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.
Job Description
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
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