Assistant Director, Accessibility Services

successful functioning of the Office of Student Accessibility Services (OSAS) in tactical and strategic ways, both as a practitioner and as a member of the OSAS leadership team. This role provides compliance leadership and oversight for the core service areas of Assistive Technology & Alternative Format, Notetaking and Deaf/Hard of Hearing services.

The Assistant Director:

• makes broad-reaching and impactful contributions to the department, the Division and to the University.
• collaborates as a key contact for academic departments and campus partners to educate and promote accessibility services and engage in campus wide initiatives.
• manages a team of professional staff who actively foster the full and meaningful inclusion of students with disabilities at the University.
• participates in day-to-day direct student service, campus partner support, issue resolution, documentation review, and caseload management.
• contributes significantly to policy and procedure review and revision and is a leader in developing strategies for services that facilitate student access, including implementation of new materials, methods, assistive technology, and digital accessibility to meet individualized student needs.
• provides input and recommendations for continuing organizational development and improvement specifically related to the core service areas.
• should exhibit effectiveness and understanding of accommodation and service delivery, of challenges to the provision of both, and independently identify issues and problem-solve in a way that is legally compliant, student-centered, and exhibits best practices in the field.

USC has demonstrated significant institutional commitment to supporting its students with disabilities. The Office of Student Accessibility (OSAS) is a large and highly collaborative team with twenty-three full-time staff members who embrace a culture of excellence, supportiveness, and inclusivity. OSAS strives to support our staff through growth opportunities, and we are highly committed to professional development.

The successful candidate will demonstrate an ability to contribute to this positive, collaborative team culture. In addition, the successful candidate must demonstrate, through ideas, words and actions, a strong commitment to USC’s Unifying Values of integrity, excellence, diversity, equity and inclusion, well-being, open communication and accountability.

This role currently has a hybrid schedule with at least 3 days per week spent on campus and 2 days working remotely.

Minimum Qualifications:

Minimum Education: Master’s degree in relevant field (e.g., Education/Special Education, Marriage and Family Therapy, Social Work, Psychology, Counseling, Higher Ed Administration)

Minimum Experience:

• 3 years’ experience in relevant field.
• Knowledge of Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, Title III of the Americans with Disabilities Act (1990), other federal and state laws and regulations pertaining to persons with disabilities, and the Family Education Right to Privacy Act (FERPA).
• Demonstrated ability to motivate and lead a diverse staff in accomplishing established goals.
• Demonstrated ability to develop partnerships and effectively collaborate within a higher education setting to achieve goals and priorities.
• Demonstrated ability to manage multiple competing priorities and successfully meet established deadlines.
• Excellent skills in communication (both verbal and written), leadership, resource planning, and organization.
• Commitment to diversity and equity-minded practices within an educational environment.
• Possess knowledge and ability to implement assistive technology and digital accessibility in various educational settings (e.g., libraries, websites, classrooms)
• Working knowledge of or preferred proficiency in various programs, including Kurzweil, Dragon, JAWS, NVDA, Macintosh VoiceOver and Zoom Text.

Preferred Qualifications:

Preferred Education: Doctorate Degree in relevant field (e.g., Education/Special Education, Marriage and Family Therapy, Social Work, Psychology, Counseling, Higher Ed Administration)

Preferred Experience:

• Direct experience in higher education disability services
• 5 years working with students with disabilities in a higher education setting
• Demonstrated history of successfully managing professional staff members and/or student workers in a collaborative and supportive work environment.
• Expertise and experience in the collection and use of data essential for legal compliance and assessing outcomes.

The annual base salary for this position is $76,517- $91,373. When extending an offer of employment, the University of Southern California considers factors such as (but not limited to) the scope and responsibilities of the position, the candidate’s work experience, education/training, key skills, internal peer equity, federal, state, and local laws, contractual stipulations, grant funding, as well as external market and organizational considerations.

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Minimum Education: Bachelor's degree, Combined experience/education as substitute for minimum education Minimum Experience: 2 years Minimum Field of Expertise: Student personnel administration