Head, Department of Engineering

Head, Department of Engineering

Working Title: Head, Department of Engineering

State Role Title: N/A

Position Type: Instructional / Teaching Faculty

Position Status: Full-Time

FLSA Status: Exempt: Not Eligible for Overtime

College/Division: College of Integrated Science and Engineering

Department: 100590 - Department of Engineering

Pay Rate: Commensurate with Experience

Specify Range or Amount:

Is this a JMU only position? No

Is this a grant-funded position? No

Is this a Conflict of Interest designated position? No

Beginning Review Date: 10/27/2025

About JMU:

Mission
We are a community committed to preparing students to be educated and enlightened citizens who lead productive and meaningful lives.

Vision
To be the national model for the engaged university: engaged with ideas and the world.

Who We Are
Situated in the heart of Virginia's beautiful Shenandoah Valley, the city of Harrisonburg is a vibrant community with a population of approximately 52,000. Harrisonburg is conveniently located approximately 120 miles from Washington, D.C. and Richmond, VA.

JMU is a selective, public institution with a growing national reputation for offering experiences that lead to an outstanding education and supportive environment for students, faculty and staff. The student body includes approximately 21,000 undergraduate and 1,800 graduate students, with over 1,000 full-time instructional faculty.

JMU offers thriving programs in the liberal arts, science and technology, and professional disciplines at the undergraduate, master's and doctoral levels. JMU has achieved national recognition for the high quality of its academic programs, focus on maintaining strong student/faculty interaction, and innovative faculty research.

General Information:

The Department of Engineering at James Madison University (JMU) invites applicants to join our community and support our project-intensive undergraduate engineering curriculum. We are seeking to hire an Academic Unit Head to start in July 2026. The Head of the Department is responsible for the academic unit's program administration and strategic leadership, and reports to the Dean of the College of Integrated Science and Engineering. This position is a 12-month, tenured or tenure-track faculty appointment at the rank of Full Professor or Associate Professor.

The JMU Department of Engineering is a community of educators who support each other in achieving broad success in teaching, scholarship, and service. The department offers an ABET-accredited BS degree in engineering with new concentrations in civil and environmental, geo-environmental, and electromechanical systems. Anchored in the liberal arts through the university's general education program, JMU's engineering major is characterized by experiential learning of engineering in team-based settings, and the major culminates in a two-year-long engineering project experience. The department currently has fifteen full-time faculty members representing multiple engineering disciplines, seven support staff, and approximately 750 students. Its strengths include dedicated faculty and staff, an engaged and invested student body and alumni, strong administrative and lab support, and well-equipped laboratories and design studios. JMU prizes collaboration among departments and provides unique opportunities for interdisciplinary, team-based teaching and scholarship, with a strong focus on undergraduate research opportunities. More information about the department and undergraduate engineering curriculum may be found at .

Duties and Responsibilities:

We seek a candidate who will:

Implement the department's strategic vision in the evolving landscape of higher education;
Advocate for the department, both internally at JMU and externally to industry, prospective students, academic peers, etc.
Manage and conduct academic administration including course assignments and scheduling, annual faculty evaluations, and departmental budget.
Foster departmental cohesion focused on building consensus within the faculty from various engineering backgrounds.
Work effectively with college and university leadership in a collaborative and constructive way.