Director of Academy

Company: NCM Associates
Location: Kansas City
Posted on: February 15, 2026

Job Description:

Job Description Job Description The Director of the Academy is the enterprise leader responsible for owning and advancing NCM’s intellectual capital, learning ecosystem, and client-facing education services. This role serves as the single point of accountability for NCM’s intellectual models, instructional quality, and Academy operations—both externally through the Institute and internally across the organization. The Academy is the home of the Institute Content Team, all instructors, and NCM’s intellectual models. In addition to ensuring excellence in how NCM teaches, this role is accountable for Institute performance outcomes, including revenue growth, client retention, and long-term client relationships. Internally, across all client delivery personnel, the Director establishes and governs certification, recertification, facilitation excellence, and thought leadership to ensure NCM remains credible, consistent, and future-ready as industries evolve. Duties and Responsibilities Academy Strategy, Intellectual Property & Enterprise Leadership Define and lead the enterprise vision for NCM’s Academy as a strategic business asset and center of excellence. Serve as the enterprise owner of NCM intellectual models and learning frameworks, ensuring consistency, governance, and evolution across training, consulting, products, and go-to-market messaging. Establish multi-year Academy strategies that align learning, content, certification, and research with business objectives. Act as final decision-maker for Academy standards, intellectual property, instructor certification, and learning quality. Use data, research, and market insight to guide investment and prioritization decisions. Institute Ownership: Revenue, Retention & Client Relationships Own the performance of the Institute as a client-facing, revenue-generating function. Be accountable for Institute revenue, client retention, and overall client satisfaction. Ensure Institute programs deliver measurable value and exceptional learner experiences. Build and maintain strong, long-term relationships with key clients and stakeholders. Partner with Sales, Consulting, and Programs to align offerings with client needs and growth opportunities. Partner with Institute Operations Manager on Institute facilities and services needs. Certification, Facilitation Craft & Delivery Excellence Design, implement, and oversee a formal certification and recertification program for all instructors and moderators. Define competency models for facilitation, instruction, and subject-matter expertise. Ensure instructors and moderators continuously improve both: Craft (facilitation skill, engagement, instructional effectiveness), and Industry relevance (current insight, emerging trends, and future-state thinking). Establish evaluation, coaching, and development processes tied to learner and client outcomes. Thought Leadership & Industry Foresight Build and lead a dedicated thought leadership and research function within the Academy. Oversee internal thought leaders responsible for researching, synthesizing, and defining “what’s next” across industries and specialty domains. Ensure research informs: The evolution of NCM intellectual models New and refreshed Institute content Strategic insight for client engagements and leadership planning Internal education across NCM Keep NCM’s learning and advisory offerings proactive, differentiated, and future-ready. Content Strategy & Program Development Own curriculum frameworks, instructional methodologies, and content roadmaps across all Academy offerings. Ensure content quality, relevance, and consistency across delivery channels. Drive disciplined content refresh cycles and modernization initiatives. Resolve content overlap, gaps, and misalignment across programs and teams. Executive Oversight of Flagship Programs Serve as executive sponsor and oversight leader for NCM’s premier, year-long GMEP programs. Actively participate in program milestones, including: Kicking off cohorts to set expectations and reinforce program intent Attending and participating in graduation ceremonies Ensure flagship programs reflect NCM’s highest standards of quality, relevance, and impact. Team Leadership & Talent Development Lead and develop multidisciplinary Academy teams, including: Institute Content Team and instructional designers Instructors and facilitation experts Subject matter experts (SMEs) and internal thought leaders Academy operations and administration Establish clear roles, workflows, accountability, and performance expectations. Provide coaching, mentorship, and performance management aligned to excellence and innovation. Design learning pathways that enable instructors, moderators, and NCM team members to: Expand expertise from fixed to variable domains Grow across industries and specialties (e.g., Automotive to RV, Fixed Ops to Variable Ops) Cross-Functional Partnership & Influence Partner with Product to inform roadmaps using NCM intellectual models, industry research, and future-state insight. Support Sales and Marketing with credible industry insight to shape messaging, positioning, and go-to-market strategy. Collaborate with Consulting and Leadership Teams to support strategic planning, transformation initiatives, and enterprise education. Partner with Institute Operations Manager to ensure delivery quality is achieved, impacting client satisfaction. Qualifications Required Qualifications Bachelor’s degree in Instructional Design, Education, Organizational Development, or related field; Master’s degree strongly preferred. 7–10 years of progressive leadership experience in learning, education, training, or intellectual capital management. Demonstrated experience as an instructor, facilitator, or learning leader. Proven success designing and scaling certification, instructor development, or competency-based programs. Industry experience strongly preferred; multi-industry experience a plus. Proficiency with modern learning platforms, instructional design tools, and project management systems. Preferred Qualifications Experience leading an enterprise Academy or learning center of excellence. Background owning intellectual models, methodologies, or proprietary frameworks. Experience integrating learning strategy with product, consulting, or go-to-market functions. Track record of managing revenue-generating education or professional services offerings.

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