Academic Coordinator

Position Summary

The Academic Coordinator provides operational and project coordination support across the Academics organization, ensuring academic and accreditation initiatives are executed in a timely, organized, and collaborative manner. Reporting to the Director, Curriculum Operations, this role aligns timelines, deliverables, and accountability across teams, serving as a central coordination point for academic projects.

The Academic Coordinator is highly focused on organization, communication, and operational support. This position partners across Academic and other internal teams to keep projects on track, documentation current, and priorities aligned.

Essential Job Functions

Project Coordination & Execution

• Coordinate planning and execution of academic initiatives, including content updates, program improvements, and cross-functional projects.
• Track progress, monitor deadlines, and follow up on action items.
• Identify risks or delays and escalate as needed.

Operations & Workflow Management

• Maintain project tracking tools (e.g., Jira, dashboards) to ensure visibility into priorities, status, and ownership.
• Ensure systems and workflows reflect current project information.

Documentation & Reporting

• Maintain accurate, up-to-date documentation (e.g., project plans, timelines, meeting notes, key decisions).
• Contribute to standardizing documentation practices across initiatives.
• Conduct research, data gathering, and basic analysis to inform decision-making.

Communication & Collaboration

• Coordinate meetings, working sessions, and cross-functional check-ins.
• Serve as a point of contact for project coordination across teams.
• Communicate timelines, progress, and key updates to stakeholders and leadership.

Knowledge, Skills, Abilities

• 3+ years of experience in project coordination, operations, administration, or similar roles. Strong organizational skills with the ability to manage multiple priorities simultaneously.
• Self-starter with a proactive mindset and drive work forward with minimal direction.
• Proficiency in technology, including Microsoft Office, Learning Management Systems (e.g., D2L), and communication tools
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills.
• High attention to detail and ability to maintain accurate documentation.
• Ability to collaborate effectively across teams and support cross-functional initiatives.

Preferred:

• Associate’s degree preferred
• Experience working in education or EdTech environments.
• Familiarity with project tracking tools such as Jira, Workfront, Asana, or similar platforms.

About Us: At Penn Foster Group, we are transforming online learning to help learners by bringing together Penn Foster, CareerStep, Ashworth College, James Madison High School, the New York Institute of Photography, the New York Institute of Art and Design, and other education platforms. Together, we create an accelerated path to greater economic mobility through real-world skills and knowledge that enable learners to achieve long-term success in the workplaces of the future. Our history dates back to 1890 when our founder, Thomas Foster, pioneered distance education by offering training by mail for coal miners to get the necessary skills for safer jobs. Today, with the partners who use our education and training programs, we continue that mission of providing accessible training and education for in-demand skills and are building a workforce that’s prepared for the future job market.

Equal Employment Opportunity: We strive toward Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion at Penn Foster Group by intentionally building diverse teams – in identities, lived experiences, and ideas to create a culture where people feel connected to each other and have a sense of belonging. We value diversity, equity, and inclusion because it is the foundation that enables us to achieve what we set out to do as an organization – from maximizing the number of learners who can reach their goals while giving them the kinds of experiences we want them to have, to becoming the type of company we want to work in.

What We Offer: We offer a robust benefits package that includes medical, dental, vision, flexible spending, generous paid time off, sponsored volunteer opportunities, a 401K with a company match, and free access to our online programs.