National Director of Academics

Year Up • Washington, DC

4d • Hybrid

About The Position

Year Up United seeks an experienced, strategic, and outcomes-driven leader to serve as National Director of Academics, responsible for leading the design, delivery, and continuous improvement of academic strategy and execution across all pathways. Reporting to the Chief Operating Officer, this role provides day-to-day leadership across Academic Affairs, including curriculum design, instructional quality, faculty development, learning innovation, and academic performance outcomes. The National Director will help operationalize a unified Academic function, ensuring curriculum, instruction, assessment, and student learning experiences are aligned to employer demand, program outcomes, and Year Up United’s mission. This is a hybrid role requiring regular in-person engagement. Applicants must live within a reasonable commutable distance to a Year Up United location in the Eastern or Central time zone.

Requirements

• 12+ years of progressive leadership experience in education, academic program design, or workforce training, with at least 5 years managing teams.
• Demonstrated success leading academic strategy, curriculum design, and instructional delivery at scale.
• Experience aligning education/training programs with employer needs and labor market demand.
• Strong understanding of instructional design, adult learning theory, and competency-based education.
• Experience leveraging data and analytics to drive program improvement and outcomes.
• Experience managing complex, cross-functional stakeholder environments.
• Financial acumen and experience managing budgets and resources.
• Deep commitment to diversity, equity, inclusion, belonging, and antiracism.
• Passion for Year Up United’s mission and belief in the potential of young adults.
• Understanding of the Opportunity Divide and its drivers. We define the Opportunity Divide as the gap between companies seeking skilled talent, and young adults who lack access to the skills, experiences, and support to break through barriers and achieve their full potential in their careers.

Responsibilities

• Lead and integrate the Academic function across curriculum, instruction, assessment, faculty support, and learning innovation.
• Establish clear operating rhythms, instructional standards, and shared academic priorities across markets.
• Foster a high-expectations, high-support culture grounded in student success, accountability, and continuous improvement.
• Supervise and mentor academic leaders, ensuring strong performance management and professional growth.
• Partner cross-functionally with Program, Student Services, Career Services, and Market Leadership to ensure alignment of academic delivery with outcomes.
• Drive adoption of learning technologies, LMS platforms, AI-enabled tools, and data systems to enhance instruction and scalability.
• Lead the design and continuous improvement of curriculum across all Career Pathways.
• Ensure curriculum reflects employer demand, labor market trends, and evolving skills requirements (including AI and durable skills).
• Establish processes for regular curriculum updates (e.g., biannual refresh cycles).
• Partner with Corporate Engagement and employers to validate skills, competencies, and learning outcomes.
• Support the development of stackable credentials, certifications, and potential college articulation pathways.
• Define and uphold standards for instructional quality and student engagement.
• Develop and implement faculty training, coaching, and performance frameworks.
• Ensure consistency in instructional delivery across markets while allowing for local adaptability.
• Promote applied learning, project-based instruction, and real-world simulations aligned to workplace expectations.
• Integrate in-person and hybrid delivery models to strengthen engagement and retention.
• Establish KPIs and performance metrics for academic success, including retention, skill attainment, and readiness indicators (e.g., WCR alignment).
• Use data and analytics to monitor academic performance and drive continuous improvement.
• Partner with Research & Evaluation to assess program effectiveness and inform strategy.
• Ensure alignment between academic outcomes and internship/job placement success.
• Lead innovation in learning models, including hybrid delivery, modular learning, and AI-enabled instruction.
• Explore and implement scalable approaches to improve cost-to-serve while maintaining quality.
• Identify and pilot new instructional approaches, tools, and partnerships.
• Drive integration of academic systems with enterprise data and analytics platforms.
• Ensure alignment between Academic strategy and broader organizational priorities (enrollment, retention, job outcomes).
• Partner with Marketing & Communications to articulate academic value propositions externally.
• Collaborate with Career Services to align the curriculum with job-readiness and placement needs.
• Support Market Leaders in understanding and executing local academic strategy.
• Develop and manage the Academic budget, ensuring efficient allocation of resources.
• Identify opportunities to improve efficiency, scalability, and impact.
• Establish processes and governance for academic decision-making.
• Ensure compliance with accreditation standards, where applicable.
• Serve as a mentor and coach for a small number of current students.
• Participate in weekly group sessions and learning community activities.
• Engage in staff meetings and professional development.
• And all other duties as assigned.

Benefits

• Comprehensive healthcare options and dental coverage
• 401(k) match for eligible participants
• Earn three weeks paid vacation in first year of employment; four weeks after initial year.

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Director
• Education Level: No Education Listed