| Posting Number: |
20243978S |
| Position Title: |
Assistant Dean, Professional Education |
| Position Type: |
Staff |
| Location: |
Villanova, PA |
| Recruitment Type: |
Internal/External Applicants |
| Work Schedule: |
full-time/12-months |
| Avg Hours Week |
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| Department: |
576-Dean, Professional Studies |
| Position Summary: |
The Assistant Dean, Professional Education for the College of Professional Studies (CPS) is a passionate and proven leader in the adult education space, responsible for all aspects of professional education (non-credit-bearing) offerings in the College from recruitment through completion. The Assistant Dean is responsible for securing and strengthening CPS’s revenue stream by meeting set goals for overall enrollment across the portfolio of diverse programs. The Assistant Dean will inspire trust and confidence in the team and possess the knowledge and skills to lead the College’s professional education student journey from inquiry through completion and beyond, ensuring an exceptional student experience at all stages.This individual is a member of the Dean’s Leadership Team and works closely with other Senior Leadership to drive excellence in the College. This individual is a consummate relationship builder, committed to the mission and vision of the College of Professional Studies and the University. The Assistant Dean will build strong working relationships with internal and external stakeholders including faculty, students, administrators, alumni, and other university constituents. This individual also partners closely with the Associate Vice Provost, Online Programs, to continuously consider opportunities to launch new programs, develop and implement innovative ways to deliver them and employ various other strategies to drive future growth in online initiatives.
The Assistant Dean drives innovation across the portfolio and stays current on the adult and professional education market dynamics, overall local and national competition, related regulations and policies, as well as other key developments through consistent engagement in select national/regional conferences, professional development and industry networking.
Titles of Positions Supervised: Director, Professional Education Enrollment (New); Director, Professional Education; Director, Strategic Partnerships (New) |
| Duties and Responsibilities: |
35% – Strategy and Operations
- Provide leadership of and managerial oversight for day-to-day operations for all professional (non-credit) educational offerings in the College of Professional Studies, from initial inquiry through completion.
- Work closely with the Dean of CPS, the Associate Vice Provost, Online Programs, and the College Leadership Team to help coordinate and execute a unified strategy for professional education, including the formulation of multi-year plans, goals and objectives.
- Set enrollment goals in partnership with Director of Finance and Administration for consideration and approval by the Dean as part of the annual budget process.
- Design, implement and execute a strategy to meet or exceed short and long-term enrollment and revenue goals.
- Establish appropriate policies and procedures to facilitate and sustain an exceptional student experience – including but not limited to operational processes, student advisement plans and re-enrollment support.
- Lead data and reporting efforts for all Professional Education programs in the College to ensure targets are tracked and met. Leverage data analytics to drive prospective student enrollment, student retention and program growth.
- Continually stay abreast of the market and make recommendations on potential competitive differentiators (i.e. price, offerings, modality, etc.).
- Provide program recommendations and develop new programs in partnership with faculty in the College and across the University. Evaluate CPS’s strength and positioning and advise on strategic choices which will ensure the College remains competitive and increase brand recognition regionally, nationally, and internationally.
- Manage professional education budget, including strategic analyses of ROI.
35% – Team Leadership
- Lead all team members supporting professional education programs from enrollment to completion.
- Develop and implement individual and team goals; train, develop, mentor and evaluate staff; provide on-going feedback on performance improvement.
- Institutionalize processes, reports and other tools to set individual and departmental goals and monitor relevant benchmarks to ensure appropriate staff accountability.
- Monitor and mentor direct and indirect reports to ensure continued professional growth and success. Ensure that staff are motivated, focused and supported in their work.
- Foster an environment that brings out the best in each member of the staff, supports individuals in their professional growth, and reinforces the value of teamwork.
- Contribute to an overall work environment in which openness and candor are keys to success, and mutual respect is a guiding principle.
20% – Collaboration: Internal and External
- Build strong working relationships with internal and external stakeholders, including faculty, students, staff, alumni, and university constituents with the goal of continuing to increase the breadth, quality and diversity of students enrolled in CPS professional education programs.
- Lead team in building strong corporate/organizational relationships and strategy to promote enrollment growth.
- Collaborate with University Marketing and Communications team to develop and execute an integrated and comprehensive marketing and communications strategy. This includes web, electronic and print marketing efforts, publications, websites, social media, communications, public relations as well as sponsorship and strategic partnerships.
- Partner with the Office of Online Programs to administer CPS’ professional education programs according to best practices and utilizing the universities umbrella of resources. Work with learning experience and instructional designers to develop online professional education courses and programs. Engage in discussions and pilots (as appropriate and in conjunction with the Dean) to explore opportunities to deliver new online professional development courses and programs to the market.
- Ensure that the highest ethical standards and federal/state compliance requirements are maintained across all professional education programs. Partner with Office of Financial Assistance, the Office of the Registrar, the Office of the Bursar and other University offices as needed.
- Serve as member of the College Senior Leadership Team, meeting regularly with other Assistant/Associate Deans to ensure alignment with College mission and goals, and cross-functional synergies. Facilitate the exchange of best practices and strategies across all college teams.
- Serve as a university resource for other colleges interested in building and expanding their professional education portfolios. Provide formal/informal guidance and assistance per the needs and interests of the stakeholders.
- Represent the College on University committees as appointed by the Dean.
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10% – Perform other duties and assist with projects as assigned.
|
| Minimum Qualifications: |
Formal Education:
Work Experience:
- Seven or more years of successful and progressively responsible leadership experience in professional education program management.
- Equivalent combination of education and business experience may be considered.
Work Skills (e.g., written and verbal communication skills):
- Excellent writing and verbal communication skills.
- Comfortable and competent public speaker, able to give presentations to large and small groups.
- Exceptional project management skills, including ability to manage large projects under tight deadlines, including multi-tasking between projects with differing or competing timelines.
- Client-centered orientation with impeccable customer service skills.
- Ability to problem solve effectively in complex and sometimes stressful situations.
- Excellent follow-through and follow-up skills.
- Demonstrated ability to support a community of diverse perspectives and cultures in an inclusive environment.
- Commitment to innovation. Ability to innovate and execute ideas quickly, while focusing on user needs and KPIs.
- An approach to management that yields pride, ownership, and open communication among staff.
- Excellent organizational, leadership, interpersonal, verbal and written communication skills.
- Diplomacy, tact and discretion and the ability to maintain confidentiality.
- Superior communication skills; the ability to understand and translate information for all audiences; clarity, crispness and effectiveness in written and oral presentation.
- Proven skills as a strategist with the ability to articulate a vision for the future and to build and institutionalize an organization capable of fulfilling that vision.
- A deep appreciation for the educational mission and aspirations of Villanova University, as well as a desire to play a meaningful role in the University community and to share in the community’s enthusiastic commitment to the institution.
Specific Job Knowledge (e.g., knowledge of principles and procedures related to field and area)
- In-depth knowledge of all aspects of program management from enrollment to completion.
- High level of knowledge and skills in every aspect of enrollment management, including prospective student nurturing, retention, data analysis, market research, and CRM software.
- General knowledge of marketing strategies used in the adult and professional higher education market.
- Strong knowledge of and experience with the non-credit space related to upskilling and credentialing.
- Keen understanding of the B2C and B2B landscape.
- Ability to initiate, establish, and maintain partnering relationships with internal and external stakeholders, including B2B strategies.
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| Preferred Qualifications: |
- Master’s degree in related field.
- Experience in higher education – specifically with adult students.
- Experience with Banner, Salesforce, Cognos, PowerBI and database management.
- Experience with Technolutions Slate, including building queries, reports, rules, and forms.
- Experience with D2L’s Course Merchant and Brightspace LMS and the Touchnet payment gateway.
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| Physical Requirements and/or Unusual Work Hours: |
Must be able to work occasionally in the evening to support working professionals in their programs and periodically on weekends in support of the various courses and program events. The ability to travel regionally, nationally and internationally as needed is required. |
| Special Message to Applicants: |
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| Posting Date: |
04/17/2024 |
| Closing Date (11:59pm ET): |
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| Salary Posting Information: |
Commensurate with experience. |
| Salary Band: |
K |
| Job Classification: |
exempt |
