Associate Dean of the School of Health Sciences

Faculty are essential to Liberty University’s mission of Training Champions for Christ. It is expected that ‎‎‎‎‎a faculty member model a personal commitment to the goals and values of Liberty University, engage ‎‎‎‎‎in an active commitment to, and experience of, personal spiritual formation within a biblically informed ‎‎‎‎‎Christian worldview. Faculty should view their teaching, engagement with students, and scholarship as a ‎‎‎means to a significant educational ‎‎end. They should strive to employ a variety of techniques for the ‎‎‎development of good learning ‎‎conditions, view each student as a unique individual, and insofar as it is ‎‎‎possible, provide for individual ‎‎differences, abilities, and interests. ‎

The Associate Dean is a full time, 12 month contracted position within the designated college or school. This position is an academic administrator, as well as a member of the faculty, whose primary role is to support the Dean of the College/School in providing exceptional leadership for curricular initiatives, strategic planning, program evaluation and development, and the management of administrative and financial affairs. Duties include coordinating the daily operations of the College/School and all matters necessary for the progress and management of the College/School. Other duties may be required, as determined by University and/or College/School leadership, per the Liberty University Faculty Handbook.

The School of Health Sciences invites applications for an Associate Dean of the School of Health Sciences. The Associate Dean, School of Health Sciences is a key strategic leadership position within the Liberty University Health Sciences administration. Reporting directly to the dean and working collaboratively with chairs and faculty, the associate dean plays an integral support role in leading School of Health Sciences projects and initiatives. The associate dean aligns projects with business goals, constructs detailed work plans, and communicates results across a stakeholder audience. The associate dean is responsible for oversight and coordination of programs and activities that support research and operations for the school. The successful candidate will serve as a trusted advisor to the dean, providing proactive, comprehensive support and forecasting to the strategic administrative and operational priorities, including partnering closely with administrative partners and leaders of the School of Health Sciences. The successful candidate will maximize people and projects. He/she will work with key university constituencies including IT, marketing, institutional effectiveness, and research. He/she will lead the team to keep projects or programs on schedule and within scope and budget, working toward high efficiencies and flawless execution.

Objectives of the Role

• In collaboration with the dean, build and develop the project teams to ensure maximum performance, providing purpose, direction, and motivation.
• Lead projects from inception through successful deployment, identifying schedules, scopes, budget estimations, and project implementation plans, including risk mitigation.
• Coordinate internal and external resources, ensuring projects remain within scope, schedule, and defined budgets, in collaboration with project staff from various functional departments.
• Analyze project progress and, when necessary, adapt scope, timelines, and costs to ensure that the project team adheres to project requirements.
• Establish and maintain relationships with appropriate stakeholders.
• Develop and support mechanisms that promote research/scholarship of faculty and graduate/undergraduate students.
• Promote, develop opportunities for, and support interdisciplinary research/scholarship and/or clusters.

Essential Functions

• Oversight of operational activities to facilitate effective project management across teams.
• Determines and prioritizes which matters need the dean’s attention and works with appropriate leadership to resolve complex operational matters.
• Works closely with the dean on projects and issues of significant impact to the school.
• Works closely with the dean to lead projects and initiatives that support the priorities and mission of both Liberty University and the School of Health Sciences.
• Provides operational oversight for the internal strategic planning processes and internal priorities for growing the School of Health Sciences.
• Develops and implements the organizational systems that support the goals necessary to enable the dean to lead comprehensive strategy and work of all constituents (faculty, staff, students, researchers, etc.).
• Collaborating with administrative and faculty leaders, helps identify and resolve issues of substantial significance that affect the overall functioning of the school. Collaborating with administrative, staff and faculty leaders, helps move forward institutional priorities.
• Assists with various communique documentation. Ensures effective communication across the team; identifies and helps resolve team issues or concerns; all to drive the effectiveness of the team.
• Conducts research on education, pedagogy practice, and related issues at the direction of the dean. Serve as an expert resource on current education and pedagogy trends
• Collaborates with other leaders and communicates with Institutional Effectiveness and Research and external accreditors on matters affecting the School of Health Sciences.

Daily/Monthly Responsibilities

• Establish and maintain processes to manage scope over the project lifecycle, setting project quality and performance standards, and assessing and managing risk within, and across, multiple projects.
• Structure and manage integrated, multi-track project performance databases for multiple digital, print, social, broadcast, and experiential projects, with an eye on overall progress.
• Develop and maintain partnerships with outside resources—including third-party vendors and researchers
• Monitor and assign resources appropriately to streamline project efficiency and maximize deliverable outputs.
• Report project outcomes and/or risks to the appropriate management channels as needed—escalating issues as necessary based on project work plans.
• Assists with budget planning and management.

Specific Areas of Responsibility Include (but are not limited to) Stewardship of:

• Enrollment management
• Liaison with various academic support and business operations offices
• Academic facilities
• Assessment and accreditation
• Oversee catalog/curriculum review process
• Oversee program review
• Data analysis, reports, planning
• Policy and process development
• Administration of summer research program initiative
• Facilitation of new ncademic program development collaboratively with faculty
• Facilitation of faculty development program(s) for CAS collaboratively with others
• Participates with the leadership team with the recruitment, appointment, orientation, promotion, and dismissal of faculty for the college.
• Promotes research strategies and implementation plans, ensuring alignment to program outcomes and strategy.
• Participates in the preparation, administration, and monitoring of the program budget.
• Maintains and builds relationships with the University Alumni Association.
• Engages and builds relationships with Donors when requested.
• Collaborate closely with a variety of stakeholders, both internal and external, on all aspects of projects, including planning, content, layout and publication of marketing materials, turnaround time, etc.
• Other responsibilities as assigned.

Preferred Qualifications

• Professional certification—including PMP/PRINCE II
• Previous success in producing deliverable software platforms
• Management of deadlines and budgetary guidelines
• Experience developing in-house platforms for internal processes
• Experience coaching and educating project teams to strengthen team members’ capabilities and skill sets.

Contact: David King, david.king@amnhealthcare.com