Director of COM Performance Excellence

AACOM is seeking a full-time, exempt Director of COM Performance Excellence to build and lead a national accreditation excellence and quality improvement program for colleges of osteopathic medicine (COMs). AACOM is creating this role to fill a strategic gap between accreditation compliance and continuous institutional improvement as the accreditation environment undergoes significant change.

Rather than serving solely as an accreditation consultant, the Director will build a sustainable infrastructure for accreditation research, benchmarking, quality improvement, faculty development, and thought leadership across the osteopathic medical education community. The Director will help member COMs strengthen accreditation outcomes, improve institutional performance, and prepare for evolving standards and expectations.

This role offers the opportunity to establish a proactive, data-driven, and innovation-oriented service that expands AACOM's support for its members. The Director will generate research and benchmarking data, create practical resources, introduce new approaches to accreditation preparation, and strengthen AACOM's influence in national discussions about educational quality and institutional effectiveness.

If you are someone who:

• Understands accreditation as both a compliance responsibility and an opportunity for continuous institutional improvement
• Can translate complex standards, research, and data into practical guidance for member institutions
• Wants to build a national quality improvement and accreditation support function
• Enjoys designing innovative tools, programs, and professional development experiences
• Can establish productive relationships with institutional leaders, accrediting organizations, and other national stakeholders

This may be what you're looking for!

ABOUT AACOM

The American Association of Colleges of Osteopathic Medicine, or AACOM, was founded in 1898 to lend support and assistance to the nation's osteopathic medical schools, and to serve as a unifying voice for osteopathic medical education. The association is guided by its Board of Deans of member colleges of osteopathic medicine, and various other member councils and committees.

AACOM represents and advances the continuum of osteopathic medical education by:

• Supporting our member institutions as they educate the future physician workforce
• Increasing awareness of osteopathic medical education and osteopathic medicine
• Promoting excellence in medical education, policy, research, and service 
• Fostering innovation and quality throughout medical education

WHAT YOU'LL DO

Strengthen Accreditation Success Across COMs

• Serve as AACOM's principal subject matter expert on current and evolving COCA accreditation standards and the accreditation life cycle for colleges of osteopathic medicine.
• Help member COMs prepare for initial accreditation, comprehensive site visits, self-studies, mid-cycle reviews, focused visits, and accreditation decisions.
• Provide guidance on standards interpretation, compliance strategies, evidence documentation, assessment planning, self-study preparation, and accreditation readiness.
• Review draft self-study documents and evidence portfolios and provide individualized consultation to member institutions.
• Support the development of new COMs while helping existing programs sustain accreditation excellence.
• Strengthen institutional readiness and help reduce variability in accreditation preparation and performance across COMs.

Build a National Quality Improvement Function

• Lead quality improvement and improvement science initiatives that move AACOM's accreditation support beyond compliance toward continuous performance enhancement.
• Design, implement, and evaluate programs that strengthen institutional capacity for accreditation and continuous quality improvement.
• Develop frameworks, rubrics, and self-assessment instruments addressing curriculum quality, clinical education, student outcomes, program assessment, and institutional effectiveness.
• Connect accreditation improvement with strategic planning, outcomes assessment, and data-informed decision-making.
• Collaborate across AACOM to align accreditation support with research, learning innovation, faculty development, student affairs, and diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives.

Generate Evidence and Benchmarking Data

• Build an evidence base around accreditation and educational quality in osteopathic medical education.
• Design and conduct original research on accreditation processes, outcomes, and trends, with a focus on the COCA Continuing Accreditation Standards.
• Analyze public accreditation data and work with COCA and member COMs to study self-study reports and site-visit outcomes.
• Identify patterns, common challenges, and emerging practices that can improve institutional performance and accreditation outcomes.
• Develop and maintain dashboards and analytical tools that enable COMs to benchmark accreditation-related performance against peer institutions.
• Create longitudinal data assets that strengthen AACOM's accreditation research and member-support capabilities.
• Produce research reports, white papers, briefs, and peer-reviewed publications that advance knowledge about accreditation and educational quality.

Create Tools, Resources, and Professional Development

• Create and curate self-assessment instruments, accreditation toolkits, templates, and exemplars aligned with the 12 COCA standards areas.
• Develop and deliver workshops, webinars, training programs, and other professional development opportunities for accreditation leaders, administrators, faculty, and other adult learners.
• Coordinate peer-learning networks and communities of practice among COM accreditation liaisons, deans, quality improvement officers, and other institutional leaders.
• Translate complex regulatory and research information into clear, actionable guidance for member institutions.
• Build practical resources that help COMs improve readiness, document evidence, assess performance, and sustain accreditation excellence.

Develop Innovative Approaches to Accreditation Support

• Move AACOM's accreditation support from a primarily reactive consultation model to a proactive, data-driven, and innovation-oriented service.
• Explore and pilot AI-assisted accreditation document analysis.
• Develop simulation-based approaches to self-study preparation and accreditation review.
• Establish cross-institutional quality improvement collaboratives.
• Use advanced dashboarding, analytics, and benchmarking tools to help institutions identify risks, monitor progress, and learn from peers.
• Evaluate new approaches and scale those that demonstrate value for member COMs.

Advance AACOM's National Thought Leadership

• Represent AACOM in national forums, conferences, and working groups focused on accreditation, educational quality, and institutional effectiveness in medical and health professions education.
• Monitor national and international developments in accreditation policy, including actions by the U.S. Department of Education, the Council for Higher Education Accreditation, the Liaison Committee on Medical Education, and other recognized accrediting bodies.
• Assess the implications of changing accreditation policies and standards for osteopathic medical education and AACOM's member institutions.
• Build and sustain productive relationships with COCA leadership and staff, institutional accreditors, and other stakeholders across health professions education and health care accreditation.
• Develop position papers, comment letters, policy recommendations, scholarly publications, and other materials that strengthen AACOM's national voice.
• Present research findings and program outcomes at national conferences, including AACOM's Educating Leaders conference.
• Collaborate with AACOM's communications team to share accreditation research, resources, and program outcomes with member institutions and external audiences.

WHO WE NEED

Required Education & Experience

• A master's degree in education, health professions education, higher education administration, improvement science, or a closely related field, such as an M.S.Ed., M.Ed., M.S., or equivalent. A terminal professional degree, such as a Ph.D., Ed.D., D.O., or M.D., accompanied by substantial scholarly activity in medical education will also be considered.
• At least five years of progressively responsible experience in medical education, accreditation, institutional effectiveness, or quality improvement within a higher education or health professions setting.

Knowledge, Skills, & Abilities

• Ability to develop deep expertise in the COCA New and Continuing Accreditation Standards and the accreditation life cycle for colleges of osteopathic medicine
• Research design, quantitative and qualitative analysis, and scholarly writing skills, supported by a demonstrated record of peer-reviewed publication
• Expertise in institutional effectiveness, program assessment, and/or improvement science methodologies
• Familiarity with the broader health professions education accreditation landscape, including LCME, CHEA, and U.S. Department of Education requirements
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills, including the ability to translate complex regulatory and research information into clear, actionable guidance for diverse audiences
• Demonstrated ability to design and facilitate professional development programs, workshops, and training for adult learners
• Proficiency with data analysis tools and survey platforms
• Strong project-management skills and the ability to manage multiple concurrent initiatives and deliver results on deadline
• A collaborative approach and the ability to work effectively across departments and with member institutions and external stakeholders

Preferred Qualifications

• Direct experience with COCA or LCME accreditation processes
• Experience with data visualization and dashboard development
• Familiarity with AI applications in education and institutional research

WHAT WE DO FOR YOU

• Annual bonus program
• 403(b) with generous employer contribution
• Company-paid medical, dental, and vision insurance
• Company-provided life insurance, short-term disability, and long-term disability plans
• Flexible Spending Account
• 12 annual company-paid holidays
• Vacation & sick leave benefits
• Professional development opportunities
• And more!

COMPENSATION AND WORK ARRANGEMENT

This is a full-time, exempt position with a remote work arrangement. The position requires 20% stateside travel. The salary range for this position is $140,000 to $150,000 annually.

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION

The Director of COM Performance Excellence is part of the Research, Learning and Innovation department and reports to the Senior Vice President, Research, Learning and Innovation. The position does not currently supervise AACOM employees but will supervise AACOM member faculty and staff serving as volunteer advisors and may oversee consultants or temporary staff. As AACOM's accreditation support function grows, the Director may supervise research analysts, program coordinators, or project staff as assigned.

AACOM is committed to fostering an inclusive and respectful workplace. We provide equal employment opportunities to all applicants and employees and do not discriminate based on any legally protected status or characteristic. All employment decisions are made based on individual qualifications, merit, and organizational needs. If you require an accommodation due to a disability, please inform your recruiter.

HOW TO APPLY

For consideration, interested candidates should submit a cover letter and resume via Careers at AACOM on our website, aacom.org. Your cover letter should address your experience, qualifications, and why you are interested in joining the AACOM team.

To learn more about AACOM, please visit: aacom.org.