Associate Director of Assessment and Accreditation

Compensation Range:

Position Summary

The Associate Director of Assessment and Accreditation plays a key operational role in supporting the assessment and accreditation of academic programs within the College. Reporting to the Associate Dean of Academic Affairs, this position collaborates closely with the Associate Director of Curriculum, Department Chairs, Academic Program Directors (APDs), Faculty Subject Matter Experts (SMEs), the NU Office of Accreditation and Assessment, the Office of Strategy and Innovation, and faculty to support the implementation of assessment activities and accreditation initiatives. This position serves as the college’s point of contact between the schools and university committees engaged with instructional research and departments involved with academic assessment and accreditation.

The Associate Director helps coordinate the collection and reporting of assessment data, supports the APDs in preparation of annual and five-year program reviews, assists with the updating and management of the assessment management system, and provides feedback and recommendations to the APDs on curriculum drafts to ensure student learning outcomes can be effectively measured. Provides strong operational leadership that translates institutional priorities into effective assessment and accreditation practices, supporting continuous improvement across academic programs.

Essential Functions:

ASSESSMENT & COORDINATION AND FACULTY COLLABORATION

• Support the planning and coordination of assessment activities across the college, ensuring alignment with academic goals, operational timelines and program needs.
• Serve as key liaison between Academic Program Directors (APD’s), Faculty, Subject Matter Experts (SME’s) and academics.
• Directs operations to facilitate the collection of assessment data.
• Implements program level assessment activities.
• Collaborate with faculty and APD’s to support their role in assessment including assisting with the development and of Course Learning Outcomes (CLO’s), Module Learning Outcomes (MLO’s), Program Learning Outcomes (PLO’s), and rubrics.
• Communicate student assessment results to college administration and faculty.
• Work in partnership with the NU Office of Accreditation and Assessment and the Office of Strategy Innovation to ensure assessment practices meet institutional standards and follow established templates and framework.
• Maintain active communication with the Associate Director of Curriculum to ensure assessment efforts and curriculum development efforts are aligned.
• Act as the College’s primary point of contact in relation to the use of the university’s assessment management tool and assessment dashboards.
• Assist in delivering faculty training and developing faculty-facing support materials related to assessment processes, rubrics, and outcomes measurement.
• Collaborate with other Assessment and Accreditation Directors and AVPs for Accreditation and Assessment to continuously discuss best practices, improve processes and seek opportunities for growth/development in and across schools.
• Acts as the primary point of support to the Associate Dean of Academic Affairs regarding Accreditations and state approvals, including preparation of self-studies and Q/A reports.

ASSESSMENT PROCESS MANAGEMENT

• Coordinate the completion of annual assessment reports and full program reviews, including tracking faculty involvement and supporting internal and external review activities.
• Manage the College’s use of the university’s assessment management tool and assessment dashboards by maintaining records, generating reports, and serving as a day-to-day point of contact for users.
• Track and organize assessment feedback from faculty, students, and program leadership to identify areas needing revision or enhancement.
• In consultation with the faculty and APD develop, format, and review of scoring instruments (rubrics), surveys, and other assessment tools used by the College.
• Facilitate and support APD in information gathering from stakeholders (students, alumni, faculty, staff, employers, etc.) by helping to develop and deploy ad-hoc surveys.
• Produce reports as needed based on Student Records System (SRS) data, assessment results collected through the assessment management system, dashboards, or sources used by National University to inform improvements to the student learning experience.
• Communicate updates to assessment-related processes to school staff and faculty in a timely manner.

GOVERNANCE & CONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENTS

• Manage the preparation and submission of assessment-related proposals through school and university-level governance processes.
• Assist in implementing assessment changes through the University governance process.
• Manage assessment changes through the WASC Senior College and University Commission (WSCUC) and other programmatic accreditors’ review processes.
• Maintain accurate record keeping in the University approved content management system.  
• Collaborate with APDs and faculty in the preparation of self-studies, Q/A reports, and other documentation supporting accreditation and state approvals.
• Promotes a continuous improvement culture by identifying opportunities for process enhancements, faculty engagement, and stronger integration across academic programs.
• Complete special projects assigned by the Dean, Associate Dean, or Department Chair.

Supervisory Responsibilities: N/A

Requirements:

Education & Experience:

• Bachelor’s degree in related field required or, equivalent combination of education and experience.
• 8+ years of experience in higher education including experience with academic assessment theory and practice.
• Demonstrated experience supporting assessment activities in higher education, including graduate online education or various modalities offered to adult learners.
• Experience with AACSB, ACBSP, IACBE and/or ABET accreditation or programmatic accreditors or regional accreditors.
• Experience using assessment management systems.
• Experience using statistical analysis.

Competencies/Technical/Functional Skills:

• Working knowledge of assessment management, and implementation.
• Working knowledge of school, university-level, and regional accreditation governance processes.
• Skill in collaborating with multiple constituencies to support assessment and research activities.
• Awareness of current trends and directions in assessment in higher education.
• Familiarity with programmatic accreditation standards and requirements.
• Working knowledge of research methods and design.
• Ability to participate as an active team member in an organization and work toward a common goal. Contributes fully to the team effort and plays an integral part in the smooth running of teams without necessarily taking the lead.
• Actively seeks to influence, build effective relationships and gain alignment with peers, functional partners and/or external partners to accomplish business objectives. 
• Develops new insights into situations; questions conventional approaches; encourages new ideas and innovations; designs and implements new or cutting-edge programs/processes.  Ability to generate and/or recognize imaginative or creative solutions that generate successful outcomes.
• Working knowledge, principles and practices of office management/systems within a higher education environment, preferred.
• Ability to drive towards achieving measurable and challenging goals to support organizational success. Demonstrates the ability to focus on achieving results consistent with the organization’s objectives.
• Strong interpersonal skills and the ability to effectively communicate with a wide range of individuals and constituencies in a diverse community.
• Work independently and foster a cooperative spirit within a large and/or small team of diverse cultures, while working in a fast-paced environment with multiple deadlines and frequently changing priorities.
• Intermediate use of computers and Microsoft Office Suite Applications such as Word, Excel, Power Point, Outlook.

Location: Remote, USA

Travel: Occasional travel may be required for Commencement, meetings, and conferences.

#LI-Remote

Candidate receiving offers will be offered a salary/pay rate commensurate with experience that vary based on a candidate’s qualifications, skills, and competencies.  Absent exceptional circumstances, candidates will be offered a salary within this range for this position. The minimum salary will be offered based on the minimum exemption threshold based on state of residency. Base pay is one component of National University’s total rewards package, as we are dedicated to supporting the needs of the “whole you” with our holistic approach to employee benefits by offering comprehensive well-being benefits for you and your family.  For full details about our benefit plan offerings, please visit benefits.nu.edu. For Part-time benefits, please click here.

National University is committed to maintaining a high-quality workforce representative of the populations we serve. National University employs more than 4,500 faculty and staff and serves over 45,000 students. We are united in our mission to meet the global education demands of the 21st Century and are dedicated to creating a supportive academic and work environment that allows students, faculty and staff to develop their interests and talents while experiencing a sense of community. With programs available both online and at our many campus locations, National University is a leader in creating innovative solutions to education and meeting the needs of our student population, including adult learners and working professionals.

National University (NU) is proud to be an equal opportunity employer and does not discriminate against any employee or applicant per applicable federal, state and local laws. At NU, a mix of highly talented, innovative and creative people come together to make the impact of a lifetime for each of our student learners. All qualified applicants will receive equal consideration for employment, education, and admission at National University.