Program Director, Practice Education

About the role

The Academic Program Director (PD) for Site-Based Learning Partnership (SBLP) is a key leadership position spanning both Capella and Strayer University. The role promotes and supports a quality academic experience for learners by ensuring a site-based learning (SBL) experience that facilitates accreditation compliance and achievement of program outcomes. The Program Director SBLP has managerial oversight of the SBL/practice education team, with responsibility to oversee data collection, quality improvement activities, governance, operations tasks, and collaboration with internal and external partners, working to ensure that all policies and processes are current, efficient, effective, cohesive, and compliant with the diverse accreditation requirements of the healthcare programs within the two universities. This management position contributes to a range of activities related to excellence in SBL effectiveness, learner success, satisfaction, and engagement. The director works closely with deans, assistant/associate deans, program/faculty directors, and relevant university departments to manage systems and processes related to SBL design and delivery, and coordinates with the Site-Based Learning and Services team, Portfolio, and relevant academic leaders to remain aware of issues related to student placement needs.

Responsibilities

• Ensure high-quality educational experiences for learners and faculty, focusing on SBL quality and achievement of outcomes across all the healthcare portfolio of programs offered by Strayer and Capella Universities.
• Engage in the ongoing review of the overall program, SBL outcomes, and learner experience data; identify improvement opportunities based on regular data review.
• Analyze and act based on analytics reports on a schedule determined by accreditation requirements and/or the schools, summarizing findings and recommendations and tracking the impact of implemented changes.
• Assure quality of learner site-based vetting, approvals, and administration.
• Provide team guidance and oversight of complex affiliation requests.
• Ensure accreditation mandates are supported across the full healthcare portfolio.
• Ensure SBL processes are designed per accreditation standards and followed by all involved.
• Serve as liaison with multiple internal cross-functional partners.
• Resolve multi-faceted problems involving placement, sites, or administrative issues.
• Proactively oversee communications and change-management with preceptors/site supervisors and students, including site vetting, orientations, and evaluations.
• Oversee quality of all SBL orientations/training as defined by school and/or specialized accreditation and as needed.
• Contribute to specialized accreditation processes as needed to develop and maintain relevant learner manuals and accreditation SBL standards and outcomes assessments.
• Conduct audits of SBL processes to ensure continuous quality improvement and learner success.

Skills

• Clinical Placement
  • Lead and advise on complex clinical placement and practice education challenges.
  • Apply expertise in site requirements, compliance expectations, and clinical education technologies.
  • Coach and support team members in clinical placement best practices and problem-solving.
  • Assess the quality, effectiveness, and consistency of clinical learning experiences.
  • Analyze data, stakeholder feedback, and outcomes to identify risks, trends, and improvement opportunities.
  • Foster strong clinical site partnerships that support learner success and organizational goals.
• Leadership
  • Operate independently in a highly matrixed and ambiguous environment with significant interdependencies.
  • Lead, collaborate, and execute with a strong focus on results, balancing strategic thinking with accountability for action.
  • Build alignment through listening, partnership, and informed decision-making while independently advancing initiatives in support of organizational goals and priorities.
• Navigation, Problem Solving & Adaptability
  • Analyze, navigate, and resolve complex, multifaceted challenges involving learners, clinical placements, faculty, site partners, regulatory requirements, and operational processes.
  • Demonstrate adaptability in ambiguous and evolving environments, adjusting priorities and approaches as circumstances change while maintaining focus on desired outcomes.
  • Apply sound judgment, critical thinking, and cross-functional collaboration to identify solutions, mitigate risks, and drive results despite uncertainty.
• Innovation – Creativity and alternative thinking to develop new ideas for and answers to work-related problems.
• Stress Tolerance – Accepting constructive criticism and dealing with high-stress situations.
• Proficient in Microsoft Office Suite programs.
• Ability to travel as required/needed.

Work Experience

• Minimum of 3 years of experience in higher education, healthcare education, clinical education, practice education, clinical placement operations, or a related field, including responsibility for site-based learning, experiential learning, clinical placements, or healthcare workforce development initiatives.
• Minimum of 2 years leadership experience in academic, clinical, workforce development, or healthcare settings, including oversight of programs, partnerships, projects, or teams.
• Experience collaborating with healthcare organizations, clinical sites, faculty, preceptors, and other stakeholders to support learner placement, progression, and success.
• Demonstrated ability to work effectively within a matrixed organization and lead initiatives across multiple teams, functions, and external partners; experience managing remote teams