Position: Founding Program Chair, Doctor of Occupational Therapy

The Chicago School, in partnership with the national search firm Scott Healy & Associates, invites applications and nominations for the position of Founding Program Chair, Doctor of Occupational Therapy. The Chicago School seeks a dynamic and experienced leader to serve in this important role.

The Founding Program Chair in the Doctor of Occupational Therapy (OTD) Program will be primarily responsible for vision, leadership, and oversight of the OTD program. In alignment with the University's mission, values, and strategic plan, the Chair will oversee all activities within the program including accreditation compliance, policy and procedure implementation, faculty management, budgeting, curriculum, evaluation, and quality improvement.

The Chair has the exciting opportunity to teach in their areas of professional expertise while also playing a hands-on role in shaping student learning. A regular on-campus presence is essential for providing strong program leadership and supporting impactful, faculty-led fieldwork experiences and labs.

As an employee at The Chicago School, you can become a member of an inclusive community committed to excellence. At The Chicago School, we celebrate individuals of all backgrounds and identities for who they are and what they can contribute. We take pride in hiring and retaining the most dynamic, talented, and passionate professionals who will help us continue to innovate for decades to come.

Responsibilities

Program Management

• Support the university’s mission and vision as well as the program's mission, vision and commitment to training whole health providers who provide compassionate care for the good of all patients/clients.
• Provide vision and oversight of program development and assessment.
• Ensure the design, development and administration of the didactic and clinical curriculum is based on clearly articulated learning outcomes, objectives and performance criteria, in accordance with accreditation standards.
• Establish and maintain program accreditation and compliance with ACOTE and support the institutional accreditation. Participate in quality improvement efforts of the curriculum, program assessment, and program organization through administrative and faculty governance structures.
• Create, maintain, and report annually on longitudinal tracking documentation for programmatic improvement efforts, measuring outcomes of changes to determine levels of effectiveness.
• Ensure student concerns are effectively addressed in a timely and responsive manner in support of student satisfaction and retention.

Personnel Management

• Recruit, hire, and manage qualified and diverse faculty in alignment with budget allowances and university need.
• Build and manage a faculty team that is inclusive and welcoming of diverse voices, new perspectives, and innovation.
• Develop and apply a structured, data-driven system for mentoring, supervising and evaluating the teaching, advisement, and other duties performed by faculty members to ensure student achievement of program and institutional learning outcomes.
• Ensure department faculty remain active in scholarship and service as evidenced by membership in institutional committee work, professional organizations, publications, presentations, and colloquia.
• Ensure department faculty remain current in knowledge and skills regarding emerging instructional technology into classroom instruction to support ongoing innovation and instructional excellence.

Teaching

• Develop and teach content related to area of expertise within the occupational therapy program up to 12 credits per academic year to support an understanding of overall program objectives and comply with accreditation standards.
• Deliver instruction in an online or hybrid learning environment using available university learning management and document storage systems.
• Provide advising to assigned OTD students that includes coaching on conduct and responsibilities to enter the profession, student progress and academic standing, fieldwork education planning and feedback, and doctoral capstone preparation.
• Utilize feedback from students and faculty and occupational therapy practice updates to routinely update course content.
• Lead student development efforts including, monitoring satisfactory academic progress, supervising department efforts to support student development through Academic Development Plans and Professional Performance Evaluations with the goal of supporting student progress through the curriculum and timely degree completion.
• Actively cultivate opportunities for students to participate in scholarship and community engagement such that students are regularly participating in the production of scholarly work products and/or involved in community activities beyond the campus.

Academic Operations & Budget Management

• Manage the day-to-day operations of the department to ensure quality student experience and faculty performance expectations are maintained.
• Direct course scheduling in a manner that supports the student experience via ensuring adequate class size and assigning faculty who are properly credentialed and trained to deliver assigned course content.
• Represent the department at meetings, student events, and other related events to facilitate collaborative decision making, student engagement, building program and university awareness in the community.
• In collaboration with university academic leadership, lead the development of strategic academic and budget plans for the department, including recommendations from the assessment and department review process to inform student enrollment growth targets and program staffing needs.
• In collaboration with the university academic leadership, seek and implement opportunities to integrate emerging instructional technology into the curriculum delivery model.

Strategic Growth

• Collaborate with admissions team to ensure timely review of admissions files and development of materials to support achievement of new student recruiting goals.
• In collaboration with university leadership, develop and execute a plan for community engagement in support of expanding awareness and driving new student enrollment at The Chicago School.
• Lead the program and its faculty to promote student retention and success.

General

• Occasionally, travel is required.
• Performs other duties as assigned.

Required Qualifications

Education and Training

• Earned entry-level occupational therapy degree from an ACOTE accredited program
• Earned Doctoral Degree in occupational therapy or a related area awarded by an institution that is accredited by a regional accrediting body recognized by the U.S. Department of Education

Certifications and Licenses:

• Initial certification by the National Board for Certification in Occupational Therapy.
• Must hold an occupational therapist license in the state of residence at time of employment.

Experience:

Minimum 8 years of documented experience in the field of occupational therapy. This experience must include:

• Clinical practice as an occupational therapist.
• Administrative experience including, but not limited to, program planning and implementation, personnel management, evaluation, and budgeting.
• Scholarship (e.g., scholarship of application, scholarship of teaching and learning).
• Understanding of the role of the occupational therapy assistant.
• At least 4 years of experience in a full-time academic appointment with teaching responsibilities at the postbaccalaureate level.
• Supervisory and/or management experience.
• Experience working effectively and collaboratively as a member of a leadership team.

Preferred Qualifications

• Professional development beyond the OTD degree including Master or Doctoral education, residency training, board certification in a specialty, etc.
• Evidence of scholarly work.
• Experience teaching and designing online courses.
• Program development experience.
• Experience working with ACOTE.

About the Institution

The Chicago School has been a leading nonprofit university for more than 45 years, enrolling over 6,000 students across 40+ academic programs culminating in a bachelor's, master's, or doctoral degree or a professional certificate. The institution’s curriculum expands the application of psychology to a wide range of careers in medicine, business, counseling, and the behavioral sciences. Guided by practitioner-scholar faculty who are leaders in their fields, students gain real-world training early in their education, giving them an unparalleled range of opportunities to implement their learning and hone their skills alongside experienced professionals.

At the heart of its mission is The Chicago School Approach, which combines four core elements—education, innovation, community, and impact. This unique model goes beyond academic theory to provide students with practical, solutions-oriented training. Unlike much of traditional graduate education, The Chicago School Approach is not an intellectual pursuit for the sake of intellectual pursuit. The Chicago School educates the next generation of change-makers in innovative theory and culturally competent practice to strengthen the integrated health of individuals, organizations, and communities. Through dynamic, diverse classrooms, students develop cultural humility skills that help them understand and respect the cultural nuances of those they serve.

The Chicago School offers a generous compensation and benefits package, as well as the opportunity to work for a leader in the field of education. Some of our key benefits include: generous paid time-off, medical and dental coverage, company-paid life and disability insurance, retirement plan with employer contribution, multiple flexible spending accounts (FSA), tuition reimbursement, professional development, and regular employee appreciation events.

About the Community

Chicago is one of the largest cities in the U.S. with approximately 2.7 million residents, and is seated on the southwestern shore of Lake Michigan, the 5th largest body of fresh water in the world. Chicago's extensive parklands and 28 miles of lakefront attract an estimated 86 million visitors annually. As a multicultural city that thrives on the harmony and diversity of its neighborhoods, Chicago today embodies the values of America's heartland-integrity, hard work and community and reflects the ideals in the social fabric of its 77 distinct neighborhoods. Chicago is a leader in reforming public schools, enhancing public safety and security initiatives, providing affordable housing in attractive and economically sound communities, ensuring accessibility for all, and fostering, social, economic, and environmental sustainability.

Chicago is recognized across the United States as a very passionate place. The city is home to eight major league sports teams, more than 200 theatres, 250 live music venues, and 200 professional dance companies, as well as over 7,300 restaurants and 160 breweries in the Chicagoland area. In Chicago you will also find 59 historic districts and hundreds of historic landmarks, and the city hosts more than 70 music festivals, 36 parades, and over 40 film festivals annually.

Application Process

All correspondence relating to the position of Founding Program Chair, Doctor of Occupational Therapy at The Chicago School should be directed in confidence to the institution’s executive search consultant:

Erin House, Assistant Vice President

Scott Healy & Associates

erin@scotthealy.com

A complete application should include the following:

1. Cover Letter outlining your interest and qualifications for the position;
2. Updated CV;
3. Three (3) professional references with title, institutional affiliation, email address and direct phone numbers. (No references will be contacted without written permission from the candidate.)

Applications received by September 15, 2025 will receive priority consideration. The search will remain open until the position is filled.

The Chicago School is an Equal Opportunity Employer.

Posted 8/25/25