"Director of Academic Operations and Compliance"

Job Details

Position Summary

The Director of Academic Operations and Compliance provides school-wide leadership for academic operations, accreditation, assessment, enrollment management, and regulatory compliance across all undergraduate and graduate programs in SSBS. As a senior member of the Dean’s leadership team, the Assistant Dean exercises independent judgment and institutional accountability to ensure academic quality, operational effectiveness, and continuous compliance with accreditation, licensure, and university standards.

This role serves as the primary operational and compliance authority for the school, translating strategic priorities into executable academic systems and processes while supporting faculty leadership and student success.

Essential Functions and Responsibilities

1. Accreditation, Assessment, and Regulatory Oversight

• Provide leadership for school-wide accreditation, licensure, and regulatory compliance across all SSBS programs.
• Oversee preparation, coordination, and submission of accreditation self-studies, annual reports, and mid-cycle reviews (e.g., CACREP, CAEP, NASP, SARA, NYSED, licensure bodies).
• Ensure continuous accreditation readiness through centralized documentation, tracking of cycles and deadlines, and proactive monitoring of regulatory changes.
• Assist the Assessment Coordinator with deliverables related to annual assessment cycles, ensuring timely data collection, analysis, and reporting.
• Advise the Dean, Chairs, and Program Directors on compliance risks, findings, and required corrective actions.

2. Academic Program Operations and Infrastructure

• Provide oversight of undergraduate and graduate program operations, including academic sequence maps, catalog accuracy, program schedules, and academic cycle planning.
• Ensure consistent implementation of university academic policies, accreditation standards, and operational requirements across departments and modalities.
• Serve as the primary operational liaison to Program Directors and Chairs, supporting timely completion of program deliverables and resolving operational issues.
• Monitor program execution for compliance with credit-hour standards, modality requirements, curriculum documentation, and scheduling practices.

3. Enrollment Management and Student Progression

• Support program-level enrollment strategy, monitoring, and forecasting across undergraduate and graduate programs.
• Provide up to date enrollment forecasts and reports for the Dean and Provost to inform staffing, scheduling, and resource allocation.
• Oversee school-wide academic authorization workflows (permits, substitutions, transfers, independent studies, incompletes) to ensure policy and accreditation compliance.
• Serve as the academic operations liaison to Graduate Admissions, supporting application review, faculty interview coordination, and admissions workflow efficiency.

4. Dean’s Office Leadership and Institutional Liaison

• Serve as a standing member of the SSBS Dean’s leadership team, contributing to strategic planning, policy implementation, and operational decision-making.
• Provide operational intelligence, compliance reporting, and risk assessments to support Dean-level decisions.
• Represent SSBS in coordination with central offices, including the Registrar, Institutional Research, Advising, IT, Graduate Admissions, and the Provost’s Office.
• Support execution of school-wide strategic initiatives by translating leadership decisions into operational plans and timelines.

5. Supervision and Staff Leadership

• Supervise professional staff supporting academic operations, accreditation, enrollment, and compliance functions.
• Assign and manage workloads, conduct performance evaluations, and support professional development for any direct reports.
• Ensure continuity of operations through training, documentation, and coverage planning.

Required Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree required, Master’s degree preferred.
• Minimum of 5 years of progressive experience in higher education academic operations, administration, accreditation, or compliance.
• Demonstrated experience managing complex academic workflows across multiple programs or departments.
• Experience supporting accreditation, licensure, assessment, or regulatory processes.
• Strong analytical skills with demonstrated ability to interpret and report academic and enrollment data.
• Proficiency with enterprise systems such as Banner, Argos, and MS Office Suite.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills, including experience preparing reports for senior leadership and external reviewers.
• Demonstrated ability to exercise independent judgment, manage confidential information, and lead high-stakes institutional processes