DEAN OF EDUCATION

Southern Maine Community College • South Portland, ME

4d • Onsite

About The Position

The Dean of Education serves as the College’s Chief Academic Officer (CAO), providing visionary and strategic leadership for all credit and non-credit educational programs. Reporting directly to the President and serving as a key member of the College’s Executive Leadership Team, the Dean of Education is responsible for advancing academic excellence, fostering innovation, and ensuring the continuous enhancement of teaching and learning to meet the evolving needs of students, employers, and the communities served by Southern Maine Community College (SMCC). The Dean of Education provides leadership in the development and implementation of educational policies, academic programs, and strategic initiatives that align with the College's mission and commitment to student success, equity, and Guided Pathways. Key areas of oversight include academic excellence and innovation, student learning and success, accreditation and institutional effectiveness, faculty and staff development, enrollment management and strategic growth, fiscal stewardship and resource allocation, and collaboration with internal and external stakeholders to strengthen workforce development and community partnerships. As the College’s senior academic leader, the Dean of Education champions a data- informed, student-centered culture of continuous improvement and inclusive excellence, ensuring academic integrity and institutional effectiveness while supporting access, retention, completion, and workforce readiness. This position requires a forward-thinking, collaborative, and student-focused leader who is committed to fostering innovation and educational excellence while serving as a visible representative of the College and advancing the mission, values, and strategic priorities of SMCC.

Requirements

• Master’s degree in education, higher education administration, curriculum & instruction, or a closely related field. (Doctoral degree strongly preferred; a Master’s may be considered with extensive senior leadership experience)
• Minimum 5 years of progressively responsible leadership experience in academic affairs or educational administration, with demonstrated experience in program development and faculty leadership, preferably in a community college setting.
• College-level teaching experience, including online or hybrid delivery.
• Demonstrated experience implementing Guided Pathways, completion agenda strategies, or comparable student success frameworks.
• Demonstrated success in developing and implementing innovative educational programs aligned with workforce needs.
• Experience with K-12 partnership development, including dual enrollment, early-college, or concurrent enrollment programs.
• Strong understanding of best practices in teaching and learning, including open educational resources, curriculum and instructional design, and distance learning.
• Proven ability to use disaggregated data to drive-equity focused decision-making and lead continuous improvement efforts.
• Proven ability to foster a culture of collaboration, innovation, and shared governance among faculty and instructional staff.
• Deep understanding of the community college landscape, including the unique challenges and opportunities facing large, open-access, two-year institutions and the evolving nature of the community college mission.
• Expertise in Guided Pathways implementation, including meta-major development, program mapping, advising integration, and cross-functional collaboration.
• Strong analytical and problem-solving skills, with demonstrated ability to use institutional date, student outcomes data, and external labor market information to drive strategy and continuous improvement.
• Excellent leadership and management skills, with the ability to build, develop and retain high-performing educational teams across diverse disciplines.
• Exceptional communication, consensus-building, and interpersonal skills, with the ability to foster strong relationships with faculty, students, executive colleagues, employers, K-12 partners, four-year institutions, and state system leadership.
• Strong understanding of the role of technology in higher education, including instructional technology, distance learning platforms, and data systems.
• Ability to think strategically and develop innovative solutions to complex challenges in a rapidly changing higher education environment.
• Sound judgement in navigating collective bargaining agreements, academic policy, and regulatory compliance.
• Ability to model and sustain a collegial, inclusive, and student-focused institutional culture.

Nice To Haves

• Doctoral degree in education, higher education administration, or a related field.
• Experience serving as a Chief Academic Officer or in a comparable senior academic leadership role at an institution of similar size and complexity.
• Familiarity with NECHE accreditation standards, self-study processes, and substantive change protocols.
• Experience with collective bargaining environments and academic labor relations, including familiarity with MCCS agreements.
• Experience with competency-based education (CBE) design or prior learning assessment (PLA) programs.
• Demonstrated success in building and maintaining strong partnerships with community organizations, industry partners, four-year institutions, and K-12 school systems.
• Experience with strategic enrollment management, including course-scheduling optimization and student pathway planning.

Responsibilities

• Serve as the CAO for all credit programs, with oversight of non-credit educational offerings, ensuring rigor, quality, and continuous enhancement of teaching and learning.
• Champion innovative and high-impact academic practices, including Guided Pathways, co-requisite instruction, interdisciplinary approaches, open educational resources (OER), and master course models, to enhance student learning and workforce readiness.
• Lead the development and implementation of strategic academic initiatives, ensuring alignment with institutional goals, NECHE accreditation standards, MCCS system-wide priorities, and regional community needs.
• Foster a collegial, collaborative academic environment that promotes scholarship, teaching excellence, and shared governance in partnership with Faculty Senate and other faculty leadership bodies.
• Stay current with trends in higher education technology, including instructional technology, distance learning platforms, and learning management systems, encouraging adoption of tools that enhance student access and learning outcomes.
• Serve as a key member of the Executive Leadership Team, contributing to institution-wide strategic planning, fiscal management, policy development, and integrated planning processes.
• Lead the innovation and continuous enhancement of academic programs-including transfer pathways, workforce development programs, and emerging fields-through collaborative efforts with faculty, staff, and industry partners.
• Provide guidance and oversight in curriculum development, program review, and assessment of student learning outcomes, ensuring evidence-based, data-driven decision-making for academic excellence.
• Implement Guided Pathways framework fully across the institution, including meta-major development, program mapping, and structured academic planning to reduce loss points and improve degree completion.
• Collaborate with advising and enrollment management to create integrated, seamless student experience from point of entry through credential attainment.
• Evaluate and expand competency-based education (CBE) models and prior learning assessment (PLA) opportunities to accelerate credential attainment for working adult learners.
• Oversee academic scheduling, catalog development, and academic calendar planning in coordination with department chairs, institutional research, and enrollment management leadership.
• Promote and expand distance learning, hybrid instructional models, and technology-enhanced delivery to increase access and flexibility for diverse student populatins.
• Lead and coordinate college-wide completion and retention strategy, using disaggregated data identify equity gaps and implement targeted, evidence-based interventions for underserved student populations.
• Collaborate with the VP and Dean of Enrollment & Student Success, Financial Aid, and Advising Leadership on early alert systems, advising models, and proactive student support initiatives.
• Oversee the design and implementation of co-requisite and bridge programming to eliminate development education barriers and accelerate student progress toward credentials.
• Champion equity-minded practices throughout academic programming, advising structures, and faculty professional development, ensuring that success strategies address the needs of all students, including first-generation, low-income, and historically underrepresented learners.
• Monitor and report on key academic performance indicators – including retention, course completion, graduation, and transfer rates – presenting findings regularly to the Executive Leadership Team.
• Support the integration of career planning, experiential learning, work-based learning into academic programs to strengthen student’s connection to educational purpose and long-term workforce goals.
• Oversee learning commons and library services in support of student academic success and information literary.
• Lead and support faculty hiring, recruitment, and retention, ensuring a diverse, talented, and student-focused academic team that meets the evening needs of students and programs.
• Develop and enhance professional development opportunities for full-time and adjunct faculty, promoting pedagogical innovation, instructional technology integration, and evidence-based best practices in teaching and learning.
• Collaborate with Faculty Senate and other shared governance bodies to strengthen faculty-driven initiatives and ensure that faculty voices are central to academic planning and policy development.
• Oversee faculty evaluation processes, including performance review and professional growth planning, in accordance with MCCS collective bargaining agreements and institutional policy.
• Facilitate professional learning communities, peer observation programs, and discipline-specific development opportunities that build faculty capacity and foster a culture of continuous improvement.
• Provide strategic oversight and supervision of the Director of Early College, ensuring the department’s goals, operations, and partnerships align with the College’s academic mission and Guided Pathways framework.
• In collaboration with the Director of Early College, set the strategic direction for dual enrollment and early college programming, including expansion priorities, partnership development, and program quality standards.
• Hold the Director accountable for instructor qualification processes, course equivalency reviews, NECHE compliance, and the academic integrity of dual enrollment offerings.
• Support the Director in building and sustaining articulation agreements with four-year colleges and universities to facilitate student transfer, and in advancing 2+2 and reverse transfer initiatives.
• Serve as the College’s senior executive representative at regional K-16 councils and statewide postsecondary access initiatives, elevating the Early College department’s work and advocating for underrepresent student populations.
• Build and strengthen partnerships with business, industry, K-12 institutions, four-year universities, and government agencies to align academic offerings with workforce and transfer opportunities.
• Engage regularly with regional industry partners, chambers of commerce, and workforce development boards to gather labor market intelligence and incorporate it into program planning, review and development.
• Lead initiatives to expand experiential learning, apprenticeships, internships, and industry-aligned credentials that enhance student employability and economic mobility
• Represent the College at local, regional, and national forums and conferences, advocating for community college initiatives, higher education policy, and workforce innovation.
• Serve on relevant community boards and committees, including the MCCS Academic Dean team, to advance the College’s interests and contribute to statewide higher education priorities.

Benefits

• 100% employer paid health, dental, and life insurance for employees (spouse/dependent coverage available)
• vision insurance
• employer paid contributions to Maine Public Employees Retirement or TIAA-CREF (in lieu of social security)
• generous vacation/personal/sick time allowances
• 13 paid holidays
• professional development
• free tuition within the MCCS for employees, spouse and dependents

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Executive