Assistant Dean, Workforce Development and Community Education

Location: Valhalla, NY Category: Administrative Positions Job Type: Full-time Posted On: Thu Aug 27 2026 Job Description:

Under the general direction of the Vice President and Dean of Workforce Development and Community Education (WDCE), the incumbent serves as part of the leadership team of the division. As such the Assistant Dean of Workforce Development and Community Education provides strategic and operational leadership to strengthen systems, compliance, quality assurance, and program effectiveness across the Division of Workforce Development and Community Education. The Assistant Dean leads the development and implementation of policies, procedures, assessment frameworks, program approval processes, and accountability systems that promote consistency, regulatory compliance, institutional alignment, and continuous improvement.

The position plays a key leadership role in supporting accreditation requirements related to workforce education, Workforce Pell readiness and compliance, federal and state reporting requirements, program quality and assessment, and extension center operations. Working collaboratively across the institution, the Assistant Dean helps ensure that workforce and community education programs are compliant, scalable, responsive to labor market needs, and positioned for sustainable growth.

The incumbent regularly interacts with other college administrators, and representatives from business, labor, not for profit and government agencies to identify and develop additional collaborative non-credit/credit partnerships and to further the College's participation in workforce and economic development initiatives within our service area.

Specifically, the Assistant Dean, WDCE, is responsible for:

Strategic Leadership & Division Advancement

• Provide strategic and operational leadership to advance the Division of Workforce and Community Education through effective systems, processes, and data-informed strategies aligned with institutional priorities and workforce needs.

• Lead cross-functional initiatives that strengthen program quality, scalability, accountability, operational effectiveness and sustainable growth.

• Identify and address operational and systemic opportunities to improve program delivery and institutional alignment.

Assessment, Compliance & Quality Assurance

• Coordinate division-wide efforts to ensure compliance with accreditation standards and federal, state, SUNY and other requirements affecting workforce and community education programming.

• Develop and maintain systems, documentation, evidence collection, and internal controls necessary to support compliance, accreditation readiness and regulatory reporting.

• Lead the development and implementation of assessment and quality assurance frameworks that measure program effectiveness student outcomes, credential attainment, employment outcomes, and other key performance indicators.

• Establish continuous improvement processes to identify performance gaps, implement interventions, and inform planning and decision-making.

• Ensure programs meet established standards for instructional quality, student outcomes, documentation, attendance, assessment, credentialing, and reporting.

• Collaborate with Institutional Effectiveness, Institutional Research, Academic Affairs, and other on assessment, evaluation, documentation, and reporting.

Policy, Procedures & Governance

• Develop, implement, review, and maintain division-wide policies, procedures, operational standards, and governance frameworks to promote consistency, accountability, transparency, and compliance.

• Establish standardized workflows and business processes for program administration across departments and locations.

• Ensure division policies and practices align with institutional, SUNY, state, federal, accreditation, and applicable regulatory requirements.

• Identify policy and process gaps and lead corrective and continuous improvement efforts.

• Maintain documentation of division policies, procedures, workflows, standards, and compliance requirements.

Program Development, Review & Approval

• Oversee program proposal, review, and approval processes to ensure alignment with labor market demand, institutional priorities, instructional standards, financial sustainability, and regulatory requirements.

• Establish quality standards, review criteria, and approval protocols for new and existing programs.

• Ensure required documentation and institutional and external approvals are completed before implementation.

• Coordinate with departments and offices to implement programs.

• Monitor program performance and outcomes to inform decisions regarding continuation, expansion, redesign, suspension, or discontinuation.

• Support scalable, sustainable program models responsive to employer, community, and regional workforce needs.

• Monitor federal, state, SUNY, and other regulatory guidance and recommend operational or policy adjustments as needed.

Extension Center Oversight & Operational Accountability

• Provide oversight of workforce and community education operations across extension centers to ensure consistency, quality, compliance, and effectiveness.

• Establish performance expectations, accountability measures, and monitoring systems for programming delivered across locations.

• Conduct regular operational and programmatic reviews of compliance, performance, student outcomes, service delivery, and adherence to division and institutional standards.

• Identify operational risks and inconsistencies and work with extension center leadership to implement corrective actions.

• Promote consistent implementation of division policies, procedures, program standards, and student service expectations across locations.

Job Requirements:

REQUIRED QUALIFICATIONS: The successful candidate must possess a minimum of a Bachelor's degree and one of the following:

• A Master's Degree plus five years of experience in educational or business administration, or the planning and development of education, employment training or human development programs, three years of which must have been in an administrative or supervisory position;

• Seven years of experience as detailed above, including the three years of administrative or supervisory experience.

All candidates must have evidence of responsiveness to and understanding of the diverse academic, socioeconomic, cultural, disability, gender identity, sexual orientation, and ethnic backgrounds of community college students, as these factors relate to the need for equity-minded practice within the classroom.

PREFERRED QUALIFICATIONS: Doctoral degree preferred. Administrative and supervisory experience in workforce development field and a proven track record of successful relationship building with the employer community, government agencies and community and civic organizations preferred. Management of revenue generating budgets; superior written and verbal communication skills; experience overseeing corporate training programs; and grant writing experience also preferred.

Additional Information:

SALARY & BENEFITS: The starting salary for this position is $104,194. Additional compensation with seniority steps maximize at a salary of $160,856. Benefits include comprehensive health coverage, a choice of defined benefit or defined contribution pension plan, generous leave benefits, and access to tax sheltered annuities and a deferred compensation plan.