FT - Program Head, ASC/ITC Cisco Academy, IT Academy

Stanly Community College•Albemarle Campus, NC

About The Position

The Program Head provides leadership and day-to-day administration for the Cisco ASC/ITC Academy, multiple IT Academies, and related institutional agreements. The role supports high-quality educational experiences while maintaining relationships with industry content providers and partner institutions. It combines program and faculty leadership, instruction, student support, administration, and community engagement. The Program Head serves as the primary administrative contact for partner academies and oversees agreements, compliance documentation, program operations, and the data center and enterprise infrastructure supporting multi-vendor curricula, including LPI, Fortinet, AWS, Palo Alto, Microsoft, Proxmox, and CompTIA. The position also directs the setup and maintenance of instructional lab infrastructure, such as servers, Netlabs environments, and Cisco routers, and maintains Cisco Instructor Trainer credentials to provide specialized training to educators in the regional academy network. The role teaches assigned courses for 15 to 18 contact hours per semester across seated, online, hybrid, or off-campus formats, including evening programs as part of a normal full-time load. The Program Head supports students through advising, mentoring, career guidance, and regular communication; coordinates curriculum review and industry advisory boards; and represents the program within the College and the community. The position requires on-campus presence and posted office hours, including at least five designated student office hours per week.

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree in information technology or a related discipline.
At least two years of relevant industry or teaching experience.
Qualified as a Cisco Instructor Trainer in CCNA.
Ability to teach and support students from diverse backgrounds, including students without a technical background.
Ability to learn new software, hardware, and technical material independently.
Ability to maintain the required on-campus presence and posted office hours, including at least five designated student office hours per week.

Nice To Haves

Active Cisco Certified Network Associate (CCNA), Cisco Certified Network Professional (CCNP), or CyberOps Associate certification.
Three or more years of experience in a management role.
Master’s degree in information technology, or a master’s degree with at least 18 graduate semester hours in information technology or a related discipline.

Responsibilities

Serve as the primary point of contact and administrative lead for the Cisco ASC/ITC Academy, IT Academies, and supported institutional partners.
Complete, process, and maintain academy agreements, compliance documentation, and operational paperwork for existing and new partners.
Manage and coordinate the data center architecture, enterprise infrastructure, and backend platforms that support multi-vendor IT academies.
Direct setup, hardware and software installation, and ongoing maintenance of instructional lab infrastructure, including servers, Netlabs environments, and Cisco routers.
Recruit, interview, orient, evaluate, and mentor full-time and adjunct faculty; identify professional development needs and manage performance plans when warranted.
Maintain active Cisco Instructor Trainer credentials and deliver specialized instructor training and professional development to regional academy educators.
Teach assigned coursework, ranging from 15 to 18 contact hours per semester, in seated, online, hybrid, or off-campus formats, including evening programs as part of the normal full-time load.
Prepare and deliver instruction using appropriate content, pedagogy, andragogy, current industry trends, and educational technology.
Create, administer, and grade exams, projects, activities, and reports, and maintain thorough student-progress records.
Learn new software, hardware, and technical material independently to stay current with technology changes.
Manage departmental budgets, monitor expenditures, control inventory, and recommend resource allocations for personnel, equipment, and supplies.
Prepare course-offering schedules, assign faculty teaching schedules, and submit instructional records, reports, grades, and travel requests accurately and on time.
Maintain classrooms, labs, and equipment in safe, clean, and operational condition; coordinate installations and report malfunctions.
Maintain posted office hours and an on-campus presence sufficient to meet professional and departmental duties.
Provide at least five designated office hours per week and mentor students through academic planning, career counseling, motivation, and retention support.
Communicate proactively and professionally with students, provide timely constructive feedback, and support students from diverse backgrounds, including those without technical backgrounds.
Participate in advising, pre-registration, registration, graduation degree audits, and career-pathway and employment support in coordination with Student Services.
Participate in student recruitment and represent the program within the College and broader community.
Coordinate advisory boards, program updates, curriculum and program reviews, learning-outcome assessment, course offerings, and course scheduling; recommend revisions to executive leadership as appropriate.
Develop and maintain relationships with community agencies, external organizations, and industry stakeholders.
Organize co-curricular enrichment opportunities, including guest speakers and technical field trips.
Serve on College committees and participate in campus activities and institutional meetings while complying with College policies.