Department Chair and Director of Early Childhood and Educator Preparation

Department: Academic Affairs

Position: Department Chair and Director of Early Childhood and Educator Preparation Programs

FLSA Status: Exempt

Hours/Week Category: 37.50 hours/week

Salary Range: $110,000–$120,000

Location: Hybrid

Position Summary:

Urban College of Boston seeks a Department Chair and Director of Early Childhood and Educator Preparation Programs to provide strategic and operational leadership for the College’s education-related offerings, with Early Childhood Education as the primary anchor. This role is responsible for strengthening program quality, coherence, and growth across educator pathway programs while ensuring alignment among curriculum, practicum systems, faculty support, and student success.

The Chair/Director will build and improve systems, strengthen employer and community partnerships, and ensure compliance with the Massachusetts Department of Early Education and Care (EEC) and accreditation standards. The role also contributes to external funding efforts and supports the College’s long-term strategy by helping assess opportunities for program expansion beyond Massachusetts in alignment with other states’ regulatory requirements.

The successful candidate will lead with a strong focus on retention, progression, and completion, using data to guide decisions and improve program performance. The role requires close collaboration across Academic Affairs, Student Success, and external partners to ensure students move through clear, workforce-aligned pathways. The Chair/Director must be able to translate institutional priorities into disciplined execution, measurable outcomes, and sustainable program development.

A. Program Leadership and Operations

• Provide strategic direction for ECE certificate and associate degree programs, including enrollment planning, course scheduling, and resource allocation.

• Recruit, hire, supervise, and evaluate adjunct faculty; conduct annual performance reviews.

• Supervise the ECE faculty fellow and any additional ECE support staff.

• Develop and execute a multi-year program growth plan with annual enrollment, retention, and completion targets.

• Remain up to date on regulatory compliance and keep students, faculty, enrollment and advising teams, and leadership apprised of changes.

B. External Liaison and Partnership Management

• Serve as Urban College’s primary external liaison to the Massachusetts Department of Early Education and Care (EEC), state agencies, professional organizations, employers, and community partners.

• Build and maintain a partner map and contact database; establish a consistent outreach and communication cadence.

• Identify, secure, and steward practicum and internship site partners to expand placement capacity and ensure quality.

• Represent Urban College at state and regional ECE convenings, policy forums, and professional development events.

C. Practicum and Internship Systems

• Restructure and maintain standardized practicum/internship requirements, workflows, and documentation across all EEC-aligned programs.

• Develop and implement ECE student readiness processes, including relevant orientation, checklists, and departmental communication protocols that support student advisement and enrollment functions.

• Partner with Student Success to ensure placement tracking, support touchpoints, escalation pathways, and documentation compliance.

• Coordinate with faculty to align practicum/internship experiences with program outcomes and workforce competencies.

• Ensure practicum/internship systems are scalable, documented, and consistently implemented.

D. Curriculum Development and Faculty Professional Development

• Ensure consistent Brightspace course quality by enforcing College standards, conducting course audits, and maintaining clear, accessible course design.

• Oversee course readiness and hygiene by ensuring timely updates and addressing quality gaps to support a strong student learning experience.

• Lead curriculum review and revision to ensure workforce relevance, competency alignment, and compliance with EEC and accreditation standards.

• Plan and deliver faculty professional development workshops focused on best practices in the field of ECE and secondary education, curriculum redesign and assessment practices.

• Produce workshop materials and post-workshop action plans with clear ownership and timelines.

• Identify and implement new academic and workforce development pathways.

E. Assessment, Compliance, and Quality Assurance

• Maintain knowledge of Massachusetts EEC licensing requirements and provide updates to Academic Affairs.

• Lead program assessment and review in collaboration with Institutional Research and Assessment.

• Ensure compliance and reporting for grants and contracts, in collaboration with the Advancement Office and the Business Office.

• Prepare program data for accreditation and state reporting.

F. Program Strategy and Expansion

• Serve as a strategic partner in exploring program expansion beyond Massachusetts.

• Assess regulatory and licensure requirements for educator preparation programs in other states.

• Support development of programs aligned with multi-state compliance and institutional priorities.

G. Faculty Duties

• Teach one course per semester

• Manage an advising load, providing guidance on course selection, degree progression, and timely completion for assigned students.

• Approve and supervise experiential learning activities.

• Attend commencement and student activities.

• Adhere to faculty handbook requirements.

Qualifications

• Master’s degree in early childhood education or related discipline.

• A minimum of two years of full-time experience in teaching, advising, or program development within a higher education setting, or a minimum of five years of progressive, field-relevant professional experience.

• Excellent oral and written communication skills.

• Interest in working in a mission-driven academic institution with a multilingual and non-traditional student body.

• Demonstrated ability to cultivate relationships with faculty, staff, students, and employers.

• Significant direct work experience in an Early Childhood Education setting and knowledge of the needs of Massachusetts-based early childhood education employers.

• Course and curriculum development, college teaching, and/or mentoring experience.

Preferred Qualifications

• Bilingual proficiency in English and Spanish.

• Experience using an LMS, such as Brightspace.

• Competency with Microsoft products, including Word, PowerPoint, Excel, Teams, and SharePoint.

To Apply

Interested applicants should submit a 1) cover letter and 2) resume. Please submit your application materials to  [email protected] . Review of applications will begin with those received up to and including May 22, 2026, and continue until the position is filled.

Work Location

This full-time (37.5 hours per week) position is based on the College’s Boston campus (2 Boylston Street, 2nd Floor, Boston, MA 02116) but is currently approved as a hybrid position with an expectation to be on campus two days per week, with other periodic in-person meetings at off-campus locations throughout Massachusetts. This role may require occasional weekend events. This employment model is subject to periodic review by the President.

Urban College of Boston is an equal opportunity employer. All applicants will be considered for employment without attention to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, veteran, or disability status. If you require alternative methods of application or screening, you must approach the employer directly to request this, as HigherEdJobs is not responsible for the employer's application process.

About Urban College of Boston

A private, non-profit college accredited by the New England Commission of Higher Education (NECHE), Urban College of Boston opens new pathways to opportunity through individualized, supportive, and multilingual education that prepares a diverse community of learners to pursue career advancement and transform their lives.

Urban College of Boston is an equal opportunity employer. All applicants will be considered for employment without attention to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, veteran, or disability status.