Senior Director, Gies College of Business

Senior Director, Gies College of Business

Magelli Office of Experiential Learning

About Gies College of Business:At Gies Business, our purpose is to help others hone their purpose. We shape purposeful leaders through life-changing access to education, research, and innovation. Gies College of Business at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign is a globally recognized leader in business education and innovation and is consistently ranked among the top business schools in the nation. At Gies, learners gain real-world experience and skills, confidence and strategies to reach their goals, and a community and network to help them succeed throughout their career. With a focus on purposeful leadership, cutting-edge research, and experiential learning, Gies delivers exceptional business education to more than 9,000 students annually.

See more about Gies Business here: https://inside.giesbusiness.illinois.edu/work-at-gies

About the Magelli Office of Experiential Learning:
The Gies College of Business delivers one of the most transformational and real-world business educational experiences of any business school in the U.S. Experiential learning is embedded into the DNA of the Gies education and is a big part of the reason Gies was ranked #3 in the country in 2025 by Poets & Quants for undergraduate business school academic experience. The Magelli Office works with academic departments, faculty, and college leaders in advising, designing, and managing experiential learning courses and programs throughout the College. The Magelli Office comprises three teams: Action Learning (curricular-based experiential learning), Illinois Business Consulting (“IBC”, co-curricular experiential learning) and Gies Global (study abroad, global and immersive experiential learning). Gies Business is a national leader in experiential learning and continues to innovate in this space. As technology and society continue to evolve, the combination of theory and practice will become increasingly important and the Magelli Office plays an important role in helping Gies Business stay ahead and provide a transformational experience for its learners

Job Summary

This position supports and guides the team leaders for the three teams in its unit – Action Learning, IBC and Gies Global – and also supervises the Associate Director of Business Development. This position works with the Academic Director of the Magelli Office (a tenured faculty member) to identify new opportunities to embed experiential learning into the Gies learner experience as well as support and enhance existing experiential learning programs. This position provides guidance for and participates in project sourcing for IBC and Action Learning programs.

The Senior Director of the Magelli Office plays an important role in the College of Business. Experiential learning is a key differentiator at Gies and this role provides leadership and guidance for experiential learning initiatives and strategies.

Duties & Responsibilities

• Strategic Guidance and Support for Magelli Teams and Programs:
• Create and implement a strategic plan for the Magelli Office and its role in Gies
• Build a strong team culture of collaboration, trust and innovation
• Provide support for the leaders of each team and the Associate Director of Business Development, including professional development, coaching and mentoring
• Ensure operational efficiency within and across the Magelli teams
• • Work with the leaders of each team to:
  Create a strategy and goals for each team and ensure implementation
  o Identify how each program and initiative enhances and aligns with the Gies learner experience framework
  o Optimize operations o Identify synergies and collaboration opportunities o Manage and forecast budgets and expenditures
• College Collaboration and New Initiatives:
  • Work with the Magelli Office Academic Director and college leaders and faculty to maintain excellence of current experiential learning programs
  • Work with the Magelli Office Academic Director and college leaders to identify, design and implement new initiatives, such as embedding experiential learning into iDegree programs, non-degree programs and online undergraduate programs, as well as collaborate with faculty who want to increase experiential learning in their existing courses
• Business and Partnership Development:
• Support the Associate Director of Business Development by building partnerships that will enhance project sourcing activities
• Directly source projects and clients for IBC and Action Learning programs
• Work with the Director of Gies Global to sustain existing partnerships and build new partnerships and programs based on the Gies Global strategy

Working Conditions

Some evening and weekend hours may be required, to attend program events and student meetings : Occasionally

Additional Physical Demands

10%-25% travel required, to meet with current and prospective clients and to support Gies Global programming.
Some evening and weekend hours may be required, to attend program events and student meetings

Travel Requirements

20% 10%-25% travel required, to meet with current and prospective clients and to support Gies Global programming.

Minimum Qualifications

Bachelor's degree

Eight to ten years of work experience managing complex teams and projects.

Demonstrated ability to build cohesive teams and team culture.

Demonstrated ability to build meaningful relationships and create consensus among leaders and individuals from multiple units and departments not under the person’s direct authority.

Demonstrated ability to build, implement and operationalize an organizational strategy.

Preferred Qualifications

MBA or other relevant master’s degree.
Demonstrated success mentoring, coaching and building leaders.
Work experience in an academic setting at a large university.
Passion for and experience in experiential learning.
Experience working in a corporate environment or with industry partners.
Demonstrated ability to do business development.

Knowledge, Skills and Abilities

• Exceptional communication skills
• Must possess strong interpersonal and communication skills, a mentoring mindset, energy and enthusiasm for working with staff, faculty, and external partners and a desire and ability to collaborate.

Appointment Information

This is a 100% full-time Academic Professional position, appointed on a 12-month basis. The expected start date is as soon as possible after May 30, 2025. Sponsorship for work authorization is not available for this position. The budgeted salary range for the position is $130,000 to $140,000 annually.

Application Procedures & Deadline Information

Applications must be received by 6:00 pm (Central Time) on Friday, May 30, 2025. Apply for this position using the Apply Now button at the top or bottom of this posting. Applications not submitted through https://jobs.illinois.edu will not be considered. For further information about this specific position, please contact porche@illinois.edu. For questions regarding the application process, please contact 217-333-2137.

The University of Illinois offers a very competitive benefits portfolio, depending on the position. Click for a complete list of Employee Benefits.

The University of Illinois System is an equal opportunity employer, including but not limited to disability and/or veteran status, and complies with all applicable state and federal employment mandates. Please visit Required Employment Notices and Posters to view our non-discrimination statement and find additional information about required background checks, sexual harassment/misconduct disclosures, and employment eligibility review through E-Verify.

Applicants with disabilities are encouraged to apply and may request a reasonable accommodation under the Americans with Disabilities Act (2008) to complete the application and/or interview process. Accommodations may also be requested on the basis of pregnancy, childbirth, and related conditions, or religion. Requests may be submitted through the reasonable accommodations portal, or by contacting the Accessibility & Accommodations Division of the Office for Access and Equity at 217-333-0885, or by emailing accessibility@illinois.edu.

Requisition ID: 1030059
Job Category: Professional and Administrative
Apply at: https://jobs.illinois.edu