Director and Open Rank Professor, Business Administration

The successful candidate will collaborate closely with the Senior Director to implement program initiatives and will provide leadership in curriculum development and maintenance, cultivate relationships with external partners, provide oversight to experiential learning opportunities, and work collaboratively across the University to support program growth and student success. The Director will partner with colleagues in enrollment, admissions, graduate programs, advising and coaching, Career Bridge, and student finance to strengthen recruitment, retention, and student outcomes.

WHO YOU ARE

You will: Provide Students with Exceptional Learning Experiences

Your work has demonstrated your respect for education and the power that it holds to empower students to achieve their career and life goals. Each term, you will facilitate blended and online classes that utilize technology and data to drive instruction. You will work with a dedicated team of faculty, success coaches/advisors, career advisors, employer relations managers, and data analysts to determine how to personalize the learning experience for your students. In addition to teaching content, you will support students with meeting the goals that they have for themselves and celebrate the lived experiences they bring to the classroom.

You are: Driven to Succeed

You are energetic and passionate about a diverse student body that includes many first-generation students. To be successful teaching in this program, you must be committed to excellence in teaching and learning in Higher Education. The position requires you to be agile, creative, and engaging while offering an unparalleled experience to undergraduate students. Enthusiastic candidates have the belief that all students can be successful students. As an active team member, you believe in a supportive environment and a student-driven and data-informed culture.

You are ready to: Make an Impact

Each and every day, our Undergraduate College changes lives. You want to be a part of that meaningful innovation. You are someone that will always look for creative ways for students to earn success. We know this work is challenging, but we are in it together.

To be successful in this program, you must be committed to excellence in teaching and learning in higher education. The position requires you to be agile, creative, and engaging while offering an innovative, practice based curriculum and an unparalleled experience to undergraduate students. You believe in a supportive environment, a strengths-based approach to learning, and a student-driven culture. As an active team member, working closely with both internal and external partners, you are open to continued learning and self-reflection.

Essential Responsibilities

Academic Program:

• Vision: Set vision and provide oversight of Academic Programming in undergraduate Business Administration department at NLU. Ensure that there is continuity across coursework, curriculum is exceptional in quality and faculty maintain fair, equitable and high expectations of students in the program.
• Curriculum Oversight: Serve as a Subject Matter Expert (SME) and/or provide oversight to the development of new courses and revisions in the discipline in accordance with industry standards. Maintain current and active knowledge in SME areas. Provide oversight of a set of courses and maintain consistency across them through development, implementation, and revision. Co-lead and/or support the development of new programs, credentials, certificates as needed.
• Leadership of Curriculum Implementation, Instructional Planning, and Department Operations: Lead regular department team meetings to support the effective implementation of the curriculum and delivery of a high-quality student experience. Facilitate discussions related to instructional planning, student success data, and continuous improvement initiatives, ensuring alignment with departmental priorities and strategic direction.
• Data-Driven Course and Major Planning: Collaborate with the Senior Director, UGC administration, and department faculty to review course and program data on a quarterly and annual basis, providing analysis and recommendations that support strategic planning, continuous improvement, and the evaluation of potential course, concentration, and program additions.
• Scheduling: Use an efficient scheduling model to ensure students have enough course options to continually progress toward graduation, class sizes that maximize resources, and flexible enough to customize academic pathways.

Faculty Oversight:

• Hiring: Collaborate with the Senior Director and Human Resources to develop and maintain a robust recruitment network within the discipline to support full-time and adjunct faculty hiring. Assist with candidate sourcing, screening, and initial interviews, and provide evaluative feedback and hiring recommendations to the Senior Director.
• Staffing: Identify and hire qualified instructors to support instructional staffing needs across the Business Administration curriculum (faculty contracting is managed through NLU administration).
• Ongoing Performance Management: Supervise and meet with faculty on a regular basis to ensure progress on their goals and instructional excellence. Perform classroom observations and provide constructive feedback for faculty (FT and adjunct). Coach faculty, as needed. Conduct annual performance reviews.
• Leadership in Professional Development (PD) to Drive Teaching Excellence: Collaborate with UGC administration and UGC faculty to ensure a comprehensive approach to faculty PD is in place. Create, attend and actively participate in PD to build a stronger instructional model for the UGC. Includes on-boarding of new faculty as well as ongoing PD and support of all faculty.

Administration:

• Annual Program Review and Assessment Plan for Business Administration: Lead the Annual Program Review and Assessment Plan for Business Administration process in order to ensure the program meets all key performance indicators identified by the university.
• Support Resolution of Student Issues: Lead the resolution of student issues in content area, such as academic appeals and readmissions of returning students as needed.
• Administrative Planning and Engagement: Ensure ongoing communication and alignment between administration and content area team. In collaboration with the Senior Director, engage in administrative planning as needed, e.g., in budget recommendations, providing input on marketing materials and enrollment strategies, and participation in UGC-wide efforts such as admitted student days and UGC-wide team meetings. Participate in faculty governance at college/university level.

Outreach and Partnership:

• Enrollment Growth: In collaboration with the Enrollment and Outreach Departments, and the Senior Director, co-create and implement a plan to increase enrollment using a variety of strategies with targeted audiences identified. Develop partnerships and articulations with feeder institutions, including high school networks and community colleges.
• Employer Pipelines: In collaboration with Career Bridge, build employer networks to offer a wide range of job opportunities and internships for our students after graduation.

Teaching:

• Demonstrate excellence in teaching: Maintain a teaching load annually, with potential adjustments made based on scope and complexity of work each year. Collaborate with faculty team to develop an effective student experience for students. Facilitate courses by delivering engaging instruction in a blended and/or online environment. Empower students to develop competency by sharing a passion for the subject and skills being taught. Utilize technology-based teaching platforms. Communicate professionally and relate well.

Qualifications, Skills, and Competencies

• Master's Degree in Business or related field. Doctorate Degree preferred.
• Five plus (5+) years professional experience in higher education, particularly in settings working with diverse populations.
• Demonstrated record of teaching excellence, ideally in a university or college setting;
• Ability to consistently connect instruction to its real-world relevance, tying in concepts and theories in the classroom to students’ current and future work experiences and highlighting immediate applicability;
• Successful project management experience, including serving as the lead on complex initiatives. Track record of experience cultivating and developing external partnerships with demonstrated successful outcomes.
• Advanced proficiency in the utilization of technology and data systems for analysis and reporting purposes.
• Advanced conflict management and negotiation skills across all populations - students, faculty, field supervisors, and partners.
• Develops and executes action plans to drive intended impact, engaging stakeholders and adjusting course as needed to ensure on-time and high-quality results.
• Demonstrated experience with organizational development and leadership.

NLU UNDERGRADUATE COLLEGE CORE COMPETENCIES

• Student-Focused: Make decisions based on what is best for students with the belief that when all students have access, resources and support, they are empowered to achieve success.
• Expect Excellence: Hold high expectations for our students and for the adults to serve them and hold ourselves accountable for achieving excellence.
• Personalized Support: Take a holistic approach to providing individualized support that encourages students to realize their full potential in college and beyond.
• Data-Driven, Collaborative Environment: Work together as a unified team, utilizing real-time data and technology to adapt to student needs.
• Continuous Improvement and Innovation: Remain agile and open to changes and new ideas-incorporating data as well as student, faculty and administration voice-to ensure that we are continuously learning, improving, and innovating in all aspects of the student experience.