Adrian College - Instructor Operations Manager

Rize Education•Adrian, MI

16d•$65,000 - $75,000•Onsite

About The Position

Adrian College is a member of the Lower Cost Models Consortium (LCMC), a network of colleges and universities that share high-quality, credit-bearing online courses to expand affordable degree access for students nationwide. Adrian College partners with Rize Education, which provides licensing, technology, and administrative support for participating institutions' course-sharing activities. As an LCMC Teaching Institution, Adrian College employs the instructors who teach these shared courses and are responsible for hiring, onboarding, paying, and supporting them in accordance with our institutional standards and contractual commitments. We are growing our instructor workforce across a growing number of programs and terms, and we need an outstanding operator to own the administrative backbone of that workforce, including staffing, onboarding, payroll, compliance, and day-to-day instructor support. The Instructor Operations Manager serves as the institution's primary point of contact for remote instructors and oversees the day-to-day operations that support hiring, onboarding, employment, and ongoing instructor success. You will make sure every confirmed course section is staffed with a qualified, fully onboarded instructor before the term begins, and that instructors have a single, reliable point of contact for payroll, employment, and logistics questions throughout the term. You'll work across HR, payroll, compliance, and academic affairs to manage the remote instructor employment lifecycle, from recruitment support and onboarding through payroll, record-keeping, and term-to-term renewals. You'll also serve as the institution's operational liaison to Rize, coordinating with Rize's Instructor Success team to keep staffing, onboarding, and compliance activities on track each term. This role partners closely with HR, payroll, academic department chairs, Program Liaisons, and the institution's academic decision-maker for instructional quality concerns. Although this role coordinates with Rize, the Manager is employed, supervised, directed, evaluated, and compensated solely by Adrian and has no reporting relationship to Rize or the LCMC. We're looking for a highly organized, detail-oriented operator who takes pride in exceptional execution and genuinely enjoys being the person instructors can count on. You're comfortable owning a process end to end, tracking dozens of moving pieces across multiple terms and programs without letting anything slip. You're an empathetic communicator who can explain payroll, compliance, and onboarding requirements clearly to instructors who may not be familiar with institutional HR processes, while also building trusted, professional relationships with them. You're equally comfortable working within institutional systems (HR, payroll, compliance) and coordinating with consortium partners on shared deadlines and requirements. You bring a low-ego, service-oriented mindset, hold yourself to a high standard of accuracy and follow-through, and are motivated by building systems that allow instructors and the institution to succeed at scale.

Requirements

3+ years of experience in HR, higher education academic operations, faculty affairs, or a similar administrative field
Working knowledge of multi-state employment compliance, including workers' compensation, unemployment, and state tax requirements
Experience working with HR and payroll systems that support multi-state employment.
Highly organized and detail-oriented, with the ability to track and meet hard pre-term deadlines across multiple programs and sections simultaneously
Strong interpersonal and written communication skills, with the ability to serve as a trusted, responsive point of contact for instructors
Sound judgment and discretion in handling sensitive employment and compliance records
Comfort coordinating with consortium partners on shared deadlines, standards, and reporting requirements
Low-ego, collaborative approach and a high personal standard for follow-through and accuracy
Being commutable to Adrian, Michigan and willing to come onsite 5 days a week is a must.

Responsibilities

Coordinate with academic departments and use recruiting support made available by Rize, at the institution's discretion, to recruit, onboard, and manage qualified instructors. Ensure all confirmed sections are fully staffed prior to the start of each term.
Ensure instructor employment practices comply with applicable federal, state, and local regulations, including employment eligibility, tax, and workers' compensation requirements. Maintain compliant employment records and support ongoing policy updates as regulations evolve.
Own the end-to-end onboarding process for new and returning instructors, including employment documentation, background checks, transcript verification, payroll setup, and required compliance activities. Ensure all onboarding requirements are completed before instructors begin teaching.
Serve as the primary point of contact for instructors on employment, payroll, onboarding, benefits, and day-to-day operational questions. Provide timely support, coordinate with internal departments, and ensure instructors remain informed, supported, and aligned with institutional expectations throughout the term.
Coordinate the institution's HR and payroll processes for adjunct instructors, including employment setup, payroll processing, personnel records, tax and employment compliance, and instructor communications related to administrative requirements.
Maintain accurate, organized, and audit-ready records related to instructor employment, payroll, onboarding, performance actions, and compliance requirements. Ensure documentation is audit-ready and available for institutional, consortium, or partner review when requested.
Coordinate and review instructor-facing communications to ensure they are timely, accurate, and aligned with institutional policies and consortium expectations.
Serve as the institution's primary operational liaison to Rize and the LCMC, coordinating staffing timelines, onboarding milestones, payroll schedules, and instructor support activities while ensuring institutional commitments are met.
Escalate instructional quality, grading, and student experience concerns to the institution's designated Instructor Escalation Point while coordinating operational follow-up as needed.
Continuously improve instructor onboarding, communications, documentation, and operational workflows to increase efficiency, consistency, and instructor satisfaction.