Assistant Director, Student Experience and Operations

Job description

Who You Are You are passionate about helping students achieve their educational goals. You thrive in a collaborative environment and are comfortable working remotely while building strong partnerships across the organization. You possess exceptional leadership, technical, and operational expertise and can successfully bridge strategy, process, technology, and execution. As the Assistant Director, Student Experience & Operations, you will be responsible for the strategic leadership, development, optimization, and execution of the student lifecycle and journey at ACE. You will oversee operational functions, lead process and technology transformation initiatives, and ensure alignment between business objectives, student needs, and institutional priorities. You will define and implement scalable solutions that enhance the student experience, improve operational efficiency, and increase student satisfaction and success. You will need to collaborate with all student facing teams and the IT department in tandem. As the Assistant Director, Student Experience & Operations, you will provide strategic leadership for the student lifecycle, student operations, process improvement, and technology enablement across the institution. You will need to be expert in CRM and SIS processes and systems. Compensation ACE is committed to paying a competitive wage while staying true to our mission of maintaining high quality, affordable programs for our students. The starting salary range for this position is $90,000 plus all full-time employees are eligible for an annual bonus. Offers vary depending on education, prior experience, and expertise being applied to the role. What We Look for in the Ideal Candidate • Demonstrates self-reliance by meeting and exceeding organizational objectives. • Demonstrates positive attitude, motivation, concern for students, teamwork, and excellent time management skills. • Follows established processes while identifying opportunities for innovation and improvement. • Consistently produces a high volume of quality work. • Adapts effectively to changing priorities and tight deadlines. • Proven ability to work independently and collaboratively across departments. • Supports and embraces the College's Impact mission. • Possesses exceptional communication, organization, and stakeholder management skills. • Demonstrates creativity and efficiency in solving complex business and operational challenges. • Strong analytical and problem-solving skills with high attention to detail. • Builds and maintains student satisfaction throughout the lifecycle. • Recognizes, anticipates, and responds to student needs. • Successfully leads teams through change, process improvement, and technology adoption. • Develops strong partnerships and influences decision-making at all organizational levels. Day to Day Responsibilities In this role, you will provide strategic and operational leadership across the student lifecycle. Your responsibilities include: • Serve as the institutional subject matter expert on all aspects of the student lifecycle. • Lead the strategy, design, implementation, and continuous improvement of the end-to-end student experience. • Direct student operations initiatives and establish operational standards that support student success. • Partner with executive leadership, business leaders, Product Owners, and IT teams to define and prioritize strategic enhancements. • Lead cross-functional initiatives that improve operational effectiveness, scalability, system functionality, and student satisfaction. • Ensure all system changes, business processes, and operational workflows align with defined student lifecycle objectives using agile methodologies. • Develop and implement policies, processes, procedures, and technology solutions that streamline the student experience. • Promote the effective utilization of technology to support staff productivity and student success. • Partner with technology teams to implement and support enterprise solutions and process enhancements. • Monitor performance metrics, operational effectiveness, and student experience outcomes, using data-driven insights to drive continuous improvement. • Provide leadership and oversight for operational teams while fostering employee engagement, accountability, and professional development. • Lead organizational change management efforts associated with process, technology, and operational improvements. • Act as a champion for innovation, collaboration, and student-centered decision-making across the institution. • Establish priorities, manage multiple initiatives, and ensure timely delivery of strategic and operational objectives. • Serve as a role model in managing deadlines, deliverables, and cross-departmental collaboration. Qualifications and Education Requirements • Master's degree required, preferably in Higher Education, Business Administration, Organizational Leadership, Information Systems, Operations Management, or a related field. • Bachelor's degree from an accredited institution. • 10+ years of progressive leadership experience in higher education supporting the student lifecycle through operational, technology, process improvement, or student services functions. • 5+ years of experience leading teams and managing people leaders. • Significant experience with Microsoft CRM, Anthology, Canvas, or similar enterprise platforms. • Proven experience leading enterprise-wide operational and technology transformation initiatives. • Strong project and program management expertise, including agile methodologies and technology implementation frameworks. • Experience designing and optimizing business processes that support student success and organizational scalability. • Demonstrated ability to influence and collaborate with executive leaders and cross-functional stakeholders. • Excellent written, verbal, presentation, and facilitation skills. • Ability to manage multiple strategic initiatives simultaneously in a remote environment. • Strong analytical skills with experience using operational and student data to drive decisions. Our Commitment to Employees Just as we strive to empower our students for success, we also aim to enrich the lives of our employees. For 6 consecutive years, ACE was recognized as one of Indiana’s Best Places to Work, winning the #1 spot for medium-sized companies in 2020. In addition, ACE has earned national recognition, being named a USA Top Workplace in 2022, 2023 and 2024. As a virtual first organization, we celebrate diversity and are committed to creating a family-like inclusive work environment. For our full-time employees, we offer the following benefits: • Medical, dental, & vision Insurance • HSA and FSA options • Paid parental leave • Paid volunteer time • Tuition reimbursement & reduction programs • Generous PTO • 401k and employer match • Full-service wellness and EAP program • Employee recognition and awards programs • Employer paid life & AD&D insurance • Short-term disability • Employer paid long-term disability • And more… Physical Demands The physical demand described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this job. While performing the duties of this job, the employee is regularly required to communicate with and receive communications from students and ACE employees in real time using online and other electronic media. Commitment to Culture At American College of Education, we’re all about building a one-of-a-kind, supportive community where everyone—students, faculty, and staff—can thrive. Guided by our mission and values, we focus on everything from innovative curriculum design to personalized instruction and student support to intentional planning, inclusive initiatives, and strategic resource allocation. We’re dedicated to creating an environment that celebrates freedom of expression, diversity of thought, open dialogue, and mutual respect. We believe in fostering a sense of belonging and wellness so that every member of our ACE family feels empowered, valued, and ready to reach their full potential. Together, we’re creating a vibrant, resilient, and connected learning community where everyone matters. Additional Notes This job description is not designed to cover or contain a comprehensive listing of activities, duties or responsibilities that are required of the employee for this job. Duties, responsibilities, and activities may change at any time with or without notice. Employees are increasingly integrating AI into their roles, demonstrating its potential to boost efficiency, accuracy, and productivity. By utilizing AI technologies, we can streamline processes, gain valuable insights from data, and automate routine tasks, which allows employees to concentrate on more strategic and creative aspects of their work. While AI is a beneficial tool in the workplace, if its use—such as ChatGPT, Grammarly, , etc.—accounts for more than 50% of any work assignments or job responsibilities, it will need to be reported to a direct leader. Internet bandwidth speeds from an employee's remote work location must be a minimum of 50Mbps download speeds and 5Mbps upload speeds. Please note if the bandwidth is shared across multiple devices (tablets, computer, streaming, phone, etc.) you will need higher overall speeds. You can test the speed of your connection by visiting Purchase, setup, installation, support, and ongoing maintenance of reliable internet service is the responsibility of the individual. American College of Education seeks to attract and retain a diverse staff consistent with its diverse student body and surrounding communities. At this time we cannot consider candidates residing in Alaska, Washington D.C., Massachusetts, South Dakota, or Alabama. ACE is an Equal Opportunity Employer. Who is American College of Education Founded in 2005, American College of Education continues to be a leader in professional development through our online programs. The mission of ACE is to deliver high-quality, affordable, and accessible online programs grounded in evidence-based content, real-world experience and relevant application that places our students’ needs first. ACE is a mission-driven institution continually recognized for its commitment to social responsibility and positive impact. As an Impact Institution, we believe we have a responsibility to our students, alumni, employees, communities, and society as a whole. Guided by our core values, we strive to create meaningful impact that extends well beyond our bottom line. We prioritize candidate safety. Please note that all official communication will only come from our verified company email domain @Rippling.com