Director of Distance Education

TL;DR — We’re looking for a distance-ed leader to build and run an AI-native, fully compliant online university experience — at the crossroads of learning, technology, and regulation.

About Masterschool

Masterschool is an applied education research lab on a mission to unlock human potential. We’re building the school of the future: an AI-native institution that’s an order of magnitude more effective than traditional education.

This school won’t just solve the Two Sigma Problem and deliver a truly personalized, world-class education—it will make that education accessible to everyone, regardless of background or circumstance.

We’re a group of educators, researchers, and engineers building software and models at the edge of what’s possible—with the goal of improving the lives of billions.

You can see our work in action here.

Director of Distance Education

You’ll sit at the intersection of academic operations, regulation, and technology, building the systems that let us scale AI-native learning while staying aligned with state, accreditor, and U.S. Department of Education requirements.

We’re looking for a higher-ed operator who’s also a builder — someone who knows registrars, catalogs, SAP, and R2T4, and is fluent in LMS workflows, AI tools, and “regular and substantive interaction” in real online courses.

What you’ll do

• Set the strategy for distance education and own the framework of policies, standards, and operating models for online and hybrid programs.
• Keep us compliant by interpreting state, accreditor, and federal guidance (including RSI) and partnering with Financial Aid and Compliance to safeguard Title IV for online programs.
• Support accreditation by co-leading distance-ed components of self-studies, substantive changes, and site visits.
• Run the online machine with the Registrar (structures, coding, calendars, catalogs), ensuring LMS setups and course templates meet regulatory and accreditor expectations.
• Champion the online student experience with Student Support and Advising so learners get clear communication and predictable processes.
• Educate and influence faculty and staff on what we can deliver online, how AI fits in, and what real-world compliance looks like — while representing Masterschool in external conversations on online ed and AI.

What we’re looking for

• 2+ years in US higher-ed administration, registrar’s office, academic operations, or similar, with strong knowledge of distance-ed accreditation standards.
• Hands-on Title IV experience for online programs (you’ve been through at least one audit, review, or tight accreditation deadline).
• Deep familiarity with online delivery — LMS structures, credit hours, assessments, and working directly with faculty or instructional designers.
• Comfort with AI and learning tech, able to evaluate tools, spot risks, and design thoughtful use cases that still meet regulatory expectations.
• Clear, practical communicator and cross-functional leader, with a track record of leading projects, improving systems and documentation, and operating with high integrity, ownership, and low ego.

How we hire

We keep it simple and human:

• Share your story and one example of navigating distance education, accreditation, or Title IV complexity.
• Meet the team to discuss your background, what you want to build, and how you think about AI and online learning.
• Do real work together in a short working session on a distance-ed scenario (e.g., launching an online program or preparing for a visit).

If it feels like the right match on both sides, we move fast.

If this sounds like you — and you want to help design a fully AI-native, fully compliant distance-education institution — we’d love to meet you.