Director of Academic Operations - Physician Assistant

POSITION SUMMARY: 

The Director of Academic Operations is an embedded academic systems and workflow specialist within the PA Department, responsible for designing, integrating, documenting, training, and sustaining academic operations systems that directly support curriculum delivery, assessment, program evaluation, and accreditation alignment. This individual partners with faculty, staff, and leadership to identify workflow needs, pain points, and success criteria within the PA Department and all PA program locations to ensure operational efficiency. The Director owns and evolves program academic operations systems that support curriculum delivery, assessment execution, program evaluation, and accreditation readiness. The individual provides support for specific academic systems and automations (e.g., troubleshooting workflow failures, resolving data issues, supporting faculty/staff during high-stakes assessment windows), escalating infrastructure or enterprise issues as appropriate. Iterate solutions based on stakeholder feedback and evolving program requirements. The Director works independently and coordinates project activities, including system testing as needed technology innovation.

Incumbent must assure that the University philosophy: quality services to students and colleagues; development, growth, involvement, and recognition of employees; sound economic principles; and environment which is conducive to innovation, positive thinking and expansion - is considered in carrying out the duties and responsibilities of this position.

ESSENTIAL FUNCTIONS:

1. Design and maintain specific workflow automations across core academic processes (e.g., curriculum mapping updates, assessment reporting pipelines, accreditation evidence capture, meeting documentation workflows).
2. Coordinates and arranges communication, committee meetings, and agendas, to include travel or virtual settings. Transcribe minutes and newsletters.
3. Maintains SharePoint Intranet website for the department.
4. Lead systems integration and interoperability across programmatic technology platforms, which may include:

• ExamSoft (exam administration workflows, outcomes tagging, item analysis exports, reporting-ready datasets)
• LMS integrations (e.g., Brightspace-related data flows such as rosters, outcomes, grading exports, course shell processes)
• Program data repositories used for curriculum alignment and accreditation reporting

1. Build and maintain structured data models that enable:

1. • Blueprint mapping (content tagging, coverage reporting, longitudinal views across didactic/clinical phases)
   • Accreditation alignment evidence tracking (standards mapping, artifact indexing, retrieval workflows)
   • Cross-campus/cross-cohort centralized consistency in curriculum and assessment metadata

1. Ensure data quality, governance, and audit-ready documentation for academic operations (Source-of-truth definitions, field standards, naming conventions, versioning practices; Change logs and documentation that supports accreditation review and internal continuity)
2. Produce and maintain documentation and enablement materials, including:

• Schemas, workflow maps, data dictionaries, system architecture summaries
• Step-by-step guides, demos, and adoption resources
• Screen-recorded walkthroughs and short training videos (voice-over + captions as appropriate)

1. Train and support faculty and staff adoption of academic systems, focusing on practical use, accuracy, and sustainability.
2. Advise Department/Program/College leadership on tooling strategy, scalability, vendor fit, and responsible AI enablement for academic operations.
3. Coordinate with central IT and vendors to align systems with institutional standards (security, access control, data retention), while retaining ownership of operational workflows and requirements.
4. Maintain an inventory of academic technology assets, integrations, and dependencies; recommend enhancements and risk mitigations.
5. Translate needs into maintainable technical outputs, including:

1. • Functional requirements and user stories
   • Data models (relational tables, structured spreadsheets, etc.)
   • Workflow and integration designs (automation maps, event flows)
   • Accreditation and curriculum alignment artifacts that support reporting and evidence needs

1. Maintain and refresh requirements, documentation, and standard operating procedures over time.
2. Facilitates and provides oversight for PA Department events, website, marketing, and social media content.
3. Interprets, implements, and ensures compliance with university academic and administrative policies and procedures within an operating unit. Recommends new internal policies, guidelines, and procedures.
4. Serves as the primary point of administrative contact and liaison with other university offices, individuals, and departments to collaborate on standard operating procedures to sustain the College.
5. Perform other duties aligned with academic systems architecture, department management, and operational enablement to support the PA programs.

REQUIRED QUALIFICATIONS:

Education and Experience:

• Bachelor’s degree in Educational Technology, Data Analytics/Engineering, Project Management, Instructional Design, Computer Science, Information Systems, or other related field is preferred, or equivalent experience. Master’s degree preferred.
• Minimum 2 years of progressively responsible experience in at least two of the following:
  • Academic technology solution design and support (platform builds, workflows, stakeholder enablement)
  • Workflow automation/orchestration
  • Data modeling and structured data management
  • Application programming concepts and integration troubleshooting
  • Training and documentation development (guides, demos, videos)
• Former academic role in PA, medical education, or operations Strong leadership and strategic planning skills.
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills including the ability to build successful relationships with students, faculty and business partners.
• Excellent time management and attention to detail.
• Excellent critical thinking, conflict resolution, and decision-making skills.
• Computer based skills (i.e., software, analytical, and report writing skills) and experience with computerized learning management systems.
• Operate with strong judgment in high-stakes academic contexts (assessment windows, compliance timelines).
• Translate program operational needs into technical requirements and sustainable builds.
• Ability to manage multiple tasks and successfully meet deadlines.
• Design, debug, and maintain advanced formulas and workflow logic.
• Apply principles and troubleshoot integrations using structured data
• Build and maintain automation workflows and projects without continued direct supervision.
• Create high-quality documentation and training media that improves adoption and continuity.
• Maintain reliability and data integrity over time, including change management discipline.
• Balance innovation with usability in a faculty/staff-facing environment.
• Ability to develop professional rapport and work effectively, cooperatively, and flexibly in a diverse team environment.
• Ability to effectively present information to employees, students, Faculty, Academic and Campus Leaders, and Corporate Leaders.
• Ability to embrace and lead change.

Preferred Qualifications:

• Direct experience supporting graduate-level health professions education and related program operations (curriculum, assessment, accreditation).
• Experience with ExamSoft or comparable assessment platforms; familiarity with outcomes tagging and item analysis reporting workflows.
• Experience with curriculum mapping and/or standards alignment (e.g., PANCE blueprint and/or ARC-PA accreditation standards).
• Programming fundamentals (such as JavaScript or Python) sufficient for scripting, transformations, and automation support.
• Experience implementing responsible workflows in an academic/ regulated environment.

WORK ENVIRONMENT:

The work environment characteristics described here are representative of those encountered while performing the essential functions of this position. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable qualified individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions of the position.

South University is an Equal Opportunity Employer and embraces diversity as a critical step in ensuring employee, student and graduate success. We are committed to building and developing a diverse environment where a variety of ideas, cultures, and perspectives can thrive.