Deputy Director

Purdue Disability Resource Center; West Lafayette (IN); On-site; USD 101,000 - 102,000; Full time

Job summary

Purdue Disability Resource Center seeks a full-time Deputy Director to provide operational leadership in West Lafayette, IN. You will translate departmental priorities into daily practice and supervise a team of Access Consultants.

The role drives accommodation decisions, evaluates complex cases, and ensures compliant, high-quality processes. Strong leadership and collaboration with campus partners are essential.

Qualifications

• Master’s degree in a relevant field from an accredited institution.
• Minimum of four years of progressively responsible disability-related professional experience, including higher education disability services.
• Strong knowledge of ADA, ADAAA, Section 504 and their application in higher education.

Responsibilities

• Oversee day-to-day operations for the West Lafayette campus.
• Supervise and develop professional staff, coaching and performance management.
• Lead accommodation decision-making and ensure consistency and quality of practice.
• Serve as operational resource for faculty, staff and campus partners navigating disability access.

Skills

ADA knowledge

Staff supervision

Data-informed decision making

Policy development

Communication & consultation

Education

Master’s degree in a relevant field

Job description

You must apply for this position within the Purdue career portal, not LinkedIn: https://careers.purdue.edu/job/Deputy-Director%2C-Disability-Resource-Center/43340-en_US

Company Description

Purdue University’s Disability Resource Center (DRC) coordinates reasonable accommodations and works with students, faculty, staff, and campus partners to address disability-related barriers across the University’s academic programs and services. The DRC is responsible for evaluating disability-related accommodation requests, supporting effective implementation, and providing consultation and guidance regarding disability access and applicable legal requirements. The center serves a large and complex student population and emphasizes consistent decision-making, responsive service, collaboration, and sound professional judgment.

Role Description

The Deputy Director is a full-time, on-site position based in West Lafayette, Indiana, providing operational leadership for Purdue University’s Disability Resource Center. Working closely with the Senior Director, the Deputy Director translates departmental priorities into consistent daily practice and oversees day-to-day operations for the West Lafayette campus.

The Deputy Director directly supervises a team of professional Access Consultants and is responsible for staff coaching, development, performance management, and accountability. The position provides leadership around accommodation decision-making, evaluates and contributes to complex accommodation determinations, monitors consistency and quality across practice, and identifies opportunities to improve workflows and operational effectiveness.

The Deputy Director also serves as a primary operational resource for faculty, staff, and campus partners navigating complex disability access and accommodation matters. The position helps establish operational expectations, supports policy and procedure development, uses data and assessment to inform decision-making, and ensures practices remain grounded in applicable legal requirements and institutional responsibilities.

As a senior member of the DRC leadership team, the Deputy Director serves on behalf of the Senior Director when appropriate and leads the department in the Senior Director’s absence.

Qualifications

• Master’s degree in a relevant field from an accredited institution.
• Minimum of four years of progressively responsible disability-related professional experience, including at least three years in higher education disability services and at least three years supervising staff.
• Demonstrated expertise in evaluating complex accommodation requests and making accommodation determinations.
• Strong working knowledge of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), ADA Amendments Act (ADAAA), Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act, and their application within higher education.
• Demonstrated ability to exercise sound professional judgment in complex or ambiguous situations.
• Ability to evaluate disability documentation and consider functional impact, student-reported barriers, legal requirements, and institutional responsibilities when determining reasonable accommodations.
• Experience making difficult decisions and communicating decisions and their rationale clearly and effectively.
• Demonstrated ability to supervise and develop professional staff through coaching, clear expectations, accountability, and performance management.
• Experience establishing consistent practices, assessing service quality, and improving workflows and operational processes.
• Strong communication and consultation skills with the ability to build productive working relationships with students, faculty, staff, administrators, and campus partners.
• Ability to manage competing priorities and maintain high professional standards in a complex, high-volume environment.

Equivalent combinations of education and required experience may be considered in accordance with the qualifications identified in the Purdue University job posting.

This is a full-time, fully in-person position in West Lafayette, Indiana.

Anticipated annual salary range: $100,500–$101,800.

Purdue University will not sponsor employment authorization for this position. A background check is required.