Senior Director, Writing Programs (Department of English) (Associate/Full Professor, Tenured)

The University of Arizona • Tucson, AZ

2d • Onsite

About The Position

The College of Social and Behavioral Sciences and the Department of English at the University of Arizona seek a Senior Director for Writing Programs, beginning Fall 2027. The Director leads the Writing Programs’ curriculum, instructional faculty and graduate teaching assistants, staff, and students. Working collaboratively with program leadership, staff, the English Department, and the SBS Dean’s Office, the Director is expected to practice shared governance and transparent, consultative decision-making; build on the program’s strengths in undergraduate writing education; support scholarship and professional growth; foster campus engagement; steward program resources; and cultivate a culture of belonging.

The successful candidate will hold a tenured appointment as an Associate Professor or Professor in the Department of English, with expertise in Rhetoric, Composition and the Teaching of English or Professional and Technical Writing. They will maintain an active research program and national and international standing in their field, mentor and advise graduate students, demonstrate excellence in undergraduate and graduate teaching, and contribute service, public engagement, and outreach. The position includes a 20% research allocation.

The University of Arizona is a research-intensive, land-grant university with an interdisciplinary culture. Its Foundations Writing Program supports undergraduate students’ development of writing, critical thinking, and rhetorical skills. The Senior Director will join a community focused on writing instruction, faculty development, and student success. The position is full-time, 1.0 FTE, and tenured. The target hire date is August 16, 2027. Salary is listed as DOE.

Requirements

• Earned doctorate in rhetoric and composition, professional and technical writing, or a closely related field.
• Scholarship, teaching, and service record sufficient for appointment with tenure at the rank of Associate or Full Professor in the University of Arizona Department of English, in Rhetoric, Composition and the Teaching of English or Professional and Technical Writing.
• Demonstrated administrative or leadership experience in a college or university writing program.
• Demonstrated experience teaching writing at the college or university level and contributing to writing curriculum development and assessment.
• Strong communication and interpersonal skills, including ability to collaborate across constituencies, support shared governance, and address conflicts constructively.
• Demonstrated commitment to student success and to fostering a supportive working and learning environment.

Nice To Haves

• Experience supervising, evaluating, or mentoring writing instructors and supporting their professional development.
• Demonstrated ability or experience managing program resources, including instructional staffing, scheduling, or budgets.
• Experience leading a large or complex writing program serving students across multiple disciplines.
• Experience developing and implementing strategic plans and using program, enrollment, and assessment data to guide decisions.
• Experience with faculty and staff hiring, performance evaluation, workload allocation, and career-track faculty promotion.
• Experience preparing, mentoring, and supervising graduate teaching assistants in collaboration with graduate programs.
• Experience with writing placement, transfer articulation, and general education writing requirements.
• Experience supporting multilingual writers and writing instruction across in-person and online settings.
• Experience building partnerships with writing centers, writing across the curriculum initiatives, and other campus programs.
• Scholarship in writing program administration, writing pedagogy, writing assessment, or related areas.
• Experience navigating organizational change and advocating effectively for instructional quality, fair working conditions, and program resources.
• Experience securing external funding or developing philanthropic support for academic programs.

Responsibilities

• Lead strategic and multi-year planning for Writing Programs in alignment with English Department, College, and University priorities; collect and use program data to guide decisions.
• Create and support shared governance; oversee development and revision of program policies and core documents and ensure clear communication of them.
• Lead hiring for career-track faculty and staff positions, including chairing search committees and coordinating with College and University offices.
• Conduct timely and fair faculty, director, and staff evaluations and reviews; finalize annual performance review scores and meet with faculty about reviews as needed.
• Support professional growth, coordinate career-track promotion committees, write promotion support letters, and advise faculty on professional refresh opportunities.
• Foster a supportive program community and advocate for staff, instructors, and administrators on salary, workload, working conditions, promotion, and equity.
• Keep faculty, staff, and graduate teaching assistants informed; communicate relevant program changes to department leadership; report to the Dean and Provost as needed; resolve student and faculty concerns not resolved by other directors.
• Prepare the annual program report and other reports and self-studies as needed.
• Oversee curriculum changes, approvals, maintenance, articulation, and instructor training; advocate for conditions that support teaching and learning; review campus course proposals for potential conflicts with English or Writing Programs offerings.
• Lead scheduling and enrollment management in collaboration with program staff and directors and College academic affairs staff.
• Take final responsibility for the annual program-level outcomes assessment report, in collaboration with the assessment coordinator.
• Oversee placement of incoming students into Foundations Writing.
• Promote student success; review grade-change requests and respond to referred grade appeals while following FERPA requirements.
• Support graduate teaching assistants in partnership with English graduate programs, including consultation on GTA extensions and communication about GTA positions.
• Serve as the General Education Foundations Writing representative or assign a replacement.
• Maintain an active research and scholarly profile consistent with the position’s 20% research allocation; encourage scholarship by program faculty and GTAs and use program data to contribute to knowledge about writing instruction.
• Represent Writing Programs in department, College, and University meetings and initiatives; maintain dialogue with instructional constituencies.
• Build and maintain partnerships with campus writing sites and initiatives, and participate in articulation and campus transfer meetings.
• Manage program resources, including instructional staffing, GTA positions, and space, ethically and transparently in consultation with College finance staff; manage enrollment and staffing within available funds.
• Identify opportunities for external funding or charitable giving in collaboration with the College Development Office as appropriate.

Benefits

• Health, dental, and vision insurance plans
• Life insurance and disability programs
• Paid vacation, sick leave, and holidays
• Tuition reduction at U of A, ASU, and NAU for the employee and qualified family members
• Retirement plans
• Access to U of A recreation and cultural activities
• Work-life programs
• Relocation services

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Senior
• Education Level: Ph.D. or professional degree