Director, Programs and Design for Academic Innovation

Job Description Summary

The Director of Programs & Design for Academic Innovation serves as a leader within the Badavas Center for Innovation in Teaching and Learning and a strategic thought partner to the Executive Director and Associate Provost for Academic Innovation.

Reporting directly to the Executive Director, the Director helps build, facilitate, and advance the Center's portfolio of academic innovation initiatives. The role combines innovation design, program leadership, facilitation, team management, partnership development, and operational execution to transform ideas into impactful and scalable programs that advance Bentley's academic priorities.

The Director serves as a builder, facilitator, and integrator: someone who can help co-create new initiatives, facilitate collaborative design processes, connect stakeholders across the institution, oversee program implementation, and ensure programs are effectively designed, assessed, and continuously improved.

The ideal candidate brings expertise spanning pedagogy, learning science, learning design, faculty development, program management, facilitation, community-building, and emerging trends in higher education. They bring particular curiosity about and working knowledge of artificial intelligence (AI) in teaching and learning, including its implications for pedagogy, course and assessment design, experiential learning, faculty practice, and the evolving roles of educators and learners.

The ideal candidate embraces a highly collaborative and co-creative approach to innovation, engaging faculty, staff, students, and partners as active contributors in the design, implementation, and evolution of new programs and initiatives. They are equally comfortable facilitating a faculty learning community, leading a design workshop, developing a new institutional initiative, or building partnerships that advance the Center's mission.

Essential Duties
Academic Innovation and Program Development

• Partner with the Executive Director to design, build, pilot, implement, and scale innovative programs and initiatives that advance Bentley's academic priorities and Technology, Innovation and Entrepreneurship (TIE) vision.
• Co-create initiatives that strengthen teaching, learning, faculty development, interdisciplinary collaboration, experiential education, and student success.
• Build structures, experiences, and communities that support faculty innovation, professional growth, and educational transformation.
• Facilitate collaborative design processes that engage faculty, staff, students, and partners in the development of new programs and initiatives.
• Design and support faculty development opportunities, communities of practice, and collaborative learning experiences that foster innovation and continuous learning.
• Monitor emerging trends, practices, and innovations in higher education and provide recommendations that inform the evolution of Center initiatives.
• Lead and support initiatives that explore the evolving role of artificial intelligence in teaching and learning, partnering with faculty and colleagues to design, pilot, assess, and scale pedagogically meaningful approaches to AI-enhanced learning, course design, assessment, and faculty development.
• Contribute to the long-term growth and impact of the Center's portfolio.

Program Leadership and Portfolio Management

• Lead the implementation, coordination, and continuous improvement of the Center's portfolio of programs and initiatives.
• Build systems, processes, and workflows that support successful execution and sustainable growth.
• Ensure programs are effectively managed, resourced, and aligned with institutional priorities.
• Support the scaling of successful pilots and innovation initiatives across the university.
• Maintain oversight of multiple concurrent initiatives while ensuring high-quality execution.
• Develop and sustain programmatic structures that cultivate engagement, community, and meaningful participation among faculty and partners.

Learning Design and Educational Innovation Leadership

• Oversee learning design support across undergraduate, graduate, online, and emerging educational offerings.
• Ensure the quality, effectiveness, and innovation of learning experiences developed in partnership with faculty and academic programs.
• Provide pedagogical and strategic leadership around the evolving role of AI in course and program design, guiding faculty and learning designers in rethinking learning experiences, assignments, assessment, authentic application, and the role of human capabilities in an AI-rich educational environment.
• Support the ongoing evolution of learning design practices toward broader innovation, experience design, faculty development, and academic transformation.
• Foster a culture of creativity, experimentation, collaboration, evidence-informed practice, and continuous improvement.

Facilitation, Collaboration, Community Building, and Partnership Development

• Design and facilitate workshops, retreats, working groups, innovation sessions, faculty learning communities, and collaborative planning processes.
• Create environments that foster trust, creativity, experimentation, productive dialogue, and meaningful engagement among diverse stakeholders.
• Build and sustain strong relationships with faculty, academic leaders, and institutional partners.
• Identify opportunities for interdisciplinary and cross-functional partnerships that support university priorities.
• Build collaborative networks that strengthen the Center's impact and reach across the institution.

Assessment, Impact, and Continuous Improvement

• Develop and maintain systems for assessing the effectiveness and impact of Center initiatives and programs.
• Establish meaningful measures of success and use data to inform decision-making and program improvement.
• Foster a culture of evidence-informed innovation and continuous improvement.
• Evaluate faculty development programs, innovation initiatives, and community-building efforts to identify opportunities for enhancement and scale.

Minimum Qualifications
Required

• Master's degree in education, higher education, learning sciences, instructional design, organizational leadership, or a related field.
• Seven or more years of progressive leadership experience in higher education, faculty development, learning design, academic innovation, educational program development, or related fields.
• Demonstrated experience designing, implementing, and managing complex educational programs or initiatives.
• Experience supervising professional staff and leading cross-functional teams.
• Expertise in pedagogy, learning science, faculty development, and evidence-based teaching and learning practices.
• Demonstrated success facilitating collaborative design processes, strategic conversations, faculty learning experiences, working groups, and stakeholder engagement efforts.
• Strong facilitation, project management, organizational, communication, and relationship-building skills.
• Ability to build trust, foster collaboration, develop community, and engage diverse stakeholders in co-creative processes.
• Ability to manage multiple priorities and initiatives simultaneously.
• Knowledge of emerging trends in higher education, including artificial intelligence, digital learning, experiential learning, and academic innovation.

Preferred

• Doctoral degree or doctoral coursework.
• Experience working in a center for teaching and learning, academic innovation unit, faculty development office, or similar environment.
• Experience leading organizational change and innovation initiatives.
• Experience designing and facilitating faculty development programs, communities of practice, or learning communities.
• Experience with assessment, evaluation, and impact measurement.
• Record of professional presentations, publications, or thought leadership activities.
• Experience building partnerships across academic and administrative units.
• Experience supporting online and technology-enhanced learning environments.

Work Environment

• Typical office setting with extensive sitting and computer work
• Ability to travel around campus for meetings and other work related events.
  

Success in the Role
The successful candidate will serve as a trusted partner to the Executive Director and Associate Provost for Academic Innovation, helping build innovative programs, facilitate collaborative processes, strengthen faculty learning communities, oversee a high-performing learning design team, and expand the Center's capacity to design, implement, assess, and scale initiatives that advance Bentley's academic priorities and TIE vision.

Through strong leadership, facilitation, collaboration, community-building, and innovation, the Director will help position the Badavas Center as a leading force for academic innovation at Bentley University and beyond.

Pay Transparency

At Bentley we offer a “total rewards” package designed to attract, motivate, retain, and reward our employees. This includes competitive compensation, robust benefits, career development and opportunities, generous paid time off, workplace flexibility and a positive, engaging employee experience. In alignment with the Massachusetts Pay Transparency Act and our commitment to equity and transparency, we’re sharing the salary grade range for this role. The grade range is based on market data and the scope of responsibilities. Final pay will depend on your experience, education, and other relevant qualifications.

Salary Grade Range:

$105,358 - 177,253

If you have questions about the salary grade range or need additional information, please contact us at [email protected].

Bentley University requires references checks and may conduct other pre-employment screening.

DIVERSITY STATEMENT

Bentley University strives to create a campus community that welcomes the exchange of ideas, and fosters a culture that values differences and views them as a strength in our community.

Bentley University is an Equal Opportunity Employer, building strength through diversity. The University is committed to building a community of talented students, faculty and staff who reflect the diversity of global business. We strongly encourage applications from persons from underrepresented groups, individuals with disabilities, covered veterans and those with diverse experiences and backgrounds.