Dean, Academic Operations and Assistant Chief Academic Officer

University of St. Augustine for Health Sciences Career Center•Austin, TX

132d•$168,500 - $241,500•Onsite

About The Position

The Dean of Academic Operations and Assistant Chief Academic Officer leads the design and execution of systems, infrastructure, and processes that support consistent, high-quality academic delivery across the University of St. Augustine for Health Sciences’ campuses, programs, and modalities. Reporting to the Chief Academic Officer, the Dean translates institutional strategy into operational plans and drives performance in academic scheduling, faculty workload planning, curriculum operations, clinical education, accreditation readiness, policy governance, and continuous improvement. The role partners with academic and administrative leaders to promote operational excellence and student success. This is a campus-based position at one of the university’s five campus locations, with an on-campus presence five days per week. The position requires travel to other U.S. campuses, described as monthly business travel and as 25–30% travel. The Dean oversees strategic execution and operational alignment; instructional pathways and resource coordination; faculty planning and utilization; curriculum operations and policy; policy governance and standardization; academic governance operations; external relations and partnerships; financial and operational management; and academic services. The role provides university-level leadership for academic quality, clinical education effectiveness, clinical readiness, licensure performance, career readiness, curriculum development, and instructional innovation. The position supervises academic leadership as assigned and provides leadership and oversight of academic program leaders through indirect and matrixed reporting relationships. Other related duties may be assigned by the Chief Academic Officer.

Requirements

Minimum of a master’s degree and an earned entry-level clinical degree, such as DPT, OTD, MOT, SLP, MSN, or DNP.
Seven to ten years of progressive academic administrative experience in higher education.
Seven to ten years of professional or educational experience in a health sciences field.
Senior-level administrative ability and university- or college-level faculty employment and teaching experience.
Experience translating institutional strategy into operational execution with responsibility for performance outcomes.
Experience working across multiple programs, campuses, or delivery modalities, including residential, hybrid, or online.
Experience collaborating with program leadership, such as Program Directors, to improve academic outcomes and operational performance.
Professional experience in a health sciences discipline and a strong understanding of graduate-level academic program delivery across multiple modalities.
Experience with hybrid and online education.
Demonstrated success driving operational performance and measurable outcomes in higher education within a health sciences discipline.
Proven senior administrative leadership in complex, multi-campus or matrixed environments and ability to translate strategy into effective operational execution.
Strong talent leadership and organizational development skills, including the ability to build, align, and support high-performing academic teams.
Executive presence and communication skills to influence, align, and mobilize stakeholders across functions and organizational levels.
Ability to identify opportunities, solve complex problems, and drive continuous improvement in dynamic, fast-paced environments.

Nice To Haves

Earned academic or terminal degree, such as PhD, EdD, or DHSc.
Significant knowledge of discipline-specific accreditation requirements, processes, and policies.

Responsibilities

Translate the university’s strategic plan into executable academic operational priorities across programs, campuses, and modalities; align resources and systems, establish accountability structures and performance metrics, and address barriers to execution.
Monitor program performance metrics with Program Strategists and Program Directors, identify variation across campuses, and intervene proactively.
Ensure academic scheduling supports program pathways, student progression, and institutional capacity goals.
Partner with facilities to optimize room and resource use according to enrollment projections and modality needs; support residential and distance delivery, including residency experiences, and improve infrastructure for distance learners on campus.
Collaborate with Program Directors to develop annual faculty assignment plans aligned with workload, accreditation requirements, expertise, and enrollment demand.
Ensure equitable and transparent teaching assignment distribution; develop workload planning and faculty advancement tools; and oversee adjunct faculty recruitment, engagement, retention, and experience initiatives.
Establish university-wide course delivery standards and conduct cross-campus and cross-modality audits of content, delivery, and instructional quality.
Maintain and improve curriculum documentation and workflows for program and course creation, modification, and discontinuation; provide standardized curriculum templates, guidelines, and toolkits.
Research, draft, and periodically review academic policies for alignment with regulatory requirements, accreditation standards, and institutional values.
Oversee academic policy ownership, review cycles, approval pathways, and communication protocols; facilitate cross-campus implementation and standardization; monitor compliance and escalate non-compliance with recommended corrective actions.
Lead cross-functional initiatives to replace fragmented or ad hoc operational practices with documented, scalable workflows.
Manage the structure, membership, charge, and meeting cadence of academic governance committees, including curriculum and academic progression committees.
Support committee chairs; ensure meeting agendas, materials, minutes, and follow-up actions are documented and distributed; track decisions and action items to completion and report outcomes to institutional leadership.
Advance the institution’s reputation and visibility with industry associations, clinical partners, partner schools, professional organizations, regulatory bodies, and alumni.
Strengthen industry partnerships and affiliations to provide students with practical experience, innovative learning, and employment opportunities.
Align resources with strategic priorities, including contingency planning for enrollment or financial variability; standardize processes to meet accreditation and efficiency goals; and develop and manage academic budgets aligned with institutional targets.
Implement workload and staffing models that optimize faculty capacity and operational efficiency.
Oversee academic quality and integrity of the learning model, clinical innovation, and curriculum development initiatives.
Work with academic and institutional management teams on instructional innovations and technologies, and provide faculty support and development for the university’s active, immersive, and technologically engaged learning model.
Lead university-wide initiatives to improve the effectiveness, quality, and outcomes of clinical education across academic programs.
Provide university-level leadership and accountability for the Center for Professional Readiness, supporting collaboration on clinical readiness, licensure performance, and career readiness outcomes.
Perform other related duties and responsibilities as assigned by the Chief Academic Officer.