Senior Director, Continuing and Professional Education

University of Oregon•Eugene, OR

2d•$135,000 - $150,000•Onsite

About The Position

The Senior Director of Continuing and Professional Education provides strategic and operational leadership for the university's continuing and professional education portfolio, with direct responsibility for academic noncredit support, professional education, lifelong learning and personal enrichment (including OLLI, the Osher Lifelong Learning Institute), and conference services. This position leads a complex, evolving unit to strengthen program performance, modernize systems, and build sustainable growth across multiple business lines and in concert with academic partners. Reporting to the Associate Vice Provost for UO Online and Continuing and Professional Education, the Senior Director partners closely with academic leaders, faculty, enrollment and marketing teams, information services, finance, and external organizations to develop, launch, and scale high-quality offerings that meet workforce, learner, and community needs. The Senior Director is responsible for translating divisional strategy into execution by aligning people, processes, technology, and market-facing activity to improve performance across the portfolio. This role requires a leader who can guide organizational change, inspire and develop staff, and drive measurable results. The Senior Director oversees program-line budgeting and performance, advances new revenue generation, supports the creation of new courses, programs, and credentials, and leads implementation of critical infrastructure such as a modern registration ecosystem, CRM, digital badging, and AI-enabled workflows. The position directly supervises a leadership team and has authority to redesign roles, recruit key talent, and establish a scalable and accountable operating model. The Senior Director is expected to pursue ongoing professional growth and visible field leadership, strengthening both personal expertise and UO’s national reputation in continuing, professional, and online education. The Senior Director will actively experiment with and responsibly infuse AI into workflows, service delivery, and decision-making to improve quality, increase speed, and achieve meaningful operational efficiencies.

Requirements

Master's degree or equivalent combination of education and experience.
10 years of progressively responsible leadership experience in higher education.
Experience with budget and profit and loss responsibility in educational environments.
Experience leading program growth, launching new educational offerings, and/or generating new revenue.
Experience in developing and supervising professional staff.
Strategic and entrepreneurial leadership with the ability to grow a unit in a deliberate, coordinated fashion.
Demonstrated ability to build credibility with faculty and academic leaders while also influencing operational partners across functions.
Strong business-line management skills, including pricing, budgeting, performance analysis, and portfolio decision making.
Knowledge of adult learner markets, workforce-aligned education, and market-responsive program development.
Ability to identify, develop, and steward corporate and employer partnerships.
Ability to balance operational discipline with innovation, growth, and learner-centered design.
Excellent written, oral, and presentation skills for executive, academic, and external audiences.
Demonstrated commitment to inclusive leadership and ability to work effectively with diverse communities.
Ability to use data to inform strategy, marketing, enrollment, and operational improvement.
Ability to motivate, coach, and inspire teams in a demanding and changing environment.

Nice To Haves

Experience in online learning leadership, instructional design, course or curriculum development, or direct teaching.
Experience implementing or optimizing CRM, registration, student lifecycle, or business intelligence systems.
Experience with marketing strategy, lead generation, enrollment funnel management, or direct program promotion.
Experience in continuing education, professional education, executive education, workforce partnerships, or microcredential strategy.
Familiarity with the Oregon regional market and employer landscape.
Experience with digital badging and short-form credentials.
Experience evaluating or implementing emerging technologies, including AI-enabled tools, to improve operations or service delivery.
Experience with budget and profit and loss responsibility in self-support, auxiliary, continuing education, online learning, executive education, and/or similarly entrepreneurial educational environments.
Experience in developing and supervising professional staff and students, including experience leading through change, reorganization, and performance accountability.
Experience working collaboratively with academic leaders, faculty, and operational partners in a complex institution.

Responsibilities

Provide strategic and operational leadership for the university's continuing and professional education portfolio.
Direct responsibility for academic noncredit support, professional education, lifelong learning and personal enrichment (including OLLI, the Osher Lifelong Learning Institute), and conference services.
Lead a complex, evolving unit to strengthen program performance, modernize systems, and build sustainable growth across multiple business lines and in concert with academic partners.
Partner closely with academic leaders, faculty, enrollment and marketing teams, information services, finance, and external organizations to develop, launch, and scale high-quality offerings that meet workforce, learner, and community needs.
Translate divisional strategy into execution by aligning people, processes, technology, and market-facing activity to improve performance across the portfolio.
Guide organizational change, inspire and develop staff, and drive measurable results.
Oversee program-line budgeting and performance, advances new revenue generation, supports the creation of new courses, programs, and credentials, and leads implementation of critical infrastructure such as a modern registration ecosystem, CRM, digital badging, and AI-enabled workflows.
Directly supervise a leadership team and has authority to redesign roles, recruit key talent, and establish a scalable and accountable operating model.
Pursue ongoing professional growth and visible field leadership, strengthening both personal expertise and UO’s national reputation in continuing, professional, and online education.
Actively experiment with and responsibly infuse AI into workflows, service delivery, and decision-making to improve quality, increase speed, and achieve meaningful operational efficiencies.