Associate Director, Mid-Career Doctoral Program (Student Experience, Academic Engagement & Strategic Partnerships)

Job Description Summary

The Associate Director provides strategic leadership for student progression, admissions, alumni engagement, faculty-facing academic systems, and milestone events including dissertation defenses and graduation. This role serves as the primary student-facing administrator and strategic liaison to Admissions, Alumni Relations, Marketing, and key GSE partners. Working in tandem with the Associate Director for Operations & Academic Systems, this position ensures cohesive student experience, strong academic quality, structured Leave of Absence and re-entry systems, and seamless execution of key academic milestones from enrollment through commencement.

The successful candidate must be available for in-person cohort weekends.

Key Duties

• Student Experience, Advising & Progression: Oversee advising systems and student support programs; Manage student progression tracking and milestone monitoring; Oversee Leave of Absence (LOA) processes and structured re-entry plans; Serve as escalation point for complex student matters.
• Recruitment and Admissions Strategy & Enrollment Management: Partner with Admissions on recruitment and yield management; Manage admissions review process and enrollment tracking.
• Academic Milestones: Defenses, Graduation & Commencement: Lead coordination and execution of dissertation defenses; Oversee defense scheduling and faculty coordination; Manage graduation clearance processes in partnership with Registrar; Lead commencement planning and graduation-related communications and activities.
• Alumni & Strategic Engagement: Work in coordination with GSE Development & Alumni Relations in leading alumni engagement strategy and donor collaboration.
• Faculty Academic Support & Canvas Oversight: Ensure faculty access to Canvas courses; Coordinate course setup and reviews with Program Director.
• Marketing & Communications Stakeholder & Partner Engagement: Collaborate on messaging; Liaise with MarComm, OSS, IT, SRO, and the Business Office.
• Strategic planning collaboration
• Additional duties as assigned

Qualifications

ESSENTIAL:

• A Master's degree and 2-3 years of experience, or equivalent combination of education & experience.
• Demonstrated experience working with executive or doctoral-level students
• Strong interpersonal, organizational, and conflict resolution skills

PREFERRED:

• A Doctorate (EdD, PhD) and 5-7 years of experience in academic program leadership.
• Experience coordinating academic milestone events

All applicants must submit a cover letter detailing their interest in the position. The cover letter may be uploaded in the same section as the resume/CV section.

Job Location - City, State

Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

Department / School

Graduate School of Education

Pay Range

$66,000.00 - $85,000.00 Annual Rate

Salary offers are made based on the candidate's qualifications, experience, skills, and education as they directly relate to the requirements of the position, and in alignment with salary ranges based on external market data for the job's level. Internal organization and peer data at Penn are also considered.

To apply, visit https://wd1.myworkdaysite.com/en-US/recruiting/upenn/careers-at-penn/job/Graduate-School-of-Education/Associate-Director--Mid-Career-Doctoral-Program--Student-Experience--Academic-Engagement---Strategic-Partnerships-_JR00118683