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The Associate Director for APA's Division of Education's Online Learning Department will work   in conjunction with departmental leadership to implement the department’s strategic vision and oversight of the Division-wide online and blended learning initiatives and content development. This individual will employ a data-driven approach to conducting needs assessments to align learning initiatives to expand APA's online learning portfolio. The position requires experience in instructional design and education program development across different modalities, working closely with subject matter experts (SMEs), procuring and managing external vendors and partnering organizations, and measuring business impact and effectiveness of deployed learning solutions. 

The Associate Director must possess a unique balance of technical depth, business knowledge, project management, strategic vision, and strong interpersonal skills. The Associate Director will use technical skills, creativity, and experience to develop new and engaging interactive learning experiences and build the portfolio of educational offerings. This individual will be responsible for ensuring deliverables and timelines upheld. 

The ideal candidate is an innovative, collaborative, solution-oriented individual with experience working across multiple instructional delivery modalities. The Associate Director will curate and design  learning solutions that align with the APA’s users' needs. 

DUTIES & RESPONSIBILITIES 

• Support the Director in implementing the department’s vision and development of APA's accredited online activities. 

• Oversee the development and delivery of multi-part asynchronous learning courses for the division’s leadership and board review programming, 

• Provide vendors with assets and APA guidelines to develop asynchronous and synchronous annual meeting offerings,  

• Implement, support, and strategize with an instructional design team to consistently deliver or exceed department metrics, 

• Recruit and partner with psychiatrists, allied organizations, and staff to identify knowledge gaps and develop content for activities, 

• Develop and execute workflows for launching accredited activities in APA's Learning Center, 

• Develop and oversee project plans to ensure projects meet established milestones and remain within budget, 

• Apply quality control standards to the design, execution, and maintenance of online courses, 

• Ensure adherence to accreditation criteria for online education in conjunction with the CE Team. 

• Define the department’s success metrics across the suite of programs and online learning initiatives; support department leadership in tracking and maintaining key performance indicators. 

• Develop and maintain a customer service model that ensures clear and sustainable roles and responsibilities across the Online Learning Department and the Division. 

• Build and maintain internal and external vendor relationships; oversee vendor relationships to ensure external solutions are designed as intended, ensure adherence to timelines, and project deliverables. 

• Produce regular reports of Learning Center activity and transmit relevant user data to external groups per grant, contract, and accreditation requirements (e.g., SAMSHA, AACME, ABPN, AAAP). 

• Execute the LMS course review and renewal process with internal and external stakeholders  

• Demonstrate ability to successfully lead a portfolio of large and complex projects simultaneously and/or assist Director, Online Learning in developing strategy and associated goals and objectives for the department. 

• Collaborate with others to create prototypes, iterate, and seek feedback from product owners, team members, and other stakeholders throughout the design process. 

• Data and statistical analysis from data sources for needs assessment and identification of program performance, learner insights, and to measure the success of department initiatives. 

• Communicate effectively with clarity, credibility, and timeliness. 

• Performs other duties as assigned. 

COMPETENCIES 

The Associate Director’s performance on these duties and responsibilities will be measured using the following competencies: 

SCOPE & IMPACT 

• Oversee the Learning Management Systems new content and maintenance process for expiring courses 

• Track and develops reports for LMS data to assist the Director with strategic planning  

• Develops and supports project plans for internal initiatives and grant funders activities that include, but are not limited to, webinars, enduring activities, hybrid events, virtual meetings, virtual learning collaboratives, podcast, micro learning and SCORMs 

• Oversee the marketing strategy for all deliverables developed with the online team 

• Research and recommends best practices for course and activity creation to director r   

• Support the Online Learning Help Desk and response workflows  

• Responsible for the daily activities of all aspects of online learning  

• Requires thorough knowledge of educational technology and adult online learning 

• Success is frequently measured by metrics associated with completing a functional set of department or program projects or initiatives and demonstrating defined organizational work environment behavior 

COMPLEXITY, PROBLEM SOLVING & DECISION-MAKING 

• Develop project plans that factor in the scheduling of other initiatives, system capabilities, available resources and potential challenges  

• Serve as the lead contact for Help Desk tickets that require escalation to mitigate issues  

• Identifies novel and complex issues related to stakeholders and vendors for escalation  

• Support the Director with Request for Proposal processes when securing new vendors  

• Creates Standard Operating Procedures to streamline team workflows and prevent errors  

• Guidelines allow more latitude because they may be less specific. 

• The selection and interpretation of guidelines involves choosing from alternatives where all are correct but one is better than another depending on the given circumstances 

• May contribute to budgetary goals through proper administration of projects/activities. 

• Identifies novel and complex problems and issues.  Designs and implements solutions with management approval. Designs are likely to include alternatives. 

• Recognizes complex problems and escalates them to the appropriate level. 

RELATIONSHIP MANAGEMENT & AUTHORITY 

• Support the Director in managing the team’s initiatives  

• Collaborate with Marketing/Communications directly to share initiatives and review and approve communications  

• Showcase strong diplomatic skills and innovation are used to influence others, resolve problems, manage projects, or achieve appropriate solutions 

• Relationships span levels internally and externally and center on partnering with clients/customers and organizational partners. 

• Uses diplomatic skills to obtain trust and cooperation in order to resolve issues and/or non-routine matters, manage projects, or achieve appropriate solutions. 

• Likely to represent the organization as a liaison to APA governance and other external coalitions and audiences with feedback provided to management. 

ORGANIZATIONAL KNOWLEDGE 

• Showcases and implements an understanding of accreditation and compliance regulations for content development  

• Demonstrates an understanding of vendor, external, and internal stakeholder agreements and deliverables 

• Demonstrates a general knowledge of Online Learning’s processes, relationships, and responsibilities as well as the interactions within the organization 

SUPERVISION 

• Coaches and mentors junior level staff 

• May have formal staff management responsibilities for up to 2 employees. 

REQUIRED SKILLS, EXPERIENCE, AND QUALIFICATIONS   

• BA/BS and at least 5-7 years of relevant experience and/or sufficient relevant work experience 

• Experience with managing complex projects with demonstrated success in meeting deadlines, managing vendors, and managing related budgets. 

• Strong decision-making and problem-solving skills; proven research skills to gather data, best practices, and points of view to ensure sound judgment. 

• Bachelor's degree required; Master's in educational technology or related discipline is preferred. 

• Experience working in and/or with associations industry is preferred. 

• Experience with adult educational and/or healthcare programs is preferred. 

• Excellent communicator capable of providing leadership to individuals and groups. 

• Self-motivated, able to work independently, and shows attention to detail. 

• Knowledge of how websites operate (i.e., databases, APIs, and content management systems). 

• Demonstrated experience with computer-based and/or software-as-a-service (SaaS) tools such as podcast platforms, Salesforce, HTML, Captivate, Articulate 360 suite of programs, Microsoft 365, Adobe Premiere, Vimeo, Zoom, GoToWebinar, and/or other graphic and media design/production tools. 

EOE, Including Disability/Vets

About American Psychiatric Association

American Psychiatric Association (APA) is the world's largest psychiatric organization, with over 38,500 U.S. and international member physicians and 240 employees. Its vision is a society that has available, accessible quality psychiatric diagnosis and treatment. APA has excellent benefits, including medical, dental, 401k, flexible spending accounts, and tuition assistance. The APA is located in Washington, D.C. within walking distance of the L'Enfant Plaza Metro stop.

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