Assistant Director for Health Promotion

Virginia Commonwealth University; Richmond (VA); On-site; USD 65,000 - 67,000; Full time

Job summary

Virginia Commonwealth University, Division of Student Affairs, Recreation and Well-Being, seeks an Assistant Director for Health Promotion to lead the Health Promotion Program. This role manages staff, oversees program development, risk management, and assessment in alignment with the university’s mission to foster student well-being, engagement, and success.

This full-time, twelve-month position offers opportunities for leadership, collaboration with campus partners, and the chance to influence

Qualifications

• Master’s degree in public health, health promotion, college student counseling, higher education, or related field with 3–5 years of relevant experience.
• Experience developing, implementing, and evaluating evidence-informed health promotion programs (alcohol, mental health, sexual health, physical health).
• Experience using motivational interviewing or evidence-based techniques to support behavior change.
• Understanding of health communication, social marketing, and social norms approaches.
• Administrative skills in planning, budgeting, long-range and project management, organizational strategic planning, and risk management.
• Experience working with diverse populations in a university setting and showcasing professional conduct.

Responsibilities

• Provide leadership to the health promotion team, supervising full-time staff and students.
• Oversee program management, evaluation, and risk management for health initiatives.
• Develop department and program-specific strategic plans, goals, and measurable outcomes.
• Collaborate with campus partners to integrate programs into learning environments and promote student well-being.

Education

Master’s Degree in public health, health promotion, college student counseling, higher education, or related field

Job description

VIRGINIA COMMONWEALTH UNIVERSITY

DIVISION OF STUDENT AFFAIRS

RECREATION AND WELL-BEING

ASSISTANT DIRECTOR FOR HEALTH PROMOTION

The Assistant Director for Health Promotion is responsible for themanagement and administration of the Health Promotion Program inalignment with the mission of RecWell to advance student success byempowering the VCU community to prioritize well-being, connect withothers, and learn through play. The responsibilities encompass awide variety of administrative duties including financial,personnel, and program management; policy development; riskmanagement; assessment; and student staff development. Thisposition reports to the Senior Associate Director for Programs& Assessment.

Responsibilities Include:

Personnel Management

• Provide leadership to the health promotion team, including directsupervision of two full-time Health Promotion Specialists, andhourly/student staff or interns as applicable.
• Effectively communicate departmental, Division, and Universitymission, vision, values, and goals to staff and work with teams toalign programmatic initiatives with strategic priorities.
• Effectively prepare staff to identify risks and make criticallysound decisions that uphold the department’s shared values.
• Support the training and development of direct reports byestablishing individual goals and development opportunities,routinely providing feedback on performance and identifyingspecific areas for continued growth.
• Ensure compliance with all departmental and University guidelinesand policies.

Program Management

• Lead the ongoing planning, implementation, and evaluation ofinclusive, accessible, and welcoming programs that minimize riskwhile focusing on fun and positive experiences forparticipants.
• Participate in the development of department and program areaspecific strategic plans, goals, and measurable outcomes to guideand evaluate all activities.
• Foster programmatic growth by encouraging collaborative efforts,supporting student learning, and identifying emerging trends inprogrammatic areas.
• Work with team members to assess and report strategicoutcomes.
• Facilitate collaboration with key stakeholders to develop acomprehensive, multidisciplinary approach to programs thataddresses key recreation and well-being issues, such as belongingand connectedness that provide multiple points of entry forparticipation by prioritizing introductory programs and servicesfor new students.
• Work with key stakeholders to integrate programs into academicand other learning environments, potentially instructing courses inpartnership with academic departments.
• Work through the established channels to engage in dynamic andpurposeful marketing and promotion of programs through thecollaborative development of digital, print, social, and othermedia.
• Work with others to develop innovative models that removebarriers to student engagement while ensuring the long-termsustainability of programs.
• Ensure the creation, revision, and implementation of standardoperating procedures for health promotion in adherence withestablished University and departmental guidelines.
• Provide guidance in the development and implementation of aneffective risk management plan for all areas of oversight, ensuringcompliance with department and university guidelines andappropriate follow-up on critical incidents.

Administrative

• Serve as a member of the department’s leadership team,contributing to long-range strategic planning, facility planning,budget development, and student learning.
• Collaborate with campus partners within the Division of StudentAffairs and across the university to develop and implement programsand events that contribute to student success.
• Provide responsible and ethical management of resources withindesignated program area(s), including developing, managing, and reconciling program budgets and setting revenue projections for allprogramming areas.
• Investigate new and emerging trends and explore opportunities forgrowth within recreation and well-being programming.
• Maintain professional skill sets and certifications asappropriate for job responsibilities and as a professional.
• Actively contribute to shared knowledge in this growing field byparticipating in professional organizations.
• Participate in Division and University-wide events and committeesas needed.
• Serve as part of the onsite/on-call team, providing regularevening and weekend supervisory support.
• Other duties as assigned.

Core Competencies:

• Accountability/Integrity - Accountable for measurablehigh-quality, timely and cost-effective results and displays astrong commitment to organizational success and delivering onindividual responsibilities as a university citizen.
• Achievement/Development - Commitment to the pursuit ofexcellence, high achievement and ongoing professional developmentby proactively seeking opportunities to develop new capabilities,skills, and knowledge.
• Collaboration - Ability to work collaboratively within and acrossdepartments to achieve shared goals.
• Broad Perspectives - Demonstrates an open-minded approach tounderstanding people from all backgrounds, identities, abilities,perspectives and experiences, and effectively works with and treatsall people fairly and consistently, with dignity and respect.
• Innovation - Applies creative problem-solving skills to work todevelop solutions to problems and demonstrates the value in takingresponsible risks and learning from mistakes.
• Service Excellence - Demonstrates a commitment to the highestquality service to internal and external communities and ensuresthat actions are aligned with University objectives, practices andcore values.
• Leading Others - Demonstrates the ability to lead people towardmeeting/exceeding the department’s and University’s vision,mission, and goals, while providing an inclusive workplace thatfosters the development of others, facilitates cooperation andteamwork, and supports constructive resolution of conflicts.

POSITION:

This position is a full-time twelve-monthUniversity and Academic Professional position

SALARY:

The salary range for this position is$65,000-$67,000. Position includes full-time University andAcademic Professional benefits package.

Qualifications:

Minimum Qualifications Required:

• Master’s Degree in public health, health promotion, collegestudent counseling, higher education, or a related field and, and3-5 years of relevant professional experience or equivalentcombination of education, training, and experience, preferably in ahigher education setting.
• Experience developing, implementing, and evaluatingevidence-informed health promotion and primary prevention programs,especially in the areas of alcohol and other drugs, mental health,sexual health, and physical health.
• Demonstrated experience using motivational interviewing orevidence-based techniques to support individual behaviorchange.
• Demonstrated understanding of health communication, socialmarketing, and using a social norms approach to support behaviorchange.
• Demonstrated administrative skills and experience in: planning,implementing, and evaluating programs; budget development andfiscal/statistical management; long-range planning; projectmanagement; organizational strategic planning; and riskmanagement.
• Demonstrated experience working in and fostering an environmentof respect, professionalism and civility with a population offaculty, staff, and students from various backgrounds andexperiences, or a commitment to do so as a staff member atVCU.
• Excellent written, verbal, and interpersonal skills.
• Ability to work some evenings and weekends.
• Ability to respond to requests with a professional and positivedemeanor; the desire to create a positive and enthusiasticenvironment within DSA

Other Requirements:

• Position involves working some evening and weekend hours
• Position is located in a non-smoking work area

Preferred Qualifications:

• Experience in a university/college setting.
• Experience supervising full-time staff with demonstratedexperience in all aspects of personnel management and staffdevelopment.
• American Red Cross First Aid/CPR/AED certification.

Benefits:

All full-time university staff are eligible for VCU’s robust benefits package that includes comprehensive health benefits, paid annualand holiday leave, generous tuition benefits, retirement planningand savings options, tax-deferred annuity and cash match programs,employee discounts, well-being resources, abundant opportunitiesfor career development and advancement, and more.

FLSA Exemption Status:

Exempt

Hours per Week:

40

Restricted Position:

No

ORP Eligible:

Yes

Job Slotting:

35911Y - Administrator SS 1

Work Location:

Fully On-site

Contact Information:

Contact Name:

Trisha Saunders

Contact Email:

[e-mail]