Director for Strategic Initiatives

Office of Vice President for Campus Life

Brown University, Providence, RI

Reporting to the Vice President for Campus Life, the Director for Strategic Initiatives serves on the senior leadership team for a large division comprised of 17 departments and centers providing a broad range of student-centered programs and resources for undergraduate, graduate and medical school students and in many cases staff and faculty.  As a member of the senior leadership team, the director has a range of responsibilities related to institutional and divisional committees and working groups.  The  Director is responsible for strategic vision and planning related to key initiatives in the Division of Campus Life including, but not limited to leadership in coordinating division wide efforts to support students around major transitions especially building an excellent first and second year experience including Orientation, building a range of targeted professional growth opportunities for division staff at all levels and stages of career, and supporting and coordinating the expansion of division assessment efforts especially related to support for department-level strategic indicators,  the division Diversity and Inclusion Action Plan, and the division’s Strategic Plan.  This position will oversee the Assistant Director for Strategic Initiatives (formerly Assistant Director for Campus Life Projects).

Major Responsibilities:

Institution- and Division-level Leadership (20%)

The Director serves as key member of the senior leadership team and will serve on the Executive Committee of the University, coordinate and serve on the Campus Life Executive Group, and coordinate the agenda and materials (in collaboration with the chair and vice chair) for the Campus Life Committee of the Corporation.  The Director also will convene two new groups - a division advisory group for entry- and mid-level staff to enhance staff support, communication, and retention efforts and a student advisory group for the Office of the Vice President for Campus Life to provide feedback on reports and work related to strategic planning and other key initiatives.  The Director will contribute to the senior leadership team’s efforts to imbed equity and justice in every aspect of the division’s work.  The Director is expected to be visible and accessible to colleagues and students as a member of the senior leadership team of the division.  The Director will supervise the Assistant Director for Strategic Initiatives (formerly the Assistant Director for Campus Life Initiatives).

Division Leadership on Professional Growth Opportunities for Staff (30%)

The Director will collaborate with division leadership to identify the professional growth needs of the division and develop ongoing and sustainable strategic vision and plan to meet the needs. These efforts should increase staff capacity to support students helping both students and staff thrive at the University, and drive equity-based retention strategies to empower the division to develop and retain talented staff.  The work will address all levels of staff including entry-, mid-, and director-level staff as well as key areas of work like searching and hiring, onboarding, supervision and mentoring, strategic visioning and planning, strategic budget and resource management, assessing learning outcomes, etc.  The Director will oversee and create future vision and direction for the division’s professional growth resources including the Campus Life Fellowship, Social Justice Conference, and Campus Life Professional Development Grants.  The Director will be a collaborative partner for external partners including, but not limited to University Human Resources and Office of Institutional Equity and Diversity.

Leadership on Student Transitions (30%)

The Director will coordinate division efforts to support key transitions in the student experience.  This includes a primary focus on and leadership around the development of an outstanding first and second year experience.  Central to this work will be leadership on Orientation in collaboration with numerous Division of Campus Life partners like Residential Life, Student Activities, and Health Promotion, and external partners like the Dean of the College and Office of the Provost.  The Director will take a leadership role developing and coordinating the Engaging Diversity program.  Over time, the Director will help lead the development of a junior and senior experience focused on the transition of students away from Brown. 

Leadership on Division-level Assessment Efforts (20%)

The Director will lead division-level assessment efforts by working the division partners to identify needs and the internal and external resources to address those needs moving forward.  The Director will coordinate and provide support related to department and program/process reviews keeping those reviews on the appropriate rotating schedule.  The Director also will provide support to AVPs and Directors on the implementation of recommendations generated by those reviews.  Working with the Vice President, the Director will help prepare update reports on the strategic indicators for the division’s Strategic Plan and Diversity and Inclusion Action Plan as well as participate in the reporting out of progress related to those plans to relevant constituency groups.

Job Qualifications:

• Master’s degree in a discipline related to higher education required; doctorate preferred.  
• Minimum 10 years of administrative experience in higher education
• Experience with identifying and addressing complex challenges, maximizing opportunities, and empowering operational excellence and organizational change consistent with the mission of the division and institution;
• Broad expertise with current best thinking and work in higher education with an awareness of emerging opportunities and challenges in higher education
• Proven track record as a consensus builder who can foster relationships and move collaborative projects and areas of work with clear goals and outcomes forward
• Proven track record support and advocacy for students and colleagues from diverse identities, histories, backgrounds, and experiences as well as the for building the capacity among colleagues to do this work.
• Experience with assessment - either qualitative or quantitative with a preference for experience with both – as either the primary deliverer of assessment efforts and or coordinator of external assessment resources
• Demonstrated experience in effective developmental supervision and mentoring of staff
• Track record of integrity, reasoned judgement, humility, adaptability, and the ability to make and explain challenging decisions

BACKGROUND CHECK: Criminal and education verification

To Apply, please use this link to directly view the position on Brown’s Career Site:

https://brown.wd5.myworkdayjobs.com/staff-careers-brown/job/20-Benevolent-Street/Director-for-Strategic-Initiatives_REQ152133

Brown University is committed to fostering a diverse and inclusive academic global community; as an EEO/AA employer, Brown considers applicants for employment without regard to, and does not discriminate on the basis of, gender, race, protected veteran status, disability, or any other legally protected status.

About Brown (Please visit our website and get to know us better at: www.brown.edu)

Located in historic Providence, Rhode Island and founded in 1764, Brown University is the seventh-oldest college in the United States. Brown is an independent, coeducational Ivy League institution comprising undergraduate and graduate programs, plus the Alpert Medical School, School of Public Health, School of Engineering, and the School of Professional Studies.

With its talented and motivated student body and accomplished faculty, Brown is a leading research university that maintains a particular commitment to exceptional undergraduate instruction. Brown’s vibrant, diverse campus community consists of about 4,500 staff and faculty, 6,200 undergraduates, 2,000 graduate students, 490 medical school students, more than 5,000 summer, visiting, and online students, and over 700 faculty members. Brown students come from all 50 states and more than 115 countries. Brown is frequently recognized for its global reach, many cultural events, numerous campus groups and activities, active community service programs, highly competitive athletics, and beautiful facilities located in a richly historic urban setting.

Brown offers competitive benefits such as a generous retirement plan and education programs; details are

available at: http://www.brown.edu/about/administration/human-resources/