The Department of English in the College and Graduate School of Arts and Sciences at the University of Virginia seeks an Assistant Director of Academic Programs to partner with faculty leadership to provide strategic planning to ensure all programs are delivered with excellence and offer an exceptional student experience. The Assistant Director’s primary focus initially will be on the Writing and Rhetoric program with potential to expand programmatic leadership across the department over time. The Assistant Director serves as a primary support and partner to the Director of the Writing Program (and, over time, other program directors), balancing strategic planning with hands-on execution functioning as a key integrator across the program’s portfolio.

Candidate Profile

You are seeking an academic programs leadership role because you believe wholeheartedly in the academic mission. You have experience with undergraduate and graduate education, both as a student and as an administrator. You understand the creative process and how it comes to life in writing. That sensibility shapes your approach to leadership. You hold the full arc of the student experience in mind: from the undergraduate writer trying to find their voice to the doctoral candidate navigating the final stages of their program. You balance the need for consistency with nuance and patience in how you work with colleagues and students.

You excel at turning ideas into results. You understand the ways in which curricular decisions shape the identity of programs. You are also a strategic creator. You build systems that sustain and convert data into information that gets used. You move fluidly between strategy and execution, and you know which mode the moment calls for. When decisions are made, you make things happen.

What You Bring

• Exceptional written and verbal communication, and the presence to represent programs with credibility and care

• Familiarity with and a commitment to English and/or Writing and Rhetoric as academic disciplines.

• Experience in higher education administration, with demonstrated leadership of academic programs at the graduate and/or undergraduate level

• The ability to strategize with faculty, engaging with intellectual respect, clarity of mission, and strong professional judgment

• Direct experience supporting students through advising, admissions, onboarding, and milestone progression

• A student-centered orientation that extends across program types and levels

• Experience leading and developing teams of academic professionals

• Comfort working across institutional partners

• Strong data literacy — the ability to monitor program health, interpret trends, and use evidence to drive continuous improvement.

Key Areas of Responsibility

Program Management and Student Success

• Serve as the primary support and strategic partner to the Director of Writing and Rhetoric and other faculty leaders

• Manage teaching assignments, course scheduling, and enrollment in partnership with faculty leadership and university partners

• Manage Writing and Rhetoric operations including operational and administrative leadership for Writing Across the Curriculum and the Writing Center

• Oversee student services functions including onboarding, orientation, advising support, registration coordination, and milestone progression

• Partner with faculty program directors to monitor student performance, engagement, and well-being, addressing concerns proactively and holistically

• Maintain knowledge of university policies and procedures.

Assessment, Data, Reporting, and Continuous Improvement

• Provide operational leadership for program assessment and reporting

• Monitor program metrics including enrollment trends, student progression, and operational performance

• Prepare analyses and reports for academic leadership and use data to drive continuous improvement across programs and team functions.

Team Leadership

• Supervise, mentor, and develop a team of academic programs professionals, fostering a culture of excellence, collaboration, and continuous improvement in service delivery and program operations.

• Set clear expectations, support professional growth, and conduct regular performance evaluations.