Assistant Director, Online Faculty Relations

Brandeis University is delighted to announce a career opportunity as the Assistant Director of Online Faculty Relations, Rabb School. At Brandeis, we offer a competitive benefits and compensation package which includes medical, dental and life insurances.  If you are looking to advance your career through educational opportunities, Brandeis offers tuition assistance for employees, dependents and spouses.  Our 403b retirement savings plan includes a generous match.

The Assistant Director of Online Faculty Relations oversees talent management and facilitates faculty development within the Rabb School at Brandeis University. This includes assessing and maintaining teaching capacity across programs, defining hiring plans, ensuring policy compliance, and managing communications for instructors, teaching assistants, program chairs and advisory board members. Additionally, the Assistant Director focuses on online faculty talent development and is responsible for collecting information to evaluate teaching effectiveness, reviewing that information with program chairs, and communicating constructive feedback to faculty in a timely manner. This individual also collaborates with internal and university-wide stakeholders to offer a robust collection of online faculty development opportunities, resources and tools.

Key Responsibilities:

Talent Management (60%)

• Assess and maintain appropriate level of teaching capacity and talent needs across new and existing Rabb programs, including instructors, teaching assistants, program chairs, and program advisory board members.

• Define hiring plans and oversee the hiring process for instructors, teaching assistants, program chairs, and program advisory board members.

• Collaborate with the Provost’s Faculty Affairs team to effectively develop and manage contracts for online faculty, online program chairs and teaching assistants following the appropriate Union and Universities policies.

• Assign instructors to courses in accordance with union requirements.

• Collaborate and coordinate with the Provost’s Faculty Affairs team to ensure compensation for instructors, teaching assistants, and program chairs is processed in a timely and accurate manner.

• Works with faculty, teaching assistants and programs chairs to help mediate when teaching and/or classroom management challenges arise throughout the term.

• Monitor and recommend contract renewal/non-renewal and multi-year contract decisions for online faculty and program chairs.

• Ensure all practices and policies are in compliance with the Part-Time Faculty Collective Bargaining Agreement.

• Manage communications to all new and continuing instructors, teaching assistants, program chairs, and advisory board members.

• Manage essential instructor resources, including schedules, calendars, handbooks, university and school-wide policies and procedures, etc.

• Manage faculty and program chair involvement in course design projects.

• Work with program chairs to establish annual faculty meetings, providing thought partnership on topics to cover as well as scheduling support.

• Assist with the departmental budget process, tracking faculty teaching and course development-related costs and projecting future compensation costs for future academic years.

• Resolve issues, interpret policies, and develop and refine services and processes.

• Performs all other duties and responsibilities as assigned or directed by the supervisor.

Online Faculty Talent Development (30%)

• Organize and facilitate orientation for new online instructors, teaching assistants, and program chairs.

• Collaborate with Rabb’s academic leadership, Learning Design Team and the Center for Teaching & Learning to develop and implement a robust, ongoing program of online faculty development opportunities, resources and tools.

• Conduct course audits to evaluate teaching effectiveness and instructional quality for instructors and teaching assistants throughout the session and support course reviews as needed.

• Coordinate with Institutional Research to manage the mid-course and end-of-course evaluation processes.

• Coordinate with Program Chairs to review faculty performance metrics and disseminate feedback to instructors in a timely and constructive manner.

• Conduct exit interviews and analyze data to identify patterns and root causes of faculty departures.

• Analyze factors contributing to faculty turnover and develop retention strategies to mitigate attrition.

• Monitor satisfaction levels among instructors, program chairs, and teaching assistants and proactively address issues to enhance overall job satisfaction and engagement.

• Create communication campaigns that support teaching excellence throughout the session life-cycle and create community among instructors.

Scheduling (10%)

• Collaborate with internal stakeholders to coordinate faculty and program chair involvement in marketing and program promotion initiatives, mentorship opportunities, course scheduling decisions and other departmental projects/needs.

• Assess course schedules to ensure they maximize per-course enrollments and minimize course cancellations.

• Determine course schedule adjustments during the registration period in collaboration with colleagues from admissions and student services.

Education & Work Experience:

• Bachelors required, Master’s degree preferred.

• 3-5 years of experience in faculty services, talent development/recruitment, HR or higher education administration, experience working and supporting asynchronous online graduate programs and adjunct faculty in higher education and/or with union.

Qualifications:

• Able to establish strong relationships and collaboratively with faculty, colleagues, and other stakeholders across the university.

• Proficiency in software applications such as Microsoft Word, Excel, Google spreadsheets, etc

• Experience using Learning Management Systems. Moddle preferred.

• Experience working with a CRM, preference with Slate

• Able to function independently and as part of a team.

• Clear, effective, and diplomatic communication skills.

• Able to demonstrate sound judgment and initiative in solving problems.

Commitment to Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion
Diversity, equity and inclusion are important values at Brandeis today and always have been for they are rooted in our founding as an institution. These values serve as a reminder for self-reflection, and a continuous call to grow for us as Brandeisans.  Founded as a model institution for ethnic and religious pluralism, Brandeis University welcomes students, faculty, and staff of all nationalities, religions, and orientations.  Moreover, social justice is central to the mission of Brandeis, which endeavors to foster a just and inclusive campus culture that embraces the evolving diversity of our larger society.  Read more online about our Mission and Diversity Statements at Brandeis Mission and Diversity Statements.

If you are interested in a role and have relevant experience but your work history does not align perfectly with every qualification in the job description, we nevertheless encourage you to apply.

Closing Statement

Brandeis University is committed to providing its students, faculty and staff with an environment conducive to learning and working and where all people are treated with respect and dignity. We are an equal opportunity employer and all qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, ancestry, national origin, ethnicity, caste, sex, pregnancy, sexual orientation, gender identity/expression, including transgender identity, religion, disability, age, genetics, active military or veteran status and any other characteristics protected under applicable federal or Massachusetts law.