Director, Program Strategy & Operations - CMU Online

Carnegie Mellon University•Pittsburgh, PA

2d•Onsite

About The Position

CMU Online seeks an experienced strategic program leader to direct comprehensive program management for a growing portfolio of more than 10 online graduate programs across multiple schools and colleges. The Director independently develops and leads program strategy, systems, and processes to support an exceptional student experience, maintain program quality and reputation, and meet retention and revenue goals. The role requires managing significant operational complexity and exercising sound judgment to resolve nuanced student and program issues. The Director leads interdisciplinary coordination among academic departments, university administrative units, CMU Online staff, technology teams, and other partners. They oversee student success and retention strategy, student lifecycle operations and communications, and the planning and implementation of multiple new online programs each year. They also hire, coach, and manage program staff; establish and use program metrics; maintain operational documentation; and lead improvements to processes, systems, and workflows as the portfolio grows.

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree required; a combination of education and relevant experience demonstrating comparable knowledge may be considered.
Minimum of seven to ten years of progressive experience in higher education program management, student services, academic operations, or a related area.
Significant experience in higher education.
Deep knowledge and experience in university program management, student services, academic operations, and policies affecting students throughout the enrollment lifecycle.
Ability to independently create and manage scalable systems, processes, and practices that support program growth and student success, set priorities, and make complex operational decisions.
Demonstrated ability to manage complex student lifecycle operations across multiple programs while maintaining accuracy, consistency, and a high-quality student experience.
Significant experience leading interdisciplinary collaboration across academic departments, administrative units, and external partners, including resolving issues involving competing priorities, institutional policies, and different operational requirements.
Strong analytical skills and commitment to data-driven decision-making, including establishing metrics, identifying trends and risks, evaluating effectiveness, and making actionable recommendations.
Exceptional judgment in complex situations, balancing policy, student needs, institutional risk, consistency, and equity, including cases without established procedures or clear precedents.
Strong leadership and people-management skills, including setting expectations, coaching and developing staff, managing performance, and building an effective team.
Strong critical thinking and problem-solving skills, including evaluating alternatives and implementing solutions amid ambiguity, competing priorities, or organizational resistance.
Exceptional written, verbal, and interpersonal communication skills, including the ability to build trust, influence stakeholders, navigate complex organizational relationships, and represent the university professionally and credibly.
Ability to present complex information and recommendations to groups and larger audiences.
Successful completion of a pre-employment background check.
Must be currently legally authorized to work for CMU in the United States; CMU will not sponsor or assume sponsorship of an employment visa for this opportunity.

Nice To Haves

Master’s degree preferred.
Ten to twelve years of progressive experience in higher education program management, student services, academic operations, or a related area preferred.

Responsibilities

Direct strategy and operations for CMU Online’s portfolio of more than 10 online graduate programs across multiple academic departments.
Manage operational complexity across student needs, academic requirements, and service standards to support program delivery, student outcomes, and portfolio growth.
Evaluate operational challenges and exception cases, exercise independent judgment, and determine appropriate courses of action.
Serve as a subject matter expert on university-wide and CMU Online policies and processes, program curricula, and academic requirements and policies.
Identify operational risks, gaps, and opportunities, and lead solutions to improve efficiency, consistency, accuracy, and scalability.
Lead coordination across schools, colleges, academic departments, university administrative units, and CMU Online staff.
Build and maintain strategic working relationships with university partners, including the University Registrar’s Office, Student Financial Services, Financial Aid, Computing Services, Student Academic Success Center, and Graduate Student Affairs.
Resolve complex cross-functional issues, reconciling competing requirements and coordinating solutions among university stakeholders.
Represent CMU Online in university committees, cross-functional working groups, and stakeholder meetings; present priorities, challenges, recommendations, and decisions.
Collaborate with marketing and recruiting leadership on program operations, enrollment planning, student communications, and new program implementation.
Direct student success and retention strategy to support student experience and retention and revenue goals.
Lead onboarding for approximately 300 new students across more than 10 programs, multiple schools and colleges, and three annual starts.
Oversee visibility into the student lifecycle, identify pending actions, status changes, and risks, and direct coordinated action with academic departments.
Oversee timely, accurate, and actionable student communications.
Resolve complex student cases by balancing university policy, consistency, risk, and customer service, coordinating decisions and escalating when necessary.
Lead operational planning and implementation of multiple new online programs annually, translating curricular concepts into executable and scalable programs.
Assess new-program requirements, dependencies, risks, and resource needs, and address implementation challenges across schools, systems, and delivery models.
Coordinate with academic departments, university administrative units, technology teams, and internal stakeholders to operationalize new programs.
Establish repeatable frameworks, processes, and documentation for new-program implementation.
Hire, train, coach, and manage program management staff responsible for program operations and the student lifecycle.
Provide staff with direction and decision-making support on complex or escalated situations, and develop staff capacity to resolve problems independently.
Prioritize team capacity across ongoing program operations, student needs, and new program development.
Establish and oversee student and program metrics and performance indicators; communicate performance, risks, and recommendations to senior leadership.
Use data to identify trends, risks, and improvement opportunities, and lead strategic and operational responses.
Oversee comprehensive documentation of program operations, student lifecycle processes, policies, workflows, procedures, calendars, reports, and projects.
Lead initiatives to automate, streamline, and improve processes through technology, system enhancements, and redesigned workflows.
Identify and mitigate risks such as process gaps, system limitations, inconsistent practices, and dependencies affecting student experience or program continuity and growth.
Ensure accuracy, consistency, compliance, and service as the program portfolio scales.