Teachers College - Jobs - Job Details - Director of Academic Affairs Compliance

BASIC FUNCTION

Reporting directly to the Vice Provost for Academic Planning and Global Affairs (VPAPGA), the Director of Academic Affairs Compliance (DAAC) will manage compliance for all TC programs, ensuring adherence to institutional policies as well as the requirements of state and federal agencies, including the New York State Department of Education (NYSED), the State Authorization Reciprocity Agreement (SARA), and the US Department of Education. The Director will be responsible for the life cycle of academic program registration beginning with the internal curriculum review process through final approval by NYSED. This position will provide support for faculty and administration with the program registration process, including the completion and submission of the official application and other final documents to NYSED. In addition, the incumbent will complete an annual inventory of programs and maintain a centralized and up-to-date institutional database of program registration records. This position will collaborate with stakeholders across the College on policies and standard operating procedures (SOPs) that support efficient program planning.

Applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis, and we are seeking a candidate available to start as soon as possible.

Questions? Please contact the Office of Academic Planning.

CHARACTERISTIC DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES

Compliance Leadership and Application Management (50%)

• Oversee and guide institutional compliance efforts for academic programs, including NYSED registrations, modifications, and more.
• Serve as primary liaison, responding to regulatory inquiries as well as external requests from NYSED, SARA, Columbia University Office of the Provost, etc.
• Advise faculty and administrative offices on NYSED requirements, as well as federal regulations related to new and existing academic programs, including those for distance learning offerings, professional licensure, and teacher certification.
• Support faculty and academic departments with preparing new program proposals, program revision forms and the NYSED application for program registration.
• Review all documents for accuracy, completeness and compliance with college, university, state, and federal regulatory requirements before submission to the internal curriculum committee and NYSED.
• Review and advise on appropriate Classification of Instructional Programs (CIP) codes for majors, as well as coordinate requests for changes to CIP codes.
• Monitor status of submitted applications, regularly reporting updates to VPAPGA.
• Prepare content for inclusion in the VPA PGA reports to senior leadership, faculty committees, and others.

Data Reporting & Recordkeeping (20%)

• Oversee all aspects of state authorization, including NC-SARA membership renewals and required SARA data reports for out-of-state field experience placements.
• Maintain an up-to-date inventory of registered programs for internal recordkeeping and the NYSED Inventory of Registered Programs.
• Review the annual academic catalog to ensure its accuracy and compliance with all applicable regulations and institutional policies.

Policy and Process Development & Risk Management (15%)

• Lead the development of accurate and up-to-date compliance policies and procedures related to academic program registration in collaboration with relevant departments (e.g., Office of the General Counsel, Division of Enrollment Management, etc.).
• Identify potential compliance risks and their impact on academic programming, while also developing mitigation strategies.
• Keep abreast of federal and state regulations related to academic programs, managing updates and notifying relevant TC offices as needed.

General Administration (10%)

• Oversee the office’s daily operations, including budgeting, expense processing and resource allocation.
• Hire, train, and supervise professional and student staff as needed.
• Design and implement internal workflows to improve clarity and efficiency in compliance tracking and reporting.
• Facilitate department- and institutional-level training on best practices.

Other duties as assigned (5%)

Minimum Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree or equivalent in education, training, and experience.
• Four (4) years of experience in higher education compliance or regulatory oversight.
• Excellent knowledge of local, state, and federal rules and regulations for academic affairs compliance within higher education institutions
• Demonstrable knowledge of regulation requirements for teacher certification and professional licensure programs (e.g., clinical/counseling psychology, etc.).
• Demonstrable proficiency with Google Drive (Docs, Slides, Sheets, Calendar), Microsoft Office Suite (Word, Excel, PowerPoint), and Adobe Acrobat.
• Strong project management skills and the ability to balance and effectively prioritize numerous projects from initiation to completion.
• Strong communication skills, cultural awareness, discretion and the ability to exercise professional judgment, particularly in sensitive situations.
• Strong organizational and time-management skills, and the ability to prioritize tasks and consistently deliver on deadlines.
• Detail-oriented, able to read, understand and draft clear and concise messages to various audiences.
• Ability to handle sensitive and confidential information professionally.
• Willingness to travel occasionally for professional association conferences and meetings.

Preferred Qualifications

• Doctoral or terminal degree.
• Demonstrable proficiency with relational database platforms (e.g., Airtable); and project/task management platforms and tools (i.e., Asana, JIRA, etc.).
• Familiarity with TC-specific platforms such as Banner Document Manager, Slate.
• Knowledge of accreditation standards for higher education institutions.
• Strong knowledge of NYSED program registration requirements and regulations.

Salary Range: $127,000 - $159,000

Work Modality: Hybrid