For over 90 years, McMaster Continuing Education has been delivering excellence in lifelong learning and is one of Canada’s largest and leading providers of certificate and diploma programs, professional development education, custom and corporate training. McMaster Continuing Education (MCE) is an entrepreneurial academic enterprise that serves the university and extended community, advancing adult learners’ ambitions, transforming careers, and enriching communities through educational excellence, innovation, inclusion, and partnerships. MCE runs over 45 programs across various content areas, supported by approximately 240 instructors. These offerings include for-credit and not-for-credit options delivered as workshops, and stacking into certificates and diplomas.
The Associate Director (Education Programming), under the direction of the Senior Director, will work closely and collaboratively with the Assistant Directors (Operations and Finance; Marketing and Student Enrolment) to develop and promote a quality culture for continuing education programming at McMaster University.
The AD (Education Programming) implements McMaster Continuing Education’s (MCE’s) vision, mandate and mission and leads the development of innovative education programming that advances MCE’s strategic mandate areas. The AD (EP) will collaborate with the Senior Director, MCE, and senior leaders from central campus units (e.g. Alumni and Advancement, UTS, the Registrar, MacPherson Institute, Faculty Leadership, etc) to ensure cohesive programming that meets university needs.
The AD (EP) supervises and directs Program Managers and other MCE education programming roles to oversee the continuing education activities of MCE, inclusive of educational technologies, curriculum development, scholarship in continuing education, corporate training and professional development programming. The AD (EP) will oversee a broad portfolio of day-to-day activities that includes supervision, program development, project management, budget management, liaising with administrators, faculty, staff, and students, and keeping up with advances in rapidly changing technologies and pedagogies. As a member of MCE’s leadership team, the AD (EP) will set and execute MCE’s operational goals, strategic objectives, core initiatives, and generate data-driven data. This role acts as an advocate and voice for MCE with both internal and external stakeholders and will represent MCE at regional, national and international meetings and conferences.
Strategy and Vision
- Advise the Senior Director on continuing education programming for MCE and enact strategic vision and, in collaboration with senior leaders from central units on campus, deliver innovative continuing education programming (including certificates, diplomas, and microcredentials) and review and report on that programming regularly.
- As a member of MCE’s Leadership Team, collectively lead and implement organizational design and development strategies to support MCE’s capacity to strategically respond to changing institutional contexts.
- Set and execute MCE’s operational goals, strategic objectives, core initiatives, including leading programming committees, working groups, and meetings to advance these goals.
- Make recommendations on and operate within McMaster's broader university vision and strategies (including the microcredentials, alumni and advancement, IT, and EDI strategies), priorities, plans, governance processes considering the impact for continuing education programming (educational technologies, research on continuing education, partnerships, and curriculum development).
- Recommend financial priorities and plans for MCE, manage and monitor the annual budget for their portfolio.
Collaboration and Communication
- Generate new partnerships and manage collaborations within and between MCE and central support units (e.g. MacPherson Institute, UTS, the Registrar, Alumni and Advancement).
- Promote and develop collaborative relationships within and beyond the MCE Leadership Team and establish multi-group and inter-disciplinary project teams to set and implement MCE’s objectives and mandate.
- Lead and collaborate with Program Managers and MCE education programming roles in areas of educational technology, research on continuing education, partnerships, and curriculum development.
- Consult broadly, invite feedback, and ensure MCE’s services, supports and systems are aligned to university priorities.
- Work with the MCE Marketing roles to communicate MCE news and updates both internally and externally; prepare regular, interim, and annual reports on budget, continuing education activities and outcomes for the Senior Director, Vice-Provost Teaching and Learning, and/or external audiences; and promote accomplishments and excellence in continuing education at McMaster,
- Work with the MCE leadership and staff to establish cross-functional working groups and committees, enabling MCE to advance continuing education programming at McMaster and beyond.
- Serve as MCE’s representative on committees related to continuing education programming at McMaster and represent McMaster at regional, national, and international professional meetings and conferences related to continuing education.
Continuing Education Program Development
- Develop and implement robust methods for collecting and analyzing data on continuing education programming and activities, aligned with the Senior Director’s data reporting for decentralized supports and services.
- Develop appropriate policies, processes, practices and standards relevant to continuing education programming and development; promote, communicate, implement, and review and revise as needed.
- Stay current with continuing education trends, development and innovation, scholarship and research, and technologies.
- Promote and provide specialized advice and recommendations to faculty, staff, and students regarding best practices in continuing education, learning technologies, certificate/diploma/microcredential offerings and program design, accessibility, inclusivity and other continuing education practices and innovations.
- Develop and curate continuing education resources for knowledge translation and dissemination in multiple formats for a variety of settings and audiences.
- Work with Alumni Engagement and Advancement offices to promote continuing education partnerships, and to enable and establish MCE scholarships and bursaries for students.
- Work with Faculty Leadership to develop continuing education programming collaborations and partnerships, to meet Faculty continuing education programming needs.
- Work with Senior Director, MCE, to establish collaborative programming and professional development training with external partner businesses and industries.
- Provide oversight and direction for internal program review processes including program needs assessment, quality assurance in program delivery, instructor evaluations, incorporating student/learner evaluation into course changes, and providing oversight in addressing student/learner concerns.
- Write grant proposals for new projects or services that continuing education at McMaster and author continuing education-focused abstracts, proposals, journal articles, chapters, and reports.
Supervision and Leadership
- Lead, coach and supervise staff in delivering on MCE’s mandate and strategic priority areas to
advance continuing education programming,
- Work with the team of program managers and MCE education programming roles to set individual and team learning goals, enhance motivation and morale, assess efficiency and productivity, and provide regular feedback.
- Mentor and train program managers and MCE education programming roles in areas of leadership, coaching, mentorship and supervision, and mentor and train staff more broadly in the field of continuing education program development.
- Assume responsibility for the recruitment of MCE staff, assessment of candidates, training and onboarding, encouraging career and developmental education, and ensuring appropriate work performance of 14-20 Unifor staff.
- Implement an effective cross-functional matrix system with shared responsibilities for oversight of day-to-day activities, and monitoring workflow of staff.
- Address and resolve employee/labour relations issues.
Education: Masters or PhD degree in Education or related field
Experience:
5-10 years of experience in university system supporting educational development
At least 5 years of management experience onboarding and supervising program managers and education development roles
At least 5 years of experience developing and managing programs, projects, and/or services, and associated program and staffing budgets
Knowledge/Skills:
Strategic planning and prioritization processes
Ability to balance multiple roles (leader, scholar, educational developer, manager) and competing deadlines and priorities
Ability to work collaboratively with a wide range of internal (e.g., faculties, departments, administration) and external partners and stakeholders
Ability to effectively manage financial activities and communicate financial information to audiences of varying sizes and acumen
Consultation and facilitation related to educational development and continuing education programming
Assessment and evaluation of educational development and continuing education programming
Writing, authoring and reporting on continuing education topics for a variety of audiences in a variety of mediums
Excellent time management, organizational, interpersonal skills, conflict resolution, problem-solving skills and project management skills
Ability to initiate, develop, and manage complex projects with multiple, competing priorities and deadlines
Experience in delegating, motivating, and mobilizing a team around a project's shared goals
Ability to function in an ever-changing environment with competing demands, priorities, and deadlines
Knowledge of:
Ability to function in an ever-changing environment with competing demands, priorities, and deadlines
Trends and challenges in continuing education, including demonstrated knowledge of scholarship, quality assurance, pedagogy, and a deep understanding of learning technologies, digital pedagogies, and multiple IT platforms, hardware, software and technological workflows to support continuing education programming
Higher education, learning theories, and the scholarship of teaching and learning within continuing education
University policies, processes, strategic plans, governance
Organizational change and change management processes
Staff Supervised: 15-20 Unifor staff plus ~240 sessional instructors
Financial Accountability: Oversee the fiscal viability of 30+ credit, non-credit, and corporate training programs, with each program generating between 5 – 250K in
revenue
Assume responsibility for the recruitment of MCE staff, assessment of candidates, training and onboarding, encouraging career and development education, and ensuring appropriate work performance of 15-20 Unifor staff
Operational: Engagement with central university units (Registrar, HR, Alumni) and Faculties; Community engagement with education offerings; Education
programming and professional development for staff
Administrative: Ensures all HR processes are formally captured per internal and external based on standard HR protocols and compliance requirements. Compliance and adherence to HR, Finance, academic rigor of education programing, privacy and technology regulations
Programs or Projects Managed: Ongoing and development of for-credit certificates and diplomas; non-credit certificates, diplomas, microcredentials; corporate professional
development
Other: Potential Travel required – for provincial and national CE leadership meetings
