Director of Institutional Planning & Assessment/SACSCOC Liaison

Position Summary

The Director of Institutional Planning & Assessment/SACSCOC Liaison will lead and support institutional and program-level assessment efforts and will work closely with faculty and staff to ensure that assessment plans are aligned with the institution’s strategic goals and meet SACSCOC requirements. Additionally, the Director/SACSCOC Liaison will serve as the primary point of contact between the institution and the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges (SACSCOC). The Director/SACSCOC Liaison will oversee data collection, assist with the development of assessment tools, provide training and support on assessment best practices, coordinate all accreditation activities to ensure compliance with accrediting standards, and guide the institution through reaffirmation and other accreditation processes. The ideal candidate will have a deep understanding of SACSCOC policies and demonstrate strong leadership in supporting institutional compliance.

Salary Schedule: Appropriate placement on Salary Schedule C3 01 ( $60,583-$103,055) appropriate placement based on experience.

Under Alabama Act 2024-360 and revised ACCS Policy 204.01-Appointment of Local Administrative Staff, employment in any executive and administrative management position will be governed solely by the terms of a contract. Non-probationary/tenure status cannot be achieved or maintained under the Student’s First Act.

Essential Duties and Responsibilities

• Ensures that compliance with accreditation requirements is incorporated into the planning and evaluation processes of the institution.
• Notifies the Commission in advance of substantive changes and program developments in accordance with the substantive change policies.
• Familiarizes college faculty, staff and students with the Commission's accrediting policies and procedures, and with sections of the accrediting standards and Commission policies that have application to certain aspects of the campus, especially when such documents are adopted or revised.
• Serves as a contact person for Commission staff and communicates, as appropriate, with Commission staff.
• Coordinates the preparation of the annual profiles and any other reports requested by the Commission.
• Serves as a resource person during the fifth-year and decennial review process and helping prepare for and coordinating reaffirmation and other accrediting visits.
• Ensures that electronic institutional data collected by the Commission is accurate and timely.
• Maintains a file of all accreditation materials, such as reports related to the fifth-year and decennial review; accreditation committee reports; accreditation manuals, standards, and policies; schedules of all visits; and correspondence from accrediting offices.
• Serves as the central resource for institutional data.
• Leads the preparation and submission of major external reports such as IPEDS and National Clearinghouse.
• Oversees the college’s strategic and long-range planning initiatives.
• Coordinates the college’s annual planning, assessment, and evaluation process.
• Prepares documents for submission to various entities regarding the accomplishments of the President and/or the college.
• Serves as the college’s liaison with the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on College (SACSCOC).
• Attends meetings to engage in training, provide feedback to accreditors and governance personnel for the development of policies and review procedures and shares best practices.
• Serves as a resource person during review processes.
• Ensures that all required accreditation annual reporting is completed and submitted; submits substantive change notifications; to educate institutional employees about accreditation standards;
• Seeks to ensure that the ongoing activities related to accreditation such as data collection and analysis and program review continue to be supported as standard operational practices at the college.
• Participates on key leadership and governance committees.
• Performs other job-related duties as required by the Executive Director of Strategic Initiatives & External Relations and the President.

Qualifications

• Master’s degree in Higher Education or related field from a regionally accredited university.
• Five years of experience in institutional assessment, strategic planning, accreditation review, data analysis, or similar roles
• Regional accreditation experience through serving as a institutional liaison, peer evaluator and/or as a committee chairperson.

• Demonstrated experience as a SACSCOC institutional liaison, evaluator or committee chairperson

• Strong written, verbal, analytical and interpersonal skills
• Ability to communicate with students, faculty, and staff
• Proficiency with computers, and software applications associated with the work
• Experience providing excellent customer service;
• Effective oral and written communication skills;
• Comprehensive knowledge of institutional policies and procedures;
• Ability to work independently on complex tasks and to prepare accurate reports from various statistics
• Ability to orient and train other employees and to interpret policies and procedures to those employees;
• Ability to establish and maintain effective working relationships with students, other employees, State
• Department employees, and the public pleasantly and effectively;
• Ability to maintain confidentiality of office information;
• Ability to handle multiple priorities and complete various projects within designated deadlines;
• To represent the college in a professional manner at all times;
• Ability to follow through and complete assignments in a timely manner;
• Initiative - responding to downtime by taking responsibility to do other work;
• A focus on details;
• Customer Service Orientation - A focus on being friendly and patient in responding to customer needs;
• Willingness and desire to learn new things and apply that learning;
• Willingness to maintain flexibility in order to meet customer needs;
• A positive attitude regardless of circumstances at hand.

Application Procedures/Additional Information

Applicants may apply at www.lawsonstate.edu. For questions please contact the Office of Human Resources at 205-929-3408 . All application materials will become the property of the college. It is the sole responsibility of the applicant to ensure his or her application packet is completed. Only applications received during the period of this announcement will be considered. No previous application files will be transferred for consideration for this position.

A COMPLETE application packet consists of:

• A cover letter
• An Online application
• A current resume
• A copy of relevant post-secondary transcripts identifying the applicant, institution, and date of degree conferred.

If employed, all official transcripts must be received in the Office of Human Resources prior to the employment start date.

Applicants who fail to submit a complete application packet will not be considered. Before an offer is made, the top applicants must provide the following: Employment verification letter(s) from a current or previous employer detailing all relevant experience. Employment verification letters must include employment dates and job title and be on official letterhead with an authorized personnel signature. Work experience verification from a current employer may be delayed until an official offer of employment has been made. Applicants must submit a written request to delay submission or work experience verification from a current employer. More than one position in the same job classification may be filled from the applicants for this position should another vacancy occur during the search process.

EEOC, E-VERIFY, AND BACKGROUND CHECK STATEMENTS:

Lawson State Community College is an Equal Opportunity Employer. It is the policy of the Alabama Community College System, including all postsecondary community and technical colleges under the control of the Alabama Community College System Board of Trustees, that no employee or applicant for employment or promotion, on the basis of any impermissible criterion or characteristic including, without limitation, race, color, national origin, religion, marital status, disability, sex, age, or any other protected class as defined by federal and state law, shall be excluded from participation in, be denied the benefits of, or be subjected to discrimination under any program, activity, or employment.

Lawson State Community College will make reasonable accommodations for qualified disabled applicants upon request.

In accordance with Alabama Community College System Policy and Guidelines, the applicant chosen for employment will be required to sign a consent form for a criminal background check. Employment will be contingent upon the receipt of a clearance notification from the criminal background check. Lawson State Community College is an active participant in the Employment Eligibility Verification Program (E-verify). E-verify electronically confirms an employee's eligibility to work in the United States as required by the Department of Homeland Security.

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION:

Applicants must meet the minimum qualifications as indicated on this vacancy notice and must submit a completed application packet in order to be considered for this position. Complete application files must be received no later than the application deadline. Applicants who fail to submit all required information will be disqualified. Only applications received during the period of this announcement will be considered. Applicants must adhere to the College's prescribed interview schedule and must travel at their own expense. The College reserves the right to withdraw this job announcement at any time prior to awarding.

Sick Leave
All regular full-time non-instructional staff earns one day of sick leave which is the equivalent of 8 hours of sick leave per month. Unused sick leave is rolled over to the following year. Upon retirement, employees are allowed to convert unused sick time into service time for the purpose of retirement. Further retirement benefits may be found on this page under Alabama Teacher's Retirement.

• Single $ 30
• Family (without Spouse but with dependents) $ 207
• Employee Spouse (no dependents) $ 282
• Family (with Spouse and dependents*) $ 307

• Includes $100 per month spousal surcharge Note: The spousal surcharge does not apply to spouses who are independently eligible for PEEHIP.

• Member $ 50
• Spouse $ 50