Dean, School of Nursing

Endicott College; Beverly (MA); On-site; USD 200,000 - 215,000; Full time

Job summary

Endicott College invites applications for the role of Dean of the Cummings School of Nursing and Health Sciences. The Dean reports to the Provost and provides strategic leadership across undergraduate, graduate, and doctoral nursing and health sciences programs.

The Dean ensures academic quality, faculty leadership, operations, and financial stewardship, while fostering partnerships with healthcare organizations, alumni, and the broader community.

Qualifications

• Earned doctorate in nursing or closely related field.
• Unencumbered RN license or eligibility in Massachusetts.
• Minimum 10 years in leadership roles in higher education, nursing education, or equivalent.
• Experience overseeing academic programs and complex organizational units.
• Strong teaching, scholarship, and professional practice credentials for senior faculty appointment.

Responsibilities

• Provide strategic leadership for the School, aligning priorities with Endicott College's mission.
• Lead governance, culture, and program development across nursing and health sciences.
• Oversee accreditation, regulatory compliance, and assessment of outcomes.
• Build clinical partnerships, enrollment initiatives, and external relations.
• Manage budget, resources, and advancement efforts to support growth.

Skills

Strategic leadership

Budgeting & fiscal stewardship

Faculty development

Strategic planning

Stakeholder relations

Education

Doctoral degree in nursing or related field

Tools

ACEN accreditation knowledge

Job description

****Position Overview****The Dean of the Cummings School of Nursing and Health Sciences, reporting to the Provost, serves as the chief academic and administrative officer for the School, providing strategic leadership across its undergraduate, graduate, and doctoral nursing and health sciences programs. The Dean is responsible for the School's academic quality, faculty leadership, strategic direction, operations, and financial stewardship. Aligned with Endicott College's mission to foster academic excellence, experiential learning, and community engagement, the Dean leads curricular innovation, strengthens clinical and community partnerships, supports student success, and oversees accreditation and regulatory requirements. The Dean also serves as a visible leader and ambassador for the School, building strong relationships with healthcare organizations, professional partners, alumni, donors, and the broader community.****About Endicott College****Endicott College is a vibrant community located on Boston’s North Shore, with a beautiful oceanfront campus in Beverly, Massachusetts. We’re known for combining academic excellence with hands-on learning, and we take pride in fostering a supportive environment for both students and employees. Working at Endicott means joining a close-knit campus community where your contributions matter and where collaboration, creativity, and professional growth are valued.To learn more about our employee benefits, click here.****Key Responsibilities****Strategic Leadership, Governance & Culture (25%)* Provide strategic leadership for the Cummings School of Nursing, aligning academic priorities and initiatives with Endicott College's mission and strategic direction.* Serve as the School's senior academic leader, establishing priorities and fostering a transparent, collaborative, inclusive, and high-performing culture among faculty, staff, and students.* Lead school-wide strategic planning, interdisciplinary initiatives, program development, and continuous improvement.* Lead intentional, sustainable program expansion that explicitly safeguards student-to-faculty ratios, class size, and student-centered culture.* Represent the School to senior College leadership, healthcare organizations, professional associations, alumni, donors, and other external stakeholders.Academic Quality, Curriculum & Accreditation Oversight (25%)* Maintain high standards of academic quality and student outcomes across undergraduate, graduate, and doctoral nursing programs, including licensure examination performance, progression, graduation, employment, and other measures of program effectiveness.* Provide leadership for curriculum development and innovation, ensuring programs remain current, rigorous, evidence-based, and responsive to evolving healthcare needs.* Lead the School's nursing accreditation and regulatory requirements, including ACEN accreditation and applicable state board and clinical agency requirements, while contributing to the College's institutional accreditation efforts.* Direct the continuous assessment of academic and program outcomes and use assessment findings to inform curriculum and program improvements.Strategic Clinical Partnerships, Enrollment & Community Engagement (20%)* Build and sustain strategic relationships with healthcare systems, clinical organizations, community partners, and other stakeholders to strengthen experiential learning opportunities and clinical placements.* Partner with Enrollment Management and College Communications on recruitment, enrollment, marketing, and student retention strategies.* Maintain active relationships with regional and national healthcare leaders and professional organizations to understand workforce needs and position the School for continued growth and relevance.* Develop the School's external presence and reputation through professional engagement, community partnerships, and other opportunities that advance its mission.Faculty & Staff Leadership and Administration (15%)* Recruit, retain, develop, and evaluate highly qualified faculty and administrative staff.* Support faculty professional development, scholarly activity, clinical practice, teaching excellence, and instructional innovation.* Foster a culture of faculty engagement, shared governance, collaboration, accountability, and professional growth.* Establish and oversee policies and processes related to student progression, academic performance, clinical readiness, and faculty responsibilities in collaboration with nursing faculty and academic leadership.* Actively support and cultivate a culture of faculty research, scholarship, and professional practice to elevate the School's academic reputation and sustainable growth.Resource Management, Operations & Advancement (10%)* Develop and manage the School of Nursing's operating and capital budgets, ensuring responsible stewardship of financial and other resources.* Evaluate staffing, facilities, technology, simulation resources, and other investments needed to support the School's academic priorities and future growth.* Partner with Institutional Advancement to identify and pursue fundraising, grant, philanthropic, and other external funding opportunities.* Cultivate relationships with donors, alumni, healthcare partners, and other supporters to advance priorities such as scholarships, faculty development, simulation facilities, and academic programs.* Demonstrated track record of success in fiscal stewardship and evidence of managing multi-million dollar budgetary expenses in a higher education or complex healthcare setting.Student Success & Academic Community (5%)* Promote a strong culture of student success, belonging, and professional development across the School.* Maintain meaningful visibility and engagement with students, faculty, and staff and support nursing student organizations and activities.* In partnership with Student Affairs, establish a clear student support infrastructure—including dedicated academic advising and student mental health resources to streamline student care.* Modernize and streamline operational processes, including exploring automated solutions for clinical placements and expanding lab support resources to increase administrative efficiency.****Community Engagement***** As a member of the College's leadership team, the Dean is expected to be an active and visible member of the Endicott community. This includes attending and supporting major College events and activities and demonstrating a strong commitment to collaboration and community engagement.* Participate actively in the life of the College, including Commencement, Homecoming, and other major College events.* Perform other duties as assigned.****Supervisory Responsibilities****Responsible for the recruitment, hiring, mentoring, and performance evaluation of staff within the School, including the SIM lab and the following roles:* Associate Dean, Graduate Nursing* Associate Dean, Undergraduate Nursing* Associate Dean, Cummings School of Nursing and Health Sciences****Core Competencies***** Reliability: able to get the job done, available and engaged with the job and the Endicott community.* Organization: organizes time and resources well so that work is done efficiently and on time.* Communication Skills: has clear, effective, and efficient ways of communicating, both orally and in writing.* Adaptability: shows a willingness to adopt new ideas and to do things differently.* Follow Through: takes ownership of projects and sees them through to fruition.* Customer Service: anticipates the needs and responds to queries in a timely, competent, and approachable manner.* Initiative/Personal Leadership: identifies opportunities for improvement and actively contributes to solutions.* Team Player: shows a willingness to collaborate and share information, knowledge, and experience with team members.****Qualifications and Skills****Required:* Earned doctorate in nursing, such as a Ph.D., DNP or Ed.D from an accredited institution.* Unencumbered Registered Nurse (RN) license, or eligibility for licensure in Massachusetts.* Minimum of 10 years of professional experience, including at least 7 years of progressive management or leadership experience in higher education, nursing education, or a related academic healthcare environment.* Demonstrated record of leadership in academic nursing, including experience overseeing academic programs, faculty, or complex organizational units.* Distinguished record of teaching, scholarship, and/or professional practice appropriate for appointment at the rank of professor or senior faculty level.* Demonstrated knowledge of ACEN accreditation, state board requirements, and applicable nursing education and clinical standards.* Demonstrated experience with budgeting, resource management, faculty leadership, and strategic planning.* Exceptional interpersonal and communication skills with a collaborative, transparent leadership style suited to a dynamic academic community.Preferred:* Experience leading undergraduate, graduate, and doctoral nursing programs.* Proven track record of developing and expanding healthcare, clinical, and community partnerships.* Experience with fundraising, grant development, or other external resource development.* Experience leading program growth, curriculum innovation, or new academic program development.* Demonstrated record of direct patient care (e.g., Registered Nurse, Advanced Practice Provider) or indirect clinical leadership (e.g., Clinical Director, Manager of Clinical Education, or Director of Clinical Placements), ensuring deep familiarity with modern clinical practice and workforce demands* Experience leading online academic programs is preferred.In compliance with Massachusetts pay transparency law, the annual base salary range for this position is $200,000.00 and $215,000.00. Endicott College considers factors such as (but not limited to) the scope and responsibilities of the position, relevant work experience, education, specialized skills, internal equity, and external market data when extending an offer. The final salary is determined by the Human Resources Office based on these factors. This range reflects base salary only and does not include benefits or other compensation.