New

Associate Director, Accreditation and Compliance

American Psychiatric Association
$86,800.00 - $101,000.00 / yr
United States, D.C., Washington
800 Maine Avenue Southwest (Show on map)
Mar 12, 2026
Description POSITION SUMMARY The American Psychiatric Associations (APA) Office of Accreditation and Compliance provides continuing education credit for mental health professionals (psychiatrists, psychologists, and social workers) through the Division of Educations vast educational portfolio. APA is jointly accredited by ACCME, ANCC and ACPE with extensions to offer credits through APA and ASWB The Associate Director, Accreditation and Compliance reports to the Director, Accreditation and Compliance. This position is responsible for managing the accreditation processes for all of APA's federal grant portfolio: SPRC, MSM, ORN, PCSS, SMI Adviser, and all divisions across the organization to ensure accredited activities meet appropriate Joint Accreditation standards. The Associate Director serves as the co-liaison for APA's Lifestyle Psychiatry Committee, and as the primary liaison for the Lifestyle Psychiatry Caucus, Maintenance of Certification Caucus, and Medical Humanities in Psychiatry Caucus. The Associate Director will supervise the Coordinator, Accreditation and Compliance and support the Director, Accreditation and Compliance in strategically assessing and improving accreditation programs to meet the needs of APAs members, APA staff, and the standards of respective accreditation programs to ensure compliance. DUTIES & RESPONSIBILITIES Serve as the primary accreditation staff liaison to the Division of Educations business units (SMI Adviser and the Office of Online Learning) and all APA Divisions across the organization (DDHE, APPA, Research, APA Foundation). Guide accredited education strategy and manage the accreditation processes for APAs federal grant portfolio: SPRC, MSM, ORN, PCSS, SMI Adviser and other divisions to ensure accredited activities meet appropriate requirements. Manage CE Management System (CEMS) to review and approve activity proposals and coordinate the collection of supporting documentation required to meet Joint Accreditation standards. Provide guidance to APA staff in the design of CME activities for proposal development process for individual and/or series of CME programs and conduct CEMS training for APA staff to ensure understanding of the application process. Oversee APA expiring courses process for all educational activities, including auditing accredited enduring activities, collaborating with APA staff to determine if reaccreditation is appropriate and maintaining documentation for compliance. Oversee accreditation of Pharmacy CE activities and report CPE activities in JA-PARS. Remain current with American Board of Psychiatry and Neurology (ABPN) requirements for Continuing Certification and request ABPN approval for programs where appropriate; Process and report monthly learner credits to ABPN, Be competent in all aspects of the Standards for Integrity and Independence and the Criteria for Accreditation for Interprofessional Joint Accreditation and support Director of Accreditation in the preparation of APA's annual JA-PARS accreditation report. Work closely with the Director, Accreditation and Compliance and APAs Publications Department to ensure the American Journal of Psychiatry (AJP) and FOCUS: The Journal of Lifelong Learning Publications are compliant with Joint Accreditation standards. Develop, monitor, and update Standard Operating Procedures (SOPS) related to accreditation. Work closely with the Director of Accreditation and the Division of Education team to grow APAs portfolio of accredited education and ensure evolving Joint Accreditation standards are met. Manage the evaluation process for the Annual Meeting and Community Psychiatry Hub, including preparing certificates, working with external vendor and APA staff to build out evaluation, and traveling to AM to manage logistics of the on-site computerized evaluation center. Manage development of Annual Meeting Self-Assessment, Focus Live sessions, paid courses and master courses, including working with OSP staff, planning committees and faculty to complete activity proposals for courses and coordinate the collection of supporting documentation. Conduct review of Annual Meeting conflict of interest disclosures and assist in implementing mitigation actions to align with accreditation requirements. Act as staff liaison to APA caucuses: Maintenance of Certification Caucus, Medical Humanities in Psychiatry Caucus, and Lifestyle Psychiatry Caucus Respond to Zendesk support tickets, addressing accreditation-related questions and resolving inquiries in a timely and professional manner. Lead CEMS application management and accreditation oversight for MindSET, ensuring alignment with Joint Accreditation standards and timely approval of activities. Supervise Coordinator, Accreditation and Compliance and temp staff as needed, including onboarding new staff, conducting mid-year/annual performance reviews, and ensuring tasks are completed with quality and in a timely manner. Provide Customer Service and address accreditation related questions/concerns from APA members and other mental health professionals. Provide organizational support to staff within the Office of Accreditation and Compliance. Other duties as assigned. COMPETENCIES The Associate Director, Accreditation and Compliance's performance on these duties and responsibilities will be measured using the following competencies: SCOPE & IMPACT Serve as the primary staff liaison to the Division of Educations business units: SMI Adviser and the Office of Online Learning. Maintain all files on the activities in accordance with ACCME/Joint Accreditation requirements. Draft final JA-PARS activity report data to include number of activities, type of activities, designated credit, member vs. non-member, and physicians vs. non-physicians. Performs tasks that significantly impact program and require the ability to gather, organize, verify, compose, and/or analyze established concepts, policies, and procedures to complete several multistep functions Responsible for specific daily activities for a body of work or publication Demonstrates proficiency in the use of specialized skills and techniques Success is frequently measured by completing a complex set of tasks and demonstrating complex and nuanced individual and group work environment behaviors COMPLEXITY, PROBLEM SOLVING & DECISION-MAKING Serve as the primary staff liaison to the Division of Educations business units: SMI Adviser and the Office of Online Learning. Exercises judgment to choose a work method/procedure and to schedule tasks appropriately to meet guidelines Must demonstrate sound decision-making in a range of situations Has authority to make decisions relevant to day-to-day operations Identifies complex problems and issues. Designs and implements solutions with management approval Recognizes out-of-scope problems and escalates them to the appropriate level RELATIONSHIP MANAGEMENT & AUTHORITY Relationships span levels internally and externally and center on collaborative work efforts Has regular contact with outside partners and organizations Has extensive contact with management, staff, and colleagues across departments to identify, learn, explain, and report on key issues, trends, and challenges Uses diplomatic skills to obtain trust, cooperation, and understanding in order to resolve more complex problems May represent the organization as a liaison to APA governance and other external coalitions and audiences with guidance from supervisor. ORGANIZATIONAL KNOWLEDGE Demonstrates a full understanding of the work or project team's relationships and responsibilities within the department Demonstrates a thorough working knowledge of policies, procedures, and terminology of the related department/field SUPERVISION Supervises Coordinator, Accreditation and Compliance and temp staff as needed. Coaches and mentors junior level staff. May have formal staff management responsibilities of 1-2 employees Qualifications REQUIRED SKILLS, EXPERIENCE, AND QUALIFICATIONS 6+ years' experience in a professional or trade association focused on maintaining accreditation and/or credentialing programs or equivalent. Experience working in cross-functional teams with an ability to build consensus among multiple stakeholders in a fast-paced environment. Committee management and supervisory experience are required. Strong program and project management, interpersonal, and delegation skills are required. Experience with ACCME/Joint Accreditation processes is required. Knowledge of and experience with general CE/CME processes is required. Demonstrated ability to extract and present detailed data in different formats is required. Experience managing certification programs is highly desired. Experience building and maintaining accredited activities in a Learning Management System is highly desired. EOE, Including Disability/Vets