Senior Director, Continuing and Professional Education

Department: Continuing & Professional Education

Appointment Type and Duration: Regular, Ongoing

Salary: $135,000 - $150,000/year

Compensation Band: OS-OA12-Fiscal Year 2025-2026

FTE: 1.0

Application Review Begins

April 26, 2026; Position open until filled

Special Instructions to Applicants

To ensure consideration, a complete application must include:

1. A current resume/CV.

2. A cover letter demonstrating how your skills and experience meet the minimum and preferred qualifications for the position.

Department Summary

University of Oregon's Continuing and Professional Education (CPE) unit expands the university''s reach by designing, supporting, and delivering learning opportunities beyond traditional degree pathways. In partnership with schools, colleges, external organizations, employers, and selected vendors, CPE develops and administers professional education, academic noncredit, lifelong learning, and community-facing offerings for learners across a lifetime of learning.

CPE is a self-supporting, market-responsive unit focused on extending access, relevance, and institutional impact. Its work requires strong academic partnership, sound business-line management, effective marketing and enrollment practices, and modern learner and operational systems that enable sustainable growth.

CPE reports to the Office of the Provost. Its main office is in Eugene, Oregon, with operations in Bend and Portland, Oregon. The Senior Director is expected to be in-person in Eugene, Oregon.

Position Summary

The Senior Director of Continuing and Professional Education provides strategic and operational leadership for the university''s continuing and professional education portfolio, with direct responsibility for academic noncredit support, professional education, lifelong learning and personal enrichment (including OLLI, the Osher Lifelong Learning Institute), and conference services. This position leads a complex, evolving unit to strengthen program performance, modernize systems, and build sustainable growth across multiple business lines and in concert with academic partners.

Reporting to the Associate Vice Provost for UO Online and Continuing and Professional Education, the Senior Director partners closely with academic leaders, faculty, enrollment and marketing teams, information services, finance, and external organizations to develop, launch, and scale high-quality offerings that meet workforce, learner, and community needs. The Senior Director is responsible for translating divisional strategy into execution by aligning people, processes, technology, and market-facing activity to improve performance across the portfolio.

This role requires a leader who can guide organizational change, inspire and develop staff, and drive measurable results. The Senior Director oversees program-line budgeting and performance, advances new revenue generation, supports the creation of new courses, programs, and credentials, and leads implementation of critical infrastructure such as a modern registration ecosystem, CRM, digital badging, and AI-enabled workflows. The position directly supervises a leadership team and has authority to redesign roles, recruit key talent, and establish a scalable and accountable operating model.

The Senior Director is expected to pursue ongoing professional growth and visible field leadership, strengthening both personal expertise and UO's national reputation in continuing, professional, and online education. The Senior Director will actively experiment with and responsibly infuse AI into workflows, service delivery, and decision-making to improve quality, increase speed, and achieve meaningful operational efficiencies.

Minimum Requirements

• Master''s degree or equivalent combination of education and experience.
• 10 years of progressively responsible leadership experience in higher education.
• Experience with budget and profit and loss responsibility in educational environments.
• Experience leading program growth, launching new educational offerings, and/or generating new revenue.
• Experience in developing and supervising professional staff.

Professional Competencies

• Strategic and entrepreneurial leadership with the ability to grow a unit in a deliberate, coordinated fashion.
• Demonstrated ability to build credibility with faculty and academic leaders while also influencing operational partners across functions.
• Strong business-line management skills, including pricing, budgeting, performance analysis, and portfolio decision making.
• Knowledge of adult learner markets, workforce-aligned education, and market-responsive program development.
• Ability to identify, develop, and steward corporate and employer partnerships.
• Ability to balance operational discipline with innovation, growth, and learner-centered design.
• Excellent written, oral, and presentation skills for executive, academic, and external audiences.
• Demonstrated commitment to inclusive leadership and ability to work effectively with diverse communities.
• Ability to use data to inform strategy, marketing, enrollment, and operational improvement.
• Ability to motivate, coach, and inspire teams in a demanding and changing environment.

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience in online learning leadership, instructional design, course or curriculum development, or direct teaching.
• Experience implementing or optimizing CRM, registration, student lifecycle, or business intelligence systems.
• Experience with marketing strategy, lead generation, enrollment funnel management, or direct program promotion.
• Experience in continuing education, professional education, executive education, workforce partnerships, or microcredential strategy.
• Familiarity with the Oregon regional market and employer landscape.
• Experience with digital badging and short-form credentials.
• Experience evaluating or implementing emerging technologies, including AI-enabled tools, to improve operations or service delivery.
• Experience with budget and profit and loss responsibility in self-support, auxiliary, continuing education, online learning, executive education, and/or similarly entrepreneurial educational environments.
• Experience in developing and supervising professional staff and students, including experience leading through change, reorganization, and performance accountability.
• Experience working collaboratively with academic leaders, faculty, and operational partners in a complex institution.

FLSA Exempt:

All offers of employment are contingent upon successful completion of a background check.

The University of Oregon is proud to offer a robust benefits package to eligible employees, including health insurance, retirement plans, and paid time off. For more information about benefits, visit our website.

The University of Oregon is an equal-opportunity institution committed to cultural diversity and compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act. The University encourages all qualified individuals to apply and does not discriminate on the basis of any protected status, including veteran and disability status. The University is committed to providing reasonable accommodations to applicants and employees with disabilities. To request an accommodation in connection with the application process, please email us or call 541-346-5112.

UO prohibits discrimination on the basis of race, color, religion, national origin, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, pregnancy (including pregnancy-related conditions), age, physical or mental disability, genetic information (including family medical history), ancestry, familial status, citizenship, service in the uniformed services (as defined in federal and state law), veteran status, expunged juvenile record, and/or the use of leave protected by state or federal law in all programs, activities and employment practices as required by Title IX, other applicable laws, and policies. Retaliation is prohibited by UO policy. Questions may be referred to the Office of Equal Opportunity and Access. Contact information, related policies, and complaint procedures are listed here.

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