"Assistant Director for Curriculum and Instruction"

Position Summary

Reporting to the Executive Director for Academic Affairs, the Assistant Director for Curriculum and Instruction plays a central role in academic operations and instructional support for the Columbia University School of International and Public Affairs (SIPA). This position oversees academic systems and curricular data, supports curriculum planning and school-wide processes, maintains official curricular and academic policy content, and serves as a key partner to faculty and academic programs. The Assistant Director supervises a Coordinator who supports key components of course scheduling and instructional setup.

Responsibilities

Curriculum Affairs

Systems, Data, and Reporting

• Manages curricular and academic program data in the University's academic systems, ensuring accuracy, consistency, and timely updates.
• Develops reports and analyses to support planning and decision-making related to course offerings, teaching assignments, enrollment management, and academic resource allocation.
• Leads the configuration and ongoing maintenance of SIPA’s degree audit platform, including updates to program requirements and audit structures.
• Coordinates with academic program staff and other stakeholders to ensure strong data practices and aligned processes.
• Maintains and supports SIPA’s official curriculum and academic policy content, including Bulletin and related web-based platforms.
• Supports school-wide academic planning, assessment, and logistical efforts, as needed.

Curriculum, Scheduling, and Classroom Management

• Supervises and provides operational oversight for course scheduling and instructional setup processes managed day-to-day by the Coordinator for Curriculum and Instruction.
• Supports the annual cycle of course planning, scheduling, and classroom coordination to ensure effective implementation and timely execution.
• Serves as an escalation point for complex scheduling, classroom, and cross-program coordination needs, as well as exception handling.
• Supports implementation of enrollment limits, registration rules, and prerequisites at the direction of the Executive Director.
• Provides operational support and guidance to faculty and program staff on academic processes, instructional policies, and related procedures.
• Provides continuity of academic operations during summer semester and special programs, as needed.

Teaching Evaluations and Awards

• Oversees SIPA’s course evaluation process, including administration, coordination, and reporting.
• Develops summary analysis and benchmarking to support school-wide understanding of instructional trends and areas for improvement.
• Supports academic leadership in interpreting evaluation outcomes and responding to faculty and program-level questions as needed.
• Manages the annual faculty teaching awards process, including coordination of timelines, communications, and administration of voting or review processes.
• Supports additional instructional quality initiatives and recognition processes, as assigned.

Faculty and Instructional Support

• Supports faculty onboarding and instructional readiness, including orientations for new adjunct faculty, and for TAs and Readers.
• Partners with the Office of Student Affairs and academic program staff on instructional support needs, including adjustments related to course changes and enrollment.
• Supports school-wide instructional practices, including grade submission timelines and implementation of grading policies and academic procedures.
• Drafts, reviews, and coordinates faculty-facing and student-facing communications related to academic operations, curriculum processes, scheduling, and academic procedures.
• Contributes to consistent service standards, clear documentation, and smooth coordination across Academic Affairs workflows.

Supervision

• Supervises a support-staff Coordinator and multiple graduate student assistants.

Minimum Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree or equivalent.
• Minimum of 3 years of related professional experience.
• Demonstrated ability to manage complex operational processes with strong attention to detail.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills and a collaborative, service-oriented approach.
• Advanced proficiency with spreadsheets and data tools (Excel/Google Sheets and database systems).

Preferred Qualifications

• Advanced degree in a relevant field.
• Additional years of directly related experience.
• Experience in academic operations, academic affairs, curriculum management, or higher education administration.
• Experience managing academic systems, degree audit platforms, or curriculum/catalog tools.
• Comfort working with technical partners on web-based tools, integrations, and system improvements.

Additional Details

• Job Type: Officer of Administration
• Regular/Temporary: Regular
• Hours Per Week: 35
• Salary Range: $83,000 - $90,000
• Location: New York, New York
• Type: Full-time
• Categories: Staff/Administrative