Hybrid Vice President, Compliance and Regulatory Affairs

at Cotulla Education

• Job title: Vice President, Compliance and Regulatory Affairs
• Job type: Full Time
• Experience level: Lead
• Salary: $195,000 - $225,000 per year
• Degree requirement: Bachelor's Degree
• Location requirements: Hybrid, United States

About the role

• Vice President of Compliance & Regulatory Affairs leading compliance strategy for Cotulla Education. Supporting growth and regulatory compliance across multiple institutions and campuses.

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.
• 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.
• 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.
• 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.
• 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.
• 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).

Requirements

• 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.

Benefits

• 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.