About the Opportunity
Job SummaryThe Assistant Director, Program Development supports the Associate Dean for Graduate Education in developing a portfolio of academic programs that meet the college's goals of delivering high-quality programs with strong enrollment. This role supports the development of traditional and non-traditional educational products by college departments and academic units for rollout across Northeastern’s campuses, working to create programs and educational products that satisfy prospective student demand while leveraging current and emerging areas of faculty teaching expertise. The Assistant Director develops programs aligned with the college's enrollment and teaching goals, the college's teaching expertise and capacity, and the needs of graduates' employers.
The Assistant Director works with the Dean's Office to understand the college's enrollment goals and programmatic priorities, and with Central Enrollment Management to understand enrollment trends and opportunities. This role also engages directly with employers to understand hiring needs, organizes marketing and survey data related to new program development, and partners with the Innovation Planning and Development group to explore job market and technology trends and conduct market research. The Assistant Director collaborates with the Experiential Digital Global Education group on online program development.
Working closely with department chairs, graduate associate chairs, and program directors, the Assistant Director develops new master's and doctoral programs that help the college achieve its strategic goals. This includes identifying programming opportunities, connecting faculty in emerging areas, and facilitating discussions among collaborators to support curriculum development and program proposals. The Assistant Director ensures new programs comply with governance, accreditation, and licensure guidelines, and collaborates with counterparts in other colleges to develop interdisciplinary programs.
The Assistant Director also works with network campuses, the Dean's Office, and Central Enrollment Management to understand priorities and opportunities for program development across the network, identifying opportunities to roll out existing programs and partnering with department chairs, graduate associate chairs, and program directors to develop them. Additionally, this role works to develop non-traditional educational products, including those involving industry partners, that support the college's enrollment goals, engaging with employers to identify areas of interest and facilitating discussions with academic leadership to develop employer-focused educational modules and badges.
Key Responsibilities & Accountabilities
- Organize and understand data about enrollment trends, student program interests, and employer hiring needs across campuses
- Develop new master's and doctoral programs that help the college achieve these goals by working with department chairs, graduate associate chairs, and program directors
- Understand and develop opportunities to roll out college programs across campuses
- Support development of non-traditional educational products, including non-credit classes, programs, pathways, modules, and badges
- Support opportunities for students to take cross-college classes
- Support online program development and online program offerings in coordination with Experiential Digital Global Education
- Assist Associate Director of Graduate Education in all program development activities, communication, and coordination
- Ensure governance, accreditation, and licensure compliance
Minimum Qualifications
Required
- Bachelor's degree (or equivalent)
- Minimum of 3–5 years of experience with academic and administrative projects, preferably in higher education and with adult learners or in a high customer service environment
- Strong project management and organizational skills with attention to detail and a commitment to quality, including the ability to consistently produce high-quality work under tight deadlines
- Effective interpersonal, oral presentation, and written communication skills
- Strong analytical skills, including the ability to interpret market research, enrollment data, and trends to inform program development decisions
- Ability to balance multiple demands from demanding constituencies and navigate ambiguity to drive projects forward independently
- Ability to function effectively as a member of a team in a dynamic, fast-paced work environment, with flexibility and initiative to navigate shifting priorities
- Ability to work across the organization with a wide spectrum of individuals that includes students, faculty, academic managers, program office personnel, and Deans
- Responsive to feedback and committed to continuous improvement
Preferred
- Master's degree
- Experience with academic coordination
- Familiarity with academic governance, accreditation, and program approval processes
Required Documents
- Resume
- Cover Letter
Position Type
Academic AdministrationAdditional Information
Northeastern University considers factors such as candidate work experience, education and skills when extending an offer.
Northeastern has a comprehensive benefits package for benefit eligible employees. This includes medical, vision, dental, paid time off, tuition assistance, wellness & life, retirement- as well as commuting & transportation. Visit https://hr.northeastern.edu/benefits/ for more information.
All qualified applicants are encouraged to apply and will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, religion, color, national origin, age, sex, sexual orientation, disability status, or any other characteristic protected by applicable law.
Compensation Grade/Pay Type:
108SExpected Hiring Range:
$60,315.00 - $85,192.50With the pay range(s) shown above, the starting salary will depend on several factors, which may include your education, experience, location, knowledge and expertise, and skills as well as a pay comparison to similarly-situated employees already in the role. Salary ranges are reviewed regularly and are subject to change.
Skills Required
- Bachelor's degree or equivalent
- 3-5 years of experience with academic and administrative projects, preferably in higher education, with adult learners, or in a high customer service environment
- Strong project management and organizational skills with attention to detail and commitment to quality
- Ability to consistently produce high-quality work under tight deadlines
- Effective interpersonal, oral presentation, and written communication skills
- Strong analytical skills, including ability to interpret market research, enrollment data, and trends
- Ability to balance multiple demands, navigate ambiguity, and drive projects independently
- Ability to function effectively on a team in a dynamic, fast-paced environment
- Flexibility and initiative to navigate shifting priorities
- Ability to work across the organization with students, faculty, academic managers, program personnel, and Deans
- Responsiveness to feedback and commitment to continuous improvement
- Master's degree
- Experience with academic coordination
- Familiarity with academic governance, accreditation, and program approval processes
Northeastern University Compensation & Benefits Highlights
The following summarizes recurring compensation and benefits themes identified from responses generated by popular LLMs to common candidate questions about Northeastern University and has not been reviewed or approved by Northeastern University.
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Leave & Time Off Breadth — Paid time off is described as extensive, including 22–26 vacation days, 12 sick days, 13 holidays, and paid parental leave for birth/adoption. Additional paid leave is also outlined, including up to 26 weeks of paid medical leave and up to 12 weeks of paid family leave for eligible employees.
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Retirement Support — Retirement support is positioned as a standout, with an employer contribution described as 10% when an employee contributes 5%, alongside immediate vesting once eligible. This is presented as unusually generous relative to typical employer retirement offerings.
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Parental & Family Support — Family-oriented benefits are emphasized through tuition assistance for employees and dependents and access to backup childcare and family-care resources. Tuition remission/discount structures are highlighted as a major value driver, especially for employees with children and for long-tenured staff.
Northeastern University Insights
What We Do
Founded in 1898, Northeastern is a global research university with a distinctive, experience-driven approach to education and discovery. The university is a leader in experiential learning, powered by the world’s most far-reaching cooperative education program. We integrate classroom study with opportunities for professional work, research, service, and global learning in more than 100 countries. The same spirit of collaboration guides a use-inspired research enterprise focused on solving global challenges in health, security, and sustainability. Northeastern offers a comprehensive array of undergraduate and graduate programs leading to degrees through the doctorate in nine colleges and schools, and select graduate programs at campuses in Boston, Charlotte, N.C., San Francisco Bay Area, Seattle, and Toronto. Campuses in Burlington, MA, and Nahant, MA, are home to research institutes for homeland security and coastal sustainability, respectively





