Administrative Director of Online Education at UVA

Are you hiring for a career opportunity in digital/online learning?

Are you looking to fill a great alternative academic (alt-ac) role?

If so, please get in touch, as I would like to help spread the word about the job posting.

To start off this series of featured gigs, the job posting I want to share is Administrative Director of Online Education at the University of Virginia.

To learn more about this role, I asked Kimi Juna, vice provost for online education and digital innovation at UVA, to answer a few questions about the position.

Q1: What is the university’s role behind this role? How does it help align with and enhance the university’s strategic priorities?

a: our Strategic plan 2030 He calls on the university to expand the scope of its educational programs. Specifically, the plan states, “As the world develops, people throughout the Commonwealth of Virginia and the nation will have increasing skills development needs to help them prepare for new jobs or career advancement. As a state-supported university, we feel a special responsibility to serve the Commonwealth by expanding Educational opportunities, both in-person and online, for working adults in the commonwealth and beyond — especially the 1.1 million Virginians who have earned some college credits but have not yet earned a degree.”

In my view, this provides a very clear mandate for the work that the person in this role will be responsible for leading. The fact that this language is included in our strategic plan means that there is a shared sense of purpose for this work at the highest levels of the university.

Q2: Where is the role located within the university structure? How will the person in this role interact with other units and leaders across campus?

a: This new role will report directly to me as part of the Dean’s Office. The Director-General will be part of strategic discussions with deans and institute directors, and with colleagues in the offices of the Dean and President, and will work alongside faculty and staff to develop and operate our online and blended programs.

As the team grows, the General Manager will directly oversee a high-performing team that will add experience and capacity to support our schools in achieving their strategic goals.

Q3: What will success look like in one year? Three years? behind?

a: I believe that within one year, the Director-General will have recruited several key new staff as well as engaging with external consultants and vendors to complement the expertise and services we wish to offer to our partner schools.

He or she will have developed a trusted working relationship and strong relationship with colleagues across campus (we call them Grounds) and will have fostered or significantly assisted in the launch of one or more online or blended programs.

The successful Administrative Director will also facilitate Communities of Practice that bring together key administrators, faculty, and staff engaged in working to expand access to our programs beyond Grounds.

Within three years, I imagine we will have progressed well on our journey with this work and will have earned our place as a key part of the university’s success in achieving the goals set out in the 2030 Agenda.

Q4: What types of future roles will the person in this position be prepared for?

a: The person in this position will be preparing to assume a senior leadership position in higher education, online education, and digital innovation. Different universities have different titles, so it is a bit difficult to choose just one. Assistant, Associate, or Vice Dean for Online Education would be the potential job title. I have a group of friends and colleagues in this role, all of whom have different titles.

We are starting to see people in these roles progressing to the roles of dean and chair, albeit in small numbers so far. And in the future, if someone in this role has that ambition, I can see it being a real possibility in a smaller or internet-dominant organization.