Senior Director, Workforce and Community Education Professional and Continuing Education

Compensation Range:

Position Summary

Under the direction of the Vice President, Corporate Partnerships & Professional and Continuing Education (PACE), the Senior Director, Workforce & Community Education Professional and Continuing Education (WCE PACE) executes operating strategies and plans, manages staff, sustains the operational financial plan, and oversees the administrative management of the department.  The Senior Director plays a pivotal role in supporting and enhancing the National University (NU) educational ecosystem by leading the university’s non-degree/short-term/custom training programs in alignment with internal NU teams and external industry and community stakeholders to deliver high value, quality programs that drive enrollment and student success.

Essential Functions:

• Assists in the planning, coordination, and production of non-credit and custom programs, ensuring they meet institutional goals, industry, and/or client needs.
• Facilitates alignment between academic departments and workforce training, Value Rich Education, academic technology, and marketing units to ensure cohesive program development and delivery.
• Actively interfaces with WCE vertical leaders, companies, chambers of commerce, economic development agencies, and industry associations to identify workforce needs and partnership opportunities and ensure program alignment and relevant skill development.
• Stays informed of trends, regional plans, and available resources in economic development, workforce development, and education to align NU short-term educational offerings with industry demands.
• Identifies and implements process enhancements to streamline program operations, enrollment workflows, and learner support services.
• Collects and analyzes data to evaluate and report program performance and inform strategic planning.
• Plans, creates, administers, and evaluates high quality, sustainable, growth-oriented customized education, continuing education, and certificate/certification programs that generate net revenue.
• Meets budget objectives, including revenue, margin, and net benchmarks.
• Develops and executes operating strategies and plans, manages staff, sustains the operational financial plan and oversees the administrative management of the team.
• Implements a blend of traditional marketing methods – such as networking, brochures, and advertisements – and innovative digital strategies like social and earned media to grow brand visibility, attract qualified instructors, and increase enrollments.
• Identifies industry competencies and needs through labor market analysis, community resources and planning/advisory committees for infusion into certificate programs, customized education, continuing education, and assessment of prior learning credit.
• Assesses industry trends and makes programmatic recommendations based on current and future needs.
• Develops proposals, bids, quotations, or other documents describing organizational products and services in response to requests from prospective clients.
• Prepares contract proposals and contracts in partnership with other organizations or businesses.
• Collaborates with members of the WCE, marketing, finance, legal, or academic teams to develop proposals and ensure content is complete, accurate, and timely.
• Negotiates contracts with 3rd party vendors to bring new programs to WCE Training and Development as needed.
• Designs and implements curriculum in partnership with organizations and varying industries.
• Develops pricing strategies for program offerings.  Coordinates price points and implementation with other departments as needed.
• Develops strategies and scopes for projects that address key factors such as a defined budget, client expectations and satisfaction, technology requirements, potential risks or anticipated barriers, needed resources, and aggressive deadlines that meet the needs and desires of the business.  Modifies project plans as key factors evolve.
• Prepares and monitors budget for programs including revenue estimates, staffing allocations, and capital expenditures.
• Tracks and reports student success and makes recommendations for process improvements.
• Evaluates effectiveness of programs including client acceptance, impact to industry, program longevity, and return on investment.
• Identifies funding opportunities for student paid training and navigates processes to ensure NU eligibility.
• Manages relationships with educational partners, faculty, stakeholders, and vendors.
• May prepare or participate in the preparation of abstracts, research reports, funding proposals, operations and procedure manuals, and other written material and documentation as required.
• Performs other duties as assigned.

Supervisory Responsibilities: Supervises staff reporting into the WCE Professional and Continuing Education team.

Requirements:

Education & Experience:

• Bachelor’s Degree in Business, Education, or a related discipline required
• Minimum of twelve (12) years of related leadership experience required
• One to three (1-3) years of professional experience in higher education required
• Or an equivalent combination of education, training, and professional experience that demonstrates the ability to perform the duties of the position.
• Master’s Degree in Business, Education, or a related discipline, highly preferred

Competencies/Technical/Functional Skills:

• Ability to collaborate with internal/external business partners using a consultative approach to identify business goals and performance gaps
• Experience leveraging relevant training/development approaches (e.g., learning from experience, learning from others, learning from education)
• Proven experience in developing, implementing and monitoring program performance
• Knowledge of budget and financial controls and well-developed skills to understand financial statements, statistics, and non-parametric data relationships.
• Advanced human relations skills to conduct formal presentations to large and diverse audiences, to facilitate executive and management-level group action planning, external relations, conflict resolution, performance appraisal, and facilitate program development.
• Ability to lead and work with continuous improvement initiatives for enhancing overall student retention, learning and achievement outcomes.
• Exceptional interpersonal, organizational, and problem-solving skills as well as effective written and verbal communications.
• Proven ability to troubleshoot problems and overcome obstacles with creative solutions.
• Capable of performing in a professional and friendly manner despite conditions of deadlines and pressure.
• Keen ability to transform vague requirements into clear, objective, and actionable tasks.
• Fully accustomed to working on multiple projects, both independently and as a team member.
• Self-starter with a positive attitude, intellectual curiosity and a passion for analytics
• Demonstrated success to effectively lead change and organizational growth through strategic planning.
• Demonstrated success developing and evaluating program 
• Commitment to exceptional customer service
• Ability to create a mindset shift and adoption across a variety of stakeholders, using proven change management practices
• Provides timely coaching and feedback to help participants and groups strengthen a specific knowledge or skill area
• Knowledge of budget preparation and maintenance
• Knowledge of appropriate software and databases
• Ability to assess, analyze, implement, and evaluate research project activities
• Ability to analyze situations accurately and adopt an effective course of action
• Ability to plan, prioritize, and assign work to meet yearly plans, academic calendars, schedules, and timelines.
• Knowledge of federal Workforce Investment Opportunity Act and related funding sources and requirements.

Location: Remote, USA

Travel: Some travel required, as necessary.  May include quarterly college/school meetings, commencement, and conferences.

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Candidate receiving offers will be offered a salary/pay rate commensurate with experience that vary based on a candidate’s qualifications, skills, and competencies.  Absent exceptional circumstances, candidates will be offered a salary within this range for this position. The minimum salary will be offered based on the minimum exemption threshold based on state of residency. Base pay is one component of National University’s total rewards package, as we are dedicated to supporting the needs of the “whole you” with our holistic approach to employee benefits by offering comprehensive well-being benefits for you and your family.  For full details about our benefit plan offerings, please visit benefits.nu.edu. For Part-time benefits, please click here.

National University is committed to maintaining a high-quality workforce representative of the populations we serve. National University employs more than 4,500 faculty and staff and serves over 45,000 students. We are united in our mission to meet the global education demands of the 21st Century and are dedicated to creating a supportive academic and work environment that allows students, faculty and staff to develop their interests and talents while experiencing a sense of community. With programs available both online and at our many campus locations, National University is a leader in creating innovative solutions to education and meeting the needs of our student population, including adult learners and working professionals.

National University (NU) is proud to be an equal opportunity employer and does not discriminate against any employee or applicant per applicable federal, state and local laws. At NU, a mix of highly talented, innovative and creative people come together to make the impact of a lifetime for each of our student learners. All qualified applicants will receive equal consideration for employment, education, and admission at National University.