"Assistant Professor/Associate Professor of Educational Leadership - Tenure/Tenure Track"

Position Summary

The Department of Educational Leadership, Policy, and Technology Studies at the University of Alabama invites applications for an associate/assistant professor of Educational Leadership with a specific research focus on Educational Law, or Educational Economics & Finance in K-12 context.

Detailed Position Information

The Department of Educational Leadership, Policy, and Technology Studies at the University of Alabama invites applications for an associate/assistant professor of Educational Leadership with a specific research focus on Educational Law, or Educational Economics & Finance in K-12 context. A successful candidate will join seven active research and teaching educational leadership faculty as well as a vibrant student community. Start date will be August 16, 2026.

The Educational Leadership (EL) program offers multiple graduate degrees. The intent of Ph.D. degree is to prepare researchers, faculty, educational leaders and policy makers in the K-12 education sector. A newly revised, cohort-based Ed.D. program is designed to develop and hone decision-making skills of aspiring educational leaders who are committed to building the instructional capacity of the schools and districts in which they serve. Along with these are the M.A. and Ed.S. degrees that lead to leadership certification in the state of Alabama. Aspiring applicants will join a team of scholar-teachers who have established publication records, served in various leadership positions, and who are committed to professorial roles of research, teaching and service. Producing informed, just, and highly competent professionals is a goal shared by all EL faculty. The EL program and College of Education at the University of Alabama is an early and long-standing full voting member of the University Council for Educational Administration (UCEA).

The ideal candidate holds a doctorate degree in educational leadership and possesses the knowledge, methodological skills and professional experience needed to pursue a robust, focused research agenda that informs program teaching assignments. This individual will be active and visible at the national level, publishing research in top-tiered refereed journals in the field, presenting annually at national/international academic conferences, and supporting both through grant acquisition aligned with these interests. In addition, the candidate will provide evidence of a solid academic foundation for engaging in the aforementioned activities associated with a tenure or tenure-track position at a R1 (Carnegie Classification) institution.

About the Department

The Department of Educational Leadership, Policy and Technology Studies develops ethical and reflective scholars, researchers, and practitioners for work in K-12, higher education, business, government, and other educational settings. It is home to 30 research and teaching faculty across four program areas: Educational Leadership, Higher Education Administration, Instructional Technology and Social and Cultural Foundations of Education.

Minimum Qualifications

• Earned doctorate (by date of hire) in Educational Leadership with one or more of the following specialties: Educational Law, or Educational Finance & Economics.
• Curricular and research expertise in the above-mentioned areas.
• Sound, sophisticated quantitative or qualitative methodological skills.
• Ability to define and pursue a coherent research agenda in one of the areas of expertise noted above.
• Ability to publish research in the leading academic, refereed journals in the field.
• Ability to pursue and procure grants that align with and support research agenda.
• If Educational Law, familiarity with basic principles and laws governing K-12 operations.
• Ability to teach Ph.D., Ed.D., specialist, and master’s level courses associated with educational economics, finance, or law in K12 contexts.
• Ability to teach general leadership courses as instructional needs of the program arise.
• Ability to teach in a traditional University classroom, online, and hybrid environment.
• Ability and willingness to mentor graduate students, chair dissertations, and serve on dissertation committees.
• Commitment to building the reputation of the Department locally and nationally through research, teaching and service to the profession.
• Commitment to building professional relationships with the educational leadership community and other K-12 stakeholders.
• Candidates at the associate professor level must have a record of research, teaching, and service commensurate with this rank.

Instructions and Required Materials for Application

Review of applications will begin immediately and will continue until the position is filled. The priority deadline for application is October 1, 2025. To be considered for the position, applicants must submit: a cover letter, CV, the names and contact information for 3-4 references, and an unofficial transcript. Only completed applications will be considered. Materials can be submitted online at https://careers.ua.edu. Salary and benefits are competitive and commensurate with experience. Questions may be directed to the co-chairs of the search committee, Dr. Jingping Sun (jsun22@ua.edu).