Assistant Director of Online Education

• Job Type: Officer of Administration
• Regular/Temporary: Regular
• Salary Range: $77,000 – $90,000

Position Summary

Reporting to the Associate Provost for Online Education, the Assistant Director provides support to the Office of Teaching, Learning, and Innovation (OTLI) for Columbia University’s online offerings, programs, and initiatives. The Assistant Director manages the portfolio of online learning initiatives, revenue and finances for OTLI, public and internal communications efforts, and champions new opportunities and innovation to advance Columbia’s standing in the digital education space.

The Assistant Director also provides critical support to the Office of the Senior Vice Provost (OSVP) and the Center for Teaching and Learning (CTL) in various priorities and initiatives undertaken by its units.

Responsibilities

Program Management and Project Management:

• Facilitate centrally managed online education programming, initiatives, and resources.
• Assist the Associate Provost in running day-to-day operations of OTLI and provide support for mission critical projects and priorities.
• Manage day-to-day relationships with third-party platforms and vendors involved in supporting Columbia courses and programs.
• Collaborate with online learning units to manage various online learning initiatives and programs across the University.
• Manage the annual Provost’s Teaching & Learning RFPs in close collaboration with the Center for Teaching and Learning (CTL).
• Manage and update RFP dashboards for reporting purposes.
• Serve as a liaison to the Office of General Counsel (OGC) on reviewing contracts, contract renewals, teaching agreements, and legal documents related to online learning, executive education, and edtech vendors.

Finances and Revenue Management:

• Track quarterly revenue from massive open online courses and other platforms.
• Manage the financial reconciliation and disbursement processes.
• Measure the performance of non-degree and executive education courses and initiatives, including revenue forecasting.
• Oversee and manage the RFP and SOLER PSSGs funds transfer process and preparing reports for internal dashboards and communications.
• Prepare and present all OTLI revenue data and metrics for leadership and stakeholders.

Communications:

• Create, curate, and edit content for OTLI, Columbia Online, and other public facing assets, including news releases, event listings, resources, and more.
• Develop marketing and communications content to promote Columbia’s online offerings and initiatives via social media, websites, newsletters, and other channels.
• Conduct assessment and evaluation to measure the reach and impact of marketing and promotional content, and draw on the data for iterative improvement of the offerings and marketing efforts.
• Collect and extract data from various systems and platforms in order to create reports and generate insights on learners enrolled in Columbia’s offerings from internal and external platforms.

Community Engagement and Support:

• Support OTLI teaching and learning initiatives across the University.
• Manage OTLI events, conferences and talks, such as Provost’s Conversations on Online Learning (PCoOL) and the Celebration of Teaching & Learning Symposium.
• Support Academic Technologies Leadership Group (ATLG) and the Digital Community at Columbia (DCC) by organizing meetings, sub-committees, priorities, and events.
• Collaborate with the ATLG to identify and assess educational technology needs by administering and managing surveys, hosting demonstrations by vendors, and reporting results for recommendations on University adoption.

Research and Innovation:

• Research, evaluate and report on emerging learning technologies, digital tools, and trends in online and hybrid education.
• Pilot and assess innovative instructional technologies in collaboration with faculty and academic units.
• Produce reports, briefs, and presentations on advancements in online pedagogy.

Supporting Other OTLI Initiatives:

• Represent OTLI at Large Group meetings of the CTL Leadership Council.
• Assist with new initiatives and opportunities in online education.
• Support CTL initiatives as needed.

Supervision

• Provide indirect supervision of junior staff and direct supervision of student workers employed by OTLI units.

Performs other duties as assigned

Minimum Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree required.
• Minimum of 3-5 years of related experience required; related experience in Higher Education preferred.
• Excellent computer skills, including advanced proficiency with Excel, knowledge of database management software and familiarity with setting up dashboards for reporting purposes. Experience with online forms and survey design programs is highly desirable. Knowledge of learning management systems (e.g. Canvas, Brightspace, Canvas, edX), Panopto, Drupal, video editing software, and social media platforms.
• Strong interpersonal skills, excellent written and verbal communication skills, keen attention to detail, and ability to exercise good judgment and discretion in handling confidential and sensitive data are required. Exceptional organizational skills and ability to manage multiple tasks, set priorities, meet deadlines and demonstrate initiative.

Preferred Qualifications

• Master’s degree
• Experience in instructional design, education, education technology, or a related field.
• Interest in the online education space, learning technologies, and best practices in online pedagogy.

Equal Opportunity Employer / Disability / Veteran

Columbia University is committed to the hiring of qualified local residents.