Director of Assessment

Director of Assessment

Company:
University of Northern Colorado

Job Location:

Category:
Assessment, Accreditation, and Compliance

Type:
Full-Time

POSITION TITLE:

COMPENSATION RANGE: 97,591.00 - 105,000.00 USD per year

EMPLOYMENT CLASSIFICATION: Professional Administrative

DEPARTMENT: Assessment and Accreditation

TARGET HIRE DATE: 7/1/2026

BENEFITS: UNC's Career Hub

Candidates must have valid U.S. work authorization at the time of application; UNC cannot provide H-1B sponsorship at this time.

To ensure full consideration, applications must be received by 11:59pm (MT) on 05/15/2026.

Position Summary:

The is the university's chief assessment officer, providing vision and strategic leadership for the design, implementation, and continuous improvement of institutional assessment. This position defines and oversees policies, frameworks, and quality standards that guide the meaningful evaluation of student learning, curriculum alignment, and programmatic effectiveness across all Academic Affairs academic and co-curricular areas.

In addition to leading institutional assessment strategy, the Director plays a key role in the curriculum design and approval process, collaborating with academic programs to develop or revise curriculum that aligns with program and institutional learning outcomes. This includes consulting with units on curriculum mapping, supporting alignment with general education outcomes, and reviewing and approving program learning outcomes, curriculum maps, and assessment plans for new program proposals and significant revisions within the university's curriculum workflow. The Director ensures that institutional assessment and curricular practices align with accreditation requirements and recognized best practices, supporting institutional accountability, improvement, and educational quality.

Key Responsibilities

• Lead and set strategy for assessment, establishing and maintaining the overarching structures, standards, and assessment cycles that drive evidence-informed improvement.
• Provide leadership and consultation to academic programs on curriculum design and redesign, ensuring alignment between program curricula, program learning outcomes, and institutional learning outcomes; guide units in the development and revision of curriculum maps.
• Serve as an approval authority in the curriculum workflow for program learning outcomes, curriculum maps, and assessment plans associated with new program proposals and significant program revisions, ensuring coherence, alignment, and readiness for implementation.
• Review and evaluate assessment components of curricular proposals, providing expert feedback and ensuring proposals meet institutional standards and accreditation expectations.
• Serve as the primary institutional authority on assessment for accreditation and external quality expectations; interpret and apply standards from the Higher Learning Commission (HLC) and other relevant agencies.
• Advise senior leadership and academic governance bodies on institutional effectiveness and the use of assessment evidence to inform decision-making and strengthen student learning outcomes.
• Provide strategic leadership for the university's assessment data systems by establishing what evidence is necessary to evaluate learning and effectiveness; setting data collection, analysis, and reporting practices; and guiding academic and administrative units in transforming results into actionable strategies for improvement.
• Support program review processes by providing data, consultation, and guidance to academic units; collaborate with the Assistant Provost for Academic Effectiveness, who retains primary responsibility and authority for program review policy and oversight.
• Lead and/or serve on key committees and councils related to assessment, cultivating a culture of evidence-based improvement among faculty and staff.
• Represent the university externally in matters of assessment and institutional effectiveness, staying current on emerging practices, accreditation expectations, and regulatory changes.

Reporting Structure
Reporting to the Assistant Provost for Academic Effectiveness, the Director serves as a key member of the Academic Effectiveness leadership team and works in close partnership with deans, department chairs, faculty governance bodies, and administrative units to advance institutional goals related to student learning and continuous improvement.

Accreditation and Compliance Leadership
The Director leads the assessment components of accreditation compliance, ensuring robust evidence of student learning and institutional effectiveness; maintains related documentation; and partners with the Assistant Provost to support the program review elements of accreditation. The Director also serves as a resource on accreditation issues when the Assistant Provost is unavailable.

NOTE: Please include a cover letter, Curriculum Vitae, unofficial transcripts, and a list of references with your application.

Job Duties:

1. Institutional Leadership for Assessment and Accreditation (45%)

• Provide vision and leadership for the university's assessment strategy by establishing policies, frameworks, and systems that support meaningful, sustainable evaluation of student learning at the course, program, and institutional levels.
• Serve as an approval authority in the curriculum workflow by reviewing and approving program learning outcomes, curriculum maps, and assessment plans for new program proposals and significant revisions to existing programs.
• Consult with academic units on curriculum design and redesign, guiding alignment of program curricula with program and institutional learning outcomes and supporting the development or revision of curriculum maps and assessment plans.
• Provide institutional leadership for the assessment components of accreditation-especially with the Higher Learning Commission-by coordinating compliance activities, maintaining documentation, and ensuring that assessment evidence meets accreditation expectations.
• Lead and coordinate curricular and co-curricular assessment across Academic Affairs and partner with Student Affairs to ensure alignment and coherence in learning outcomes assessment across divisions.
• Chair the University Assessment Council and collaborate with academic unit heads to interpret program-level data, strengthen offerings, and support ongoing evidence-based improvement.

2. Assessment Data and General Education Strategy (35%)

• Set the strategic direction for assessment data: determine what evidence is necessary and appropriate to measure learning and effectiveness and oversee the design and implementation of systems to aggregate and report data at program and institutional levels.
• Collaborate with data partners (e.g., OIRE, BIDE, IMT) on data governance, analytics practices, and technology solutions that ensure high-quality, accessible, and actionable assessment information.
• Provide leadership for general education assessment, serving as ex officio on the Liberal Arts Council (LAC), consulting on strategies, managing data collection within the LMS, and partnering with OIRE and the LAC to develop student surveys and dashboards.
• Analyze and report general education assessment results, delivering actionable findings to the LAC, faculty governance, and senior leadership to guide curriculum and teaching improvement.

3. Capacity Building and Institutional Engagement (20%)

• Develop and deliver training, tools, and resources to strengthen faculty and staff expertise in curriculum design, assessment methodologies, and using evidence for improvement.
• Lead an annual faculty learning community focused on curriculum alignment with general education learning outcomes to promote shared understanding and effective practice.
• Foster partnerships and professional engagement by maintaining and expanding expertise through external development, leadership in national/regional assessment networks, and monitoring emerging standards and innovations.

Minimum Qualifications:

Education

Master's degree from an accredited institution in higher education administration, educational research, assessment and evaluation, curriculum and instruction, data analytics, or a closely related field. (Doctorate preferred but not required.)

Experience

• Minimum of five years of progressively responsible experience in academic assessment, institutional effectiveness, accreditation, or a closely related area in higher education.
• Demonstrated experience leading the design and implementation of assessment frameworks and using assessment data to inform improvement and strategic decision-making.
• Experience collaborating effectively with faculty, academic leaders, and administrative staff across multiple units and disciplines.

Ability

• Deep knowledge of accreditation standards and practices, particularly those of the Higher Learning Commission, and the ability to interpret and apply evolving requirements.
• Expertise in assessment methodologies and best practices for evaluating student learning and institutional effectiveness.
• Expertise in curriculum design and curriculum mapping, including the ability to guide faculty in aligning program curricula with program and institutional learning outcomes.
• Ability to critically evaluate and approve program learning outcomes, curriculum maps, and assessment plans for new and substantially revised academic programs.
• Data literacy and analytical skills, including the ability to determine appropriate data sources, guide data collection and reporting systems, and communicate findings to varied audiences.
• Exceptional ability to build relationships and influence without direct supervisory authority, including facilitation, negotiation, and consensus-building skills.
• Strong written and oral communication skills for presenting complex information clearly to faculty, administrators, and external stakeholders.
• Ability to exercise independent judgment and creativity to design practical, sustainable solutions to complex problems with limited resources.
• Commitment to equity and inclusive excellence in assessment practices.
• Proficiency with learning management systems, assessment management platforms, and data visualization/reporting tools.
• Capacity to maintain up-to-date professional expertise through external professional development and engagement with assessment and accreditation networks.

Preferred Qualifications

• Doctorate in higher education, educational research, curriculum and instruction, or a closely related field.
• Seven or more years of progressively responsible experience in assessment, institutional effectiveness, or accreditation leadership within higher education.
• Direct experience leading institution-wide accreditation efforts, including preparing self-studies, assurance arguments, or compliance reports for regional or specialized accrediting bodies.
• Demonstrated success in developing and implementing assessment strategies that measurably improved student learning outcomes and program quality.
• Experience collaborating with curriculum committees and academic governance in the review and approval of program learning outcomes, curriculum maps, and assessment components of curricular proposals.
• Experience supervising and mentoring professional staff or faculty contributors engaged in assessment or institutional effectiveness work.
• Advanced expertise with data visualization and reporting platforms (e.g., Tableau, Power BI) and experience integrating multiple data systems to support evidence-based decision-making.
• Strong record of professional engagement and leadership in assessment or accreditation organizations (e.g., Association for the Assessment of Learning in Higher Education [AALHE], Higher Learning Commission workshops, or similar).
• Experience with general education assessment design and oversight, including faculty engagement and curriculum alignment.
• Demonstrated ability to lead faculty development initiatives, such as learning communities or workshops on assessment and curriculum alignment.
• Knowledge of equity-focused assessment practices and experience embedding inclusive excellence principles into institutional assessment processes.

Benefits:
Benefits available include health, dental, vision, life and long-term disability insurance, as well as a selection of several defined contribution retirement plans for all full-time positions. Employees at UNC receive sick leave, and other leave options may be available based on position. Full-time employees are eligible to receive tuition waiver benefits, as well as dependents and spouses of UNC Employees who are employed at 0.5 FTE or above are eligible for undergraduate dependent tuition grants of up to 50%. These tuition grants will cover in-state tuition charges. Further requirements may exist. Other benefits may be available based on position.