- Job Type: Officer of Administration
- Regular/Temporary: Regular
- Hours Per Week: 35
- Building: Wien Hall
- Salary Range: $125,000 -$140,000
The salary of the finalist selected for this role will be set based on a variety of factors, including but not limited to departmental budgets, qualifications, experience, education, licenses, specialty, and training. The above hiring range represents the University's good faith and reasonable estimate of the range of possible compensation at the time of posting.
Position Summary
Reporting to the Senior Executive Director of Disability Services, the Director will provide oversight, strategic direction, and subject-matter expertise across the University regarding students with disabilities, accommodations, and accessibility. The incumbent will direct the Disability Services Student Case-Management team to ensure implementation of approved accommodations and the administration and stewardship of university-wide resources and services for undergraduate, graduate, professional, non-degree, and visiting students registered with Disability Services (approximately 4,000 students annually).
The Director will oversee and evaluate the department’s eligibility review process to determine appropriate and equitable accommodations for students under the mandates of Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, Americans with Disability Act of 1990, and the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADAAA) of 2008 and other applicable federal and state laws. In collaboration with the Senior Executive Director, the Director will lead, implement, and facilitate efforts to develop policies, programs, and infrastructure for the Student Case-Management team to effectively serve students with disabilities. They will identify innovative approaches with emphasis on promoting student development, satisfaction, interdependence, and well-being so that each student with disabilities may participate fully in Columbia University learning experiences and activities.
The Director will initiate and contribute guidance and leadership to campus-wide efforts to address compliance with federal and state regulations and University policies and procedures. In partnership with the Senior Executive Director and Columbia Health Communications, facilitates University and program specific communications, programming, outreach efforts and student support resources. The Director will assume operational leadership for Disability Services in the absence of the Senior Executive Director.
This is an essential onsite role that requires occasional weekend and late evening hours during times of peak operational volume. Some hybrid work options may be considered.
Responsibilities
Leadership (45%)
- Provide leadership in the direction, management, and supervision of student case management issues, including determining strategic priorities to develop, reimagine, and maintain high quality services and programs for students registered with Disability Services.
- Lead continuous case management review to enhance ongoing development, refinement, and monitoring of a comprehensive student case management process that ensures sound intervention, response, planning, documentation, and follow-through.
- Oversee case management for high needs students and work in consultation with the Senior Executive Director to resolve complicated and high needs cases with complex and widely varying disabilities; consult with the Senior Executive Director on risk management issues.
- In collaboration with the Senior Executive Director, lead the development and implementation of disability awareness strategies that promote campus access, including policy development, implementation, and relevant training in accordance with the University policies related to the provision of accommodation services.
- Advocate for, and allocate resources to, support priorities and develop processes and procedures to assure continuity of services.
- Direct, develop, implement and evaluates operational policies and procedures related to accommodations; advise the Senior Executive Director on issues, trends, and innovative/creative opportunities to meet the disability-related needs of students.
- Serve as content expert to administrators, faculty, and staff with regards to interpreting and adhering to the expectations of policies and procedures pertaining to students with disabilities.
- Make policy recommendations to the Senior Executive Director in response to changing legal and emerging circumstances.
- Provide leadership and oversight for eligibility and disability accommodations through a detailed, interactive, student-centered process in accordance with applicable regulations, laws and University guidelines.
Personnel Management (40%)
- Supervise professional and student staff.
- Provide disability management advice, strategies, interventions and overall supervision of case management activities.
- Evaluate the performance of direct reports, including setting yearly goals, priorities, and objectives, professional development opportunities and high standards for professionalism and service delivery.
- Mentor and motivate direct reports individually and as a team, understanding and supporting diversity with a focus on establishing an integrated team.
- Oversee case management work for quality assurance issues providing feedback and education to staff to optimize performance and enhance the experience for students and faculty who interface with Disability Services.
- Recruit, select, and develop a comprehensive onboarding program for newly hired case management staff.
Awareness and Compliance (10%)
- In partnership with the Disability Services leadership team and the Director, Diversity Equity, Inclusion, & Belonging build awareness, knowledge, and skills related to disability as part of Columbia Health diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging. Serve as a content expert for Disability Services to ensure programs, resources and services are inclusive of students with disabilities.
- In partnership with the Disability Services leadership team, collaborate with students, faculty, staff, and administrators to raise awareness of issues related to ableism including Disability Awareness Month, educational outreach during faculty and new student orientations, and other outreach efforts.
- In partnership with the Disability Services leadership team, steward the process to ensure the University is in compliance with Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act, the American with Disabilities Act (ADA), the ADA Amendments Act as well as State, Federal, local laws and Columbia University policies.
- Ensure that technical standards and essential requirements are effectively factored into the accommodation processes, ensuring students have accessible and inclusive experiences.
- Ensure that all accommodations are ADA compliant, developed and delivered thoroughly, effectively, and efficiently and build partnerships with faculty, administrators and staff supporting students in classroom and all campus settings.
- Maintain updated expertise regarding legal mandates through participation in national and state list-serves, professional development, publications and research.
- In absence of, and in collaboration with, Senior Executive Director, addresses complaints and conflicts regarding equal access to the educational process; recommends and facilitates solutions to problems for which campus precedents may not exist.
Performs other duties as assigned (5%)
Minimum Qualifications
- Bachelor’s degree in Counselor Education, Rehabilitation Counseling, Special Education or closely related field required
- Requires a minimum of 7 years of relevant experience in the provision of services for students with disabilities, preferably in a higher education setting with increasing supervisory and management responsibilities
- Demonstrated expertise with documentation review including ability to interpret medical and diagnostic reports as well as knowledge related to assessing and determining disability accommodation
- Experience with case management supervision
- Knowledge and understanding of federal, state, and city disability compliance, policies and laws relating to ADA and Section 504 and their relationship to higher education
- Highly organized and detail-oriented with proven ability to exercise astute judgment and make sound decisions when consulting with senior level administrators, faculty, as well as parents and other key stakeholders
- Strong organizational skills
- Ability to successfully negotiate complex systems and work in a decentralized academic environment
- Excellent interpersonal, communication, presentation, strategic, and relationship management skills
- Demonstrated sensitivity to and understanding of working with students of diverse backgrounds, academic performance, and disabilities; experience with both traditional and non-traditional students
- Ability to work with confidential, highly sensitive information
- Must be able to handle a high-volume workload, manage concurrent demands and multiple stakeholders and work as part of a team. Ability to work in a fast-paced environment where urgent situations often arise
- Strong computer skills
Preferred Qualifications
- Master’s degree in Counselor Education, Rehabilitation Counseling, Special Education or closely related field
- Knowledge of a wide range of disabilities and best practices and innovations in the field of higher education disability services
- Experience with disability accommodations and services for graduate and professional students in higher education
Equal Opportunity Employer / Disability / Veteran
Columbia University is committed to the hiring of qualified local residents.