Chair - Optical Sciences Contact Lenses and Eyeglasses

**Please note: This is a temporary assignment ending on or before June 30, 2028 with the possibility of extension. This competition is limited to current salaried NASA staff within the School of Health and Life Sciences.**

The Chair champions the program and ensures student success through instructional and curriculum excellence. As a content expert, the Chair supports program development and growth, maintains high-quality and relevant curriculum, serves as an industry liaison, leads program promotional efforts, and identifies opportunities for revenue generation. Committed to academic excellence, the Chair is also responsible for fostering instructor development through teaching observations, coaching, mentoring, and promoting the overall well-being of both staff and students. Additionally, the Chair encourages applied research activity within the program by collaborating on and participating in related projects.

This Chair position will provide academic and strategic leadership for the following program areas:

- Optical Sciences - Contact Lenses (OSC)
- Optical Sciences - Eyeglasses (OSE)

**Key Responsibilities**:

- Work closely with the Associate Dean to ensure the timely and effective leadership of the program cluster, with a strong focus on staff support and student success.
- Lead the program cluster in striving for continual quality improvement and implement best practices related to curriculum management to ensure courses and programs are relevant and of the highest quality.
- Provide instruction to students and fulfill instructional responsibilities as required.
- Mentor, motivate, coach, and provide guidance to instructors to ensure instructional excellence and professional growth within the program cluster.
- Recommend staff development opportunities for the instructional team to the Associate Dean.
- Participate in the recruitment, selection, and orientation of the program cluster staff aligned with NAIT’s vision, promises, and values.
- Engage in discussions to support fair and equitable workloads and scheduling for program team members.
- Encourage and promote research activities at the instructional level to support applied learning and innovation.
- Engage with industry, external stakeholders, and other post-secondary institutions to ensure each program’s content, equipment, and outcomes remain relevant and responsive to current needs.
- Participate in activities related to student recruitment, retention, and program promotion.
- Availability to work some evenings and weekends as required.
- Support program-level expertise development through participation in relevant committees, where possible.
- Provide guidance and support to students, in collaboration with advising services.

**Skills & Abilities**:

- Demonstrated proactive leadership with strong supervisory and administrative capabilities to effectively guide academic teams and manage program operations.
- Proven ability to work collaboratively and build consensus as an effective member and leader across multiple interdisciplinary teams and committees.
- Broad instructional experience within the program areas, with a strong background in delivering technical training in open-exit and blended learning environments.
- Advanced proficiency in Microsoft Office Suite (Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook), with the ability to leverage digital tools for communication, scheduling, reporting, and program management.
- In-depth knowledge of institutional policies, academic frameworks, and strategic plans (e.g., NAIT’s Academic Plan and Business Plan), with the ability to align program goals accordingly.
- Strong interpersonal and communication skills, demonstrating a positive, supportive, and transparent leadership style that fosters trust and engagement among staff and students.
- Exceptional organizational skills with the ability to work in a fast-paced environment, balancing multiple priorities, deadlines, and strategic initiatives.
- Effective time management and the ability to adapt to changing circumstances while maintaining focus on long-term goals and program outcomes.

**Qualifications**:

- Related diploma required. Degree preferred.
- Current active license with related regulatory body as required.
- Previous leadership/supervisory experience.
- Valid Class 5 driver’s license required.

Applicants with education credentials earned outside of Canada should have their credentials evaluated by World Education Services or the International Qualifications Assessment Service (IQAS).

**Remuneration**:As outlined in the NASA Collective Agreement.

(Classification - Leader II, Chair)
- NAIT believes in the learning and development of our employees so that they are equipped to support the achievement of our organizational goals and as such, you may be required to engage in learning opportunities related to the chair/associate chair assignment._
- Appointment to this assignment is for a three-year term with the possibility of a further three-