Associate Director of Credential Pathways

Department

AVP I&LL Programs

Associate Director of Credential Pathways Job Description

Reporting to the Associate Vice President of Innovative and Lifelong Learning (I&LL), this highly visible position plays a key role in continuing the momentum of I&LL in the credentialing space by designing and growing comprehensive credential-rich pathways at MSU Denver. The Associate Director of Credential Pathways collaborates with internal and external stakeholders to develop and manage the expansion of industry-recognized and relevant credentials in credit and noncredit programs, identifies credential opportunities, builds case studies, documents pathways, and creates tools and resources that can be used by stakeholders to ensure alignment with industry-relevant credentials; conducts outreach to industry and serves as industry/external liaison for the unit; conducts research on industry needs and trends and ensures teams have what they need to create and deploy pathways that are meaningful to students and employers; and leads process and training.

Essential Functions:

Partnership-building and external collaboration (40%)
Establish and steward partnerships with community organizations, municipalities, and industry focused on workforce development and credentials.

• Serve as liaison between I&LL and employers in identifying workforce skill and knowledge gaps and viable credentialling solutions.
• Collaborate with the Industry Partnership team within the Classroom to Career Hub to build and strengthen partnerships with employers, government agencies, professional/industry associations, and other employers specifically around credentials.
• Build and maintain relationships with external partners, accrediting bodies, and industry leaders for alignment and endorsement of the credentials.
• Engage with workforce development entities and related organizations in Denver and Colorado to understand needs and leverage opportunities.
• Foster strong partnerships with key actors in the credential field to leverage best practices and innovate.
• Convene employers to understand workforce knowledge and skill gaps; conduct competitive analyses and secondary research to understand the competition in these areas; and triangulate data to identify potential new credential development.

Credential pathway development (40%)
Develop, and perform ongoing review of, a comprehensive plan for the expansion and development of credentials. At MSU Denver, credentials are defined as learning that is not a degree, for both credit and noncredit.

• Work with faculty, the MSU Denver Badging Committee, the Office of Curriculum, Academic Effectiveness, and Policy Development, and Online Learning, and I&LL team members to document current, and potential future, credential pathways from entry level to advanced degrees across high-growth, high-need industries, leaning into stackable opportunities; lead discussions with academic departments and leverage market research.
• Market research and needs assessments - Conduct in-depth market analysis to identify high-demand skills and competencies; engage with industry stakeholders, alumni, and faculty to assess skills gaps and potential credential opportunities.
• Lead efforts, with the I&LL AVP, faculty, and the Center for Teaching, Learning, and Design, to embed high-value credentials into courses, certificates, and degree program development.
• Create case studies that communicate to students and employers about the value of credentials in providing specific skills that hiring managers want and that make them more competitive.
• Develop quality assurance mechanisms for credentials development and deployment.
• Engage employers, professional associations, and industry experts in the design, development, and review of credential programs.
• Enhance credential transparency. Give prospective learners accurate and comprehensive information about credentials, their outcomes, associated costs, and potential career pathways.
• Work closely with I&LL Project Manager for all new credential development ensuring it is on the course development pipeline schedule and providing necessary information.
• Lead the development of a comprehensive credential pathways roadmap for MSU Denver.

Training & communication (10%)

• Collaborate and build a culture of credential engagement across campus and with industry and employer partners.
• Develop and facilitate training for staff and faculty about credential pathways.
• Ensure that all MSU Denver credentials information is appropriately located on the MSU Denver Credential Hub landing page; review regularly for updates and closures.
• Lead maintenance of credential content on the Credenti