A cover letter is required for consideration for this position and should be attached as the first page of your resume. The cover letter should address your specific interest in the position and outline skills and experience that directly relate to this position.
About the SLC
The SLC is an interdisciplinary resource center sponsored by the College of Literature, Science, and the Arts (LSA) to support teaching and learning in the natural sciences at the University of Michigan. The natural science disciplines at U-M include astronomy, biology, biophysics, chemistry, earth and environmental sciences, and physics.
SLC Mission Statement
The mission of the SLC is to provide inclusive opportunities and spaces for undergraduate students to collaborate, learn, and develop as leaders in the natural sciences.
About LSA
The College of Literature, Science and the Arts (LSA) is the largest college on the Ann Arbor campus of the University of Michigan. It is home to over 4,500 faculty, staff, LEO Lecturers, Graduate Students, and temporary staff and serves over 18,000 undergraduate students in over 100 degree programs.
About the Undergraduate Education Division
The Undergraduate Education Division includes approximately twenty-four academic and academic support departments from across the College dedicated to student exploration, engagement, and learning. We offer curriculum and advising support as well as instructional support for both students and faculty. Many of our academic enrichment programs feature high-impact educational experiences. We also serve as an incubator for curricular and co-curricular innovation. Together, we pursue a mission of academic excellence and creativity.
The University of Michigan's Science Learning Center (SLC) seeks an experienced professional to serve as Associate Director, providing strategic and operational leadership for our Academic Programs division. The SLC serves more than 8,000 undergraduate students annually across 20+ STEM courses. The Associate Director directly supervises the program managers of our Study Group and Tutoring Programs.
In this role, the Associate Director works closely with the SLC Director and leadership team to identify ongoing priorities, make policy decisions, and resolve complex student and programmatic matters. The Associate Director serves as backup to the Director, making key decisions as necessary and handling emergent issues. The position directly supervises three to four full-time professional staff members and provides administrative oversight of approximately 350 undergraduate student staff across multiple academic support programs.
The Associate Director leads the unit's program evaluation and assessment strategy, drives data analytics and reporting capabilities, and manages cross-functional projects that advance the SLC's mission. Additional responsibilities include liaising with academic departments and administrative units, coordinating faculty engagement, managing program budgets and fiscal year projections, and advancing initiatives to recruit and retain underrepresented students in the STEM fields.
The Associate Director reports to the SLC Director. This position requires occasional evening and weekend work for start-of-term preparations, support during busy periods prior to exams, and special events.
This position may be eligible for remote and/or flexible work opportunities at the discretion of the hiring department. Flexible work agreements are reviewed annually and are subject to change, dependent on the business needs of the hiring department, throughout the course of employment.
25% - Academic Programs Leadership and Policy
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Provide strategic and administrative oversight for the Study Group Program, Tutoring Program, and other academic support services, including the recruitment, training, and supervision of undergraduate and graduate student staff.
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Work closely with the SLC Director and leadership team to identify ongoing priorities, make policy decisions, and resolve complex student and programmatic matters.
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Serve as backup to the Director; making key decisions as necessary and handling emergent issues.
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Implement new programs and advise on changes that will strengthen the SLC's overall program portfolio in alignment with College and institutional priorities.
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Set unit culture, norms, and expectations for collaboration across programs.
20% - Staff Supervision and Development
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Directly supervise three to four full-time staff and provide administrative oversight of approximately 350 student staff members across multiple programs.
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Develop individual professional development goals with each direct report; connect staff to College and University initiatives that advance their skills and career goals.
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Set performance expectations, conduct regular one-on-ones, deliver formal performance evaluations, and address performance concerns through corrective action when needed.
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Lead recruitment, hiring, and onboarding for professional and student staff; structure workloads and team capacity to meet unit goals.
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Develop and mentor staff through coaching and professional development, including supporting their preparation for promotion or career advancement.
20% - Program Evaluation, Assessment, and Data Analytics
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Lead the assessment of the effectiveness of policies, procedures, and implementations of SLC academic support and enhancement programs through collaboration with College and University assessment resources.
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Design and maintain data collection frameworks and reporting pipelines, including integration with the UMStudy Learning Platform, Data Warehouse, and Tableau.
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Develop and manage dashboards, reports, and data visualizations that inform programmatic decision-making, resource allocation, and strategic planning.
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Analyze student engagement, registration, and outcomes data to identify trends, evaluate program effectiveness, and recommend evidence-based improvements.
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Maintain SLC data infrastructure, including the annual report data file, program dashboards, and evaluation datasets.
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Coordinate internal staff evaluation procedures to promote professional development and growth.
15% - Project Management and Strategic Initiatives
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Lead cross-functional projects from planning through execution, utilizing project management tools (Asana) to coordinate timelines, dependencies, and deliverables across the Academic Programs Team.
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Manage the Academic Programs Team (APT) calendar, ensuring alignment of program milestones, staffing cycles, and institutional deadlines.
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Oversee program budget tracking and fiscal year projections for Study Group and Tutoring accounts; monitor expenditures, project year-end balances, and advise the Director on resource allocation.
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Coordinate special projects as assigned, including award applications, accessibility compliance efforts, and process improvement initiatives.
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Represent the SLC at professional meetings and conferences; attend and present on SLC programs at national conferences.
10% - Faculty Engagement and Campus Liaison
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Coordinate SLC outreach to faculty in the natural sciences for each supported course, including scheduling pre-term meetings, distributing program data, and facilitating class visits.
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Connect with academic units to understand how to best serve student needs and identify how SLC programs can support departmental goals.
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Streamline processes and build relationships with key campus offices including the Registrar's Office, Dean of Students, Newnan Academic Advising Center, Comprehensive Studies Program (CSP), and others.
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Collaborate with other academic support units across campus to identify and resolve common issues and explore best practices.
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Coordinate resources to best support students across institutional partners.
10% - Student Access, Equity, and Outreach
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Ensure programs are accessible to a wide range of students, with a strong focus on students underrepresented in the STEM fields.
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Implement best practices and develop resources for advising, orienting, and supporting students of various identities within academic support programs.
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Build partnerships with key departments and organizations to promote academic support among a broad range of students, including those who may not have previously considered seeking help.
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Explore programming in less traditional formats and disciplines to broaden the SLC's reach.
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Lead response during emergencies and high-traffic periods (e.g., start of term, exam weeks), with flexibility to adjust schedule and work occasional evenings or weekends as needed.
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Master's degree.
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Minimum of four years administering undergraduate academic support programs, or in a related higher-education role involving program management, assessment, or student success.
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Three or more years supervising regular professional staff.
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Demonstrated experience in program evaluation, assessment design, and data-driven decision making.
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Demonstrated experience promoting access and participation among students who do not traditionally engage with academic support services or who are underrepresented in STEM fields
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Strong organizational and project management skills with demonstrated ability to manage multiple concurrent initiatives and deadlines, both individually and across a team.
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An undergraduate or graduate degree in a STEM-related field.
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Experience with data visualization tools (Tableau, Power BI) or comparable tools, learning management platforms, and statistical software.
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Comprehensive and practical knowledge of academic support services in a higher education setting, including experience troubleshooting a variety of complex issues.
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Experience with program budgeting and fiscal management.
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Experience facilitating workshops for faculty, staff, and students.
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Knowledge of student learning theory and the ability to apply best practices programmatically.
Positions that are eligible for hybrid or mobile/remote work mode are at the discretion of the hiring department. Work agreements are reviewed annually at a minimum and are subject to change at any time, and for any reason, throughout the course of employment. Learn more about the work modes.
The University of Michigan conducts background checks on all job candidates upon acceptance of a contingent offer and may use a third party administrator to conduct background checks. Background checks are performed in compliance with the Fair Credit Reporting Act.
Job openings are posted for a minimum of seven calendar days. The review and selection process may begin as early as the eighth day after posting. This opening may be removed from posting boards and filled any time after the minimum posting period has ended.
The University of Michigan is an equal employment opportunity employer.
