Director of Clinical Experiences

Join the Department of Education at the College of Saint Benedict (CSB) and Saint John’s University (SJU) as a full-time (0.92 FTE), benefit-eligible Director of Clinical Experiences. This role provides leadership in developing, supporting, and assessing teacher candidates throughout their clinical experiences.

About the Role

The Director of Clinical Experiences is responsible for making elementary, middle, and secondary classroom placements and collaborating with faculty, university supervisors, and area schools. The role includes facilitating student teaching seminars and managing the licensure process for teacher candidates.

Responsibilities

• Recruit, hire, train, and provide ongoing support for and evaluation of student teaching supervisors and cooperating teachers.
• Coordinate clinical placements, including field experiences and student teaching assignments, ensuring alignment with Minnesota Professional Educator Licensing and Standards Board (PELSB) requirements, accreditation standards, and institutional learning outcomes.
• Develop and implement systems to document and verify that teacher candidates complete required clinical experiences with students representing diverse backgrounds and exceptionalities, including learners with Individualized Education Programs (IEPs).
• Establish processes to solicit, analyze, and use feedback from teacher candidates, cooperating teachers, university supervisors, and school partners to support continuous program improvement.
• Collaborate with departmental colleagues to align clinical experiences with program needs and priorities.
• Provide timely and professional communication with teacher candidates, faculty, university supervisors, cooperating teachers, and school administrators regarding clinical experience requirements, expectations, policies, and procedures.
• Ensure candidate eligibility, application, placement, and completion processes for student teaching and teacher licensure, in alignment with the Clinical Experiences and Student Teaching Handbook.
• Plan, facilitate, and assess student teaching seminars designed to support candidates' professional growth and transition into the teaching profession.
• Regularly attend MACTE meetings related to Clinical Experiences.

Qualifications

Required

• Master's degree in education, educational leadership, teacher education, or a related field.
• 5 years of experience in K-12 education, higher education, educator preparation, or a related field.
• Experience working with diverse K–12 students, schools, districts, and communities, with a demonstrated commitment to educational equity and inclusive practices.
• Excellent written, verbal, and interpersonal communication skills, with the ability to communicate effectively with university faculty, K–12 partners, candidates, and community stakeholders.
• Demonstrated organizational, problem-solving, and decision-making skills, with the ability to manage multiple priorities, coordinate complex processes, and attend to detail.
• Knowledge of current trends, research, policies, and best practices in educator preparation, clinical practice, and school-university partnerships, or a demonstrated commitment to developing this expertise.
• Ability to plan and deliver instruction to student teachers in a seminar format, ensuring required standards are addressed effectively.
• Ability to work effectively as a collaborative team member, and to provide leadership in the hiring, training, and management of student teacher supervisors.
• Experience and/or knowledge of current educator licensure requirements, clinical assessments (e.g., CPAST), and accreditation expectations, with the ability to adapt to evolving PELSB requirements.
• Demonstrated leadership experience coordinating programs, initiatives, or clinical experiences involving multiple stakeholders.

Preferred

• K–12 teaching or administrator license, or the ability to obtain licensure.
• Experience mentoring teacher candidates, supervising clinical experiences, and supporting educator development in K–12 settings.
• Experience using data management systems to support clinical experiences, assessment, accreditation, program improvement, and data-informed decision making.

Benefits

• Health, Dental, and Vision Insurance
• 18 Paid Holidays Annually
• Generous Vacation and Sick Leave
• Life and Long-Term Disability Insurance
• Tuition Remission for Eligible Dependents
• Employer Contributions to a Retirement Plan
• Employee Assistance Program with access to free or discounted counseling, legal guidance, financial coaching, and more

About the Institutions

The College of Saint Benedict (CSB), a liberal arts college for women, and Saint John’s University (SJU), a liberal arts college for men, are located in the central lakes area of Minnesota, surrounded by more than 3,000 acres of forests, prairies, and lakes. The campuses are minutes from St. Cloud, a regional center with a population of over 100,000, and 70 miles from Minneapolis and St. Paul.

CSB/SJU are Catholic colleges in the Benedictine tradition, dedicated to cultivating an equitable, inclusive community founded on respect for all persons. With a total enrollment of approximately 2,900 students, faculty and staff develop relationships with students in small classroom settings and have opportunities to work closely with students on research projects, experiential learning experiences, and study abroad programs.