Ombudsperson

Company Description

Adtalem

At Adtalem Global Education, we seek to empower students and members to achieve their goals, find success and make inspiring contributions to our global community. Adtalem is a leading healthcare educator that partners with organizations to proactively address future workforce needs and empowers career development with access to world-class academic curriculums, certifications and training programs across the medical and healthcare industries.

Adtalem institutions and companies include: American University of the Caribbean School of Medicine, Chamberlain University, Ross University School of Medicine, Ross University School of Veterinary Medicine, and Walden University. (NYSE: ATGE; member S&P MidCap 400 Index) For more information, please visit adtalem.com.

 

Job Description

Opportunity at a Glance
The Office of the Ombudsperson fosters an environment of respect, honesty, fairness, and integrity, bolstering a supportive learning climate at the Adtalem family of universities. The Ombudsperson provides a place where Adtalem students can have conversations with a neutral party. S/he provides guidance to students on what resources and remediation options exist to raise and resolve issues, not as an advocate for any party but rather as an objective third party. The Office of the Ombudsperson functions separately from university administration with support for students that is impartial, informal, and independent. The Ombudsperson will also aggregate and elevate systemic insights and trends to university and Adtalem leadership to improve the fairness and effectiveness of university practices and policies. In addition, s/he will facilitate the sharing of best practices within the universities, recommending changes that alleviate recurring concerns or trends in the future. S/he will also establish, monitor, and report on appropriate metrics and KPIs to evaluate the efficacy and satisfaction with the Ombuds services provided.

Responsibilities

• Develop the strategy and process of the Ombudsperson Office.

• Receive inquires, concerns, or questions from students, listen, clarify issues and serve as a strategic thought partner and conflict coach; maintain confidentiality to the extent possible.

• Make informal inquiries, gather additional information, provide referrals or offer information on available resources, recommend available pathways and options to address concerns and facilitate difficult conversations.

• This individual will interface directly with students and may have a need to work with senior leaders from the institutions and functions, as well as, Legal, Compliance, and HR--but only as necessary and appropriate.

• Review, modify and create appropriate student inquiry handling processes to ensure escalated concerns are researched and resolved in an efficient and timely manner.

• Identify opportunities for improvement to policies and practices which contribute to systemic conflicts, concerns and complaints.

• Provide CEO, First Team, and other relevant parties with themes, root cause analysis, and best practices to mitigate student concerns.

• Create and measure appropriate service level (SLA) metrics to assess performance and identify areas requiring improvement.

• Establish performance metrics to demonstrate program effectiveness, including but not limited to customer satisfaction as demonstrated through student feedback, surveys, lawsuit avoidance.

• Performs other duties as assigned

• Complies with all policies and standards

Qualifications

• Bachelor's Degree Required, Master's or PhD preferred
• 10 years experience in an Ombuds role including complaint handling and/or mediation required.
• 5 years in a leadership role required.
• Knowledge of relevant regulations including The International Ombudsman Association Standards of Practices or Mediator Code of Ethics.
• Demonstrated ability to work with difficult situations in a non-partisan fashion with multiple interested parties involved.
• Demonstrated analytical/data management skills.
• Excellent written and presentation communication skills.
• Interpersonal skills, including active listening and relationship/trust/consensus building.
• Excellent team building and facilitation skills (including diplomacy).
• Experience creating and implementing new processes and procedures.
• Demonstrated project management skills.

Additional Information

In support of the pay transparency laws enacted across the country, the expected salary range for this position is between $133,832.00 and $241,871.00. Actual pay will be adjusted based on job-related factors permitted by law,