Academic Integrity Specialist

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INITIAL REVIEW DATE (IRD)

UC Santa Cruz jobs are posted until filled. All application materials submitted by 11:59 pm on the IRD will be routed to the hiring team for consideration. NOTE: Applicants who miss the IRD are still encouraged to apply; their materials will still be forwarded for consideration if requested by the hiring team. Application materials cannot be accepted outside of the jobs portal. Applications cannot be edited on an applicant's behalf. For more information about the IRD and the applicant review process, view this link.

The IRD for this job is: 11-18-2026

ABOUT UC SANTA CRUZ

UC Santa Cruz is a public university like no other in California, combining the experience of a small, liberal arts college with the depth and rigor of a major research university. It's known as an unconventional place where innovation and experimentation is part of the campus's DNA. That playful, bold spirit still thrives today, all on a campus renowned as among the most beautiful in the world.

DEPARTMENT OVERVIEW

Scout, from the University of California, delivers high-quality online courses that expand college access and academic success for middle and high school students. We offer A-G approved college preparatory and College Board-approved Advanced Placement (AP) courses online and curricula for students, teachers, schools and districts, especially those serving California's educationally underserved communities.

UC Scout is a division of the UC Santa Cruz Extension. While UC Scout's home campus is located at 3175 Bowers Avenue in Santa Clara, the UC Scout team is a full-remote team, with individuals making occasional visits to the campus as needed. UC Scout serves high school students, providing online high school courses for students and curricula for educators.

UC Scout's growing team comprises six departments: instructional design, media, academics, support, outreach, and business intelligence. The team consists of approximately 50 full-time staff and 70 part-time employees. UC Scout works closely with UCSC Extension support staff, including IT, finance, and the office of the Dean to support UC Scout's goals.

We are actively evolving the way we work by integrating AI tools into our daily workflows. We expect all team members to engage curiously and confidently with emerging technologies - exploring how AI can make their work smarter, faster, and more impactful. This is not a team where AI is optional or treated with apprehension; it is a team that sees it as a professional advantage and a core part of how we operate.

Learn more about our courses and services at www.ucscout.org

JOB SUMMARY

The Academic Integrity Specialist serves as UC Scout's primary subject matter expert on academic integrity policy, student identity verification, and integrity-related technology. The position approaches academic integrity as both a protective and a developmental function, safeguarding the credibility of UC Scout credit while helping students build the habits of authentic scholarship that will serve them in college, career, and life. The person in this role works to sustain a course culture in which original, honest work is the expected and supported norm.

The Specialist works within an academic integrity framework established by UC Scout leadership, applying it consistently across cases and exercising judgment that accounts for the age and developmental stage of the program's middle and high school students. Responses to academic dishonesty are expected to be proportionate to the violation, instructive wherever possible, and resolved at the lowest appropriate level.

The Academic Integrity Specialist is responsible for managing escalated academic integrity cases, including incidents involving repeated or egregious violations. In these cases, the Specialist conducts thorough, impartial investigations; meets with students and their families; and determines appropriate consequences on a case-by-case basis, in alignment with UC Scout policy. Given the position's regular direct contact with minors, the Specialist adheres to protocols for student meetings. The Specialist also determines when a case warrants referral to the Student Academic Review Committee, the program's final tier of review for the most serious violations. This work requires exceptional judgment, professional discretion, and the ability to facilitate difficult conversations with students, families, and staff with clarity and care. The Specialist may be asked to assist with other escalated student or family matters referred by the Academic Director, applying the same investigative and de-escalation skills.

The Specialist serves as the program's subject matter expert on identity verification and assessment security, and as the primary point of contact for proctoring, plagiarism detection, and related technology vendors. This includes evaluating emerging integrity technologies, monitoring for unauthorized distribution of UC Scout course content, and pursuing removal of protected course materials from third-party sites.

Beyond case management and operations, the Academic Integrity Specialist contributes meaningfully to the long-term health of UC Scout's academic environment. This includes developing and collaborating on integrity-focused training for UC Scout instructors; creating student-facing content and campaigns that make expectations clear and celebrate authentic learning and ethical AI use; collaborating with instructional design and academic staff to shape course and assessment practices that reduce opportunities for dishonesty; and keeping policy current as generative AI and student behavior continue to evolve.

APPOINTMENT INFORMATION

Budgeted Salary: $90,600 - $111,000/year. Salary commensurate with skills, qualifications and experience.
Under California law, the University of California, Santa Cruz is required to post a reasonable estimate of the compensation for this role. The salary shown above is the budgeted amount the University reasonably expects to pay and the salary extended should not exceed this posted amount.

Benefits Level Eligibility: Full benefits

Schedule Information:

• Full-time, Fixed
• Percentage of Time: 100%, 40 Hours per Week
• Days of the Week: Mon-Fri
• Shift Includes: Day

Employee Classification: Career appointment

Job End Date: None

Work Location: Remote

Union Representation: Non-Represented

Job Code Classification: 006116 (K TO 12 EDUCATOR 4) - Grade 23

Travel: Never or Rarely

JOB DUTIES

50% - Escalated Case Investigation and Resolution

• Receives and manages referrals for escalated academic integrity violations, including repeat offenses and egregious first-time incidents such as cheating in proctored exams or sustained dishonesty across a course.
• Conducts thorough, documented, impartial investigations, reviewing proctoring recordings, similarity reports, submission version histories, and related evidence to reach defensible findings.
• Meets with students and their families to review findings, communicate outcomes, and explain applicable policy and options.
• Applies consequences that are proportional to the severity and circumstances of the violation and appropriate to the student's age and developmental stage, in accordance with established UC Scout policy and case outcome history.
• Consults leadership on novel, ambiguous, or potentially precedent-setting cases rather than establishing individual practice, and applies resulting decisions consistently going forward.
• Works to resolve cases at the lowest appropriate level of escalation, reserving referral to the Student Academic Review Committee for cases that genuinely warrant final tier review.
• Maintains complete, confidential case records in UC Scout's student information system and ensures consistent, equitable application of policy across all cases.
• Monitors instructor incident logs and proctoring tracking records to enforce and confirm consistent implementation of the academic integrity policy across all instructional staff.
• Analyzes case data across terms to identify trends, recurring vulnerabilities, and systemic issues, and reports findings to leadership.

15% - Program Integrity Assurance and Special Projects

• Serves as UC Scout's subject matter expert on student identity verification, advising on the design, security, and continuous improvement of verification processes and resolving escalated or complex identity discrepancies referred by staff.
• Evaluates existing and proposed program processes for vulnerabilities that could compromise academic integrity, enrollment integrity, or assessment security, and recommends improvements.
• Partners with departments across UC Scout on the design and implementation of systems, tools, and workflows that affect academic and program integrity.
• Leads or contributes to special projects, pilots, and initiatives that advance UC Scout's academic integrity goals as program needs, technologies, and student behavior evolve.
• Represents UC Scout on academic integrity matters with campus offices, UC system contacts, and external partners as assigned.

15% - Integrity Technology and Vendor Management

• Serves as UC Scout's primary point of contact for academic integrity and proctoring technology vendors (e.g., Honorlock, Turnitin, Process Feedback, and other AI detection or plagiarism prevention tools).
• Manages vendor relationships, monitors platform performance and configuration, and coordinates troubleshooting and escalations with vendor support teams.
• Researches and evaluates emerging academic integrity technologies, including AI detection and assessment security tools, and makes recommendations for adoption, renewal, or discontinuation.
• Collaborates with the Instructional Design Tech Lead and IT to monitor emerging technology trends and ensure academic integrity tools remain aligned with UC Scout's broader technology roadmap and infrastructure.
• Communicates tool updates, configuration changes, and best practices to relevant stakeholders.

10% - Course IP Protection

• Monitors third-party websites and file sharing platforms for unauthorized distribution of UC Scout course content, assessments, and answer keys.
• Initiates and tracks takedown requests to remove protected UC Scout materials from third-party sites, coordinating with campus counsel on complex matters.
• Establishes a clear process for instructors to report suspected leaks or unauthorized sharing of course materials, and provides timely follow-up on reported incidents.
• Partners with instructors whose content has been compromised to assess exposure, determine whether affected materials need to be retired or revised, and implement replacement content as needed.

10% - Policy, Training, and Integrity Education

• Keeps UC Scout's academic integrity and student AI use policies current and relevant as educational technology and student behavior evolve.
• Partners with instructional design and academic staff to inform course and assessment design practices that proactively reduce opportunities for academic dishonesty.
• Develops integrity-focused training and onboarding for UC Scout's full-time instructors and part-time contract course facilitators, including guidance on recognizing and responding to first-tier integrity concerns appropriately, in partnership with the Assistant Academic Director.
• Develops, in partnership with the Learning Innovation department, and maintains student-facing content, campaigns, and resources that set clear expectations for proctoring and assessment, promote ethical AI use, and celebrate authentic learning.
• Monitors national trends and research in online academic integrity and brings forward recommendations and best practices to inform UC Scout's approach.

REQUIRED QUALIFICATIONS

• Bachelor's degree in related area and / or equivalent experience / training.
• Working knowledge of academic integrity principles and practices in secondary or higher education, including emerging challenges related to generative AI and online assessment.
• Demonstrated experience administering enterprise, compliance, or assessment technology platforms, including vendor coordination, configuration, and process documentation.
• Demonstrated growth mindset toward emerging technologies, with experience or willingness to explore and adopt AI-powered tools to enhance productivity, support data-driven decision-making, and drive continuous improvement in workflows and outcomes.
• Strong written communication skills, with demonstrated ability to produce clear case documentation, policy language, and correspondence that withstand review and appeal, and to manage a dynamic and confidential caseload to deadline.
• Demonstrated ability to conduct impartial investigations and reach defensible, evidence-based conclusions in ambiguous or contested situations, and to apply established institutional policy consistently and equitably, including in circumstances where the individual's personal judgment may differ from the applicable standard.
• Understanding of adolescent development and demonstrated ability to respond to academic dishonesty by minors in a manner that is proportionate, instructive, and oriented toward the student's continued learning.
• Ability to facilitate sensitive, high-stakes conversations virtually - and occasionally outside standard hours - with students, families, and staff with professionalism, empathy, and clarity, and to exercise restraint and sound judgment in high-emotion situations by de-escalating conflict and resolving matters at the lowest appropriate level.
• High degree of personal and professional integrity, with demonstrated respect for student privacy, confidentiality, and due process.

PREFERRED QUALIFICATIONS

• Experience in student conduct, academic integrity administration, test security, or a closely related compliance or student services function, preferably in an online learning environment.
• Experience teaching or working directly with secondary students in an online or blended setting.
• Experience administering proctoring, plagiarism detection, or identity verification systems, including platforms such as Honorlock or Turnitin, and working within a student information system.

SPECIAL CONDITIONS OF EMPLOYMENT

• Selected candidate will be required to pass a pre-employment criminal history background check.
• Selected candidate must pass the employment misconduct disclosure process.
• Must reside within the State of California.
• Ability to work long periods of time at a computer with or without accommodation.
• This is a fully remote position, and the selected candidate must be able to work successfully from a home/remote office and be able to fulfill the requirements of the UCSC telecommuting agreement.
• Ability to work occasional evenings and weekends as directed.
• Ability to travel nationally.
• Ability to maintain appearance and conduct suitable for working in a professional setting.
• Selected candidate will be required to complete training within established time frames as directed including UC compliance training.
• The University of California has implemented a Vaccination Policy covering all employees. Employees, including new hires, are required to comply with any applicable policies relating to the University of California vaccine program.
• Per the Child Abuse and Neglect Reporting Act (CANRA), this position has been identified as a Mandated Reporter. The selected candidate will be required to report known or suspected child abuse or neglect as defined by CANRA and will be required to sign a Statement Acknowledging Requirement to Report Child Abuse prior to commencing employment. CANRA Penal Codes, and related definitions, requirements, and responsibilities may be obtained here.
• Exercise the utmost discretion in managing sensitive information learned in the course of performing their duties. Sensitive information includes but is not limited to employee and student records, health and patient records, financial data, strategic plans, proprietary information, and any other sensitive or non-public information learned during the course and scope of employment. Understands that sensitive information should be shared on a limited basis and actively takes steps to limit access to sensitive information to individuals who have legitimate business need to know. Ensure that sensitive information is properly safeguarded. Follow all organizational policies and laws on data protection and privacy. This includes secure handling of physical and digital records and proper usage of IT systems to prevent data leaks. The unauthorized or improper disclosure of confidential work-related information obtained from any source on any work-related matter is a violation of these expectations.

MISCONDUCT DISCLOSURE REQUIREMENT

As a condition of employment, the final candidate who accepts a conditional offer of employment will be required to disclose if they have been subject to any final administrative or judicial decisions within the last seven years determining that they committed any misconduct; received notice of any allegations or are currently the subject of any administrative or disciplinary proceedings involving misconduct; have left a position after receiving notice of allegations or while under investigation in an administrative or disciplinary proceeding involving misconduct; or have filed an appeal of a finding of misconduct with a previous employer.

• "Misconduct" means any violation of the policies or laws governing conduct at the applicant's previous place of employment, including, but not limited to, violations of policies or laws prohibiting sexual harassment, sexual assault, or other forms of harassment, discrimination, dishonesty, or unethical conduct, as defined by the employer. For reference, below are UC's policies addressing some forms of misconduct:
  • UC Sexual Violence and Sexual Harassment Policy
  • UC Anti-Discrimination Policy
  • Abusive Conduct in the Workplace

SAFETY STATEMENT

All UCSC employees must understand and follow job safety procedures, attend required health and safety training, proactively promote safety at work, and promptly report actual and potential accidents and injuries.

NOTICE OF AVAILABILITY

EEO/AA

The University of California is an Equal Opportunity Employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability, age, protected veteran status or other protected categories covered by the UC Anti-Discrimination Policy.

It is the policy of the University of California to undertake affirmative action and anti-discrimination efforts, consistent with its obligations as a Federal and State contractor.