Executive Director, Path to Academics, Community and Employment Program

Who We Are:

National Louis is a 135+ year old university that has been grounded in the values of innovation, access, excellence, and equity from its inception. As an institution, we believe in providing access to educational opportunity and that education is our greatest lever for social and economic mobility. We are a student-focused community that is committed to continuous improvement and superior student service. We believe that through education we are able to empower change and build healthy communities. Our hard-working community is based on collaboration and respect for all team members and students.

What We Offer:

At National Louis University, we offer our employees an innovative environment to work together and inspire the ideas that will make an impact. As our external environment changes, our employees are provided the opportunities and tools needed to grow both personally and professionally to remain successful. NLU employees and dependents are offered a wide range of benefits, including but not limited to, Health Insurance benefits, Retirement benefits, Paid Time Off and Educational Benefits.

What You Will Do:

Path to Academics, Community and Employment (PACE) at National Louis University is a three-year, residential post-secondary certificate program designed to meet the transitional needs of young adults with multiple intellectual, learning, and developmental disabilities. The Executive Director for PACE serves to develop long range academic and administrative planning for the PACE program centered around fundraising, alumni development and enrollment. The incumbent provides direct supervision for the PACE leadership team, and overall departmental management including quality of academic instruction, day to day operations, residential experience, and supporting student development and wellness.

Provides oversight and has responsibility for the daily operations of the PACE program including academics, career development, independent living life skills, and mental health services.
• Provides direction and oversite to all student recruitment, program development and implementation needs, and budget in coordination with Institution Leadership.
• Manages and oversees personnel hiring, training and professional development of all staff, including residential staff and on-call staff.
• Manages fundraising as well as grant strategies and opportunities.
• Develops, leads and enhances community partnerships.
• Develops and maintains Program Advisory Board.
• All other duties as assigned.

• Master's degree in Special Education, School Administration, Social Work, Psychology, Disability Studies.
• 3-5 years of previous experience required.
• Leadership Director and Vision: Takes the lead in developing a shared vision that challenges and inspires individuals across various stakeholder groups (e.g. with staff, students, parents). Articulates, discusses and models the vision in a manner that maximizes personal credibility as well as the understanding and buy-in of others. Empowers and oversees the creation and accomplishment of specific, challenging and attainable staff and student goals that are directly connected to the shared vision. Communicate effectively across the organization, within the department, and consistently with direct supervisor.
• Strategic Thinking: Can analyze organizational strengths and weaknesses and then combine these with knowledge of the industry, market and organization to develop long-term strategy.
• Managing Employee Performance: Takes action to ensure that employees fully understand their roles, responsibilities and performance standards/expectations and provides ongoing feedback and support as employees strive to achieve expectations. Engages in two-way conversations throughout the year that ensure an up-to-date understanding of expectations, performance gaps and actions required to close any gaps.

NLU Inclusion Statement:

National Louis University is deeply committed to serving its community, advancing access and equity, and ensuring that all individuals are welcomed and valued. We are dedicated to fostering a culture where diversity, equity, and inclusion remain at the core of who we are. These are more than just words to us: they are truly a way of life for the NLU community. We recognize that differences in abilities, age, ethnicity, gender (identity and expression), race, religion, sexual orientation, socio-economic status, and background bring richness to our work environment. We affirm diverse perspectives, innovative contributions, and authentic presentations of self from every member within the NLU community. We believe inclusion is grounded in the actions we intentionally take each day. Our goal is to inspire and empower NLU employees and community members to cultivate an environment where we collectively focus on uplifting and advancing our institutional culture.