Assistant Vice Provost for Faculty Affairs and Innovation

Commonwealth of VA Careers; Chesterfield Court House (VA); On-site; USD 120,000 - 130,000; Full time

Job summary

Virginia State University is seeking an Assistant Vice Provost for Faculty Affairs and Innovation to provide senior leadership for faculty development, scholarly productivity, and external academic relations. The role reports to the Provost and serves on the leadership team, guiding strategic priorities across Academic Affairs.

The position leads programs for teaching capacity, research planning, grant development, and professional advancement, while coordinating communications and mentoring

Qualifications

• Broad understanding of academic administration and governance.
• Experience collaborating across academic units and institutions.
• Strong analytical, organizational, and problem-solving skills.
• Excellent oral and written communication abilities.
• Knowledge of university and state-level policies and regulatory expectations.

Responsibilities

• Lead university-wide initiatives to strengthen faculty development and scholarly productivity.
• Develop programs for teaching, research, mentorship, and leadership development.
• Oversee external academic relations and partnerships with colleges, universities, and agencies.
• Coordinate mentoring, faculty communications, and executive briefing materials.
• Review academic agreements, contracts, and program proposals for alignment with mission.
• Support resolution of escalated student academic concerns and complaints.

Job description

\"Greater Happens HERE\"

Title: Assistant Vice Provost for Faculty Affairs and Innovation

State Role Title:Lecturer

Hiring Range: up to a MAX of $120,000.00 - $129,854.00, commensurate with Education and Experience

Pay Band: UG

Agency: Virginia State University

Location:Virginia State University

Agency Website:www.VSU.edu

Recruitment Type: General Public - G

Job Duties

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.

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.

Special Instructions

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.

Your application must include:
1. A current resume/c.v.
2. A letter of interest in your application
3. Three (3) letters of recommendation and
4. Transcripts (Official transcripts will be required before hire)
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

Name: Dominique M. Fisher

Phone: [phone]

Email: [e-mail]

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. Requesting an AHP Letter can be found at AHP Letter or by calling DARS at 800-552-5019.

Note: Applicants who received a Certificate of Disability from DARS or DBVI dated between April 1, 2022- February 29, 2024, can still use that COD as applicable documentation for the Alternative Hiring Process.