Department Chair, Occupational Therapy, Jefferson College of Rehabilitation Sciences, Thomas Jefferson University

Number of Positions In Requisition
1


Job Details
Thomas Jefferson University invites applications and nominations for the position of Chair of the Department of Occupational Therapy in the Jefferson College of Rehabilitation Sciences.

The Chair will serve as the chief academic and administrative leader of the Department and will report to the Dean of the Jefferson College of Rehabilitation Sciences. Consistent with University governance, the Chair is responsible for the development, management, and evaluation of the Department’s academic programs, administrative affairs, faculty, staff, students, resources, and strategic priorities.

The successful candidate will be a collaborative, forward-thinking academic leader with a demonstrated commitment to excellence in occupational therapy education, scholarship, clinical practice, faculty development, and service. The Chair will guide a large and diverse academic department offering occupational therapy and occupational therapy assistant education across multiple degree levels and locations.

The Chair will work closely with program directors, faculty, staff, students, College leadership, clinical and community partners, alumni, and University colleagues to advance the Department’s academic mission, strengthen its national reputation, support innovation, and ensure sustained compliance with accreditation and institutional expectations.

The position includes a full-time faculty appointment at a rank and on a faculty track commensurate with the successful candidate’s academic preparation, accomplishments, and experience.

Leadership Responsibilities:

Academic and Strategic Leadership

• Provide visionary, collaborative, and inclusive leadership for the Department of
Occupational Therapy.
• Develop and implement a compelling strategic direction aligned with the
missions and priorities of the Department, College, and University.
• Promote excellence and innovation in occupational therapy education across
multiple entry points (ASOT, MSOT, OTD, and post-professional/advanced
practice)
• Support the development, implementation, assessment, and continuous
improvement of academic programs and curricula.
• Advance educational models that respond to developments in practice,
workforce needs, technology, interprofessional education, and the evolving
healthcare environment.
• Foster integration and collaboration across programs, colleges, campuses,
disciplines, professions, and clinical environments.
• Represent the Department within the College and University and to external
academic, professional, clinical, regulatory, and community constituencies.
• Strengthen the Department’s visibility, reputation, and national leadership
within occupational therapy and health professions education.
• Partner with the Jefferson Center for Interprofessional Practice and Education
(JCIPE) to advance innovative interprofessional education, collaborative
practice initiatives, and research that strengthen student learning, faculty
engagement, and team-based care across the University and its clinical
partners.

Faculty and Staff Leadership

• Recruit, retain, develop, mentor, and evaluate a highly qualified and diverse
faculty and staff.
• Cultivate a collegial, respectful, inclusive, and accountable departmental
culture.
• Support faculty advancement across applicable faculty tracks and areas of
teaching, scholarship, clinical practice, and service.
• Promote effective succession planning and leadership development among
faculty and program leaders.
• Establish clear expectations and equitable workload assignments aligned with
faculty roles, program needs, and College policies.
• Encourage collaboration, shared governance, innovation, and professional
development.
• Address performance concerns in a timely, constructive, and equitable
manner.
• Recommend faculty and staff appointments, reappointments, promotions,
recognition, and other personnel actions in accordance with University
policies.

Program Quality, Assessment, and Accreditation
• Ensure that all academic programs maintain high standards of educational
quality and effectiveness.
• Provide departmental oversight of accreditation and regulatory compliance,
including compliance with the requirements of the Accreditation Council for
Occupational Therapy Education and applicable state and institutional
authorities.
• Support program directors and faculty in preparing accreditation reports, self-
studies, substantive-change documentation, annual reports, and other required
submissions.
• Promote a culture of assessment in which student learning, program
outcomes, stakeholder feedback, and operational data inform decision-making
and continuous improvement.
• Monitor student achievement, retention, graduation, certification-examination
performance, employment outcomes, and other indicators of program
effectiveness.
• Ensure that curricula remain current, coherent, evidence-informed, and
responsive to professional standards and societal needs.
• Maintain continuous readiness for institutional and specialized accreditation
review.

Student Success and Educational Environment

• Promote an educational environment that supports student learning,
belonging, professional formation, well-being, and success.
• Collaborate with program leaders and University offices to strengthen student
recruitment, admissions, onboarding, retention, advising, progression, and
graduation.
• Monitor student concerns and ensure that academic policies and procedures
are applied consistently and fairly.
• Support access to high-quality fieldwork, clinical, community, research, and
experiential learning opportunities.
• Strengthen communication and engagement among students, faculty, staff,
alumni, and departmental leadership.
• Promote educational practices that prepare graduates to provide ethical,
evidence-informed, person-centered, and culturally responsive care.

Scholarship, Research, and Innovation

• Advance a departmental culture that values scholarship, inquiry, innovation,
and dissemination.
• Support faculty in developing productive and sustainable programs of
scholarship.
• Facilitate interdisciplinary and interprofessional research and scholarly
collaboration.
• Encourage pursuit of external funding, industry partnerships, community-
engaged scholarship, and translational research.
• Advocate for the infrastructure, protected time, mentorship, and resources
necessary to support scholarly productivity.
• Promote opportunities for student participation in research, quality
improvement, innovation, and scholarly dissemination.
• Strengthen the visibility and impact of the Department’s scholarly
contributions.

Clinical, Community, and Professional Engagement

• Build and sustain relationships with health systems, community organizations,
schools, employers, professional associations, and other external partners.
• Support the development and maintenance of high-quality fieldwork and
experiential education partnerships.
• Expand opportunities for community engagement, clinical innovation,
consultation, continuing professional education, and workforce development.
• Maintain active engagement with the occupational therapy profession and
promote faculty leadership in professional and scholarly organizations.
• Foster partnerships that enhance education, research, clinical practice,
community impact, and the Department’s national reputation.

Administration and Resource Management

• Oversee the Department’s academic, operational, personnel, and financial
affairs.
• Develop and manage the departmental budget in alignment with strategic
priorities and available resources.
• Advocate for faculty, staff, facilities, technology, equipment, and operational
support necessary to sustain program quality and planned growth.
• Use enrollment, financial, workforce, outcomes, and operational data to inform
planning and resource allocation.
• Collaborate with College leadership on enrollment management, program
development, facilities planning, and financial sustainability.
• Ensure effective and transparent communication regarding departmental
decisions, priorities, resources, and expectations.
• Promote efficient, consistent, and equitable administrative processes across
programs and locations.
• Identify opportunities for responsible program growth, innovation,
partnerships, philanthropy, and revenue diversification.
• Ensure compliance with University policies, faculty governance expectations,
legal requirements, and ethical standards.

Job Description

Required Qualifications:

Candidates must possess:

· An earned doctoral degree from an accredited institution.

·  Eligibility for faculty appointment at the rank of associate professor or
professor at Thomas Jefferson University.

· Initial professional preparation in occupational therapy.

·  Current certification as an occupational therapist through the National Board
for Certification in Occupational Therapy.

·  Eligibility for occupational therapy licensure in the Commonwealth of
Pennsylvania.

· A record of progressive academic leadership in occupational therapy, health
professions education, higher education, or a closely related environment.

· Demonstrated experience with academic program administration, curriculum
development, educational assessment, and continuous quality improvement.

·  Knowledge of specialized accreditation and experience supporting or leading
accreditation processes.

·  A record of effective teaching, scholarship, clinical contribution, or professional
service appropriate to faculty rank and track.

· Demonstrated ability to recruit, mentor, develop, and evaluate faculty and staff.

·  Experience managing personnel, budgets, resources, and competing
organizational priorities.

· Evidence of collaborative leadership, sound judgment, integrity, and effective
decision-making.

· Strong written, oral, interpersonal, and organizational skills.

· A demonstrated commitment to educational excellence, student success,
collegiality, and inclusive academic environments.

Preferred Qualifications

The strongest candidates will demonstrate several of the following:

· Prior service as a department chair, program director, associate dean, division
leader, or comparable academic administrator.

· Experience leading a department or academic unit with multiple programs,
degree levels, campuses, or delivery formats.

· Significant knowledge of ACOTE standards, policies, and accreditation
processes.

· Experience overseeing entry-level doctoral, master’s, baccalaureate,
associate’s, post-professional, or advanced-practice education.

·  A sustained record of scholarship and professional recognition appropriate
for appointment at the rank of professor.

·  Experience supporting faculty across multiple appointment tracks and areas
of academic contribution.

·  Demonstrated success in strategic planning, organizational change, and
implementation of new academic initiatives.

· Experience developing interdisciplinary, interprofessional, clinical, community,
or industry partnerships.

· Evidence of successful resource development, external funding, philanthropy,
or revenue-generating initiatives.

· Experience using assessment, enrollment, financial, and performance data to
guide decision-making.

· A record of leadership in state or national professional, educational,
accreditation, or regulatory organizations.

·  Experience promoting innovation in teaching, simulation, digital learning,
clinical education, research, or emerging areas of occupational therapy
practice.

·  Demonstrated success strengthening organizational culture, communication,
faculty engagement, and shared governance.

· Familiarity with the opportunities and complexities of academic health
systems and comprehensive research universities.

Leadership Attributes

The successful candidate will be:

· A strategic and systems-oriented thinker who can translate vision into action.

· An accessible, transparent, and collaborative leader.

· A strong advocate for students, faculty, staff, and academic quality.

· An effective listener who values differing perspectives and builds consensus.

· A decisive administrator who is willing to address complex issues directly
and fairly.

· A mentor who develops people, strengthens teams, and supports emerging
leaders.

·  A responsible steward of financial, physical, human, and technological
resources.

· A leader who balances innovation and growth with quality, sustainability, and
accreditation requirements.

· A visible and credible representative of the Department within the University
and the occupational therapy profession.

Department and Institutional Context

The Department of Occupational Therapy is housed within the Jefferson College of Rehabilitation Sciences, which brings together occupational therapy, physical therapy, speech-language pathology, athletic training, and exercise science. The College advances education, research, clinical practice, and community engagement through an interdisciplinary rehabilitation sciences environment.

The Department offers occupational therapy education across multiple levels, including associate’s, master’s, and doctoral pathways, and has a longstanding national reputation for excellence in occupational therapy education. The Chair will have the opportunity to lead a broad academic enterprise, strengthen collaboration across programs and campuses, and shape the Department’s next phase of educational, scholarly, and professional impact.

Appointment

This is a full-time, 12-month academic and administrative appointment. Faculty rank and track will be determined based on the successful candidate’s qualifications, academic record, and alignment with Thomas Jefferson University appointment criteria.

Interested candidates should submit on-line application/CV/Cover Letter and separate Leadership Statement; http://hr.jefferson.edu/human-resources.html then enter in search box Job ID # REQ-0036373

Work Shift
Workday Day (United States of America)

Worker Sub Type
Regular

Employee Entity
Thomas Jefferson University
Primary Location Address
901 Walnut Street, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States of America

Nationally ranked, Jefferson, which is principally located in the greater Philadelphia region, Lehigh Valley and Northeastern Pennsylvania and southern New Jersey, is reimagining health care and higher education to create unparalleled value. Jefferson is more than 65,000 people strong, dedicated to providing the highest-quality, compassionate clinical care for patients; making our communities healthier and stronger; preparing tomorrow's professional leaders for 21st-century careers; and creating new knowledge through basic/programmatic, clinical and applied research. Thomas Jefferson University , home of Sidney Kimmel Medical College, Jefferson College of Nursing, and the Kanbar College of Design, Engineering and Commerce, dates back to 1824 and today comprises 10 colleges and three schools offering 200+ undergraduate and graduate programs to more than 8,300 students. Jefferson Health , nationally ranked as one of the top 15 not-for-profit health care systems in the country and the largest provider in the Philadelphia and Lehigh Valley areas, serves patients through millions of encounters each year at 32 hospitals campuses and more than 700 outpatient and urgent care locations throughout the region. Jefferson Health Plans is a not-for-profit managed health care organization providing a broad range of health coverage options in Pennsylvania and New Jersey for more than 35 years.

Jefferson is committed to providing equal educa­tional and employment opportunities for all persons without regard to age, race, color, religion, creed, sexual orientation, gender, gender identity, marital status, pregnancy, national origin, ancestry, citizenship, military status, veteran status, handicap or disability or any other protected group or status.

Benefits

Jefferson offers a comprehensive package of benefits for full-time and part-time colleagues, including medical (including prescription), supplemental insurance, dental, vision, life and AD&D insurance, short- and long-term disability, flexible spending accounts, retirement plans, tuition assistance, as well as voluntary benefits, which provide colleagues with access to group rates on insurance and discounts. Colleagues have access to tuition discounts at Thomas Jefferson University after one year of full time service or two years of part time service. All colleagues, including those who work less than part-time (including per diem  colleagues, adjunct faculty, and Jeff Temps ), have access to medical (including prescription) insurance.

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