Academic Program Director - Life Sciences

University of Southern California•Los Angeles, CA

3d•Onsite

About The Position

The University of Southern California (USC) is seeking an Academic Program Director in the Academic Services Hub within the USC Dana and David Dornsife College of Letters, Arts and Sciences. This role will directly lead academic program management, student support, and instructional lab groups within the hub, with indirect supervision of the administrative/clerical group. The director will collaborate with the Senior Office Manager and Associate Dean of Academic Services to ensure the hub effectively manages the operational capacity of departments within its division. The hub director acts as a key interface between department chairs and hub staff, serving as the main point of contact, identifying needs, synthesizing and implementing solutions, and facilitating relationships between faculty and staff. This position requires strong problem-solving, critical analysis, and interpersonal skills, with the ability to develop trust, empathy, and direction in leadership. The role involves partnering with various USC departments and central offices, managing large teams with diverse functions, and navigating complex environments collaboratively to balance the needs of departments, faculty, students, and staff.

Requirements

Master's degree
Combined experience/education as substitute for minimum education
7 years of experience
Combined experience/education as substitute for minimum work experience
Experience developing programs, partnerships, and funding sources.
Proven experience in management/leadership roles, overseeing staff and building and maintaining relationships with domestic and international stakeholders.
Experience resolving inquiries and complaints, and presenting information to varied audiences and maintain confidentiality.
Proven analytical skills, exhibiting fluency in specialized areas.
Outstanding interpersonal, oral, and written communication skills, with exemplary attention to detail.
Experience in higher education and/or customer service.
Proven ability to plan, implement, coordinate and organize program logistics.
Demonstrated database/data entry experience.
Proven project management and problem solving skills, able to handle multiple timelines, changing priorities, and fluctuating workloads.

Nice To Haves

10 plus years of experience in higher education, specifically working with academic departments
Experience working with instructional lab groups
Knowledge of the life sciences as an academic discipline
Master's degree
10 years in an academic leadership role in higher education
Proven track record of grant writing.
Experience developing project ideas and in various academic fields with industry leaders, policy makers and analysts.

Responsibilities

Directly lead the academic program management, student support and instructional lab groups in the hub.
Indirectly supervise the administrative/clerical group of the hub.
Work collaboratively with the Senior Office Manager and Associate Dean of Academic Services to ensure the hub effectively leads and manages the operational capacity of each department in that division.
Serve as an interface between chairs and hub staff.
Serve as the main point of contact for chairs.
Work with chairs to identify needs and then synthesize and implement with hub staff.
Facilitate the relationship between faculty and staff with key knowledge and interest in workflows, processes and procedures.
Problem solve and critically analyze situations to both meet the needs of the departments and advocate for the staff.
Listen to constructive feedback and engage in action-oriented discussions; developing common goals and outcomes with critical stakeholders.
Develop strong working relationships with staff and faculty where trust, empathy and direction are key driving elements of leadership.
Partner with multiple constituencies including but not limited to Dornsife Undergraduate Education, Office of Graduate and Professional Programs, Administration and Finance and other central USC departments (USC Registrar, Provosts Office, etc).
Effectively manage large teams with differing functions.
Navigate complex and dynamic environments that will require a collaborative approach to balance advocacy for the departments, faculty, students and staff.
Perform other related duties as assigned or requested.