Program Director – Department Chair

This is a fully remote position, open to applicants in United States.

📋 Description

• Provide leadership to attain the highest standards of excellence in scholarship, teaching, and service activities by academic department members.

• Facilitate annual goal setting for faculty and the department.

• Foster a culture that embraces change and innovation.

• Supervise core and part-time faculty, ensuring equitable workloads and contributions to departmental and university objectives.

• Guide and coordinate faculty workload planning to support professional aspirations and work-life balance while meeting departmental and student needs.

• Monitor faculty engagement in courses to guarantee quality teaching and effective communication with students.

• Ensure instructional quality in alignment with institutional learning objectives.

• Maintain and implement processes for faculty appointments, contract renewals, rank applications, and professional development.

• Conduct annual evaluations of core faculty and maintain open feedback channels throughout the year.

• Oversee adjunct faculty course engagement and evaluations, providing necessary guidance and support.

• Assess part-time faculty performance for reappointment considerations.

• Communicate and coordinate with Human Resource Services, Labor Relations, and the Office of General Counsel on personnel matters as needed.

• Coordinate the execution of the unit's educational programs with faculty, scheduling courses and assigning instructors in consultation with specialization coordinators, faculty, and the dean's office.

• Monitor course registrations and adjust course schedules and instructor assignments in collaboration with other departments/programs and the dean's office.

• Communicate new academic policies and procedures, including grading and evaluation deadlines, to all faculty.

• Collaborate with Academic Affairs to deliver an effective faculty orientation program, reviewing Saybrook University’s policies and providing LMS training.

• Plan and manage the unit's budget in consultation with the dean’s office.

• Manage budget expectations and present departmental recruitment requests.

• Approve faculty and FWS schedules, pay, and expenses.

• Serve as a primary contact for addressing questions, concerns, and communications from students, faculty, staff, and other stakeholders, with the goal of resolving issues at the department level.

• Keep the Dean informed of relevant matters.

• Facilitate administrative and departmental faculty meetings and committees.

• Address faculty and student inquiries related to academic progress.

• Lead recruitment efforts for faculty replacement or growth when resources are available.

• Ensure that the department and college's diversity goals are met by maintaining a diverse pool of highly qualified candidates.

• All core faculty are expected to play a significant role in recruiting prospective students and processing admissions.

• Review and interview applications, utilizing established systems to move applicants through the review process efficiently.

• Build relationships and maintain regular communication with relevant university and system partners.

• Coordinate and participate in annual academic program and faculty review processes to meet accreditation requirements and those of external accrediting bodies as necessary.

• Facilitate regular program reviews to ensure relevance and pedagogical innovation.

• Monitor curriculum and recommend changes to meet the evolving needs of students and the University.

• Coordinate curricular changes within the department before forwarding them to the appropriate college and University committees.

• Support curricular and course development processes for both new and existing programs to keep content and pedagogy current and relevant.

• Regularly review and support degree program policies, coordinate catalog revisions, and update website managers with program changes.

• Propose new initiatives, programs, and projects; organize and facilitate the approval of new course offerings and learning outcomes; support the maintenance and growth of the academic program.

• Teach specific courses and serve on student research committees.

• All faculty members at Saybrook University are expected to be accessible and responsive to students.

• Course-level faculty engagement expectations are outlined in the faculty handbook.

• Utilize university-provided resources to enhance technology skills specific to each program and process.

⛳️ Requirements

• Doctorate (PhD or PsyD) in Clinical Psychology from a regionally accredited institution of higher education.

• At least 5 years of combined faculty and administrative experience, including leadership within a doctoral-level program.

• Direct experience leading an American Psychological Association (APA) accredited doctoral program.

• License or certification in the relevant discipline (e.g., clinical psychology, counseling, coaching, etc.) as appropriate.

• Experience interfacing with institutional accreditors (e.g., WSCUC and HLC) and state regulatory/licensure bodies.

• Strong interpersonal, collaboration, and communication abilities.

• Willingness to develop robust organizational, delegation, and follow-through skills.

• Experience leading projects and/or teams.

• A record of scholarship sufficient to support and facilitate faculty scholarly activity at the doctoral faculty level.

• A passion for innovative pedagogy and demonstrated teaching excellence in online and hybrid settings.

• Established history of meaningful service to the department, university, discipline, and/or community.

🏝️ Benefits

• Generous paid time-off.

• Medical and dental insurance coverage.

• Life and disability insurance.

• Retirement plan with employer contribution.

• Multiple flexible spending accounts.

• Tuition reimbursement.