Academic Program Director - Life Sciences

The University of Southern California (USC), founded in 1880, is located in the heart of downtown L.A. and is the largest private employer in the City of Los Angeles. As an employee of USC, you will be a part of a world-class research university and a member of the “Trojan Family,” which is comprised of the faculty, students and staff that make the university a great place to work.  

The USC Dana and David Dornsife College of Letters, Arts and Sciences is seeking a Academic Program Director in the Academic Services Hub. The largest and oldest of the USC schools, USC Dornsife functions as the academic core of the university, offering courses and advancing knowledge across the humanities, social sciences and natural sciences.

Based on a divisional framework, the Academic Services Hubs will provide staff support to approximately 36 departments across Dornsife. Each hub will serve one division and the number of departments per division varies. The mission of the Dornsife Academic Support Centers is to provide optimal, localized support to academic departments by providing specialized services that foster the academic, instructional, and research-driven engagement of faculty, staff and students in the Dornsife community.

The Academic Program Director in Life Sciences will directly lead the academic program management, student support and instructional lab groups in the hub. The director will also have indirect supervision of the administrative/clerical group of the hub and will work collaboratively with the Senior Office Manager and Associate Dean of Academic Services to ensure that the hub effectively leads and manages the operational capacity of each department in that division.

The hub director serves as an interface between chairs and hub staff in the following ways (not limited to):

• Serving as the main point of contact for chairs
• Working with chairs to identify needs and and then synthesize and implement with hub staff
• Facilitating the relationship between faculty and staff with key knowledge and interest in workflows, processes and procedures
• Ability to problem solve and critically analyze situations to both meet the needs of the departments and advocate for the staff
• Ability to listen to constructive feedback and engage in action-oriented discussions; developing common goals and outcomes with critical stakeholders
• Ability to develop strong working relationships with staff and faculty where trust, empathy and direction are key driving elements of leadership
• Ability to partner with multiple constituencies including but not limited to Dornsife Undergraduate Education, Office of Graduate and Professional Programs, Administration and Finance and other central USC departments (USC Registrar, Provosts Office, etc). 
• Ability to effectively manage large teams with differing functions
• Ability to navigate complex and dynamic environments that will require a collaborative approach to balance advocacy for the departments, faculty, students and staff.

Preferred qualifications:

• 10 plus years of experience in higher education, specifically working with academic departments
• Experience working with instructional lab groups
• Knowledge of the life sciences as an academic discipline

Compensation:

The annual base salary range for this position is $134,328.95 - $155,000. When extending an offer of employment, the University of Southern California considers factors such as (but not limited to) the scope and responsibilities of the position, the candidate’s work experience, education/training, key skills, internal peer alignment, federal, state and local laws, contractual stipulations, grant funding, as well as external market and organizational considerations.

Performs other related duties as assigned or requested. The university reserves the right to add or change duties at any time.

Employee Benefits

USC offers a comprehensive benefits package that supports employees and their families, including:

• Robust healthcare options
• Retirement plans with employer contributions
• Tuition benefits for employees and their dependents

These programs are designed to support long-term well-being, financial security, and continued growth.

Required Documents and Additional Information:

• Resume and cover letter required (may be uploaded as one file). Please do not submit your application without these documents.
• Job openings are posted for a minimum of (5) five business days. This job may be removed from posting boards and filled any time after the minimum posting period has ended, so please apply on the same business day if interested.
• To support the well-being of our faculty and staff, USC provides benefits-eligible employees with a broad range of perks to help protect their and their dependents’ health, wealth, and future. These benefits are available as part of the overall compensation and total rewards package. You can learn more about USC’s comprehensive benefits here.

Minimum Education: Master's degree
Addtional Education Requirements Combined experience/education as substitute for minimum education
Minimum Experience: 7 years
Addtional Experience Requirements Combined experience/education as substitute for minimum work experience
Minimum Skills: Experience developing programs, partnerships, and funding sources. Proven experience in management/leadership roles, overseeing staff and building and maintaining relationships with domestic and international stakeholders. Experience resolving inquiries and complaints, and presenting information to varied audiences and maintain confidentiality. Proven analytical skills, exhibiting fluency in specialized areas. Outstanding interpersonal, oral, and written communication skills, with exemplary attention to detail. Experience in higher education and/or customer service. Proven ability to plan, implement, coordinate and organize program logistics. Demonstrated database/data entry experience. Proven project management and problem solving skills, able to handle multiple timelines, changing priorities, and fluctuating workloads.
Preferred Education: Master's degree
Preferred Experience: 10 years in an academic leadership role in higher education
Preferred Skills: Proven track record of grant writing. Experience developing project ideas and in various academic fields with industry leaders, policy makers and analysts.

                                                  

USC is an equal opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, protected veteran status, disability, or any other characteristic protected by law or USC policy. USC observes affirmative action obligations consistent with state and federal law. USC will consider for employment all qualified applicants with criminal records in a manner consistent with applicable laws and regulations, including the Los Angeles County Fair Chance Ordinance for employers and the Fair Chance Initiative for Hiring Ordinance, and with due consideration for patient and student safety. Please refer to the Background Screening Policy Appendix D for specific employment screen implications for the position for which you are applying. 

We provide reasonable accommodations to applicants and employees with disabilities. Applicants with questions about access or requiring a reasonable accommodation for any part of the application or hiring process should contact USC Human Resources by phone at (213) 821-8100, or by email at [email protected]. Inquiries will be treated as confidential to the extent permitted by law.

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If you are a current USC employee, please apply to this  USC job posting in Workday by copying and pasting this link into your browser:

https://wd5.myworkday.com/usc/d/inst/1$9925/9925$146409.htmld