OTD AZ Program Director

JOB TITLE: OTD AZ Program Director

DEPARTMENT: Doctor of Occupational Therapy Program – Arizona Campus

LOCATION: HYBRID-REMOTE

STATUS: EXEMPT

SUPERVISOR TITLE: Dean, College of Health Professions

General Purpose Of The Job

Southern California University of Health Sciences is seeking a Program Director of the Doctor of Occupational Therapy Program for a Phoenix Arizona, Campus. This is an exciting opportunity for a leader in Occupational Therapy to develop, launch and administer a new program with an emphasis on integrative health and interprofessional education. This is an administrative position and under the supervision of the Dean of the College of Health Professions. The Program Director for the Doctor of Occupational Therapy Program will demonstrate the academic and professional qualifications and relevant experience in higher education requisite for providing effective leadership for the program, the program faculty, and the students. The Program Director will also provide effective leadership for the program including, but not limited to, responsibility for program accreditation, communication, program assessment and strategic planning, fiscal management, and faculty evaluation.

Essential Duties And Responsibilities

• Promotes the mission, values, and vision of Southern California University of Health Sciences to all faculty, staff, students, and to the community.
• Promotes effective working relationships among faculty, staff, and students.
• Possesses and articulates a vision for occupational therapy professional education.
• Professionally supervises and manages all activities of the program.
• Serves as a professional and academic role model to students, faculty, and staff.
• Possess strong team-building skills and the ability to work effectively and collegially with others.
• Oversees the curriculum content, design, and evaluation process.
• Teaches within the OTD program at a reduced teaching load of 25% to allow release time for the position.
• Employs strategies to promote and support professional development.
• Proves effective interpersonal and conflict management skills.
• Serves on behalf of occupational therapist professional education, higher education, the larger community, and organizations related to their academic interest.
• Effectively manages human and fiscal resources.
• Commits to lifelong learning.
• Commits to ensuring quality academic programs including alignment with professional organizations and accreditation processes.
• Engages in ongoing strategic and long-term planning and program quality assurance.
• Prepares and oversees required program accreditation applications and reports.
• Maintains program accreditation.
• Plans, submits, and oversees an annual fiscal year operational budget for the program.
• Identifies resource/personnel allocations and needs through the determination of an annual strategic plan.
• Evaluates personnel performance to achieve departmental goals, assist with performance measurement, and strategic planning.
• Commits to growth in program and developing clinical relationships and affiliations.
• Completes required institutional, program accreditation, and other reports necessary for the operation and advancement of university programs.
• Participates on university councils/committees.
• Performs other duties as assigned.
  
  

Attendance (attendance is an essential function of most jobs)

Must be punctual and timely in meeting all requirements of performance, including, but not limited to, attendance standards and work deadlines; beginning and ending assignments on time; and scheduled work breaks, where applicable.

Onsite

This Position Requires Onsite Support As Needed And/or Attendance In Order To Meet The Essential Functions Of The Job. Onsite Activities May Include But Are Not Limited To The Following

Interpersonal

• Customer Service - Manages difficult or emotional customer situations; responds promptly to customer needs; solicits customer feedback to improve service; responds to requests for service and assistance; meets commitments.
• External Working Relationships – Develops and maintains courteous and effective working relationships with clients, vendors and/or any other representatives of external organizations.
  
  

Leadership

• Change Management - Develops workable implementation plans; communicates changes effectively; builds commitment and overcomes resistance; prepares and supports those affected by change; monitors transition and evaluates results.
• Delegation - Delegates work assignments; matches the responsibility to the person; gives authority to work independently; sets expectations and monitors delegated activities; provides recognition for results.
• Managing People - Includes staff in planning, decision-making, facilitating and process improvement; takes responsibility for subordinates' activities; makes self-available to staff; provides regular performance feedback; develops subordinates' skills and encourages growth; solicits and applies customer feedback (internal and external); fosters quality focus in others; improves processes, products and services; continually works to improve supervisory skills.
  
  

Intellectual

• Analytical - Synthesizes complex or diverse information; collects and researches data; uses intuition and experience to complement data; designs workflows and procedures.
• Design - Generates creative solutions; uses feedback to modify designs; applies design principles; demonstrates attention to detail.
• Problem Solving - Identifies and resolves problems in a timely manner; gathers and analyzes information skillfully; develops alternative solutions; works well in group problem- solving situations.
• Project Management - Develops project plans; coordinates projects; communicates changes and progress; completes projects on time and budget; manages project team activities.
• Technical Skills - Assesses own strengths and weaknesses; pursues training and development opportunities; strives to continuously build knowledge and skills; shares expertise with others.
  
  

Organization

• Business Acumen - Demonstrates knowledge of market and competition; aligns work with strategic goals.
• Cost Consciousness - Works within approved budget; develops and implements cost- saving measures.
• Safety and Security –All employees are responsible for observing safety and security procedures as applicable and reporting potentially unsafe conditions to management.
  
  

Education And/Or Experience

• Must hold a doctoral degree awarded by an institution that is accredited by a regional accrediting body recognized by the U.S. Department of Education (USDE). The doctoral degree is not limited to a doctorate in occupational therapy.
• Must have a minimum of 8 years of documented experience in the field of occupational therapy that includes clinical, administrative, and scholarship experience.
• At least 3 years of experience in a full-time academic appointment with teaching responsibilities at the postsecondary level.
  
  

Language Skills

• Must have effective communication, organization, interpersonal, problem-solving, and advising skills.
• Experience in educational theory and methodology, instructional design, student evaluation and outcome assessment.
• Must have working knowledge of the ACOTE Standards and Interpretive Guide.
  
  

Computer Skills

• Computer skills in a Windows OS environment; proficiency with TEAMS, Microsoft Office applications including Word, Excel, PowerPoint.
  
  

Certificates, Licenses, Registrations

• Must be eligible for occupational therapy licensure in the state of Arizona.
  

SCU Core Values

• Integrative Health: We teach, learn, collaborate, and lead by creating an open environment for multiple disciplines and professionals to bring their shared and unique skills together for the benefit of patients and students.
• Evidence-based Practice: We value a culture of inquiry, assessment, research, scholarship, and judicious use of current best evidence to inform our decisions and work.
• Health Equity: We value people equally. We strive to educate graduates that are prepared to improve individual and community health.
• Inclusivity: We welcome everyone regardless of age, race, ethnicity, class, religion, gender, gender expression, sexual orientation, disability, or any other similar or protected status. We believe inclusivity leads to more diversity in our reasoning, better representativeness in our conclusions, more ingenuity in our problem solving, and greater equity in our care