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 requir

Work arrangement
Yes