regulatory landscape
• Experience working with globally diverse institutions and international higher education systems
• Experience supporting standards development, revision, or implementation processes
• Experience with virtual collaboration tools and remote team coordination in a distributed work environment

KEY COMPETENCIES

• Accreditation expertise - deep, substantive knowledge of accreditation processes, standards, and quality assurance frameworks
• Operational leadership - the ability to manage and continuously improve complex accreditation operations with discipline, consistency, and attention to detail
• Team development - a genuine commitment to building, developing, and holding accountable a high-performing accreditation team
• Member service orientation - an unwavering commitment to supporting member institutions through the accreditation process with clarity, responsiveness, and genuine care
• Process orientation - a systematic approach to identifying operational gaps and building clear, consistent, and scalable accreditation processes
• Professional presence - an impeccable professional demeanor and the ability to represent ACBSP with distinction in a broad range of member, evaluator, and external stakeholder environments
• Collaboration - works effectively with the Chief Accreditation Officer, senior leadership, evaluators, commissioners, and member institutions
• Communication - clear, precise, and supportive communicator across a diverse range of internal and external stakeholders
• Culture contribution - a personal commitment to professionalism, accountability, and the collaborative organizational culture ACBSP is building
• Mission alignment - genuine passion for advancing excellence in business education through rigorous, member-focused accreditation