Job Description

Director Of Continuing Education Programs

The Director provides vision, direction, planning, and coordination of continuing education programs addressing religion and spirituality, broadly defined, with special attention to the Roman Catholic community of Southern California. In addition to being the administrator of continuing education programs focused on religion, spirituality and theology, the Director also networks with the leadership of faith communities (especially those that focus on faith formation) in such a way as to build confidence among the public in LMU's capacity to offer programs that are helpful to those same faith communities. Within LMU, the Director is a voice for the ministry formation concerns experienced by faith communities and advocates for greater access for those communities within LMU. While being prudent in the use of resources, the Director will seek to complement the programs already available in those faith communities by the development and offering of specialized content that is culturally responsive and delivered in accessible fashion to the public.

Essential Duties And Responsibilities

• Articulate the mission and goals of the Center as they flow from the University mission.
• Develop, promote, administer, evaluate and, when appropriate, sunset certificate programs in, for example, Bible Studies, Christian Spirituality, Contemporary Black Catholic Spirituality, Cultural Orientation for International Ministers, Parish Administration, Pastoral Care, Pastoral Music, Philosophical Foundations for Ministry, Spiritual Direction, Spirituality of the Family, and Theological Foundations for Ministry; certificate programs are offered in Spanish and English.
• Working with the Chair, schedules meetings of the CRS Advisory Board and nominates new members to the Board as needed.
• Develop high quality programs of various formats using multiple delivery methods (traditional classrooms and distance education technology) that garner a reputation for a high degree of quality and serve various communities in Los Angeles and beyond seeking to gain deeper appreciation for and understanding of issues in religion and spirituality.
• Recruit, supervise, and evaluate qualified instructors for programs, workshops, and courses oversee quality of performance through regular evaluation, consultation, and observation. Work closely with LMU Human Resources for recruitment.
• Schedule all CRS courses in Banner.
• Coordinate promotion of programs for the purpose of recruiting students.
• Collaborate with Department of Theological Studies in planning and implementing summer, parish-based, and other continuing education programs as well as alternative pathways to degrees.
• Work closely with the Registrar's Office and other units on campus involved in the administration of certificate programs.
• Participate in the Mission and Ministry Management Team and other university committees as appropriate.
• Oversee the daily functioning of the office, keeping adequate records and files on its work, personnel, participants, and programs.
• Develop, implement, and evaluate a strategic plan for the Center.
• Develop and maintain a budget (RCM model) for the Center and achieve budget neutrality within three years.
• Engage in active fundraising, including grant-writing and other development activities in partnership with University Advancement.

Other Duties And Responsibilities

• Attend appropriate religion and professional conferences.
• Assist in the organizing and supervision of the University Exhibit Booth for the Los Angeles Religious Education Congress.
• For the Regional Summer Seminar on Formation for Hispanic Ministry (the "Seminario"), serves as the permanent member that convenes the Steering Committee responsible for organizing the annual Seminario.
• Represents LMU on the Martin Gang Institute Committee (equal representation is held by American Jewish Committee-Los Angeles), sharing oversight of activities such as InterSem, the Catholic-Jewish Women's Conference, the CRS Interfaith Forums and other activities authorized and funded by the Martin Gang Institute.
• With members of the Department of Theological Studies is a member of the LMU Latino/a Theology and Ministry Initiative that annually organizes Hispanic Ministry and Theology lectures/and or conversations.
• Perform other duties as assigned by the Vice President for Mission and Ministry.

Qualifications/Requirements

Knowledge: Background in Theological and Religious Studies preferred, experience working with adult education programs on parish and diocesan levels. Familiarity with diocesan structure. Understanding of religions of the world and issues pertaining to spirituality. Knowledge of adult learning styles sufficient for teaching and for evaluating teaching effectiveness of others. Knowledge of continuing education standards and performance evaluation techniques. Familiarity with and ability to work in multicultural settings of religion and spirituality. Knowledge of relational database systems and computer technology.

Ability: To work collaboratively with others. To organize and manage multiple projects. To meet new people; to make people feel welcome. To counsel and advise people in making appropriate choices in their academic pursuits. To communicate clearly in oral and written form. To attend to both the big picture and the details both in the short and long term. Ability to build bridges among various publics, especially with religious communities of the greater Los Angeles area and with the Archdiocese of Los Angeles, in coordination with Theological Studies.

Skills: Strong leadership skills; ability to develop new programs and grow existing ones; strong project planning and management skills; excellent oral and written communication skills; excellent interpersonal skills and willingness to be a team player; ability to interact effectively with students, faculty, the external community, and administrators at a senior level; fiscal management skills; knowledge of marketing and event coordination; ability to form meaningful partnerships with other organizations. This position also requires proficiency in writing and guiding production of print and electronic media and other marketing support materials.

Education: Typically, a Master's degree or higher, preferred in an area of theological or religious studies. Postgraduate work in higher education, adult formation, or related field. Bilingual English/Spanish preferred.

Experience: Minimum five years experience in adult education settings, with demonstrated skills in working effectively with spiritual formation. Experience working in multicultural settings or programs required. Experience in Roman Catholic settings required.

Staff Supervisory Responsibility: Recommend selection (hiring), pay changes, disciplinary action, promotion, transfer, and discharge. Final authority for training/development, counseling, and performance evaluation.

Responsibility For Assets: Oversees and signs on accounts of the Center for Religion and Spirituality. Recruits instructors for Center Programs and negotiates their stipends. Collaborates with Archdiocese in sponsoring programs using LMU facilities. Negotiates for use of facilities at off-campus sites (extension programs).

Physical Demands: The physical demands described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

Occasional standing, lifting and/or carrying up to 25 lbs., pushing and/or pulling up to 50 lbs., climbing, balancing, stooping, kneeling, crouching, reaching high and low level, hearing high acuity, depth perception and color vision. Frequent sitting, walking, finger movement, speaking clearly, hearing conversationally, and seeing near and far.

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