Director of Nursing Programs

John Carroll University•University Heights, OH

22h•Onsite

About The Position

The Director of Nursing Programs will lead, mentor, and evaluate faculty and staff, fostering excellence in teaching, scholarship, and professional growth. This role involves recruiting, onboarding, and retaining a diverse team, establishing clear expectations, and conducting performance evaluations. The Director will partner with faculty to strengthen curricula, pedagogy, and student learning, ensuring nursing education aligns with the University's Jesuit Catholic mission. Key responsibilities include directing day-to-day program operations such as course scheduling, faculty workload, clinical placements, and student progression. Budget management, forecasting needs, and maintaining appropriate resources are crucial. The Director will monitor enrollment, retention, progression, licensure, and employment data to drive improvement efforts. Strategic planning for program growth, evaluating new program opportunities, and guiding initiatives through governance and approval processes are essential. This includes managing accreditation and regulatory compliance. The role involves developing and sustaining academic-practice partnerships, representing the nursing program externally, and pursuing grant and philanthropic opportunities. Ensuring effective academic advising, monitoring student outcomes, and participating in University governance are also key. The Director will champion the University's mission by advancing ethical leadership, compassionate care, and health equity.

Requirements

Current, valid, unencumbered licensure as a registered nurse in Ohio, or a multistate license privileging practice in Ohio, at the time of appointment.
Minimum of a Master’s degree with a major in nursing from an accredited program.
An earned DNP, PhD, or EdD, or a realistic completion date of the doctoral degree within two years of appointment.
Demonstrated teaching experience in academic nursing, clinical education, or nursing professional development and readiness to contribute as a Faculty of Practice.
At least five years of progressively responsible professional experience, including at least three years leading and supervising teams of licensed professionals, faculty, or comparable professional teams.
Demonstrated success recruiting, developing, and retaining professional staff, including in tight labor markets.
Demonstrated ownership of a budget, staffing plan, or operating unit, with evidence of managing resources against defined performance targets.
Demonstrated record of building, launching, or substantially growing a program, service line, department, or operation.
Experience operating under external regulatory, accreditation, or survey oversight — for example, state boards of nursing, programmatic accreditation, The Joint Commission, CMS conditions of participation, Magnet designation, or comparable frameworks.
Demonstrated success building and sustaining external partnerships, affiliations, or community relationships.
Excellent oral and written communication skills, and the ability to work effectively with students, faculty, clinicians, and partners from diverse cultural and professional backgrounds.
Interest in understanding and supporting John Carroll’s Jesuit mission to inspire individuals to excel in learning, leadership, and service in the region and in the world.

Nice To Haves

Strong preference for a DNP or PhD in nursing already conferred.
Prior teaching experience in a pre-licensure registered nursing education program for 24 months or more.
Experience with CCNE or ACEN accreditation, including self-study preparation and site visits.
Experience launching a new academic program, campus, service line, or business unit.
Senior nurse executive experience in a hospital or health system (for example, Director of Nursing, Nursing Professional Development, Clinical Education, or service line leadership).
National certification in nursing administration or executive practice (NEA -BC, CENP, or equivalent).
Familiarity with higher education systems such as Banner, Canvas, and enrollment CRM platforms; proficiency with Microsoft Office and Google Workspace.
Evidence of professional contribution through publication, peer review, presentation, or professional association leadership.

Responsibilities

Lead, mentor, and evaluate full-time and part-time faculty, clinical instructors, coordinators, and program staff.
Recruit, onboard, develop, and retain a diverse, mission-aligned team.
Establish clear roles, expectations, and accountability structures; delegate substantive authority and develop successors.
Conduct performance evaluation and advance faculty appointment, promotion, and retention recommendations.
Author and maintain position descriptions across the program.
Partner with faculty through shared governance to review and strengthen curricula, pedagogy, assessment, and student learning.
Ensure nursing education integrates disciplinary standards with JCU’s Jesuit Catholic mission, the University Core, ethical formation, service, and care for the whole person.
Direct the day-to-day program operations including course scheduling, faculty workload, clinical placement logistics, laboratory and simulation resources, and student progression processes.
Develop and manage the program budget in partnership with the Dean.
Maintain appropriate faculty-to-student ratios, qualified instructional personnel, current learning resources, and reliable systems.
Oversee admissions, advising, progression, petitions, and resolution of student concerns.
Use data to monitor enrollment, retention, progression, licensure, employment, student experience, faculty capacity, and program effectiveness and lead timely improvement efforts.
Lead strategic planning for the nursing programs in alignment with the College of Health & University priorities.
Evaluate opportunities for new programs, pathways, credentials, and delivery models.
Shepherd new programs through curricular governance, regulatory approval, and accreditation processes.
Partner with enrollment management and marketing to build demand and grow the program’s regional visibility and reputation.
Pursue grant and philanthropic opportunities.
Develop and sustain academic-practice partnerships that expand clinical capacity, faculty and preceptor pipelines, workforce pathways, research, innovation, and community impact.
Represent JCU nursing with healthcare organizations, professional associations, alumni, donors, and community partners.
Lead ongoing curriculum review, revision, and systematic program assessment.
Maintain compliance with Ohio Board of Nursing requirements, CCNE standards, University policies, and applicable state and federal requirements.
Maintain accurate policies, faculty and preceptor qualifications, program records, affiliation agreements, and documentation required for licensure certification and regulatory reporting.
Convene regular faculty meetings that produce genuine faculty participation in planning, implementing, and evaluating the curriculum.
Teach one nursing course annually and mentor new faculty members in teaching pedagogy.
Ensure effective academic advising, progression monitoring, petition review, and resolution of student concerns.
Monitor and act on retention, progression, licensure examination, and placement outcomes.
Serve as a faculty member of the University and participate in College and University governance, committees, initiatives, and academic life.
Champion nursing as an expression of JCU’s Jesuit Catholic mission by advancing ethical leadership, compassionate care, health equity, service, and formation of the whole person.
Support University Advancement and other institutional priorities.