Senior Director, Academic Services and Instruction

University of California, Irvine•Irvine, CA

1d•$132,000 - $164,400•Hybrid

About The Position

The Merage School seeks a Senior Director to champion our world-class teaching and learning with technology. Managing organization-wide instructional design programs and initiatives. The successful candidate will drive a strategic focus on education technology systems issues and trends and will be responsible for the deployment of funds relating to all organizational learning systems and platforms. As a dynamic, customer-focused and relationship-driven leader, the ideal candidate will demonstrate an ability to build consensus within a complex, multi-stakeholder school community. Other key areas of focus for this role will be providing supervisory oversight of the academic services team, driving operational efficiency , and empowering our expert faculty with the tools and resources to engage their students in both in-person and online environments The ideal candidate for the Senior Director role is a visionary leader who excels in change management and influence, possessing the unique ability to navigate complex governance structures and build consensus during large-scale organizational redesigns. They must demonstrate AI application expertise—preferably within higher education—moving beyond policy to the practical application of AI in teaching and learning. Bridging the gap between academic tradition and digital innovation, the ideal leader respects faculty independence while driving the integration of new pedagogies. The Merage School seeks an innovator skilled in process re-engineering & efficiency to optimize operations. This person should be a champion of people leadership, prioritizing delegation and staff empowerment. The ideal candidate will utilize learning analytics and data forecasting to optimize student outcomes, course scheduling, and unit-wide performance. To ensure long-term sustainability, they must possess sharp financial acumen to manage budgets and identify cost-savings, alongside a commitment to data-driven decision making.

Requirements

Thorough knowledge of and excellent skills in conducting needs assessment and online program design, delivery and evaluation.
Thorough knowledge of design life cycles.
Thorough understanding of the goals of the university's online education initiatives, including short- and long-term goals that directly impact the course design and development team.
Thorough knowledge of instructional design principles, workplace learning and performance strategies, learning technology systems and multimedia tools, and of team development techniques that ensure delivery of online courses meeting strategic business goals.
Excellent verbal, written and interpersonal communication skills and proven presentation skills representing business competencies to potential faculty and university partners. Excellent management skills, including directing and developing staff members and budget control.
Excellent and highly effective liaison and collaboration skills.
Excellent organizational skills and ability to establish training and development goals and objectives.
Excellent skills to influence and to translate training and learning language to the business and vice versa.
Deep understanding of education technologies relevant to supporting academic services and instructional delivery within a higher-education context.
Bachelor's degree in related area and / or equivalent experience / training.
A minimum of 5 years of experience in instructional design and educational leadership in a higher education setting.
3-5 years of senior leadership experience overseeing a team of at least 10 employees in higher education.
Proven track record of implementing AI-driven solutions for instruction and learning, with a focus on practical application and faculty/staff adoption.