AVP, Student Experience and Success

Mount Royal University; Calgary; On-site; CAD 150,000 - 230,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Learning and training paid by employer

Paid vacation

Winter holiday closure

Personal days

Free recreation centre membership

Health and dental benefits

Job summary

Mount Royal University in Calgary, Alberta seeks an AVP, Student Experience and Success to lead a broad portfolio of student services and programs. The role partners with senior leadership to align initiatives with the university plan and to enhance student transitions, wellbeing and post-graduate success.

Reporting to the Vice-President, Students, the AVP directs operations across Student Learning, advising, residence, wellness, housing and related services while advancing gender-based violence

Qualifications

• Post-secondary senior leadership experience (Director level or above).
• Experience shaping student support programs and policy development.
• Strong collaboration with faculty, administration and external partners.

Responsibilities

• Provide strategic leadership for Student Affairs and related units.
• Oversee staffing, budget, and program delivery across student services.
• Align initiatives with university strategic plans and enrolment objectives.
• Advocate for student rights, wellbeing and inclusive excellence.

Skills

Strategic leadership

Stakeholder collaboration

Policy development

Data analytics

Education

Master’s or higher in Higher Ed Admin or related field

Doctorate or post-graduate credentials preferred

Job description

AVP, Student Experience and Success - (4056)

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Job Title

AVP, Student Experience and Success

Job Type

Permanent

Union

Management

Position Classification

Salary Grade

FT or PT

Full-time

Hybrid Work

This position is ineligible

Position End Date (if applicable)

Location

About this Position

About the Role

Reporting to the Vice-President, Students, the Associate Vice-President (AVP), Student Experience and Success is a senior member of the management team who works closely with the Vice-Presidents, Deans, Associate Deans, Academic Chairs as well as other senior management staff across the institution. The incumbent is responsible for directly overseeing a range of Student Affairs units, including Student Success and Learning (Student Learning Services and Academic Advising), Student Community Standards, Dating, Domestic and Sexualized Violence support, Career Services, Access and Inclusion Services, the Iniskim Centre, Wellness Services, Multi-Faith support, and Residence Services. The Associate Vice-President leads the development and implementation of seamless integrated services that facilitate students’ transitions to university and that engage and support students throughout their studies. The AVP also plays a critical role in ensuring effective institutional approaches to gender-based violence, human rights, student conduct and, most importantly, the overall student experience.

Alongside the Vice-President, the incumbent provides counsel, support and leadership in aligning Student Affairs programs and initiatives with the University Strategic Plan, the Students Division Strategic Plan, the Academic Plan, and major objectives established across the entire Students portfolio. The incumbent also plays a strong advocacy role for students’ rights and responsibilities, influences the campus’ approach to, and support of, student mental health, and contributes to the management of crises within and outside of Student Affairs.

The AVP, Student Experience and Success, provides strategic leadership and direction to enhance the holistic student journey—from matriculation through graduation and beyond. This role is responsible for creating an inclusive, engaging, and supportive environment that promotes student learning, well-being, persistence, and post-graduate success. The AVP leads efforts that connect academic and co-curricular life, ensuring that all students thrive and achieve their full potential.

Responsibilities

Personnel and Resource Management

• Provide management and support to department Directors across distinct, but interrelated, Student Affairs disciplines.
• Ensure that policies and associated appeals processes are applied equitably to students and faculty. The AVP also oversees and/or delegates all hiring and classification processes for relevant departments.
• Recommend staffing levels, establish performance levels, evaluate performance and create and update position descriptions appropriate for the positions needed to support the work of the Students Division. This could include limited term/flexible positions for project-specific work in addition to the management of full-time, continuing roles.
• Responsible for the entire life cycle of staff management, including the hiring of staff, conducting annual performance appraisal assessments for direct reports, engaging in development/coaching of employees, engaging in performance management and off boarding.
• Define projects, tasks, responsibilities, roles and the setting of priorities
• Ensure the development of staff skills and capabilities through mentoring, coaching and support of training and professional development opportunities.
• Maintain fiscally responsible leadership for the strategic management of constituent offices, including oversight of the annual operational budget, compliance with budget directives, variance and validation reporting, and fiscal year-end requirements.
• Ensure Student Affairs operations are in alignment with applicable collective agreements and University Policies.

Structural and Strategic Planning

• Anticipate and interpret future trends by drawing on experience and knowledge of best practices to make decisions, problem-solve, and align people and resources in increasingly challenging and complex situations.
• Define the future direction and organization of Student Affairs departments, teams and programs and apply this vision to institutional strategic planning processes, including the University Strategic Plan, the Students Division Strategic Plan, the Indigenous Strategic Plan, the Academic Plan, and the Strategic Enrolment Management Plan.
• Champion and lead Mount Royal’s desire to be recognized as a national leader in Student Affairs.
• Collaborate with faculties, other institutions, and government representatives to ensure Mount Royal University programs and services are compliant, and aligned, with institutional and provincial strategies, as well as best practices across Canada.
• Work closely with the Vice-President to identify and secure funding sources for the provision of existing and new student services, to establish and achieve Strategic Enrolment Management objectives, and to broadly support the academic mission of the institution.
• Represent the Students Division, as well as the University at large, on a variety of institutional, provincial and national committees, working groups and advisory boards.

Program and Policy Steering

• Lead and/or engage in iterative review cycles for institutional policies that directly impact the student experience, including the code of student community standards, the code of student academic integrity, the gender-based violence and misconduct prevention response policy, and the student accommodations policy.
• Analyze survey data and customized reports to assess program outcomes and to recommend improvements.
• Liaise with academic faculties and with key stakeholders, such as Legal Services and Security Services, to identify and address gaps in the provision of services and support to students.
• Develop, implement, monitor and assess programs and activities related to the student experience, student leadership, student transition and experiential learning, and student community standards.
  

Qualifications

• University Master’s Degree and/or relevant post-graduate studies in Higher Education Administration, Student Affairs, Counseling, Educational Leadership, or a related field.
• Doctorate or multiple post-graduate credentials preferred.
• 10 or more years of senior (Director-level or above) experience in post-secondary administration and service delivery within Student Affairs.
• Significant professional experience managing student conduct and gender-based violence cases, in supervising misconduct and sexualized violence response teams and in facilitating misconduct hearings, along with demonstrated leadership in the development, implementation and revision of associated policies and procedures.
• Experience with the development, implementation and evaluation of student support programs and initiatives, including transitional support programs for specialized student populations.
• Additional expertise in the fields of academic advising, student leadership and development, student experience, career development, community service learning, and student housing.
• Demonstrated skills and experience in conflict management.
• Proven record of designing and scaling student success programs with measurable outcomes.
• Experience working with diverse student populations, including first-generation, low-income, and underrepresented students.
• Experience in a complex, unionized post-secondary environment is an asset.
• Proven track record of strategic leadership in developing and implementing cross-institutional programs and services in collaboration with academic leaders.
• Demonstrated ability to effectively manage complex and conflicting priorities to meet firm deadlines.
• Ability to work collegially and cooperatively with a variety of internal and external clients.
• Capacity to work both independently and as part of a team; and exercise tact, sound judgment and professionalism.
• Strong commitment to high-quality service, including continuous process improvement.
• Ability to appropriately manage ambiguous situations.
• Ability to say "No" respectfully when the situation requires it.
• Excellent oral and written communication skills.
• Strong leadership and interpersonal skills.
• Professional development in leadership, supervision, project management and/or change management.
• Demonstrable commitment to mentoring and supporting all employees.
• Proven ability to manage conflict and to deescalate emotional situations.
• Visionary leadership with a deep commitment to student-centered practice and inclusive excellence.
• Strong interpersonal, collaboration, and team-building skills.
• Knowledge of best practices in retention, engagement, academic advising, and career development.
• Excellent communication and change management skills.
• Experience using data analytics and technology platforms (e.g., CRMs, student success tools) to inform strategy.

Create a Compelling Future: Leaders define the future and chart a path forward. They are adept at understanding and communicating context, factoring in the economic, social and political environment. Intellectually agile, they leverage their deep and broad knowledge, build on diverse ideas and perspectives and create consensus around compelling visions. Leaders balance organizational and government-wide priorities and improve outcomes for Mount Royal University.

Engage Today's Talent: Leaders inspire and motivate the people they lead. They manage performance, provide constructive and respectful feedback to encourage and enable performance excellence. They lead by example, setting goals that cascade throughout their teams and create a culture of accountability.

Make Things Happen: Leaders mobilize and manage resources to deliver on the priorities of the University, improve outcomes and add value. They consider context, risks and business intelligence to support high-quality and timely decisions. They anticipate, plan, monitor progress and adjust as needed. Leaders take personal responsibility for their actions and outcomes of their decisions.

Create an Impact: Leaders have the courage and resilience to challenge convention. They create an environment that supports bold thinking, experimentation and intelligent risk taking. They use setbacks as a valuable source of insight and learning. Leaders take change in stride, aligning and adjusting milestones and targets to maintain forward momentum.

Embody leadership presence: Leaders exemplify ethical practices, professionalism and personal integrity. They create respectful and trusting work environments where sound advice is valued. They encourage the expression of diverse opinions and perspectives, while fostering collegiality. Leaders are self-aware and seek out opportunities for personal growth.

About MRU

Founded in 1910 and located in Calgary, Alberta, Canada, Mount Royal University grew into a vibrant college in the 1930s and became a mid-sized university in 2009. A student-focused undergraduate university built on teaching excellence, Mount Royal University is known for our top-calibre programs, high-quality teaching and learning experience, robust delivery of liberal education, scholarly teaching, experiential learning and undergraduate research. MRU serves approximately 15,782 students, including 11,752 full-time and 4,030 part-time learners. MRU offers 13 bachelor's degrees encompassing 37 majors across faculties such as Arts, Business, Communications, Health, Community & Education, and Science & Technology. With over 74% of its student body drawn from the local area, Mount Royal University primarily serves Calgary and its surrounding region. MRU is a diverse yet close community with over 1,800 employees. Mount Royal provides employees the support they need to lead and advance institutional goals. Learn more about MRU's Academic Plan and Strategic Plan .

What We Offer

Talented and committed employees are the driving force behind student success. We strive to be an employer of choice among Canadian post-secondary institutions. At MRU, we recognize that people are a combination of many intersecting identities; we work to cultivate an environment that welcomes the whole person, and harnesses the strength that is available in our diversity, creating a rich and inclusive workplace.

Investing in the learning and development of our employees benefits the individual and the University. A variety of services, resources and programs encourage a healthy, productive workplace. MRU offers a competitive total compensation package including learning/training paid by employer, paid vacation, winter holiday closure, personal days and a free membership in our fully equipped recreation centre. Positions over six months may also be eligible for health and dental benefits, pension, health and personal spending accounts, and disability benefits.

Our campus offers the convenience of a full medical clinic, dentist and pharmacy, as well as a variety of wellness services such as physiotherapists and massage therapists. Campus Recreation offers many activities, including personal training, fitness classes, climbing, aquatics, sports, tournaments and certifications for students, employees and the public.