Program Director, Paralegal Studies - Remote Opportunity
Department: Distance Learning / Paralegal
Reports To: Director of Education
Location: Remote (US-based)
About the Role Excelon Associates has been engaged by a well-established post-secondary institution to identify a Program Director for its online Paralegal program. This is the senior academic leadership role for the program and carries full responsibility for instructional quality, faculty performance, curriculum integrity, accreditation compliance, and student outcomes. The Program Director also teaches courses as assigned and serves as a key member of the campus leadership team.
The client operates a multi-campus career college system with strong industry-aligned programming. The successful candidate will join a leadership culture grounded in professionalism, continuous improvement, and a defined set of organizational core values.
Program Leadership and Faculty Oversight- The Program Director oversees day-to-day program operations and ensures instructional effectiveness across the faculty team. Responsibilities include recruiting, onboarding, training, evaluating, and developing instructors at all levels. The Director leads hiring efforts for new faculty, including scheduling interviews and teaching demonstrations, and conducts both formal and informal classroom and lab observations with structured coaching feedback. Annual performance evaluations for all program instructors are completed by the Director.
- Regular department meetings, faculty huddles, curriculum discussions, and strategic planning sessions fall under the Director's purview, alongside ongoing 1:1 coaching meetings focused on professional growth, program initiatives, and problem-solving. The Director models and instills the client's core values throughout the department, serves as the primary point of contact for all program-related concerns, and partners with campus leadership to resolve student and faculty performance issues promptly.
Curriculum and Compliance- The Director ensures faculty adherence to the approved curriculum and instructional standards, leads curriculum development and revision efforts aligned with industry expectations, certification and licensure requirements, and accrediting body guidelines. This role owns all program-related compliance activity, including record-keeping, student tracking, instructional documentation, monthly and annual reporting, and accreditation audits, with programmatic compliance obligations where applicable. The Director also coordinates and leads Program Advisory Committee meetings, including board member recruitment, agenda preparation, and implementation of committee feedback.
Student Outcomes and Support- The Director monitors and reports on student retention, certification and licensure pass rates, and job placement rates, with a minimum benchmark of 70 percent and a target of 80 percent across each category. The Director may serve as or support the Placement and Externship Coordinator, partners with campus leaders on academic advising, tutoring, career preparation, and student intervention meetings, and provides advisory support for students with escalated academic or behavioral concerns. The Director also serves as a substitute instructor when needed to maintain instructional continuity.
Resource Management- The Director oversees class scheduling, instructor assignments, and student-to-instructor ratios, and projects program schedules based on enrollment and faculty capacity. Ensuring availability and upkeep of supplies, materials, and lab equipment is also part of the role, alongside approving or coordinating supply orders with campus administration.
Campus and Community Engagement- The Director represents the program at open houses, graduations, orientations, job fairs, and other campus-wide events, participates in leadership meetings, accreditation preparation, and institutional review processes, and maintains active membership in a relevant professional organization with attendance at industry conferences to stay current in the field.
Professional Development- The Director promotes a culture of continuous improvement, encouraging faculty participation in workshops, continuing education, and cross-campus collaboration. Required CEUs, certifications, and licensure must be maintained, and the Director is expected to complete a minimum of two professional development activities annually beyond what the organization minimally requires.
Qualifications Candidates should bring:
- A minimum of four years' experience working as a paralegal, or as a licensed attorney with experience supervising or collaborating with paralegals
- Associate's degree minimum; higher degrees preferred
- Current or former practicing paralegal or attorney; attorneys must be in good standing with the applicable state bar
- Prior teaching experience in post-secondary paralegal education
- Prior teaching experience in a distance or online education environment is strongly preferred
- Demonstrated professional integrity and ethical conduct consistent with legal profession standards
- Active engagement in paralegal education and the profession, including participation in conferences or professional organizations
- Working knowledge of the paralegal profession, including roles, supervision models, employment settings, and current trends
- Prior experience in faculty leadership, academic coordination, instructional coaching, or program development preferred
- Documented success in faculty supervision and program-level outcomes
Skills and Competencies- Strong leadership and team-building capabilities
- Demonstrated competency in curriculum oversight, instructional compliance, and performance evaluation
- Excellent time management, organizational, and communication skills
- Proficiency with Microsoft Office (Word, Excel, PowerPoint)
- Prior experience with Campus Nexus or a similar Student Information System, and Canvas or other LMS platforms, preferred
- Hands-on experience with Westlaw, LexisNexis, or comparable legal research databases is required
- Ability to teach both asynchronous and fully synchronous courses in alignment with ABA requirements
- A track record of building student-centered and faculty-supportive program cultures
Core Values The successful candidate will consistently model the client's organizational values: positive attitude, respect, initiative, dedication, excellence, and pride.
About Excelon Associates Excelon Associates is a retained executive search firm specializing in leadership placements across higher education and post-secondary career education. We partner with institutions to identify mission-aligned leaders who deliver measurable student and operational outcomes.
www.excelonassociates.com #excelonassociatesExcelon does not discriminate on the basis of race, religion, sex, gender, sexual orientation, national origin, marital or veteran status, disability, age, or any other characteristic protected by law.