Assistant Vice Provost For Faculty Affairs And Innovation

Commonwealth Of Virginia; Chesterfield; On-site; GBP 105,000 - 128,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Optional Retirement Plan (ORP)

Virginia Retirement System (VRS)

403(b) Plan

Employee Assistance Program

Paid annual and sick leave

Paid state and federal holidays

Employer-paid life insurance

Flexible Spending Accounts

Public Service Loan Forgiveness

Job summary

Virginia State University seeks an Assistant Vice Provost for Faculty Affairs and Innovation to guide faculty development, scholarly productivity, and external academic relations. Reporting to the Senior Vice President and Provost, the AVP will help shape strategic priorities across Academic Affairs and lead university‑wide programs addressing mentoring, professional advancement, and engagement.

The role coordinates mentoring, professional development, and the review of academic agreements,

Qualifications

• Strong analytical, organizational, and problem-solving skills.
• Excellent oral and written communication abilities.
• Proven ability to collaborate across academic units and with external partners.
• Strategic thinking and leadership in higher education settings.
• Commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion in academic environments.

Responsibilities

• Provide senior leadership for faculty development, scholarly productivity, and academic leadership initiatives.
• Coordinate mentoring and professional-development programs for faculty and department chairs.
• Review and advise on memoranda, contracts, and academic program proposals.
• Develop external academic relations through partnerships with colleges, governments, and industry.
• Lead grant development and external funding initiatives for academic programs.

Skills

Analytical skills

Organizational skills

Problem-solving

Communication (oral and written)

Cross-unit collaboration

Leadership

Strategic thinking

Diversity, equity, and inclusion

External engagement

Job description

The Assistant Vice Provost for Faculty Affairs provides senior-level leadership for university-wide initiatives that strengthen faculty development, scholarly productivity, academic leadership, mentoring, professional advancement, engagement, and external academic relations. Reporting to the Senior Vice President and Provost, the Assistant Vice Provost serves as a member of the Provost’s leadership team and contributes to the development and execution of strategic priorities across Academic Affairs.
The position develops and leads programs that expand faculty capacity in teaching, research, grant writing, scholarly communication, mentorship, service, and academic leadership. The Assistant Vice Provost provides faculty with guidance related to research planning, scholarly productivity, professional portfolio development, promotion and tenure preparation, and long-term career advancement.
The Assistant Vice Provost also supports the Senior Vice President and Provost through the development of faculty-focused academic communications, executive briefing materials, guidance documents, and initiatives that strengthen communication across the academic enterprise. The position coordinates mentoring and professional-development programs, provides leadership training and support for department chairpersons, and assists with the review and resolution of escalated student academic issues and complaints involving instructional or departmental matters.
The position provides substantive academic review of proposed memoranda of understanding, memoranda of agreement, contracts, academic partnerships, and academic program proposals. This review focuses on academic purpose, programmatic alignment, faculty and student implications, institutional commitments, and consistency with the University’s mission and academic priorities.
The Assistant Vice Provost also advances external engagement and academic relations through partnerships with colleges and universities, professional associations, academic consortia, foundations, governmental entities, industry partners, community organizations, and other external stakeholders. These relationships support faculty development, collaborative research, academic programming, grant development, and the University’s broader academic profile.
Working collaboratively with deans, department chairpersons, faculty governance bodies, Research and Economic Development, Sponsored Programs, Institutional Advancement, Institutional Effectiveness and Accreditation, Student Affairs, and other university partners, the Assistant Vice Provost promotes faculty excellence and a responsive, collaborative academic culture.

Primary Areas of Responsibility

• Provost Leadership and Strategic Academic Initiatives
• Grant writing and External Funding Development
• Faculty-focused Academic Communications
• Faculty Development, Training, and Mentoring
• Research Advisement and Professional Portfolio Preparation
• Department Chairperson and Academic Leadership Development
• Student Academic Issues and Complaints
• Academic Agreements, Contracts, and Program Proposal Review
• External Engagement and Academic Relations
• Faculty Engagement, Recognition, and collaborative Partnerships

Leadership Expectations

The Assistant Vice Provost for Faculty Affairs is expected to demonstrate strategic thinking, scholarly credibility, sound judgment, discretion, collaborative leadership, and a strong understanding of faculty development and academic culture. As a member of the Provost’s leadership team, the individual must contribute meaningfully to academic planning and executive decision-making while effectively representing faculty-development, academic-leadership, and external-engagement priorities.

The Assistant Vice Provost must be able to develop trusted relationships with faculty, department chairpersons, deans, university leaders, and external partners; communicate complex academic matters clearly; facilitate constructive dialogue; and move strategic initiatives from concept through implementation.

The position requires demonstrated capacity in program development, grant writing, faculty mentoring, professional development, academic communications, research advisement, professional portfolio preparation, academic leadership training, academic partnership development, external engagement, review of academic agreements and program proposals, and consideration of complex student academic concerns.

The Assistant Vice Provost will perform other related responsibilities and strategic assignments as directed by the Senior Vice President and Provost.

*Virginia State University requires that faculty be appropriately credentialed to teach assigned courses at the undergraduate and graduate levels. VSU demonstrates compliance with its Faculty Credentialing Policy #2301 for all applicable education, experience, licensure and certification requirements in the selection and hiring of its faculty.

Minimum Qualifications

Broad understanding of academic administration, including the roles and responsibilities of academic functions such as shared governance, student success, articulation agreements, graduate and undergraduate studies, research oversight, and academic support units (e.g., libraries).

Familiarity with the responsibilities and working relationships of academic leadership, including chairs, deans, coordinators, and directors.

Knowledge of contemporary issues and trends in higher education.

Demonstrated ability to collaborate successfully across academic units and/or institutions.

Skill in establishing and maintaining effective working relationships with diverse constituencies, including faculty, administrators, staff, students, state officials, and accrediting agencies.

Ability to communicate and work effectively with individuals and groups from diverse backgrounds, perspectives, and affiliations in a team-oriented environment.

Strong analytical, organizational, and problem-solving skills.

Excellent oral and written communication skills.

Demonstrated ability to work successfully with external funding agencies, academic partnerships, or sponsored programs.

Knowledge of university and state-level policies, procedures, and regulatory expectations.

Additional Considerations

Preferred Qualifications: Understanding land-grant universities like VSU, including their complexities, culture, structure, and processes, with a proven ability to work effectively across different units.

Experience collaborating with multiple stakeholders and unit leaders to achieve goals.

Prior success in securing external grant support related to academic innovation and collaboration.

Demonstrated creative leadership in addressing emergent issues in higher education, with a preference for experience at Minority-Serving Institutions (MSIs) and Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs).

Experience with faculty and staff professional development.

Effective written and verbal communication skills.

Demonstrated capacity to lead in a collaborative environment while maintaining confidentiality.

A commitment to foster diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives.

You will be provided a confirmation of receipt when your application and/or résumé is submitted successfully. Please refer to “Your Application” in your account to check the status of your application for this position.

Virginia State University is committed to providing equal employment opportunities for all persons and applicants, without regard to age, color, disability, gender, national origin, political affiliation, genetic information, race, religion, sexual orientation, sex (including pregnancy) or veteran status. VSU encourages and invites minorities, women, individuals with disabilities, and veterans to apply.
AmeriCorps, Peace Corps, and other national service alumni are encouraged to apply.

Contact Information

Phone: [phone]

Email:

In support of the Commonwealth’s commitment to inclusion, we are encouraging individuals with disabilities to apply through the Commonwealth Alternative Hiring Process. To be considered for this opportunity, applicants will need to provide their AHP Letter (formerly COD) provided by the Department for Aging & Rehabilitative Services (DARS), or the Department for the Blind & Vision Impaired (DBVI). Service-Connected Veterans are encouraged to answer Veteran status questions and submit their disability documentation, if applicable, to DARS/DBVI to get their AHP Letter.

• Optional Retirement Plan (ORP)
  Immediate vesting | Portable | Investment choice
• Virginia Retirement System (VRS)
  Defined benefit pension | Lifetime monthly income
• 457 Deferred Compensation Plan (DCP)
• 403(b) (TIAA)
• Employee Assistance Program
• Paid annual and sick leave
• Paid state and federal holidays
• Employer-paid life insurance
• Flexible Spending Accounts
• Public Service Loan Forgiveness eligibility

Assistant Vice Provost for Faculty Affairs and Innovation • Chesterfield