Assistant Professor, Creative Leadership + Entrepreneurship

, founded in 1842, is a nationally-renowned private university enrolling 2800 students across five colleges. Our historic campus, adjacent to the Oregon State Capitol, hosts a distinguished undergraduate liberal arts college in Salem, Oregon. Our downtown Portland campus is home to the Pacific Northwest College of Art (PNCA). We offer a wide range of professional graduate programs, including Oregon’s top-ranked MBA program, the Northwest’s oldest law school, as well as MA/MFA programs at PNCA and master’s degrees in data science and computer science.

Willamette University provides a high-value and comprehensive benefits package to eligible employees. Our  includes options for health, dental, life insurance, retirement, substantial paid time off, tuition and more. If you need assistance applying for a job or have any questions on recruitment at Willamette, please contact our , hr or call us at .Pacific Northwest College of Art is the oldest professional art & design college in Oregon.

It began as the Portland Art Museum school in 1909 and operated independently until its merger with Willamette University in 2021. PNCA is now the second largest college within the University. Willamette University provides rigorous education in the liberal arts, arts & design, law and management through its undergraduate and graduate programs and lifelong learning programs. PNCA has approximately 550 students in 10 undergraduate and 6 graduate programs.

PNCA sparks curiosity and sharpens skills so students can build resilient creative careers anchored in innovation, justice and civic imagination. In addition to our academic programs we serve as a cultural “front porch” bringing artists, designers, scholars and community partners together through the  where we showcase lectures, talks, exhibits and events that connect Portlanders to art, design and creative exploration.

* Rapid acceleration of technology and associated skills
* High demand for creative work in non-creative sectors, increasing need for creative transdisciplinarity, world view and knowledge
* Increased emphasis on universal management skills like financial planning, project management, marketing and entrepreneurship
* The ability to adapt and change career pathways and roles over time with a focus on risk taking, adaptability and collaboration

This combined with the increased demand within higher education to support career readiness for students led to a revision of both the  and the adoption of a new general education program. In 2026, we will initiate the new program of study, which sunsets our traditional humanities, sciences, mathematics and art history model and launches a framework of . Applied Creative Practice courses are scaffolded over 4 years and expose students to concepts, scholarship and tactical skills in business, management, entrepreneurship, arts administration and venture development alongside a wider examination of creative and cultural citizenship in a changing world.

All of this is done with a focus on collaborative and project-based learning.
* Knowledge of theoretical frameworks, critical perspectives, professional standards and foundational business practices within arts, design and associated creative sectors
* Broad world view including, theoretical and/or applied work in artistic economies, cultural organization leadership or cultural policy
* Teaching experience in applied creative practice topics such as:  + Strategy, systems thinking  + Creative Venture development + Entrepreneurship  + Branding, Marketing and Social Media  + Arts administration and cultural leadership  + Creative Project Management  + AI or LLM ethics or practices within the creative industries  + Cultural Policy
* Applicants will have relevant academic degree and field/work/applied experience in at least one of the above areas of knowledge as it pertains to professional applications for artists and designers across creative sectors.
* Applicants will be comfortable with using technology used in a classroom setting.
* Applicants will be able to demonstrate pedagogical knowledge of their subject area and have previous experience teaching at the collegiate…