At Colibri, culture is a critical part of our collective success, and we live our values everyday: Love, Joy,
Boldness, Teamwork and Curiosity. These values guide our interactions with each other, our customers,
and the community as a whole.
We have a rich and storied history. Colibri is one of the pioneers of online professional education,
introducing some of the first web-based professional education courses in 2001. Today, the company’s
family of brands are the leading online professional education platforms in their respective end-markets.
We proudly serve >1 million customers annually and employ more than 1,500 mission-aligned
Position Overview:
The Chief Academic Officer (CAO) is the senior academic leader at Moreland University, responsible for ensuring academic excellence, institutional credibility, and strategic program growth for Moreland University and its wholly owned subsidiary. The CAO integrates academic leadership with commercial acumen, driving mission-aligned curriculum development, faculty leadership, and accreditation readiness while fostering a candidate-centric experience. This role bridges internal academic operations with external engagement, contributing to institutional reputation, strategic partnerships, and high-quality educator preparation programs.
What You'll Do
- Ensure rigorous, accessible, and mission-aligned curriculum across certification, degrees, and professional development offerings.
- Lead a metrics-based curriculum review cycle for continuous improvement in outcomes, satisfaction, and retention aligned with accreditation standards and state requirements.
- Oversee curriculum development and instructional design for distance education using research-based principles, accreditation standards, and a candidate mindset.
- Collaborate with Product & Development teams to enhance the candidate experience through platform innovation.
- Maintain awareness of competitor offerings and market trends to inform program development.
- Lead academic components of DEAC and CAEP accreditation, including documentation, reporting, and audit readiness.
- Collaborate with Regulatory to ensure timely submissions and compliance tracking.
- Maintain transparent outcome reporting and proactively address policy changes.
- Ensure educator preparation standards are met across all academic offerings and aligned correctly to each state.
- Own and execute on state EPP approvals and licensure renewals in collaboration with Regulatory, Product, and the Operations Teams.
- Hire, develop, and retain qualified faculty and academic staff.
- Promote faculty engagement in thought leadership activities (e.g. publications, conferences) in alignment with DEAC and CAEP expectations.
- Guide faculty professional development, coaching, and performance evaluation.
- Ensure teaching quality and candidate learning outcomes through weekly metrics and observation cycles.
- Oversee implementation and analysis of strategic and institutional effectiveness plans to drive candidate success.
- Use direct and indirect evaluation measures to inform academic planning and improve achievement.
- Own the institutional strategic and effectiveness plans and contribute to the annual operating plan.
- Govern the academic product roadmap (certification, micro-credentials, degrees).
- Align academic priorities with fiscal responsibility and resource allocation
- Own and manage educator preparation provider (EPP) status in priority states.
- Collaborate with Regulatory and other leaders on state approval submissions and renewals.
- Implement program modifications to ensure alignment with educator preparation provider requirements in each state.
- Represent Moreland in academic and professional forums, conferences, and advisory boards.
- Build executive-level relationships with state education agencies, school districts, and higher education institutions.
- Advocate for faculty participation in thought leadership and external engagement.
- Serve as institutional liaison to Moreland’s Advisory Board and Advisory Council.
What You'll Need to Succeed
- Led academic and/or product teams in terms of program and curriculum growth as well as faculty development and oversight
- Experience in a for-profit academic and/or ed tech environment with the mindset of understanding how the program/product offerings accelerate market and enrollment growth
- Deep knowledge of the K-12 industry and higher education
- Knowledge and experience with the key role that academics and program knowledge have concerning regulatory and accreditation bodies such as DEAC, CAEP, and state departments of education relevant to licensure and program approvals
- Experience working with program offerings for both a B2C and a B2B delivery model
- Business and educational experience that demonstrates an understanding that Moreland is growth-focused to solve for the teacher shortage and attrition challenges
- Doctoral degree required
Colibri Group welcomes applicants from all backgrounds and experiences, and we understand that not every candidate will meet every requirement listed in the job description. Research has shown that women and people of color may be less likely to apply to jobs unless they feel they meet every qualification, and we want to actively combat this bias in our hiring process. If you're excited about the role and believe you have the skills and experience to contribute to our team, we encourage you to apply, even if your background doesn't align perfectly with every qualification listed. We are committed to building a diverse and inclusive workplace, and we believe that diversity of perspectives and experiences is essential to our success. You may be just the right candidate for this role or another position within our organization. Don't hesitate to take the leap and apply today!
