Assistant Director of STEM Education

Department: Searle Ctr Advcng Lrng & Tchng
Salary/Grade: EXS/7

Target hiring range for this position will be between be Salary range is as be $65,000-$70,000 per year. Offered salary will be determined by the applicant's education, experience, knowledge, skills and abilities, as well as internal equity and alignment with market data.

Job Summary:

Reporting to the Associate Director of High-Impact Teaching who shapes the vision, the Assistant Director of STEM Education supports Pedagogy, Course Design & Delivery, Assessment & Curricular Change, Scholarship of Learning & Teaching, and Community & Vitality by setting goals, designing signature programs (e.g., University Practicum, Course Design & Delivery Institutes, OERs, Reading Circles/Retreats), and implementing strategic initiatives (e.g., STEM Teaching Excellence/CIRTL, STEM Education Transformation, SoTL, GAI, Customized Workshops) for instructors at all career stages. This specialized educational development role expands the Center's expertise to advance its four strategic priorities with scholarly and innovative approaches.

• Administration
• Budget & Financial
• Communications
• Evaluation
• Events
• Outreach
• Program Development
• Recruitment
• Strategic Planning

To apply, please submit a cover letter highlighting your interests and unique qualifications, along with your CV, by the February 2, 2026 submission deadline. We encourage early applications, as review will begin upon receipt.

Specific Responsibilities:

Administration

• Directs and leads development of program/project strategic plan.
• Oversees & ensures that day-to-day operations are appropriately managed, efficient and effective.
• Operationalizes goals & objectives; ensures that resources are created or obtained.
• Manages customer service; creates associated practices & procedures & metrics to measure success.
• Analyzes data & recommends & implements changes & improvement to better ensure attainment of mission.
• Manages logistics requirements, including facilities, venue, scheduling, technology, instruction, catering, etc.

Budgets & Financial

• Ensures that the program/project meets associated revenue & expense goals.
• Oversees all daily, monthly & annual financial activities including transactions, analysis, & reporting.
• Approves funds reallocation within budget as necessary & appropriate.

Communication, Outreach & Recruitment

• Directs program/project marketing/branding efforts.
• Identifies and implements short- and long-term strategies and plans to meet program/project goals.
• Engages in outreach/field relations serving a number of goals, including recruitment, participation, relationship building, etc. to support continued program/project development & improvement.
• Builds relationships with program/project alumni to develop and cultivate professional networks, financial resources, and sense of community among alumni.

Evaluation

• Oversees development & implementation of evaluation processes, quantitative & qualitative measurements that ensure that program/project benchmarks are successfully attained and communicated in a timely and efficient manner.
• Manages evaluation processes; recommends & implements changes for enhancement; monitors effectiveness through follow-up evaluation studies.
• Collaborates with internal/external resources to develop meaningful outcome measurements and methods of program/project evaluation that will lead to enhancement.

Events

• Develops a comprehensive program of events such as lectures, symposia, speaker series, workshops, conferences, cultural events etc. in collaboration with internal & external resources.
• Develops proposals & recruits faculty leaders for interdisciplinary research working groups, and works with them to develop programming.

Program Development

• Manages the ongoing development and refinement of the program's/project's current and future curriculum and course offerings in consultation with subject matter experts.
• Provides leadership for planning, scheduling, delivering and maintaining program(s)/project(s) to sustain quality instruction in all educational activity.
• Manages for consistently high quality standards across all partner programs/projects, including admissions, teaching, grading, service levels, and facilities.

Strategic Planning

• Creates & leads a coordinated program of activities designed to increase program/project objectives.

Supervision

• Supervises 1-2 staff.
• Maximizes strategy sessions to fuel dynamic collaborations in our Searle community, craft resonant and visually-appealing messaging, leverage Airtable to optimize participation, ensure policies are transparent, streamline infrastructure to safeguard capacity, pilot and assess initiatives, evaluate progress in annual reports, and share ideas and scholarly work broadly.
• Equips educators with high-quality digital materials and asynchronous development opportunities that are readily accessible, fee-free, easily adaptable to specific instructional contexts, and widely shareable across Northwestern and beyond; use data analytics to ensure our website, newsletter, and Learning & Teaching Guides remain user friendly, accessible, and leading edge.
• Represents the Searle Center on University committees relevant to expertise to surface and address professional development needs across the University related to teaching.
• Offers a variety of developmental pathways for instructors and models best practices for teaching and learning, such as providing confidential consultations and thought partnership on issues related to teaching and supports efforts to devise future action plans.

Miscellaneous

Performs other duties as assigned.

Minimum Qualifications:

Master's degree in STEM field

1 years of higher education experience as a classroom instructor

1 years of program/project administration or other relevant experience

Minimum Competencies: (Skills, knowledge, and abilities.)

Represents the Center's values of critical reflection, multi-vocal evidence, and a collaborative spirit

Exhibits deep curiosity and desire for continued professional growth

Works in a highly professional manner as both a self-starter and as a collaborative team member

Preferred Qualifications:

PhD in STEM field; or the equivalent combination of education, training, and experience from which comparable skills can be acquired

2 years of higher education experience as a classroom instructor

2 years of program/project development/administration or other relevant experience

Preferred Competencies: (Skills, knowledge, and abilities)

Possesses effective organizational and time management skills, with the ability to work on multiple projects simultaneously

Incorporates a range of disciplinary approaches and interdisciplinary perspectives

Displays exceptional interpersonal skills and contributes to creating and sustaining an inclusive and positive workplace engagement

Communicates with excellence in both oral and written form, including the ability to translate findings for a variety of stakeholders

Partners effectively with diverse units across a complex organization

Proficient knowledge of data collection and management

Benefits:
At Northwestern, we are proud to provide meaningful, competitive, high-quality health care plans, retirement benefits, tuition discounts and more! Visit us at https://www.northwestern.edu/hr/benefits/index.html to learn more.

Work-Life and Wellness:
Northwestern offers comprehensive programs and services to help you and your family navigate life's challenges and opportunities, and adopt and maintain healthy lifestyles.
We support flexible work arrangements where possible and programs to help you locate and pay for quality, affordable childcare and senior/adult care. Visit us at https://www.northwestern.edu/hr/benefits/work-life/index.html to learn more.

Professional Growth & Development:
Northwestern supports employee career development in all circumstances whether your workspace is on campus or at home. If you're interested in developing your professional potential or continuing your formal education, we offer a variety of tools and resources. Visit us at https://www.northwestern.edu/hr/learning/index.html to learn more.

Northwestern University is an Equal Opportunity Employer and does not discriminate on the basis of protected characteristics, including disability and veteran status. View Northwestern's non-discrimination statement. Job applicants who wish to request an accommodation in the application or hiring process should contact the Office of Civil Rights and Title IX Compliance. View additional information on the accommodations process.