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At Cotulla Education, home to the Aviation Institute of Maintenance, Centura College, Tidewater Tech, and American Lineman College, we are dedicated to transforming lives through hands-on, career-focused education. Our mission is to empower students to achieve their professional dreams in high-demand fields like aviation, healthcare, information technology, and skilled trades. With experienced faculty providing personalized support, our graduates emerge as future leaders ready to make a significant impact in their communities. Join us in shaping the careers of those who will build and maintain our world and embark on a transformative journey towards a fulfilling career.
This remote executive leadership role includes periodic travel to our corporate headquarters in Virginia Beach, Virginia, and to campus locations across our national footprint; candidates located in the Eastern or Central Time Zones are preferred.
Position Overview
The Vice President of Compliance & Regulatory Affairs serves as the senior compliance executive and strategic growth partner for Cotulla Education and its affiliated institutions, including Aviation Institute of Maintenance, Centura College, and Tidewater Tech. This role provides enterprise-wide leadership across a multi-campus, multi-brand organization for regulatory strategy, accreditation oversight (ACCSC and COE), state authorization, SARA participation, institutional governance, and compliance risk management supporting a growing national footprint.
The VP ensures institutional integrity, seamless maintenance of current state and accreditor standing, and sustained audit readiness across the enterprise, while building scalable compliance infrastructure that supports growth, operational excellence, and sustainable national expansion. Serving as the primary architect for regulatory strategy in new and existing jurisdictions, this executive anticipates regulatory shifts, leads the licensing of new programs, secures authorizations for expansion initiatives, and positions compliance as a strategic advantage that enables innovation and competitive growth. In close partnership with senior leadership and campus executives, the VP embeds a forward-thinking culture of compliance, accountability, and continuous improvement across a distributed campus network.
Executive Leadership Responsibilities
- Develop and lead the enterprise compliance strategy aligned with institutional growth plans and regulatory expectations, anticipating regulatory shifts that may impact expansion into new states, programs, and delivery models.
- Serve as senior advisor to executive leadership on regulatory risk, accreditation strategy, and compliance exposure.
- Provide compliance reporting and risk updates to the CEO and COO to inform long-term portfolio and expansion strategy.
- Establish enterprise risk frameworks, compliance dashboards, and monitoring systems.
- Lead regulatory strategy for expansion initiatives, new programs, online delivery, and new campus development, ensuring licensing pathways, state authorizations, and accreditor approvals are secured efficiently to support speed-to-market objectives.
- Oversee regulatory due diligence and approval pathways for mergers, acquisitions, and institutional transactions.
- Ensure regulatory consistency, governance alignment, and operational standardization across all campuses and brands while enabling effective local execution within established compliance frameworks, positioning compliance as a strategic enabler of scalable national growth.
Accreditation & Regulatory Oversight
- Provide executive oversight for ACCSC and COE accreditation compliance, reporting cycles, site visits, and self-evaluations across multiple institutions and campus locations.
- Oversee preparation and submission of substantive change applications and institutional reporting requirements, including those associated with new programs, modality changes, and geographic expansion.
- Serve as primary executive liaison to accrediting agencies and state regulatory bodies.
- Ensure compliance with State Authorization Reciprocity Agreement (SARA) requirements and lead end-to-end state authorization and licensing efforts for entry into new jurisdictions.
- Monitor federal and state regulatory changes impacting institutional operations across all jurisdictions in which the organization operates, providing proactive guidance on upcoming Department of Education (ED), state, and accreditor policy shifts that may affect institutional strategy or program portfolio development.
Compliance Infrastructure & Governance
- Oversee enterprise compliance programs including:
- Policy governance and control framework
- Internal audit systems
- Corrective action tracking
- Regulatory calendars and filings
- Establish and maintain enterprise compliance risk assessments.
- Ensure consistency across brands while respecting accreditor-specific requirements.
- Oversee catalog governance and enrollment agreement compliance.
- Implement scalable compliance tools, templates, and enterprise standards designed to support a geographically dispersed, multi-campus system and enable efficient integration of acquired institutions, new program launches, and campus openings.
Institutional Risk & Operational Compliance
- Partner with Financial Aid, Admissions, Academics, Marketing, HR, and Operations to ensure alignment with:
- Accreditor standards
- State licensing requirements
- Consumer protection regulations
- Advertising and recruiting compliance
- Identify areas of regulatory vulnerability and implement mitigation strategies.
- Lead internal investigations related to compliance concerns when necessary.
- Oversee enterprise-wide monitoring mechanisms to proactively identify systemic risk trends across campuses and functional areas.
Culture & Training
- Establish enterprise compliance training framework for corporate and campus leaders, ensuring leaders understand compliance as both an operational obligation and a growth enabler.
- Promote a culture of accountability and ethical conduct across all campuses and organizational levels.
- Ensure appropriate documentation standards and institutional controls are maintained.
Team Leadership
- Build and mentor a high-performing regulatory team structured to support a rapidly expanding, geographically dispersed organization.
- Design and evolve a scalable compliance organization capable of supporting a distributed, multi-campus system and future expansion initiatives.
- Establish KPIs for the compliance department that measure both "maintenance success" (clean audits/renewals) and "growth success" (speed to market for new programs/states).
Qualifications
- Bachelor’s degree required; Master’s or JD preferred.
- 10+ years of progressive leadership experience in postsecondary education compliance.
- Deep experience with ACCSC accreditation standards.
- Experience with COE accreditation strongly preferred.
- Demonstrated experience managing multi-state regulatory environments.
- Experience supporting mergers, acquisitions, or institutional growth initiatives.
- Executive-level communication and board reporting experience.
- Strong understanding of regulatory risk management frameworks.
- Willingness to travel up to 15–25% as needed, including occasional overnight travel, to support enterprise and campus operations.
Schedule:
- This is a full-time, remote executive role. The position requires regular availability during standard business hours and flexibility to support a multi-campus, multi-state organization as needed.
What We Offer
The anticipated annual salary for this role is $195,000 - $225,000. This position is also eligible for participation in the company’s annual performance-based bonus program. However, actual compensation will be based on a variety of factors, including the candidate's skills, experience, and geographic location. In addition to a competitive salary, we offer a comprehensive benefits package, including:
- 401(k) and Matching: Secure your future with our competitive retirement savings plan.
- Comprehensive Health Coverage: Enjoy Health, Dental, and Vision insurance to keep you and your family healthy.
- Life Insurance: Peace of mind with life insurance options.
- Parental Leave: Support for new parents during important life transitions.
- Paid Time Off: Recharge with paid time off to promote work-life balance.
- Retirement Plan: Additional options to help you save for retirement.
- Employee Assistance Program: Access to resources for personal and professional support.
- Tuition Reimbursement: Invest in your future with financial support for further education.
Cotulla Education is a proud equal-opportunity employer. We celebrate diversity and are committed to creating an inclusive environment for all employees. We do not discriminate on the basis of race, religion, color, national origin, gender, sexual orientation, age, marital status, veteran status, disability status, or any other characteristic protected by applicable law. We believe that a diverse workforce contributes to the success of our company and are dedicated to fostering a culture of respect, equity, and inclusion.