SPI Program Director

SPI Program Director

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How to Apply

A cover letter is required for consideration for this position and should be attached as the first page of your resume. The cover letter should address your specific interest in the position and outline skills and experience that directly relate to this position.

Job Summary

The Program Manager provides strategic, administrative, and operational leadership for the University of Michigan School of Dentistry's Standardized Patient Instructor (SPI) Program. The SPI program uses trained individuals to portray patients, teach communication and provide learner-centered feedback, and support assessment of dental and dental hygiene students. This position operates in an academic health professions education setting and reports to the Associate Dean of Academic Affairs.

The Program Manager works collaboratively with faculty, curriculum leaders, staff, students, SPIs, University and national partners to design, implement, evaluate, and continuously improve standardized-patient educational experiences. The position is responsible for program planning, personnel management, case implementation, scheduling and logistics, budget administration, data and quality assurance, and compliance with applicable University and School requirements. The Program Manager exercises independent judgment in managing routine program operations and consults leadership regarding significant personnel, financial, safety, curricular, legal, or policy matters. For more information about us please visit the school's website https://dent.umich.edu/about/mission-vision

Responsibilities*

Responsibilities for the Assistant Program Manager Level

Program Coordination and Operations

• Coordinate daily SPI activities, including encounters, simulations, examinations, training, and educational events.

• Manage schedules, assignments, attendance, substitutions, rooms, equipment, technology, and other logistical needs.

• Provide on-site and virtual support and troubleshoot operational issues.

• Maintain calendars, workflows, checklists, procedures, and contingency plans.

SPI Recruitment, Onboarding, and Support

• Assist with recruitment, screening, selection, onboarding, and ongoing support of 20-30 SPIs.

• Coordinate required documentation, orientation, training, compliance, and system/facility access.

• Serve as a primary resource for SPIs regarding schedules, expectations, policies, and assignments.

• Track availability, participation, training, performance, and readiness.

• Promote a respectful and psychologically safe SPI work environment.

Training and Quality Assurance

• Assist with planning and delivering SPI training and orientation.

• Support SPIs in case preparation, portrayal standards, communication, assessment, and feedback techniques.

• Monitor encounters for consistency, quality, and adherence to protocols.

• Gather feedback and support quality improvement, remediation, and retraining.

• Help ensure consistent implementation across sessions and learner groups.

Faculty, Student, and Stakeholder Support

• Collaborate with faculty, course directors, instructional staff, and administrators to implement educational activities.

• Communicate schedules, expectations, procedures, and changes to participants.

• Orient students and faculty to SPI encounters, professional conduct, and feedback processes.

• Address routine questions and concerns and escalate complex issues as appropriate.

• Develop effective working relationships across the School of Dentistry and University.

Data, Records, and Evaluation

• Maintain accurate and confidential scheduling, attendance, training, assessment, and participation records.

• Enter, verify, and report program data using University systems and other technology.

• Support surveys, evaluations, program reports, quality improvement, and accreditation activities.

• Ensure secure handling of confidential and assessment-related information and materials.

Administrative and Financial Support

• Assist with SPI time reporting, payments, purchasing, expenses, and supply management.

• Monitor routine program expenditures and maintain supporting documentation.

• Prepare correspondence, meeting materials, reports, and presentations.

• Document procedures and support administrative workflow improvements.

Other Duties

• Participate in program and School meetings, professional development, and continuous improvement activities.

• Perform other related duties as assigned.

Supervision Exercised

• Provide functional direction, scheduling oversight, and day-of-event coordination to SPIs, temporary employees, student staff, and volunteers.

Responsibilities*

Responsibilities for Program Manager Level

Program Leadership and Administration

• Lead the Standardized Patient (SPI) Program in alignment with School of Dentistry curricular priorities and educational goals.

• Develop program plans, policies, procedures, staffing models, and performance measures.

• Oversee program operations, resources, and continuous development.

• Advise faculty and leadership on program strategy, staffing, and operational needs.

• Build collaborative relationships across the School, University, and external partners.

Curriculum and Case Implementation

• Collaborate with faculty and instructional teams to develop, implement, and evaluate standardized-patient cases.

• Ensure cases align with learning objectives, learner needs, assessment criteria, and educational standards.

• Coordinate case testing, revisions, approvals, and secure distribution.

• Orient students and faculty to encounter procedures, expectations, and assessment methods.

• Support simulations, clinical-skills activities, examinations, and remediation.

SPI Recruitment, Training, and Supervision

• Recruit, select, onboard, train, and retain a diverse pool of 20-30 standardized patients.

• Establish training standards and expectations for performance, professionalism, and confidentiality.

• Monitor performance, provide coaching, and coordinate ongoing training and evaluation.

• Foster a respectful, inclusive, and psychologically safe environment.

• Supervise program staff and provide direction to temporary employees, SPIs, and volunteers.

Scheduling and Program Operations

• Oversee scheduling of SPIs, students, faculty, facilities, equipment, and technology.

• Coordinate daily operations, staffing coverage, and contingency plans.

• Ensure instructional spaces, materials, and technology are prepared and operational.

• Resolve logistical challenges and maintain consistent program delivery.

Assessment, Quality Assurance, and Improvement

• Establish quality-assurance standards for case consistency, portrayal accuracy, feedback, and scoring.

• Evaluate program effectiveness, learner experiences, and educational outcomes.

• Analyze data and implement improvements to training, assessment, and operations.

• Support accreditation, reporting, scholarship, and professional development initiatives.

Budget, Resource Management, Records Compliance

• Develop, monitor, and reconcile the program budget.

• Forecast staffing, training, supply, facility, and technology needs.

• Oversee compensation, time reporting, purchasing, and financial documentation.

• Identify efficiencies and support long-term resource planning.

• Maintain accurate records of SPI recruitment, training, assignments, performance, and program outcomes.

• Ensure secure handling of confidential student, personnel, and assessment information.

• Support audits, accreditation, and institutional reporting.

• Ensure compliance with applicable University and School policies regarding privacy, accessibility, safety, records retention, and information security.

Other Duties

• Participate in School and University committees, meetings, and strategic initiatives.

• Maintain professional knowledge of standardized-patient education, simulation, and program management.

• Perform other related duties as assigned.

Required Qualifications*

Required Qualifications for the Assistant Program Manager position

• Bachelor's degree in education, healthcare, public health, psychology, performing arts, communication, business administration, or a related field, or an equivalent combination of education and experience.

• Two or more years of relevant experience in program coordination, administration, training, event planning, healthcare education, or an academic setting.

• Experience coordinating complex logistics, including scheduling, training sessions, instructional activities, or assessments.

• Strong organizational, written, verbal, and interpersonal communication skills.

• Ability to manage competing priorities, meet deadlines, work independently, and collaborate effectively.

• Demonstrated discretion in handling confidential information.

• Proficiency with office software, scheduling, spreadsheets, databases, videoconferencing, and learning management systems.

• Commitment to fostering a respectful, inclusive, accessible, and psychologically safe environment.

Required Qualifications*

Required Qualifications for Program Manager Level

• Bachelor's degree in education, healthcare, public health, psychology, performing arts, communication, business or organizational administration, or a related field or an equivalent combination of education and relevant experience.

• At least three years of progressively responsible experience in program coordination or management, preferably in healthcare education, simulation, standardized-patient programming, or an academic environment.

• Experience recruiting, training, scheduling, supervising, or evaluating employees, temporary staff, instructors, actors, volunteers, or standardized patients.

• Demonstrated success managing complex programs involving multiple stakeholders, schedules, facilities, and deadlines.

• Strong project-management, organizational, communication, problem-solving, and interpersonal skills.

• Ability to exercise sound judgment, work independently, and manage sensitive or confidential matters appropriately.

• Proficiency with common office, scheduling, database, spreadsheet, videoconferencing, and learning-management technologies.

• Demonstrated commitment to an inclusive, accessible, respectful, and psychologically safe learning and working environment.

• Ability to perform the position's essential functions, with or without reasonable accommodation.

Desired Qualifications*

Desired qualifications for the Assistant Program Manager Level

• Experience with standardized patients, simulation-based education, health-professions education, or dental education.

• Experience recruiting, onboarding, training, or coordinating employees, temporary staff, actors, volunteers, or community participants.

• Familiarity with learner assessment, structured feedback, or competency-based education.

• Experience with U-M administrative systems or comparable higher-education systems.

• Knowledge of program evaluation, data reporting, quality improvement, or accreditation support.

• Experience supporting diverse learners and community members.

Desired Qualifications*

Desired Qualifications for Program Manager Level

• Master's degree in education, healthcare, public health, performing arts, organizational leadership, business administration, or a related discipline.

• Experience managing a standardized patient or simulation-based education program.

• Experience in dental, medical, nursing, or other health-professions education.

• Knowledge of objective structured clinical examinations, competency-based education, learner assessment, structured feedback, and inter-rater reliability.

• Experience developing standardized-patient cases, training protocols, assessment rubrics, and quality-assurance processes.

• Prior supervisory and budget-management experience.

• Familiarity with U-M systems, policies, and administrative processes.

• Relevant professional certification or training in healthcare simulation or standardized-patient methodology.

• Experience with program evaluation, accreditation, scholarship, or educational research.

Why Work at Michigan?

The School of Dentistry is consistently ranked as the #1 dental school in the United States and the world. We embrace diversity in many forms and champion diversity of thought and culture. Our Mission, core values, and additional information about our school can be found on our website. The University of Michigan also offers comprehensive benefits to help you stay well and to support you as you plan for a secure future. Benefits include:

• Generous paid time off for vacations, holidays, sick time, season days, and paid parental leave.

• A retirement plan that provides two-for-one matching contributions after the first year of employment.

• Many choices for comprehensive health insurance

• Life insurance

• Work-life programs to strengthen a workplace culture that supports personal and family life, including child care, elder care, lactation resources, and mental and emotional health services.

• Flexible spending accounts for healthcare and dependent care expenses

Modes of Work

Positions that are eligible for hybrid or mobile/remote work mode are at the discretion of the hiring department. Work agreements are reviewed annually at a minimum and are subject to change at any time, and for any reason, throughout the course of employment. Learn more about thework modes (https://hr.umich.edu/working-u-m/my-employment/ways-we-work-resource-center/ways-we-work-implementation-group/modes-work) .

Work Schedule

• This is a hybrid work position.

• Work is performed in office, classroom, simulation, and clinical-education environments.

• On-site presence is required for some program activities.

• Most SPI experiences are conducted in our LMS Canvas.

• Work hours are Monday - Friday 8:00am - 5:00 pm. Occasional early-morning, evening, or weekend work may be required.

• The role requires movement among offices, classrooms, clinics, and simulation spaces and may involve transporting or arranging program materials.

• Activities may involve observation of simulated clinical encounters and close physical proximity to participants.

Underfill Statement

This position may be underfilled at a lower classification depending on the qualifications of the selected candidate.

Salary range for the Program Manager level is $75,000 - $88,000 / year.

Salary range for the Assistant Program Manager level is $63,000 - $75,000 / year.

Additional Information

We are committed to maintaining a safe and healthy work environment for everyone. As part of the onboarding process, all candidates are required to submit their immunization records to Occupational Health Services (OHS) prior to their appointment start date to verify their immunization status. The process includes completing a two-step TB test for all new hires and providing proof of Hepatitis B immunization for clinic-facing roles. Additional immunizations may be necessary based on public health guidance or specific job responsibilities.

Application Deadline

Job openings are posted for a minimum of seven calendar days. The review and selection process may begin as early as the eighth day after posting. This opening may be removed from posting boards and filled any time after the minimum posting period has ended.

U-M EEO Statement

The University of Michigan is an Equal Opportunity Employer. We are committed to providing an environment of mutual respect where equal employment opportunities are available to all applicants, including protected veterans and individuals with disabilities.

Job Detail

Job Opening ID

284124

Working Title

SPI Program Director

Job Title

Program Manager

Work Location

Ann Arbor Campus

Ann Arbor, MI

Modes of Work

Hybrid

Full/Part Time

Full-Time

Regular/Temporary

Regular

FLSA Status

Exempt

Organizational Group

School Dentistry

Department

DENT Academic Affairs

Posting Begin/End Date

10/08/2026 - 10/22/2026

Salary

$75,000.00 - $88,000.00

Career Interest

Administration

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