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Program Director

Position Title: Program Director
FLSA Status: Exempt
Location: in-person
Reports To: Institute President
Revision Date: June 28, 2024
This job description is not a contract of employment and its provisions are not intended to imply a contractual relationship. It does not alter your at-will employment relationship with The Wright Institute.

About The Wright

The Wright Institute, located in Berkeley, California, is searching for a Program Director for our Counseling Psychology Master of Arts Program at our West Berkeley campus. This administrative position helps oversee the strategic direction and plans for academic, financial, organizational, and physical development.

As one of the Institute's two programs, our Counseling Program provides students with the education and clinical skills necessary to pursue licensure in California as a marriage and family therapist (MFT) or a professional clinical counselor (LPCC). Throughout the two-year curriculum, students attend day, evening, or weekend classes. In their second year, students participate in supervised clinical training at external community mental health agencies. The student population is approximately 180 graduate students ranging in age from 21 to 65 and about 35% identify as Black, Indigenous, or People of Color.

Position Summary

The program director oversees the academic activity of the Master of Arts in Counseling Psychology Program. This person is responsible for academic policies, curriculum development, faculty and student recruitment and retention, program evaluation, and compliance with accreditation and licensing standards. This person manages and works closely with the Assistant Program Director/DEI Director, the Dean of Students, and the Field Placement Director. This position reports directly to the Institute president, and interacts with all program staff and faculty. This person will also interact with some Institute-level staff, for example, the Vice President for Finance and Administrative Affairs, the Director of Admissions, the Director of Institutional Research, and the Director of Financial Aid, and outside vendors. Please submit the below application in full. Questions may be sent to jkassmeier@wi.edu.

ESSENTIAL DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES include the following. Other duties may be assigned.

Lead student learning experiences and teach courses in the curriculum as needed.
Recruit, orient, and mentor students. Attend monthly open houses; interview applicants; plan new student orientation; advise current students; collaborate with the mentoring program and DEI office to support students.
Recruit, orient, and develop faculty. Recommend faculty hires, interview adjunct faculty, onboarding and mentor faculty, providing faculty training.
Ensure program compliance with accreditation standards and licensure requirements; conduct curriculum review and oversight. Stay abreast of legislative changes impacting the curriculum, collaborate with faculty to ensure consistency of syllabi and program goals, update course content and signature assignments.
Oversee the Assistant Program Director/DEI Director, providing support where needed for their work in developing transparent policies, procedures, practices, and governance that align with DEI values.
Oversee the Dean of Students, providing support where needed for their work in preventing and mediating conflicts, responding to petitions, hosting community town halls/restorative justice informed circles, conducting investigations and writing reports in response to grievances.
Oversee the Field Placement Director, providing support where needed for their work in advising and supporting students with developing a career path from practicum to associateships to licensure.
Attend all-faculty and board meetings as a representative of the Counseling Program.
Provide program evaluation and assessment of student learning. Gather and review program data, propose and implement changes based on the data, track and analyze the impact of changes.
Organizational stewardship/department leadership. Participate in and chair Counseling Program and Institute committees; attend staff, faculty, and accreditation meetings; respond to external events that impact the community.
Support a diverse, equitable, and inclusive school climate.
Provide curricular support.

COMPETENCIES AND SKILLS

Effectively manage sensitive, complex, and stressful situations.
Prioritize duties when faced with interruptions, distractions, and fluctuating workload.
Work collaboratively across multiple constituencies to establish rapport and trust, facilitate teamwork, and build consensus.
Ability in problem identification, reasoning, ability to develop original ideas to solve problems in a fast-moving environment, and persuasion.
Use motivational interviewing/enhancement, solution focused, and dialectical behavioral therapy (DBT) techniques to engage students in conversations about change and help students build coping and self-regulation skills.
Set and enforce limits and engage in difficult conversations.
Work independently to make administrative decisions.
Evaluate strategies, recommend changes, and analyze results.
Write concise reports and progress notes.
Organizational and planning skills with ability to prioritize workload.
Analytical skills with ability to analyze complex issues and provide recommendations.
Interpersonal skills with ability to work collaboratively with others, foster a team environment and be adaptable to change.
Employ excellent verbal and written communication skills.
Teach at the graduate level.

EDUCATION AND/OR EXPERIENCE

Doctoral degree from an accredited university preferred, Masters degree from an accredited university required. Clinical license (MFT, LCSW, LPCC, Clinical Psychologist) required. Required 5+ years experience in managing a team and department, ideally with some experience in an educational or foundation-based environment. Pertinent work experience may be substituted provided the level of skill and knowledge base are equivalent.

Physical Requirements

The physical demands described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this job.

Physical requirements include the ability to lift and reach for light objects (up to 20lbs); close visual acuity to prepare and analyze data, text, and figures; ability to type utilizing a computer keyboard; ability to travel to outside locations; ability to communicate and exchange information; ability to move about the office to access file cabinets and office equipment; and the ability to remain stationary and work at a computer in an open work space for extended periods of time as a primary job function. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

The noise level in the work environment is usually moderate.

COMPENSATION AND BENEFITS

The compensation range for this role is $150,000-$175,000 per annum.
15% of base compensation fringe benefit is provided to full-time employees.

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Equal Employment Opportunity

The Wright Institute is committed to a policy of equal employment opportunity for all applicants, employees, volunteers and interns, and The Wright Institute makes employment decisions based on the merits of each candidate. The Wright Institute prohibits discrimination based on an individual's race (including traits historically associated with race, including, such as hair texture and protective hairstyles), color, religion (including all aspects of religious beliefs, observance or practice, including religious dress or grooming practices), sex (including gender, gender identity, gender expression, transgender, pregnancy and breastfeeding), sexual orientation (including heterosexuality, homosexuality and bisexuality), marital status, national origin, citizenship, service in the military or veteran status, ancestry, age, physical or mental disability, medical condition, or genetic characteristics or information, or any other basis protected by law. The Wright Institute will afford equal employment opportunity to all qualified applicants, employees, volunteers, and interns as to all terms and conditions of employment, including, without limitation, compensation, hiring, training, promotion, transfer, discipline, and termination.

Reasonable Accommodation Policy

The Wright Institute provides employment-related reasonable accommodations to qualified individuals with disabilities within the meaning of the California Fair Employment and Housing Act (FEHA) and the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). If you need assistance in the application or hiring process to accommodate a disability, you may request an accommodation at any time by contacting the Vice President of Finance and Administrative Affairs, Tricia O'Reilly, at toreilly@wi.edu.

Terms and Conditions

I understand this application will apply only to the position(s) for which I have applied during this session, and will be active until those position(s) are filled or are closed. If I would like to be considered for additional positions with The Wright Institute, I understand and agree that it is my responsibility to submit an additional application(s) for any such position(s).
I certify that all information provided to The Wright Institute in support of my application for employment is correct and I understand that any misrepresentation or omission of any information will result in my disqualification from consideration for employment or, if employed, my dismissal.
In the event that I am employed by The Wright Institute, I agree that the employment relationship with the Institute is an at-will relationship and that the employment can be terminated, with or without cause, and with or without notice, at any time at the option of the Institute or by me. I further understand and agree that this application is not a contract, offer, or promise of employment. I further understand that no one other than an authorized representative of The Wright Institute has the authority to enter into an employment contract or agreement with me, and that my employment can be changed only by a written agreement signed by an authorized representative of The Wright Institute.
I acknowledge that all support documents, which I forward to the Wright Institute, become the property of the Wright Institute and will not be returned to me.
I understand that this application may not be edited after submission. Please contact portal@wi.edu if you have technical difficulty.

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Your digital signature can be any combination of letters, numbers, spaces and/or punctuation marks and will be assigned the same legal status as a conventional signature. (California Civil Code 1633.1 et seq.)

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