Senior Manager, Accreditation, Validation, and Credentialing

The American College of Surgeons (ACS) is a professional and educational organization of surgeons founded in 1913 to raise the standards of surgical practice and improve the quality of care for surgical patients. Dedicated to the ethical and competent practice of surgery, the College has significantly influenced scientific surgery in America and serves as an important advocate for all surgical patients. With over 90,000 members, ACS is the largest organization of surgeons in the world.

About the role

The Senior Manager, Accreditation, Validation, and Credentialing is a senior-level position within the ACS Division of Education, serving as the organization’s subject matter authority on Continuing Medical Education (CME), Continuing Education (CE), and Continuous Professional Development (CPD) accreditation. This role oversees the ACS-wide CME and CE Compliance program, establishing consistent accreditation practices and providing consultation to all ACS divisions that develop or offer CME and CE programs. The Senior Manager ensures alignment with evolving national accreditation standards, communicates requirements, and implements best practices across the College.

This position is responsible for processing, reviewing, and auditing CME and CE applications for ACS and Joint Providers to ensure completeness, accuracy, and compliance. The role identifies and mitigates compliance risks across a high-volume portfolio and acts as an internal and external consultant on complex or high-risk accreditation activities. Additionally, the Senior Manager oversees CME and CE-related data, including collection, monitoring, organization, cleaning, storage, and reporting to meet accreditation standards and support strategic planning.

This role contributes thought leadership through active participation in national CME, CE, and CPD discussions, reinforcing ACS’s leadership in accredited education. It also supports revenue growth and long-term sustainability of the Division’s accredited education portfolio through strategic planning, operational efficiency, and expansion of high-quality accredited offerings. This exempt, hybrid position (3 days in-office, 2 days remote) is based in Chicago and reports to the Assistant Director, Accreditation, Validation & Credentialing.

Responsibilities

• Leadership and Management:
  • Manage a team of three, fostering a collaborative, high-performing work environment through mentorship, clear role delineation, and performance evaluation.
  • Oversee ACCME PARS reporting, budgeting, state regulatory mandate offerings, CE/CME offerings, and staff evaluations.
  • Collaborate closely with leaders across multiple ACS divisions.
  • Support planning, implementation, and evaluation activities related to CME credit designation and reporting for the ACS Clinical Congress.
  • Partner with the Data Manager for Validation and Credentialing, particularly regarding MyCME, the ACS portfolio for tracking and managing individual surgeons’ CME credits.
• Strategic Focus:
  • Identify opportunities for program growth, process improvement, and innovation within the CME accreditation program.
  • Navigate increasing complexity related to evolving ACCME Commendation Criteria, ACCME/AMA alignment, joint providership programs, changes in credentialing and licensure requirements, and the use of AI in accredited educational activities.
• Technical Systems and Platform Management:
  • Maintain expert-level knowledge of and provide strategic oversight for technical platforms supporting CME, accreditation, and educational operations.
  • Serve as a primary administrator and subject-matter resource for Aptify and Ethos, ensuring accurate data management, system integration, and alignment with accreditation and regulatory requirements.
  • Oversee system configuration, data integrity, and workflow optimization across platforms to support activity management, learner tracking, reporting, and compliance.
  • Collaborate with internal stakeholders, IT partners, and external vendors to troubleshoot issues, implement enhancements, and ensure systems meet evolving needs.
  • Develop and document processes, provide training and guidance to staff and partners, and ensure consistent, effective use of technical systems.
• Reaccreditation, Reporting, and CME/CE Records Management:
  • Lead and oversee all aspects of CME and CE reaccreditation preparation and reporting, including coordination of self-study documentation, outcomes narratives, data validation, and timely submission to accrediting bodies.
  • Ensure accurate maintenance of CME and CE program records, including activity files, learner data, financial documentation, and outcomes evidence, in compliance with ACCME policies and organizational standards.
  • Maintain oversight of registered CME and CE activities, ensuring timely setup, updates, closure, and compliance across all educational formats.
  • Monitor data integrity and consistency across internal systems and external reporting platforms to ensure records remain complete, current, and audit-ready.
  • Collaborate with stakeholders to support continuous compliance, respond to accreditor inquiries, and implement improvements identified through reviews and audits.
  • Analyze and interpret aggregate educational, outcomes, and performance data for scholarly research and program evaluation, translating findings into actionable recommendations.

Requirements

• Bachelor’s degree or higher from an accredited college or university (Master’s degree preferred).
• 4–7+ years of progressive experience in health professions education and accreditation, including deep expertise in accreditation standards.
• 2+ years of experience with ACCME PARS reporting, including activity management, data entry, reconciliation, and compliance monitoring.
• Demonstrated knowledge and application of the ACCME Standards for Integrity and Independence in Accredited Continuing Education.
• Experience in educational program development, including needs assessment, gap analysis, learning objective development, innovative delivery methods, learner evaluation, and outcomes assessment.
• Experience leading or participating in an organizational re-accreditation process, including preparation of performance-in-practice documentation and accreditor submissions.
• Experience with staff supervision, including workload management, coaching, performance evaluations, and professional development.

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience with CME/CE data analysis, outcomes measurement, and accreditation reporting.
• Experience evaluating or supporting the use of AI tools in accredited continuing education environments.
• Experience using Aptify for data management, reporting, workflow tracking, and operational support.
• Familiarity with Ethos or similar learning management and credentialing platforms.
• Knowledge of state regulatory mandates, physician licensure requirements, and Maintenance of Certification (MOC) credit programs.

Pay

The anticipated salary range for this position is $118,000 - $135,000.

Benefits

• Vacation, personal, and sick hours, including 13 paid holidays per year.
• Tuition reimbursement.
• Comprehensive medical coverage through BlueCross BlueShield, dental, vision, and prescription drug programs.
• 403(b) matching program and pension plan.
• Flexible Spending Accounts for medical and dependent care.
• Employee Assistance Program.
• Short-term and long-term disability insurance.
• Life insurance.
• Domestic partner coverage.