Director, Academic Commons

The George Washington University; Washington (District of Columbia); Hybrid; USD 77,000 - 112,000; Full time

Job summary

The George Washington University is seeking a Director of Academic Commons within GW Libraries and Academic Innovation. The role leads program design and development, and partners with faculty to connect services to student success across the GW community.

The director will supervise 3 full-time staff and 3–4 data consultants, manage budgets and strategic plans, and coordinate outreach with campus partners to ensure high-quality academic support across programs.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in an appropriate area plus 6 years of relevant professional experience, or a Master’s degree or higher in a relevant area of study plus 4 years of relevant professional experience.
• Experience working professionally with faculty members and engaging faculty through outreach.
• Experience managing a budget, forecasting needs, and building or growing a program.
• Supervisory experience of student and full-time professional staff.
• Strong collaborative mindset with motivation to pursue outreach opportunities within LAI and GW community.

Responsibilities

• Lead strategic management and development of Academic Commons.
• Design and develop programs aligned with institutional priorities for student success.
• Collaborate with faculty and students to assess needs and coordinate across the university.
• Supervise 3 full-time staff and 3–4 data consultants; provide coaching and mentoring.
• Forecast budgets, develop strategic plans, and assess program effectiveness.

Skills

Outreach to faculty

Collaborative mindset

Customer service focus

Training students

Creative problem-solving

Staff supervision

Education

Bachelor's degree

Master's degree

Job description

Job Description Summary

Academic Commons is the centralized learning center within the larger GW Libraries and Academic Innovation ( LAI ). Located at the entrance of Gelman Library, Academic Commons supports students of the GW community in their learning. Academic Commons offers an array of programming services to support the GW community.

Posting Details

I. Job Overview

This position, with the support of the senior leadership team in LAI and faculty partners, is responsible for the strategic management and development of Academic Commons. The director will be responsible for program design and development and for ensuring that the programs connect with institutional priorities supporting student success initiatives. In addition, the director will be responsible for doing outreach within LAI and across the university to build connections with campus partners. The duties and goals of this role are linked to the success of the program or initiative that the position is tied to. Incumbents typically work closely with faculty on design, delivery as well as enhancement of programs including community outreach. This is a management position at the university that, in addition to leading a work unit, leads and supervises staff directly, makes hiring decisions, provides coaching, training and mentoring, manages performance and determines future staffing needs.

Reporting to the Associate Dean for Student Success and Scholarly Technology, the Director, Academic Commons collaborates extensively throughout the university to assess and meet the needs of GW learners. The Director provides leadership in cultivating an engaged, supportive environment for learning, advancing successful student outcomes and effective learning experiences across the curriculum by setting priorities for the Academic Commons program, forecasting and allocating appropriate resources, ensuring that stakeholders understand and affirm intended outcomes/results, and assessing the effectiveness of the program. The Director works closely with faculty and students to ensure the GW community can easily access appropriate, high quality academic support services.

The Director, Academic Commons will:

• Demonstrate a commitment to maintaining an equitable and inclusive learning center that is welcoming to all students and other members of the GW community.
• Maintain an effective, high-quality suite of academic support services to include peer tutoring, group review sessions, data consultations, and study skills resources. Additional programs may be added or adapted based on student needs.
• Proactively collaborate with faculty, administrators, and students to assess current support options for GW learners, identify needed services, and coordinate throughout the university to meet identified needs.
• Collect, analyze, and evaluate program usage and impact, and communicate those findings to campus partners and leadership.
• Contribute to ongoing projects and service in LAI to enhance student and student employee success within the library.
• Create and sustain partnerships with other student-facing offices across campus to stay responsive to student needs.
• Serve as the liaison between campus partners using the tutor management system and manage the vendor relationship.
• Ensure that the platform effectively supports the mission of Academic Commons and other campus partners.
• Manage high-level administrative aspects of Academic Commons, such as managing and forecasting budgets, developing strategic plans, and assessment and evaluation of programs.
• Ensure effective record keeping, policy development, and departmental logistics.
• Supervise 3 full-time staff members of the Academic Commons team who are responsible for the day-to-day operations of the core programs in Academic Commons and 3-4 data consultants who provide one-on-one consultations regarding statistics and data analysis.
• Remain up-to-date with current research and innovation in learning assistance by collaborating with area and national learning centers, participating in professional organizations, and attending conferences. Promote the innovative approaches in Academic Commons through presenting at conferences and writing articles.

The position is based at GW’s Foggy Bottom Campus in Washington, DC. The incumbent may perform other related duties as assigned. The omission of specific duties does not preclude the supervisor from assigning duties that are logically related to the position.

Minimum Qualifications

Qualified candidates will hold a Bachelor’s degree in an appropriate area of specialization plus 6 years of relevant professional experience, or, a Master’s degree or higher in a relevant area of study plus 4 years of relevant professional experience. Degree must be conferred by the start date of the position. Degree requirements may be substituted with an equivalent combination of education, training and experience.

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience working professionally with faculty members and with engaging faculty through active outreach.
• Knowledge of learning assistance programming, including (but not limited to) tutoring, learning assistants, and supplemental instruction, and professional association training programs and certifications (ex: the College Reading and Learning Association).
• Experience managing a budget, forecasting needs, and demonstrated success in planning and building or growing a program based on that plan.
• Supervisory experience of student and full-time professional staff.
• A highly collaborative mindset and motivation to pursue outreach opportunities within LAI and across the GW community.
• Experience with training students and developing a strong customer service focus in their work.
• Creative problem-solver, able to find solutions when faced with limited resources.

Hiring Range

$76,921.10 - $111,604.15

GW Staff Approach to Pay

How is pay for new employees determined at GW?

Healthcare Benefits

GW offers a comprehensive benefit package that includes medical, dental, vision, life & disability insurance, time off & leave, retirement savings, tuition, well-being and various voluntary benefits. For program details and eligibility, please visit https://hr.gwu.edu/benefits-programs.

Job Details

• Campus Location: Foggy Bottom, Washington, D.C.
• College/School/Department: Columbian College of Arts & Sciences (CCAS)
• Family: Academic Affairs
• Sub-Family: Program Administration
• Stream: Management
• Level: Level 2
• Full-Time/Part-Time: Full-Time
• Hours Per Week: 40
• Work Schedule: Monday - Friday, 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.
• Will this job require the employee to work on site?: Yes
• Employee Onsite Status: Hybrid
• Telework: Yes
• Required Background Check: Criminal History Screening, Education/Degree/Certifications Verification, Social Security Number Trace, and Sex Offender Registry Search
• Special Instructions to Applicants: Employer will not sponsor for employment Visa status
• Internal Applicants Only?: Yes (University Wide)
• Posting Number: S014564
• Job Open Date: 11/11/2026
• Job Close Date: 11/14/2026

Background Screening

Successful Completion of a Background Screening will be required as a condition of hire.

EEO Statement

The university is an Equal Employment Opportunity employer that does not unlawfully discriminate in any of its programs or activities on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age, disability, veteran status, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, or on any other basis prohibited by applicable law.