The Opportunity 

Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University is seeking an experienced and strategic Executive Director of Course Scheduling to lead course scheduling operations across the Worldwide Campus. Reporting to the Vice Chancellor for Student Success, this executive-level leader will oversee the design, governance, execution, and continuous improvement of university-wide scheduling strategies that support enrollment growth, student persistence, timely degree completion, and an exceptional student experience.

The Executive Director will provide strategic leadership for academic resource allocation, course availability, faculty load management, and schedule optimization across all Worldwide modalities and locations. This position will lead a team of scheduling professionals and serve as a key institutional partner to Academic Colleges, Academic Affairs, Enrollment Management, Student Success, Institutional Research, Finance, and Campus Operations.

The role will develop scalable scheduling frameworks, forecasting models, dashboards, and technology-enabled solutions that align course offerings with student demand, academic program growth, instructional capacity, and institutional priorities. As a strategic advisor to university leadership, the Executive Director will use data, predictive analytics, and emerging technologies—including artificial intelligence—to identify opportunities, improve operational efficiency, and strengthen student access to the courses needed to progress toward graduation.

This position offers an opportunity to shape the future of academic scheduling at a global university by balancing student success, academic needs, faculty capacity, enrollment objectives, and responsible resource stewardship.

Key Responsibilities

Strategic Leadership & Organizational Development

• Provide executive leadership and strategic direction for Worldwide course scheduling operations.

• Develop long-term scheduling strategies that support enrollment growth, student persistence, and degree completion.

• Establish departmental goals, KPIs, operational benchmarks, and performance measures.

• Lead, mentor, and develop scheduling leaders and staff while fostering accountability, innovation, collaboration, and continuous improvement.

• Represent scheduling operations in university-wide strategic planning and executive leadership initiatives.

• Lead organizational change related to scheduling policies, systems, processes, and operational enhancements.

• Evaluate the enrollment and financial impact of scheduling strategies, including course demand, section utilization, instructional capacity, faculty allocation, and schedule efficiency.

• Provide recommendations that balance student progression and course access with responsible institutional resource management.

Strategic Scheduling & Process Improvement

• Direct the development and execution of university-wide course schedules across Worldwide instructional modalities and locations.

• Partner with Academic Colleges and Academic Affairs to align course offerings with program growth, enrollment demand, and faculty capacity.

• Develop forecasting models to optimize course availability, section management, classroom utilization, and faculty workload distribution.

• Establish consistent, accurate, and scalable scheduling processes.

• Lead strategic reviews of scheduling practices and implement improvements that enhance operational effectiveness and student outcomes.

• Establish measures of schedule effectiveness, including course accessibility, academic progression, time-to-degree barriers, and completion of program requirements.

University Collaboration & Stakeholder Engagement

• Serve as the senior scheduling advisor to executive leadership, deans, department chairs, and administrative leaders.

• Facilitate collaboration among Academic Affairs, Student Success, Enrollment Management, Institutional Research, Finance, and Site Operations.

• Lead cross-functional committees and working groups focused on academic planning, enrollment management, and resource optimization.

• Resolve complex scheduling challenges and institutional resource conflicts.

• Provide leadership recommendations regarding scheduling policies, priorities, and operational impacts.

• Exercise delegated decision-making authority for Worldwide scheduling operations, standards, priorities, and resource allocation within established university policies.

• Escalate matters requiring academic or executive approval as appropriate.

Data Analytics, Technology Integration & Decision Support

• Use predictive analytics and institutional data to inform strategic scheduling decisions and evaluate effectiveness.

• Develop executive-level dashboards, performance reports, forecasting models, and decision-support tools.

• Analyze enrollment trends, student progression, faculty loads, utilization, and other institutional metrics.

• Lead the evaluation, implementation, and optimization of scheduling technologies and automation solutions.

• Identify opportunities to leverage artificial intelligence and advanced analytics to improve forecasting, planning, and scheduling efficiency.

• Lead scenario modeling and capacity planning to anticipate changes in enrollment, program growth, student demand, faculty availability, modality, geographic requirements, and institutional priorities.

Governance, Compliance & Operational Oversight

• Establish and maintain university-wide scheduling standards, policies, and procedures.

• Ensure scheduling practices align with institutional requirements, accreditation standards, faculty agreements, and applicable regulatory guidelines.

• Oversee quality assurance processes to ensure the accuracy and integrity of course schedules.

• Monitor scheduling risks and implement controls to minimize errors and operational disruptions.

• Provide oversight of budgetary and resource planning associated with scheduling operations.

• Generous Time Off: Enjoy up to 18 days of paid leave in your first year, including 3 days granted upon hire and 15 days accrued throughout the year. You'll also receive 9+ paid holidays, including the day after Thanksgiving and the week between Christmas Eve and New Year's Day. 

• Tuition Coverage: Get 100% tuition coverage for yourself for one undergraduate and one graduate degree, and discounted rates for your spouse and dependent children up to age 26. 

• Retirement Contributions: ERAU contributes 6% of your base salary to your retirement plan and offers a 4% matching contribution – with no vesting period. 

• Personal Leave: Relax with 15 days of personal leave for non-exempt employees or 18 days for exempt full-time employees in your first year.  

Required Education

• Master’s degree from an accredited institution.

• Preferred areas of concentration: Higher Education, Business Administration, Organizational Leadership, or a related field.

Required Skills, Knowledge & Abilities

• 7–10 years of progressively responsible experience in higher education operations, academic scheduling, enrollment management, academic administration, or a related field.

• Minimum 5 years of leadership experience managing professional staff, complex operations, and organizational initiatives.

• Demonstrated experience leading large-scale operational, process, or organizational change initiatives.

• Exceptional leadership, team-building, and organizational management skills, with a proven ability to develop high-performing teams.

• Advanced analytical skills with the ability to interpret complex data and translate insights into strategic decisions.

• Strong communication, collaboration, and relationship-building skills, with demonstrated success working across academic and administrative units.

• Proficiency with academic scheduling systems, enterprise technologies, and other relevant software and tools.

• Demonstrated experience strategically leveraging academic technologies, scheduling platforms, data analytics, automation, and emerging technologies to improve organizational performance and decision-making.

• Demonstrated ability to influence and collaborate with senior academic and administrative leaders within a complex, matrixed organization.

• Demonstrated ability to translate institutional strategy, enrollment forecasts, academic requirements, student progression data, and resource capacity into scalable operational and scheduling strategies.

• Strong understanding of academic planning, enrollment dynamics, faculty workload, course demand, and resource allocation.

• Ability to manage competing priorities, resolve complex operational challenges, and make data-informed recommendations in a fast-paced environment.

• Demonstrated ability to develop and implement policies, processes, performance measures, and governance frameworks that support operational consistency and continuous improvement.

To submit your application for this opportunity, please visit the Embry-Riddle Career Site and search for requisition number R312000. Please attach all relevant materials to your application when you apply online. Complete submissions include: 

• Cover letter 

• Resume 

• Contact information for at least three professional references (please note that references may be contacted as part of the interview/screening process) 

Current Embry-Riddle employees: Please apply directly through the ERAU Employee Hub Central application within Workday.