Job Description

Southwestern Law School invites applications for the position of Assistant Dean for Academic Administration, a key leadership role reporting to the Vice Dean. This position is ideal for an experienced academic administrator or legal educator with a strong commitment to academic excellence and superior organizational and interpersonal skills.

The Assistant Dean works closely with the Vice Dean to administer key aspects of Southwestern’s academic programs, including scheduling courses, helping to manage faculty workloads, onboarding full-time and adjunct faculty, and developing, revising, and implementing policies. The Assistant Dean plays a vital role in supporting faculty governance processes, including faculty recruitment, sabbaticals, summer stipends, tenure and promotions processes, and more by working with faculty committees and administering policies, procedures, activities, and programs related to faculty governance. The Assistant Dean supervises a staff of approximately six staff members who assist with the work of the office and provide individual support to faculty members. This is a full-time exempt position with an on-campus work modality for the first 90 days. A hybrid work modality will be available after a successful 90-day period.

Primary Responsibilities

Strategic Leadership and Office Oversight

• Direct the Academic Administration Office and supervise six staff members.
• Manage the office’s non-personnel budget and provide fiscal direction.
• Represent the department in various internal meetings (e.g., department meetings and various cross-departmental working groups like the Online J.D. Working Group, Crisis Response Team, etc.).
• Represent the Law School in professional organizations and contribute to the field.

Academic Program Administration

• Collaborate with the Vice Dean to prepare and managing the course schedule, ensuring adherence to credit-hour, scheduling compliance, and other accreditation standards.
• Serve as a primary liaison to faculty regarding teaching schedules, classroom needs, and related logistics.
• Collaborate with the Registrar’s Office, Student Services Office, and other offices and individuals on policy implementation, academic advising responsibilities, and registration communications.
• Produce the Academic Catalog.

Faculty and Governance Support

• Coordinate onboarding for new full-time and adjunct faculty, including office assignments, technology access, and integration into institutional systems and culture.
• Organize processes to evaluate and recognize adjunct faculty members.
• Serve as an ex officio member of and provide logistical and administrative support (including preparing draft agendas and minutes) to key faculty committees, including the Tenure, Faculty Recruitment, Faculty Development, Curriculum, and Sabbatical Committees.
• Coordinate the process for recruiting full-time faculty members (screening interviews, call-backs, and document and data management).
• Attend faculty meetings; take and prepare minutes as requested.
• Manage the faculty travel, professional development, summer stipend, and Montgomery Award processes.

Academic Calendar and Events

• Create and maintain the academic calendars, working with institutional stakeholders to align all programs and student populations.
• Provide support for major academic events and traditions, including faculty meetings, holiday gatherings, and faculty recognitions.

Policy Development and Accreditation

• Stay current with accreditation standards (ABA, WSCUC, BPPE) and ensure compliance.
• Participate in annual data collection and reporting, including the ABA Annual Questionnaire and institutional accreditation self-studies.
• Develop, revise, and implement policies and procedures; recommend new policies and policy revisions.

Information Management

• Maintain and regularly update faculty-facing portals and internal resources, including syllabi repositories, policy manuals, and procedural guides.
• Ensure proper document and data retention.
• Maintain data and statistics needed to complete external reports and for internal data-driven decision-making.

Minimum Job Requirements

• Education: A J.D. degree is required.
• Experience: Minimum of five years of progressively responsible experience in an academic or legal institution, including experience with faculty or academic program management, or equivalent experience managing a business, such as a law firm.
• Experience supervising hourly staff and managing a department.

Preferred Qualifications

• Full-time or part-time law school teaching.
• Experience in legal education or higher education academic administration.
• Knowledge of and comfort with a wide variety of technology and software, including Ellucian Colleague, Word, PowerPoint, Excel, Monday.com, Adobe Acrobat, Canvas, and Canva.
• Ability to work evenings and weekends, as needed, during peak work periods.

Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities Required

• Demonstrated leadership , employee development, and performance-management skills.
• High level of judgment, discretion, integrity, and confidentiality .
• Collaborative and diplomatic work style; ability to engage diverse constituencies productively.
• Deep understanding of curriculum-management processes, academic policies, accreditation standards, and applicable legislation.
• Accuracy and meticulous attention to detail.

To apply: For full consideration, submit a cover letter and resume to jobs9@swlaw.edu

Salary: $110,000 to $120,000/yr., depending on credentials and experience.

Southwestern Law School prohibits discrimination and harassment on the basis of race (including hairstyle and hair texture), ethnicity, color, religion, creed, ancestry, national origin, sex, gender (including pregnancy, childbirth, breastfeeding, or related medical conditions), sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, parental status, marital status, age (40 and over), disability (mental and physical), medical condition, citizenship status, military service, veteran status, genetic information, or any other classification protected by law in matters of admissions, employment, housing, or services, or in the educational programs or activities Southwestern operates. Please direct all inquiries regarding Southwestern’s nondiscrimination policies to:

General Counsel

3050 Wilshire Boulevard

Los Angeles, CA 90010

(213) 738–6626

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