Senior Accreditation Specialist

The Senior Accreditation Specialist is regarded as the content expert in specialized/programmatic accreditations. This role is responsible for providing training and mentorship to other accreditation team members and managing complex accreditation projects, such as new accreditation pursuits, under the guidance of the supervisor of specialized accreditation. The senior specialist works collaboratively with cross-functional project teams to produce high-quality, on-time accreditation deliverables (including, but not limited to, accreditation applications, self-studies, and site visits, as well as annual, interim, and substantive change reporting).
This role reports to the Supervisor, Specialized Accreditation and works closely with Academic Quality and Effectiveness (AQE) team members, faculty and academic leadership, and functional experts.
This is a hybrid or remote position depending on your location to our headquarters in Minneapolis, MN. If hybrid you will be required to be onsite two days per week, and additional days as needed.

Essential Duties & Responsibilities:

Project Management and Communication

• Collaborate with academic owners, institutional leadership, and other accreditation staff to develop and execute project plans for written deliverables and data reports across the accreditation life cycle, including applications, self-studies, appendices/evidence, addenda, and annual/interim/substantive change reports.
• Enable transparency of activities and results by leading accreditation meetings, maintaining relevant documentation, and consistently communicating status updates, including risk assessment results.
• Actively manage relationships with external agencies as primary contacts via timely and appropriate communications, conference attendance, service to the profession, and engagement.
• Manage communications and execute logistics for work sessions and site visits to successfully host external evaluators, academic owners/faculty, and internal participants and stakeholders. Such logistics include preparing meeting agendas, booking travel, lodging, and meals, scheduling meeting rooms, coordinating IT access, and providing orientation training.

Content Management and Analysis

• Act as accreditation subject matter expert (SME) on assigned accreditation projects and a central expert on the accreditor/agency/board, its expectations and process, and the program’s fulfillment of the accreditor’s expectations.
• Research and understand external rules, policies, and standards to maintain the breadth and depth of accreditation knowledge and content expertise.
• Identify and compile supporting resources and documentation to facilitate internal work sessions or reviews by an external review team.
• Assist the academic owners and SMEs with ongoing audits and updates of academic programs’ alignment with the current accreditation standards.
• Conduct critical reading of accreditation deliverable content, interpret data, and advise accreditation specialists, academic SMEs, and leaders on content and/or program needs to best respond to external requirements for self-studies and reporting.
• Provide advanced writing and proofreading support across accreditation portfolios for candidate/accredited programs during pursuit and maintenance.

Mentorship and Consultation

• Collaborate with the supervisor on onboarding new team members.
• Assist the supervisor with the development and improvement of processes, tools, and training resources.
• Provide training and consultation services on external rules and standards to accreditation specialists, academic leaders, and SMEs to facilitate accreditation knowledge transfer.
• Act as a consultant to the department and institutional leadership during all phases of accreditation, approval, and recognition initiatives from initial readiness through maintenance and re-accreditation.

Job Skills:

• Demonstrated ability to conceptualize, plan, manage, prioritize, and complete complex concurrent projects.
• Strong critical thinking and analysis skills.
• Ability to understand and synthesize complex external policies, accreditation policies and standards, etc.
• Advanced writing and proofreading skills.
• Ability to perform basic data analysis, interpret results, and summarize data in tables, figures, and text.
• Strong presentation skills.
• Strong accuracy and attention to detail.
• Ability to effectively communicate, both up and down the organizational hierarchy.
• Ability to effectively respond to stressful or ambiguous situations.
• Advanced MS Office skills, including Excel, Word, and PowerPoint, with the ability to create and format professional documents, tables, and spreadsheets.

Work Experience:

• Background in one or more of the following: curriculum, higher education policy, accreditation, and legal/regulatory compliance.
• Preferred 3+ years of experience with developing and assembling complex accreditation deliverables (e.g., self-studies, written documents, and supporting materials for submission to authorizing agencies, etc)

Education:

• Master’s degree from an accredited institution required.

Other:

• Must be able to travel occasionally should a business need arise. For most roles travel would not be common. Travel may involve plane, car or metro. In accordance with ADA policies, reasonable accommodations regarding travel limitations can be provided. Travel will be more common for roles such as Account Executives (25 - 50%), senior leaders (10 – 20%) or Capella Core Faculty (5 – 10%). 
• Ability to work onsite in Corporate or Campus location (in a typical office environment) may be required based on role. If so, this would include being mobile within the office, including movement from floor-to-floor using elevators or stairs.
• If offsite or hybrid role, must have access to work in setting which enables meeting all requirements of the role (including privacy, reliable internet access, phone, ability to video conference, etc.) at a remote location.
• Faculty and Federal Work Study roles require access to work in setting which enables meeting all requirements of the role (including computer, privacy, reliable internet access, phone, ability to video conference, etc.) at a remote location.
• This role may require lifting, however reasonable accommodations will be provided in accordance with our ADA policies.
• Must be able to meet critical thinking and problem solving aspects aligned to job duties, as well as effectively communicating with co-workers.
• Must be able to work more than 40 hours per week when business needs warrant. Accommodations related to schedule may be considered. 
• Able to access information using a computer.
• Other essential functions and marginal job functions are subject to modification.

• SEI is an Equal Opportunity employer committed to a diverse and inclusive community. We welcome applications from all. While it is not typical for an individual to be hired at or near the top end of the pay range at SEI, we offer a competitive salary and benefits package.  The actual base pay offered to the successful candidate may vary depending on multiple factors including, but not limited to, job-related knowledge/skills, experience, business needs, geographical location, and internal pay equity. Our Talent Acquisition Team is ready to discuss your interest in joining SEI. The expected salary range for this position is below.

$66,000.00 - $99,000.00 - Salary

If you require reasonable accommodations to complete our application process, please contact our Human Resources Department at [email protected] .