Senior Director of Online Learning

Company: EdSurge
Location: Ann Arbor
Posted on: November 19, 2021

Job Description:

Center for Academic Innovation, University of Michigan - Ann Arbor, Michigan - Full time THE OPPORTUNITY The University of Michigan's Center for Academic Innovation seeks an experienced, innovative, and collaborative Senior Director of Online Learning. This inaugural position, reporting to the Founding Executive Director of the Center for Academic Innovation and Associate Vice Provost, is based in Ann Arbor, Michigan and is primarily responsible for helping U-M schools and faculty innovators to adopt an integrated online education strategy - combining non-credit scaled open online learning and credit-bearing online degree programs - and to launch thriving online learning initiatives and programs that extend U-M's current mission toward one of global scale and impact. The Senior Director will be a thought leader in the field of online learning and will strengthen the Center's ability to catalyze institutional transformation and advance learning at the premier global public research university. The Senior Director will develop a sustained focus on knowledge creation and dissemination in areas related to online learning within the Center in order to support excellence at U-M and to advance learning across higher education. As the primary liaison between the Center's online learning organization and U-M schools and colleges, the Senior Director will work closely with university leaders, school leaders, and faculty innovators to shape and implement U-M's online learning strategy. The Senior Director will lead an interdisciplinary approach to expanding U-M's impact through learning innovation and design in order to integrate the full set of strengths of the institution's schools and faculty to closely align with educational and credentialing needs of learners on campus, across the state of Michigan, and around the world. The Senior Director will be an accomplished and supportive organizational leader and will manage four high performing, best-in-class teams: Open Learning Initiatives, Online and Hybrid Programs, Learning Experience Design, and Media Design and Media Technology. In addition to managing nearly 60 FTE across these highly talented teams, the Senior Director will evaluate new opportunities, develop go-to-market strategies, liaise with external partners in the online learning space, and create the conditions necessary for a culture of innovation in learning to thrive. The Senior Director will work closely with other leaders at the Center to integrate our online learning strategy with other areas of excellence including those who lead our educational data and research and educational technology teams. The Senior Director will also work closely with the heads of our operations team, marketing team, and our campus wide Extended Reality (XR) initiative. TO APPLY OR NOMINATE Confidential inquiries and nominations should be directed to CAIsearch@umich.edu. Nominations and inquiries will be accepted through October 29, 2021. Final candidate applications must be submitted through the University of Michigan Careers Site.-- An announcement of the live job posting will be made here:--https://ai.umich.edu/careers/senior-director-of-online-learning/ Candidate interviews will begin November 1, 2021. The search will be carried out with full confidentiality. Key Responsibilities

• Setting Strategy: Partner and collaborate with campus leaders and stakeholders to build and deliver a long-term University-wide strategy for online learning.
• Providing Leadership and Counsel: Lead sustainable partnerships with schools and colleges that build U-M's online learning capacity and increase the reach and impact of open and online learning initiatives and programs.
• Ensuring Superior Delivery: Support U-M schools and faculty to launch thriving online learning initiatives and programs that leverage the Center's deep expertise and related services. Each of the services should operate at standards considered on the highest end of quality in the industry.
• Driving Growth and Sustainability: Support a culture that fosters the ability of U-M to drive excellence across online and hybrid programs and initiatives while offering online services to populations of qualified learners, who might not otherwise be able to access traditional, on-campus learning opportunities.
• Leading Organizational and Team Development: Lead the teams responsible for delivering online learning expertise and services to academic units. Assess, adjust, and carry forward a culture befitting of a high growth, goal oriented group; establish the appropriate leadership cadence, professional development efforts and hiring standards to achieve operational and cultural goals.
• Advising University Leadership: Participate in and provide advisory support to the senior university academic and administrative leadership including, but not limited to, areas specific to online learning.
• Evaluating Resource Allocation and Investment Strategy: Manage and invest the academic innovation fund to support new programs and innovation initiatives that transform learning at U-M and shape the future of higher education.
• Stewarding Culture: Support a culture that fosters inclusivity, expands access to U-M educational offerings, and promotes student and faculty success. CANDIDATE PROFILE The ideal candidate will bring a proven track record of leadership, partnership development, and growth as related to online learning to support the expansion of U-M's vision for the future. The successful candidate must be a results-oriented individual with a passion and capability for creating world-class teams and culture, and managing high-quality operations and processes, on-time, on-budget and on-quality. This new leader will be an adept listener and influencer with exceptionally high organizational EQ. Academic and administrative leaders at the institution, academic unit, and administrative unit levels should perceive the candidate as compassionate, credible, compelling, trustworthy, and persuasive. This leader will also understand how to constructively challenge the conventional wisdom or accepted ways of doing things, by demonstrating the emotional maturity to effectively navigate the University and gain stakeholder buy-in.-- Professional Experience
  • Demonstrated experience and success in a strategic leadership or managerial role related to online learning, running a division of similar scope and scale in a complex, multi-stakeholder environment.
  • Ability to develop long-range goals and objectives while simultaneously managing execution and details across multiple projects and tasks.
  • Demonstrated experience and success in a strategic leadership or managerial role related to online learning, running a division of similar scope and scale in a complex, multi-stakeholder environment.
  • Strong domain expertise in continuous learning, online learning, and higher education. Extensive experience in developing or consulting related to online learning technology solutions.
  • Experience in evaluation, assessment, and recommendation of educational technology-related products and systems.
  • Operational rigor, financial acumen, strong analysis, and budget planning skills.
  • Experience building and scaling an organization.
  • Functional expertise in go-to-market and partnership building.
  • Demonstrated success managing program development for new postsecondary online learning programs.
  • Proven collaborator in a highly matrixed environment (faculty, staff, and administrators across the University) to drive successful outcomes
  • Awareness of, respect for, and adherence to policies and procedures (e.g., accreditation requirements, internal requirements, University contractual requirements, etc.)
  • Minimum bachelor's degree (masters or PhD preferred) and 7+ years of experience in an online learning field including time in a strategic leadership or managerial role Interpersonal Characteristics
    • Possesses a strong ability to influence, motivate and inspire across the organization. Collaborative mindset, low-ego with a track record of results.
    • Innovative and entrepreneurial leader with ability to think strategically, combined with understanding of day-to-day operations and ability to execute
    • Ability to juggle multiple priorities; self-directed and motivated
    • Thoughtful, transparent, and exceptionally collaborative with a service leader mindset
    • Excellent verbal and written communication; ability to deliver a clear and compelling message Learn more about the Center for Academic Innovation and this position here:--https://ai.umich.edu/careers/senior-director-of-online-learning/ Center for Academic Innovation, University of Michigan The Center for Academic Innovation leads key growth areas for U-M and provides a significant opportunity to extend the University's mission toward one of global scale and impact. Learn more about the Center for Academic Innovation: https://ai.umich.edu/our-mission-and-principles/ Share this job Keep up to date with our email newsletter Sign me up EdSurge reports on the people, ideas and tools shaping the future of learning.

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