Senior Director of Curriculum and Instruction - Saint Mary's University

Saint Mary's University of Minnesota is seeking a Senior Director of Curriculum and Instruction who is eager to contribute to its Lasallian Catholic mission of awakening, nurturing, and empowering learners to ethical lives of service and leadership. We invite individuals to help transform lives through education, inspired by the Catholic Intellectual Tradition’s quest to understand the human experience through faith and reason and its embrace of all who are dedicated to learning from one another through authentic conversations in search of the truth. We are especially interested in and give preference to candidates who demonstrate a vision to create and nurture initiatives that will advance our mission within the scope of their duties and who will foster a culture of dialogue that, with respect for all people, supports the search for meaning and purpose in pursuit of excellence.

Under the direction of the Vice President of Academic Affairs, the Senior Director of Curriculum and Instruction provides leadership for curricular processes that support the university-wide management of curriculum and instruction. The Senior Director is directly involved in the development and redevelopment of new programs as well as the delivery and support of courses at all levels of the university, overseeing the Learning Design team’s work on course design and builds for internal offerings, and overseeing the Instructional Technology (Ed Tech) team’s work on LMS administration. The Senior Director of Curriculum and Instruction is also responsible for leading academic operations for online programs within the School of Graduate and Professional Programs (SGPP).

• In collaboration with the deans and curriculum committees, facilitates the design and approval of the curricular structure for new programs, according to sound educational principles and in a timely manner.
• Serve as the primary liaison for third party online partnerships, and support the development and implementation of the management of the internal online programs.
• Leads and manages innovative and ongoing quality improvements for online learning.
• Collaborates with the Registrar to ensure that all catalogs for the University accurately reflect the approved programs of study, policies, and procedures.
• Supervises the Director of Learning Design, Director of Instructional Technology, and the Director of Faculty Development.
• Creates and sustains collaboration among the Center for Excellence in Learning and Teaching, the Learning Design team, and Instructional Technology unit to ensure curricular and instructional excellence.
• Ensures university-wide curricular and instructional support for faculty, department chairs, and program directors.
• Creates and maintains the university program development process.
• Manages resources and capacities of the Learning Design team to provide coordinated and supportive accompaniment to program staff and faculty to create and revise programs and courses.
• Supports and guides the staff and operations of the Instructional Technology team in the administration of Canvas, including delivery and troubleshooting.
• Supports the coordination and archiving of curriculum committee submissions and documentation.
• Is directly involved in the program development and redevelopment process.
• Collaborates with the office of Accreditation, Compliance and Assessment to ensure proper compliance and accreditation reporting.
• Participates in the overall planning for academic functions across the University.
• Coordinates policy development and implementation related to curriculum and instruction.
• Promotes effective communication surrounding curriculum and program planning activities.
• Hires and oversees the onboarding of staff in the reporting unit.
• Manage the development, implementation, and ongoing administration of the Saint Mary’s online graduate programs at SGPP
• Establish and maintain cooperative working relationships with deans and program directors for the success of their online programs
• Facilitate and document weekly operational meetings, monthly tactical meetings, and bi-annual strategic meetings with appropriate participants
• Use data to drive: 1) decision-making to proactively identify opportunities for process improvement, 2) synthesize insights into actionable recommendations and priorities, and 3) operational workflow improvements
• Participates in University events and celebrations, and serves on academic campus committees, University task forces, or other groups as appropriate or the need arises.
• Manages and updates content on the Faculty Resource Page
• Performs other duties as assigned.

Essential skills and functions:

• Excellent interpersonal, communication (written and verbal), and problem-solving skills.
• Ability to think strategically in alignment with university priorities.
• Possess academic program and curricular design skills.
• Understand university systems and units that are involved in the development and launching of new programs.
• Ability to navigate multi-campus and organizational environments involving continuous change.
• Ability to build cross-functional teams and work with and a capacity to effectively interact and partner with various internal and external constituencies.
• Demonstrated skills in project creation, development, implementation and evaluation.
• Detail-oriented and able to manage multiple projects simultaneously.
• Develop and maintain good working relationships and communication at all levels of the organization.
• Self-motivated with the ability to work effectively alone and within a team environment.
• Support, respect, and advance the mission of Saint Mary’s University as a Lasallian Catholic institution.

Qualifications:

• A master’s degree in fields such as education/teaching/instructional design is required; a doctoral degree is preferred.
• At least 7 years of experience in educational and curricular design, including strategic experience in design and evaluation at the course, program level, and institutional level.
• Experience in “backward design” for adult learning.
• Specific expertise in the use of digital environments in higher education as a medium for delivering learning, including learning management systems such as Canvas, Blackboard, Taskstream, or Portfolium.
• Experience working with an OPM provider.
• Preference for teaching experience at the undergraduate, graduate or doctoral levels.
• May consider other acceptable equivalent combinations of training and experience.

Apply online at https://www.smumn.edu/about/offices-services/human-resources/employment-opportunities/ and include a cover letter, resume, and contact information for three professional references.

Saint Mary’s University of Minnesota believes inclusion and human dignity contributes to a robust academic and work environment and is critical to achieving the University's mission in an increasingly diverse society. Individuals with expertise and diverse skills from underrepresented groups are especially encouraged to apply. Saint Mary’s University of Minnesota is an equal opportunity/affirmative action employer. The successful candidate must support, respect, and advance the mission of Saint Mary's University as a Lasallian Catholic institution.

Saint Mary’s offers a comprehensive benefit package including health, dental, vision, life and disability insurance, flexible spending, retirement pension plan, and both undergraduate and graduate tuition remission plans.

All offers of employment are contingent upon the successful completion of a criminal background check.