Assistant Dean, School of Nursing and Health Sciences

The Assistant Dean is a senior academic leader who serves as administrator for an academic department within the School of Nursing & Health Sciences. In collaboration with the Dean, this highly cross-functional role is accountable for academic quality, strategic portfolio management, faculty excellence, and learner success. The Assistant Dean also participates in university governance and contributes to initiatives that extend across the institution

Essential Duties and Responsibilities:

Academic Quality

• In collaboration with Deans, program and faculty directors, monitor measures of academic quality; identify opportunities for improvement.
• Provide oversight of the school’s assessment and continuous quality improvement plan, including quarterly action analytics, developing action plans based on data, implementation of plans, and systematic review of improvements following implementation.
• Ensure compliance with regulatory requirements and accreditation/external standards.
• To remain deeply connected to the university’s focus on teaching and mentoring, engage in teaching or mentoring on a quarterly basis.
   

Strategic Portfolio Management

• Partner with the dean, program directors, and Portfolio Strategy team to ensure programs align with overall university strategy, professional trends, and accreditation/external standards.
• In collaboration with the dean, program directors, and Portfolio Strategy, develop and implement a strategic and operational plan that meets organizational goals, market demand, instructional cost targets, and outcome success measures.
• Oversee accreditation and external approval efforts, including resource allocation, report generation, and site visit management.
• Serve as a representative of the school to external partners, employers, professional organizations, and academic audiences at the direction of the dean.

Operational Management

• In collaboration with the dean, develop the school’s annual operating plan (AOP) in alignment with key financial targets.
• Provide oversight of resource allocation to ensure effective cost management, equity (i.e., fairness in the distribution of work), and compliance (e.g., regulatory, accreditation, credentialing).
• Provide leadership for school governance and operations, ensuring processes that allow for faculty governance as required by accreditors/external standards.
• Manage and provide direction to the curriculum definition and course development processes, including quarterly intake, SME assignment, external validation, project plan monitoring, and school collaboration with Program Operations and Course Development.
• Engage in regular collaboration with key internal stakeholders, including Academic Affairs, Faculty Affairs, Learner Complaints and Resolutions, Enrollment Services, Academic Advising, etc., to support effectiveness and efficiency in school operations.
• Provide oversight to operational processes supporting the school’s optimal functioning; identify and implement efficiencies whenever possible.

Talent Management

• In partnership with the dean, program & faculty directors, Faculty Affairs, and Human Resources, create and implement a faculty staffing plan that supports academic quality, resource/financial goals, and accreditation/external standards.
• Recruit, lead, manage, and develop program leaders, including program directors and faculty serving in leadership roles.
• Ensure program leaders are held accountable for engaging and empowering their teams in ways that encourage and appropriately empower positive outcomes.
• Set performance standards and goals for program directors, review performance results, and provide timely and meaningful feedback and coaching to measurably improve performance and outcomes.
• Promote professional development across the school, creating opportunities for leaders to grow and develop.
• Identify leadership potential across the school; create opportunities for leadership development.
• Contribute to employee engagement initiatives, recognizing organizational health as a key factor in long-term success.
• Consistently demonstrate superior leadership practices that create community, foster success, and promote organizational effectiveness.

Work Experience:

• Evidence of successful Dean or significant Director level leadership experience in higher education required.
• Experience directly leading large remote teams across multiple programs at a highly matrixed higher education institution, preferably health sciences, public health, and allied health, required.
• Proven experience successfully identifying, launching, and managing new higher education programs required.