Senior Associate Accreditation and State Relations

Excelsior•Albany, NY

About The Position

Excelsior University is seeking a Senior Associate Accreditation and State Relations for its Learning Outcomes and Quality Improvement unit. The unit supports institutional operations and integrity through data-informed actions that enhance the learning environment and student success. This role coordinates institutional and programmatic accreditation and leads operational work on state authorization, physical presence, additional and site locations, and international regulatory compliance. The Senior Associate monitors requirements across U.S. jurisdictions, including obligations outside interstate reciprocity agreements, and coordinates registrations, applications, renewals, reports, disclosures, and responses. The role also supports compliance with foreign ministries, government agencies, recognition bodies, accreditors, and quality-assurance organizations in Canada, Europe, and other countries. Working with academic leaders, legal counsel, compliance partners, finance, student-facing units, and affiliated entities, the Senior Associate maintains authoritative records, assesses regulatory impacts, coordinates submissions and visits, and translates complex requirements into practical institutional action. The position is based at the university's home office in Albany, New York, with remote candidates also considered. Remote employees must travel occasionally for meetings, conferences, and professional development, and must be available from 8:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Eastern time. The university supplies equipment necessary for the job, such as a laptop and docking station. Employees are responsible for providing a workspace suitable for virtual meetings with minimal interruptions and noise.

Requirements

Earned master's degree in an Educational or Social Science field with an emphasis on assessment.
At least three years of experience working in accreditation, compliance, or institutional research/institutional effectiveness at an institution.
Demonstrated experience interpreting and operationalizing state authorization, physical-presence, additional-location, or distance-education requirements.
Experience preparing regulatory or accreditation applications, reports, substantive changes, and responses to external agencies.
Excellent research, analytical, writing, project-management, organizational, and record-management skills.
Ability to explain complex requirements clearly and lead cross-functional work involving academic, legal, financial, operational, and student-facing partners.
Ability to manage multiple deadlines independently while maintaining accuracy, sound judgment, discretion, and timely escalation of risk.

Nice To Haves

Experience managing multistate compliance for online, hybrid, and location-based education, including operations outside SARA coverage.
Demonstrated success working effectively in a remote or hybrid environment.
Experience with California postsecondary oversight and with Canadian, European, or other international regulatory or quality-assurance frameworks.

Responsibilities

Coordinate institutional and programmatic accreditation submissions, monitoring reports, substantive changes, evidence requests, reviews, and site visits.
Maintain a comprehensive inventory of approvals and obligations by state, jurisdiction, location, program, delivery activity, and affiliated entity.
Evaluate whether instructional activity, employees, recruitment, placements, residencies, facilities, or other operations create physical-presence or authorization requirements.
Manage state-agency applications, registrations, exemptions, renewals, annual reports, fees, bonds, agents, and related documentation.
Oversee compliance for additional locations, instructional sites, and operations not covered by interstate reciprocity agreements.
Coordinate requirements imposed by foreign ministries, regulators, recognition bodies, accreditors, and quality-assurance organizations in Canada, Europe, and other jurisdictions.
Conduct regulatory due diligence for new programs, locations, partnerships, acquisitions, teach-outs, and geographic expansion.
Maintain authoritative compliance calendars, agency contacts, approvals, correspondence, and evidence repositories.
Coordinate accurate consumer, complaint, professional licensure, and location-related disclosures with legal, compliance, marketing, admissions, and academic partners.
Prepare responses to agency inquiries, complaints, audits, and information requests; coordinate corrective actions and document their completion.
Monitor regulatory and accreditation changes using Statenet and other regulatory monitoring resources; assess institutional impact, brief leadership, and recommend policy or operational updates.
Collaborate with the Learning Outcomes and Quality Improvement team and institutional partners on related accreditation and quality-improvement initiatives.