Director, Program Strategy & Operations - CMU Online

Director, Program Strategy & Operations - CMU Online
Компания: Carnegie Mellon University
Город: Pittsburgh
CMU Online is experiencing significant growth and seeks a strategic program leader responsible for comprehensive program management of multiple (10+) online graduate programs across 5 schools/colleges with significant nterdisciplinary collaboration across internal and external departments and partners.
The Director will independently lead the overall program management strategy to ensure an exceptional student experience, maintain the quality and reputation of CMU Online and meet retention/revenue goals. They will develop strategies, systems and processes to support these goals.
In addition, they will work collaboratively across the university with academic departments, enrollment services, computing services, registrar and financial aid to successfully manage the complexity of a central unit supporting programs that span multiple schools and colleges.
Finally, the Director will play a key role in the development and launch of multiple new programs annually, independently directing all aspects of operationalizing a new program in various systems in coordination with the academic department and across university partners.
This role is ideal for a highly experienced program management leader with experience managing all aspects of multiple programs while successfully collaborating with various stakeholders and partners. They will have strong critical thinking skills, expertise managing significant complexity
and have good judgement to independently resolve exception cases.
**Core Responsibilities include:**
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Program Strategy & Operations_
* Direct all aspects of program strategy and operations for CMU Online's growing portfolio of 10+ online graduate programs across multiple academic departments.
* Manage significant complexity across student needs, academic requirements and operational standards to support effective program delivery, strong student outcomes, and continued portfolio growth.
* Evaluate operational challenges and exception cases, exercise independent judgment , and determine appropriate courses of action across multiple programs and university stakeholders. ● Act as the principal subject matter expert on university-wide policies and processes, CMU Online policies and processes, program specific curriculum, academic requirements and policies.
* Proactively identify operational risks, gaps, and opportunities; determine appropriate solutions and lead their implementation to increase program efficiency, consistency, accuracy, and scalability.
_Interdisciplinary Collaboration_
* Lead interdisciplinary coordination across multiple schools and colleges, aligning academic departments, university administrative units and CMU Online staff to ensure effective program operations and student services.
* Develop and maintain strategic working relationships with university partners, including the University Registrar's Office, Student Financial Services, Financial Aid, Computing Services, Student Academic Success Center, and Graduate Student Affairs.
* Lead the resolution of complex cross-functional issues requiring coordination among multiple university stakeholders, exercising judgment to reconcile competing requirements, address exceptions, and determine appropriate solutions.
* Represent CMU Online in university committees, cross-functional working groups, and stakeholder meetings; present program priorities, operational challenges, recommendations, and decisions to academic and administrative audiences.
* Collaborate with CMU Online marketing and recruiting leadership to align program operations, enrollment planning, student communications, and new program implementation.
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Student Success & Retention Strategy_
* Direct student success and retention strategy to ensure students have a world-class experience for students and that retention/revenue goals are met.
* Lead the planning and execution of a complex onboarding process including ~300 new students across 10+ programs with 4+ schools/colleges over three starts per year. Ensure successful transition from enrollment to matriculation while accommodating varying program requirements and academic policies.
* Oversee continuous, accurate visibility into the full student lifecycle; proactively identify pending actions, status changes, and risks requiring intervention; direct coordinated action across academic departments.
* Develop and oversee delivery of all student communications, ensuring students receive timely, accurate, and actionable information.
* Exercise independent judgment on complex and nuanced student cases, balancing university policy, consistency, risk, and customer service; evaluate alternatives, determine appropriate resolutions, and coordinate decisions across university stakeholders, escalating when necessary.
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New Program Development & Implementation_
* Lead the operational planning and implementation of a pipeline of multiple new online programs annually translating curricular concepts into operationally executable programs that support successful launch and long-term scalability.
* Assess operational requirements, dependencies, risks, and resource needs for new programs; anticipate and resolve complex implementation challenges arising from differences in school and college requirements, existing university systems, and program delivery models.
* Direct interdisciplinary coordination across academic departments, university administrative units, technology teams, and internal stakeholders to operationalize new programs within institutional systems and processes.
* Establish repeatable frameworks, processes, and documentation for new program implementation to enable CMU Online to efficiently scale its portfolio.
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Team Leadership & Management_
* Hire, train, coach, and manage program management staff responsible for supporting program operations and the student lifecycle.
* Provide direction and decision-making support for complex or escalated operational and student situations, developing staff capacity to exercise sound judgment and independently resolve problems.
* Direct and prioritize team capacity across a growing portfolio of programs, balancing ongoing operational requirements, student needs, and new program development.
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Data, Documentation & Operational Excellence_
* Establish and oversee meaningful student and program related metrics and performance indicators; communicate performance, risks, and recommendations to senior leadership.
* Use data to identify trends, emerging risks, operational challenges, and opportunities to improve student outcomes and program effectiveness; determine and lead appropriate strategic and operational responses.
* Oversee current and comprehensive documentation for program operations, student lifecycle processes, university policies, workflows, procedures, calendars, reports, and projects to support transparency, continuity, and growth.
* Evaluate operational structures and direct initiatives to automate, streamline, and improve processes through technology, system enhancements, and redesigned workflows.
* Identify and mitigate operational risks, including process gaps, system limitations, inconsistent practices, and dependencies that could affect student experience or program continuity and growth.
* Independently ensure a high level of accuracy, consistency, compliance, and service as the portfolio scales.
Adaptability, excellence, and passion are vital qualities within Carnegie Mellon University. We are in search of a team member who can effectively interact with a varied population of internal and external partners at a high level of integrity. We are looking for someone who shares our values and who will support the mission of the university through their work.
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You should demonstrate:_
* Deep knowledge and experience in university program management, student services, academic operations, and policies affecting students