Associate Dean of Academic Affairs, Lakeland, FL

Role Overview

Excelon Associates is conducting a search on behalf of a private university client for an Associate Dean of Academic Affairs in Lakeland, Florida. The role is responsible for the oversight and coordination of all programs and activities that support student recruitment, education, and retention, including reentries at the college and assigned campuses, and assists the Dean of Academic Affairs across all education and training areas of the campus academic department. The position is full time, on campus, and pays $75,000 to $80,000 per year.

The seat blends people leadership with regulatory precision. The Associate Dean coordinates timely advising for students failing satisfactory academic progress (SAP), a standard tied to federal aid eligibility administered through Federal Student Aid, verifies faculty coverage in every modality, conducts biweekly one-on-ones and quarterly formal classroom observations, and runs New Faculty Orientation.

What Does an Associate Dean of Academic Affairs Do?

An Associate Dean of Academic Affairs helps lead a college's academic operation. The role drives retention, student satisfaction, and certification goals, coordinates student reentry and readmission, manages academic advising for students failing satisfactory academic progress, ensures qualified faculty coverage across online, blended, and on-ground classes, supports faculty hiring and development, and keeps programs compliant with state, accreditation, and programmatic regulators.

Daily attendance goals for on-ground programs and engagement standards for online courses keep the work grounded in what actually moves retention. The Lakeland campus sits in Polk County between Tampa and Orlando, and the Associate Dean reports to the campus Dean of Academic Affairs while supporting assigned campuses across the college.

Primary Responsibilities

Retention and Student Outcomes

• Meet or exceed monthly, quarterly, and annual retention, student satisfaction, and certification goals by structuring appropriate student services, supportive time for students, and academic advising, inclusive of office hours and regular communication with students.
• Coordinate and track student reentry and readmission processes, ensuring monthly student reentry goals are met.
• Meet or exceed daily student attendance goals for on-ground programs and regular student engagement for online courses.
• Coordinate timely academic advising for students failing satisfactory academic progress (SAP) in compliance with policy and regulations.

Academic Operations

• Assist in the development and maintenance of the student schedule for all programs and courses under supervision.
• Verify that classes in all modalities (online, blended, and on-ground) have qualified and appropriate faculty coverage and that instructors complete contractual agreements through module end dates.
• Ensure program operations, personnel, facilities, and curriculum comply with state, accreditation, and programmatic regulatory bodies.

Faculty Hiring and Development

• Provide support in recruitment, interviews, hiring, and onboarding for all faculty.
• Conduct biweekly one-on-one meetings and quarterly formal classroom observations of instructors, program coordinators, and directors.
• Assist with scheduling and guaranteeing requirements of annual faculty development, in-services, and professional growth activities to meet college and accreditation criteria.
• Conduct New Faculty Orientation, training sessions, classroom observations, and monthly instructor class assignments.

Supervisory Responsibilities

• Lead staff meetings with faculty members.
• Support the performance appraisal process.
• Develop people through coaching and mentoring.

What Are the Qualifications?

Education and Experience

• Master's degree in Education or a related field.
• Minimum of three years of successful teaching experience at the college level, preferably in a proprietary school setting.

Skills and Availability

• Patient, empathetic, and adaptable, with strong problem-solving skills.
• Ability to adapt to new and rapidly changing situations.
• Ability to work extended hours, including evenings and Saturdays, to meet business objectives.
• For best consideration, candidates should upload credentials along with a resume, with personal information (date of birth, social security number) redacted.

Salary and Benefits

The posted salary range for the Associate Dean of Academic Affairs position in Lakeland is $75,000 to $80,000 per year, paid as a full-time salaried role. The client also offers the benefits package below to full-time employees.

Associate Dean and academic affairs roles at proprietary and career colleges in Florida are typically benchmarked against the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics category for postsecondary education administrators (SOC 11-9033), and this range sits in the entry band for that group, which is consistent with a campus-level associate dean seat that reports to the Dean of Academic Affairs.

Core Benefits

• Medical coverage, including HSA and FSA options (dependent and health care).
• Dental and vision insurance.
• 12 paid holidays, paid time off, and a paid volunteer day.
• 401(k) with 50% employer matching.
• Short-term disability and life insurance, with supplemental life insurance options.
• Growth opportunities, education assistance, and professional development benefits.

No-Cost Benefits

• Group life insurance.
• Long-term disability coverage.
• Talent referral program.
• TicketsatWork discount entertainment program.
• Paid day off on your birthday for full-time employees after two years.

Who Thrives in This Role?

This role rewards a teacher who leads. The strongest candidates spent at least three years in college classrooms, ideally in a proprietary setting, and now develop other instructors through observation, coaching, and honest feedback rather than title alone.

It is also an operations seat. People who do well here keep schedules, faculty coverage, SAP advising, and compliance moving in every modality at once, and they track retention, attendance, and reentry numbers like a coach reads a scoreboard.

Finally, the campus tempo is real. Evenings and Saturdays come with the territory during peak periods, and the best fit stays patient, empathetic, and adaptable with students and faculty while the pace picks up.

About Excelon Associates and the Client

Excelon Associates is a retained and contingency executive search firm founded in 2007, headquartered in Asheville, North Carolina, with offices in Boca Raton and Delray Beach, Florida, and a dedicated higher education recruitment practice. This search is being conducted by Excelon Associates on behalf of a private university client, and the firm publishes its search fees and engagement terms so clients and candidates know how it works.

The client's Lakeland campus fosters a community devoted to academic excellence, innovation, and human development, supported by a culture of teamwork, respect, and ongoing learning. Employees enjoy professional growth opportunities, career stability, and the satisfaction of contributing to an organization that changes lives through education. You can browse current open roles or review recent campaigns.

Frequently Asked Questions

Apply for the Associate Dean of Academic Affairs Role

The client is an equal opportunity employer and values all applications. Excelon 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.