Director of Experiential Learning

Butler • Indianapolis, IN

8h

About The Position

The Director of Experiential Learning is the strategic and operational leader responsible for implementing, scaling, and overseeing the university-wide Experiential Learning for All initiative. The role works across academic and administrative units to build centralized infrastructure, establish systems and processes, implement quality measures, and coordinate university-wide tracking. The goal is to ensure equitable student access while supporting college ownership of learning.

The Director partners with internal and external stakeholders to integrate high-impact experiential opportunities into degree requirements, academic advising, career mentoring, and Butler’s Boldly Butler strategic vision. The position also provides leadership to a dedicated team, oversees operational budgets, and allocates philanthropic gifts or grant funds for student-facing experiential programming.

Requirements

• Master’s degree in a relevant or experiential-focused field, or equivalent executive leadership experience and demonstrated impact on higher education strategy.
• At least 5 years of progressive leadership experience overseeing high-impact student outcomes, experiential learning programs, career development, or strategic academic or administrative initiatives in higher education or complex organizational settings.
• Ability to translate institutional vision into action by executing complex initiatives, developing implementation plans, and anticipating operational challenges.
• Strong systems thinking and ability to identify institutional connections and opportunities for alignment while balancing university-wide consistency with the needs of individual colleges, departments, and programs.
• Ability to build trusted relationships and facilitate cross-functional collaboration while navigating competing stakeholder priorities.
• Skill in data and assessment, including data collection, analysis, dashboard development, and institutional assessment practices.
• Strong project management and organizational skills, attention to detail, documentation, and follow-through.
• Effective communication with faculty, academic and administrative leaders, community partners, and executive leadership.
• Experience in leading complex institutional initiatives, project management and prioritization, organizational change, higher education administration, cross-functional collaboration, data analytics and reporting, continuous improvement, strategic implementation, process design, and internal and external stakeholder engagement.

Nice To Haves

• Ph.D. or Ed.D. in a relevant or experiential-focused field.
• Established track record of utilizing donor-backed funds or implementing large-scale comprehensive campaign goals.
• Deep understanding of modern assessment methodologies related to the scholarship of teaching and learning.
• Active involvement or volunteer leadership in national experiential education or career development associations.
• Evidence of interdisciplinary data management.

Responsibilities

• Lead university-wide integration of the Boldly Butler Strategy’s Experiential Learning for All initiative across colleges and academic programs.
• Scale high-impact practices such as internships, study away, research, and treks to build an inclusive, scalable experiential portfolio.
• Partner with deans, department chairs, and faculty to align experiential opportunities with curriculum design, modern teaching pedagogies, and academic goals.
• Develop, refine, implement, and maintain centralized infrastructure, operational processes, systems, and workflows to support growth and student onboarding.
• Cultivate and maintain relationships with alumni, corporate partners, nonprofits, and regional entities to expand external project placements and networking opportunities.
• Develop and administer equitable support initiatives to reduce cost, travel, and structural barriers to off-campus and global experiences.
• Establish data-informed systems to track, assess, and report on the scale, efficacy, and career-readiness impact of experiential initiatives.
• Provide operational and professional leadership to direct reports managing experiential programming and operations.
• Manage operational budgets and allocate philanthropic gifts or grant funds to support student-facing experiential programming.

Benefits

• 28 days of paid time off (vacation and PTO days) per fiscal year.
• 8 paid holidays.
• Paid winter break between Christmas Eve and New Year’s Day.
• Paid parental leave after 1 year of full-time employment.
• Comprehensive medical, dental, and vision plans, including disability and life insurance programs.
• 10% employer retirement contribution after 1 year of full-time employment.
• Tuition Exchange Program for dependents.
• Tuition remission for classes taken at Butler for employees, spouses, and dependent children, subject to eligibility after 9 months of full-time employment; tuition only.
• Access to Butler’s on-site fitness facility and libraries for full-time staff and faculty.
• LinkedIn Learning courses.
• Free premium subscription to the Calm App.
• Free subscription to the WSJ, The Economist, and NYT.
• Discount at the College Bookstore.
• Discount on select Athletic and Arts/Events Center performances.

What This Job Offers

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