Senior Associate Dean for Academic Engagement and Strategy

Department

PME Dean's Administration

About the Department

The Pritzker School of Molecular Engineering (PME) was established in May 2019 and evolved from the Institute for Molecular Engineering, which was founded in 2011. The PME integrates science and engineering to address global challenges from the molecular level up. The PME’s rigorous academic and research programs are made possible through the University of Chicago’s unique partnership with Argonne National Laboratory. The Pritzker School of Molecular Engineering is the first new school at the University of Chicago in three decades and the first school in the nation dedicated to molecular engineering. In the next phase of growth as a School, the PME will continue to expand its team of world-class faculty researchers and empower students from diverse backgrounds to collaborate with faculty in cutting-edge facilities. The PME aims to bring solutions for urgent societal problems to the forefront, while training the next generation of scientific leaders and entrepreneurs.

Job Summary

The Senior Associate Dean for Academic Engagement and Strategy is a key member of the administrative executive team of the Pritzker School of Molecular Engineering (PME), reporting directly to the Dean of the PME. The position serves as the lead administrator in student affairs, community outreach, corporate engagement, academic program development and expansion, and divisional policy in student affairs. The Senior Associate Dean works with the Dean of the PME to manage the organization's strategic planning and growth efforts and works with the Senior Associate Dean for Administration and COO, and PME executive leadership to align organizational goals to the annual strategic plans. They oversee the analysis of broad and complex academic information/programs and provide recommendations based on results. The Senior Associate Dean remains aware of the unit's strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats, providing viable insights, trends, data analysis, and process improvement recommendations to drive contributing to the strategic direction of the School. They provide innovative thought leadership and support for key initiatives, lead the development of new programs with internal and external partners and stakeholders, and continually seek ways to add value as the PME matures.

Responsibilities

• Leads divisional strategic planning and implementation on a wide array of matters related to academic program development and expansion, student affairs policies, corporate engagement, educational outreach, career services, community outreach, and postdoctoral affairs. 
• Provides leadership, vision, and administrative oversight for the Office of the Dean of Students, including, but not limited to divisional recruitment and admissions strategy and protocol; policies for student programs; student services; graduate student enrollment and funding; and student well-being. 
• Provides strategic leadership for the career development and recruitment pipelines, including programming for graduate students and postdoctoral scholars; engaging faculty and administrative partners in employer development; and supporting the career development of students across PME’s academic programs. 
• Determines and oversees the successful implementation administration of PME's postdoctoral program development and delivery, including the design, implementation, and management of programs to recruit high-quality postdocs, providing resources and support in all aspects of their training and career preparation. 
• Ensures the PME’s Office of Corporate Engagement has an effective strategy for connecting companies across the industry spectrum to the state-of-the-art facilities and cutting-edge research at PME. Oversees efforts to engage current and potential industry partners by understanding current industry challenges, priorities, and needs, and then connecting those needs to PME and University resources. 
• Oversees PME’s community outreach and engagement efforts, including educational training and outreach programs for graduate students, postdoctoral scholars, and faculty, engaging local communities, schools, and institutions.  
• Leads the PME’s partnership with City Colleges of Chicago (CCC) to provide CCC students access to PME research, facilities, and mentoring. Oversees faculty participation, student engagement, program development and administration, and partners with CCC faculty on student recruitment.  
• Provides guidance for comm