Graduate Nursing Director

Job Description Summary

Saint Leo University seeks an experienced, mission-driven professional to serve as a twelve-month Graduate Nursing Director with significant graduate teaching responsibilities. This is a blended administrative and teaching faculty position, structured as approximately 50% program administration and 50% graduate-level teaching, reporting to the Dean, College of Health Professions. As Director, this individual provides strategic, academic, administrative, and operational leadership for the graduate nursing programs, ensuring program quality, regulatory compliance, student success, faculty development, curriculum oversight, accreditation readiness, and achievement of institutional goals. As teaching faculty, this individual carries a significant graduate teaching load, maintaining direct, sustained engagement with students across didactic, clinical, and laboratory/simulation instruction. The Director collaborates with faculty, university leadership, healthcare partners, and community stakeholders to advance excellence in nursing education and support the mission and values of the institution.

The Graduate Director fosters an environment of academic excellence, innovation, scholarship, service, and continuous improvement while ensuring compliance with accreditation standards, state regulations, and professional nursing requirements.

This is a twelve-month position based at the Saint Leo University campus in St. Leo, Florida. Appointment may be made at the assistant or associate professor level, Track TBD.

Teaching load: consistent with the position's blended structure, the Director carries a reduced teaching assignment relative to a standard full-time faculty line — illustratively, roughly 7–8 credit hours per semester, approximately half of the standard 15-credit full-time teaching load described in Saint Leo's general graduate nursing faculty job description — combining didactic, clinical, and laboratory/simulation instruction across on-ground, online, and hybrid modalities, with the balance of the appointment devoted to administrative and program-leadership duties.

Program context: this position is being created to lead two new graduate nursing programs — the Direct Entry MSN (DEMSN), launching January 2027, and the MSN–Family Nurse Practitioner (MSN-FNP), launching August 2027 — and is needed in place well before both launch dates. Beyond current master's-level operations, the Director also holds strategic responsibility for planning and preparing the College's future expansion into doctoral-level nursing education, including the eventual development, accreditation readiness, and operational oversight of a future doctoral nursing program, as the College's graduate portfolio continues to grow.

The following duties, responsibilities, and required knowledge, skills, and abilities are specific to the Graduate Nursing Program Director role and supplement the general Department Chair/Director Responsibilities applicable to all chairs and directors at Saint Leo University.

Job Description

Administrative Leadership and Program Management

Academic Leadership

● Monitor student learning outcomes and program effectiveness measures.

● Promote innovative teaching methodologies, simulation, technology-enhanced learning, and evidence-based educational practices.

● Ensure compliance with State Board of Nursing requirements and accreditation standards.

● Lead program reviews, self-studies, and accreditation activities.

Faculty Leadership and Development

● Foster faculty engagement in teaching excellence, scholarship, professional development, and service.

● Support faculty orientation and onboarding activities.

● Promote a collaborative and inclusive academic culture.

Student Success and Program Oversight

● Monitor student retention, progression, graduation, and licensure outcomes.

● Review and enforce nursing program policies and procedures.

● Support development of student leadership and professional engagement opportunities.

Accreditation, Compliance, and Assessment

● Maintain compliance with nursing accreditation standards and state regulatory requirements.

● Coordinate data collection, analysis, and reporting for accreditation and assessment purposes.

● Monitor key performance indicators including NCLEX pass rates, retention rates, graduation rates, and employment outcomes.

● Ensure documentation and reporting requirements are completed accurately and timely.

● Develop and implement action plans to address identified areas for improvement.

Clinical and Community Partnerships

● Establish and maintain effective relationships with healthcare organizations and clinical partners.

● Collaborate with healthcare agencies to secure and maintain clinical placement opportunities.

● Represent the nursing program in professional, educational, and community organizations.

● Promote partnerships that enhance experiential learning opportunities for students.

Administrative and Budgetary Responsibilities

● Support graduate nursing education principles and best practices.

● Implement Nursing curriculum design, assessment, and program evaluation at the program level.

● Comply with Nursing accreditation standards and regulatory requirements.

● Comply with State Board of Nursing regulations and nursing licensure requirements.

● Address contemporary healthcare trends and workforce needs.

● Represent the nursing program professionally to internal and external stakeholders.

● Manage program budgets and personnel as assigned.

Scholarship and Service

● Maintain an active record of scholarly and professional activities.

● Engage in professional nursing organizations and community service activities.

● Support faculty and student scholarship initiatives.

Teaching Responsibilities

Approximately 50% of this position is devoted to graduate-level teaching, structured as follows:

● Provide graduate-level classroom (didactic) instruction in assigned MSN, DEMSN, and/or MSN-FNP courses, delivered on-ground, online, and in hybrid modalities as appropriate.

● Provide clinical supervision and oversight of graduate nursing students in assigned clinical experiences, ensuring safe, competent practice consistent with program requirements and Board of Nursing standards.

● Provide laboratory and simulation instruction, including the use of nursing simulation software and equipment, to support hands-on clinical skill development.

● Advise and mentor graduate nursing students, supporting their academic progression, professional development, and engagement with the program.

● Participate in curriculum development and assessment for courses taught, including ongoing review and revision of course content, learning outcomes, and instructional methods.

● Participate in accreditation, program evaluation, and student success initiatives related to teaching, including contributing data, documentation, and evidence of teaching effectiveness to program-level accreditation and assessment activities.

● Maintain currency in nursing practice through research, certifications, and/or professional development relevant to courses taught.

● Teach traditional and non-traditional age students, and support program recruiting and retention efforts through direct student engagement.

● Serve on program and university committees as assigned, consistent with the position's faculty role.

Doctoral Program Development and Strategic Growth

● Provide strategic leadership and long-range planning for the College's future expansion into doctoral-level nursing education, building on current master's-level program operations.

● Lead planning, feasibility assessment, and preparation activities for future doctoral program development, in coordination with the Dean and university leadership.

● Direct the development, implementation, and accreditation-readiness activities for a future doctoral nursing program, including curriculum design and program evaluation infrastructure.

● Maintain operational oversight of doctoral program development and, upon implementation, ongoing doctoral program operations.

● Coordinate faculty recruitment and assignment, curriculum development, clinical placement arrangements, and regulatory and accreditation requirements associated with doctoral program growth.

Qualifications

Knowledge (Required)

● Earned doctorate in Nursing or a closely related field from a regionally accredited institution.

● Master of Science in Nursing (MSN) from an accredited institution.

● Current, unencumbered Registered Nurse (RN) license.

● Eligibility to obtain and maintain Florida Registered Nurse licensure.

● Minimum of five (5) years of professional nursing practice experience, with expertise in one or more of: long-term care, acute care, critical care, community settings, obstetrics, pediatrics, and/or mental health.

● Minimum of five (5) years of teaching experience in nursing education.

● Experience and credentials to teach nursing courses per accreditation guidelines.

● Demonstrated experience with curriculum development, program assessment, and accreditation processes.

● Demonstrated leadership experience in higher education or healthcare settings.

Skills

● Demonstrated success with active learning strategies.

● Experience applying technology in teaching, including use of a learning management system.

● Utilization of discipline-related technology, including nursing simulation software and equipment, desired.

● Demonstrated effectiveness working collaboratively.

Abilities

● Strong written and verbal communication skills.

● Effective interaction with a diverse student and colleague community.

● Willingness to take initiative and thrive in a dynamic environment.

Additional Preferred Qualifications

● Experience serving in an academic leadership role such as program coordinator, assistant chair, chair, director, or dean.

● Certification as a family nurse practitioner.

● Experience with CCNE accreditation standards.

● Experience overseeing pre-licensure or graduate nursing programs.

● Record of scholarship, publications, presentations, and professional service.

● Experience with simulation-based nursing education.

● Experience managing budgets and personnel.

Working Conditions

● Work is performed in office, classroom, simulation laboratory, clinical, and virtual learning environments.

● Occasional evening and weekend work may be required.

● Travel to clinical sites, professional meetings, and university events may be necessary.

Application Instructions

● Submit a letter of interest, current CV, and contact information for three professional references.

● Review of applications begins immediately and continues until the position is filled, with a target hire date of Spring 2027.

● Official transcripts and verification of RN licensure will be required prior to a formal offer.

Environment

The work environment characteristics described here are a representation of those an employee encounters while performing the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodation may be made to enable qualified individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions. The term “qualified individual with a disability” means an individual with a disability who, with or without reasonable accommodation, can perform the essential functions of this position.

While performing the duties of this job, the employee is regularly required to communicate professionally in person, over the telephone, through email and other electronic means, move about the office and University, handle various type of media and equipment, and visually or otherwise identify, observe and assess. The employee is occasionally required to lift up to 10 pounds unless otherwise specified in the job description.

Notice

The intent of this job description is to provide a representation of the types of duties and responsibilities that will be required of positions given this title and shall not be construed as a declaration of the total specific duties and responsibilities of any particular position. Employees may be directed to perform job-related tasks other than those specifically presented in this description. Saint Leo University is an Equal Opportunity Employer and embraces diversity as a critical step in ensuring employee, student and graduate success.

Why Work at Saint Leo?

What it’s Like to Work Here: Ask our employees and the one word they’d use to describe working at Saint Leo University is “Community.” Our team members all share the Saint Leo core values, positive attitudes, and problem-solving abilities, enabling them to provide excellent student centered service. Our mission is educating and preparing students for life and leadership in a challenging world.  Thank you for your interest in joining the Saint Leo PRIDE!

We are committed to providing our employees with the support they need. At Saint Leo, we offer an array of medical, dental, and vision packages as well as several add-on perks to make your benefits package truly customizable to you and your family needs. Available benefits based on employment status (Full Time vs Part Time).

• FREE Tuition - Employee, Spouse, and Dependents*
• Tuition Exchange Opportunity - Dependent of Employees*
• Generous Paid Leave - Sick, Vacation, and Holidays
• Comprehensive Group Health Plan (Medical, Dental, and Vision)
• Group Medical Plan includes Teledoc, Surgery Plus, Wellness Incentive Program and more!
• 100% Employer-Funded Health Reimbursement Account
• 100% Employer-Paid Short Term Disability Insurance
• 100% Employer-Funded Employee Assistance Program (healthcare and dependent options)
• Employer-provided life insurance
• Discounted On-Campus Dining Meal Plans
• Nationwide Pet Insurance
• Flexible Spending Accounts
• 403b Retirement Plan
• Wellness Center

*Eligibility based on meeting required service period

2025 ICUBA Benefits Guide_St Leo