Chair, Construction and Technical Programs

Santa Fe College is seeking an Academic Chair for the Construction and Technical Programs. The department chair provides leadership, direction and support to the academic department by facilitating the operational functions; providing a vision for the department and articulating college goals; coordinating the review of curriculum and assessment of student learning and engagement; providing management and allocation of financial resources; recruitment, development, retention and scheduling of faculty and staff; accepting responsibility for reporting, compliance, and other accountabilities while creating an effective working environment that encourages scholarly and creative activities in the pursuit of excellence in teaching leading to outstanding educational programs.

This position is responsible for leading a complex, multidisciplinary department; ensuring programs meet accreditation standards; creating and managing course schedules; to optimize enrollment; resolving student concerns; acting as a liaison to industry partners and affiliates, promoting programs in the community, completing performance reviews and complying with College initiatives.

The Chair must be an advocate of faculty and a representative of the administration, serving as a consensus builder while providing an open forum for faculty, staff and students.

Responsibilities and Duties

• Under the guidance of the Associate Vice President and Provost, develop and articulate the vision and goals of the department in the context of the college’s mission, values and goals congruent to the strategic plan.
• Provides leadership for the development, implementation and evaluation of institutional learning outcomes and issues, curriculum improvement and assessment of student learning.
• Promotes best practices in instruction and student engagement and maintains awareness of industry best practices while identifying emerging issues and trends.
• Moves the department forward to make sure the department’s evolution reflects external changes in the discipline.
• Maintains positive relationships with local, state and national colleagues, advisory board members, employers and industry representatives.
• Ensures that programs are aligned with regional workforce needs in collaboration with advisory boards, local employers and other stakeholders.
• Promotes a positive and professional culture of open communication and participation that unifies faculty and staff within the department and throughout the college.
• Demonstrates the college’s commitment to diversity through its recruitment and hiring practices and creates an inviting and inclusive sense of community for faculty, staff and students.
• Cultivates and maintains a culture of service excellence.
• Leads department level planning and program review activities, including assessment of learning outcomes and uses the results, in collaboration with the AVP and Provost, to improve departmental operations as well as student access, retention, learning, and success.
• Provides input as requested to the AVP and Provost in the development of college proposals to expand programs through partnerships, acquisition of additional resources and securing external funding sources.
• Develops departmental goals that support the college mission, strategic plan and enrollment management activities.
• Analyses the department’s needs both short and long term for space utilization and resources for supplies, equipment, and capital items; and makes requests accordingly.
• Ensures adequate facilities are available, including locations for practical experiences and internship placements acting as the college liaison with these entities following college protocols for contracts and agreements.
• Plans, manages, and assesses department budgets and resources to efficiently meet goals, demonstrating accountability and good stewardship.
• Manages operational activities and oversees daily activities including apprenticeship programs in the trades and opportunities for high school dual enrollment students in construction.
• Develops and implements annual plans for course offerings, faculty scheduling, program recruitment and active enrollment management in accordance with Academic Affairs leadership directives.
• Maintains compliance with outside accreditation agencies.
• Conducts regular department meetings and is responsible for ensuring timely communication of college information with direct reports. Manages college facilities that include maintenance and scheduling of highly specialized facilities with unique purposes.
• Coordinates meetings and plans events that may include advisory committee meetings, special performances, and conferences for members of the community and other organizations.
• Oversees and manages department grants.
• Develops and maintains policies, procedures, and handbooks for successful operations.
• Prepares internal and external reports.
• Initiates and manages various contracts and memorandums of understanding.
• Participates in and supports, as appropriate, student recruitment activities and student enrollment management.
• Addresses all student issues in a professional and timely manner, and in accordance with instructional policies and procedures.
• Assists with registration issues, including transcript evaluation with regards to prerequisites, equivalencies, and pathway decisions.
• Participates in additional student support functions, as appropriate, within the department for activities like program-level new student orientation and advisement.
• Recommends or selects full and part time faculty and staff in accordance with college guidelines, ensuring verification of references, submission of required application materials, and completion of credentialing for faculty.
• Implements timely and informative performance appraisals for full and part time faculty and staff in accordance with established guidelines and provides oversight for the continuing contract process.
• Responsible for scheduling, loading and assignment of all department faculty and staff, maintaining appropriate time and attendance records, and approving leave and timesheets. Selects full and part time faculty and staff with established guidelines.
• Facilitates and encourages the development of faculty and staff by making professional development opportunities and resources available.
• Motivates and inspires team members, models professional behavior, provides guidance and coaching when performance does not meet expectations, and initiates appropriate disciplinary actions when needed.
• Chairs are expected to maintain currency of subject matter knowledge, certifications, and teaching techniques.
• Performs other duties as assigned.

Reports to: Associate Vice President, Academic Affairs (Career and Technical Education)

Qualifications

Required:  To meet accreditation requirements, the chair must hold the credentials necessary to teach in at least one of the disciplines within the department. (See the Credentialing Manual for a complete description of the credentialing process and minimum requirements for positions:  Faculty Credentialing Manual (Download PDF reader)). A master’s degree is required. Experience within the field is also required.
Additional Requirements:  A criminal background check will be conducted.
Preferred:  Managerial experience is preferred. Teaching experience is preferred.