Superintendent/President

IMDiversity; Blythe (CA); On-site; USD 180,000 - 240,000; Full time

Job summary

Palo Verde Community College District in Blythe, CA seeks a Superintendent/President to provide strategic and operational leadership. You will champion enrollment growth, student success, workforce alignment, and community partnerships to advance PVC’s mission.

The president will oversee fiscal stewardship, governance, and campus leadership, guiding inclusive, student-centered initiatives across a rural service area.

Qualifications

• Evidence of responsiveness to diverse backgrounds of community college students as it relates to equity-minded practices.
• Master’s degree from a regionally accredited institution or equivalent.
• Five years of senior-level administrative experience in education with significant fiscal and programmatic oversight.

Responsibilities

• Provide strategic and daily operational responsibility for the District.
• Lead enrollment growth, student success, and long-term institutional sustainability.
• Expand academic, workforce, and career education opportunities.
• Engage with community, students, faculty, staff, and external stakeholders.

Skills

Visionary leadership

Effective communication

Participatory governance

Strategic enrollment

Fiscal stewardship

Team building

Partnership development

Innovation & adaptability

Data-driven decisions

Board relations

Education

Master’s degree (regionally accredited)

Doctorate (preferred)

Job description

Superintendent/President | Palo Verde Community College District – Blythe, CA

Type: Full-Time | Salary: Superintendent/President

Category: Presidents and Chancellors | Priority

Role of the President

The President has strategic and daily operational responsibility for the District. As the face and voice of the College, the President is an inspirational, transparent, and visionary leader, committed to building trust and addressing the following opportunities and challenges.

Academic Excellence and Enrollment

Enrolment Strategy, Student Success, and Institutional Sustainability: Assess and align college operations to implement strategies that increase enrollment, retention, completion, and long‑term institutional sustainability. Primary attention given to enrollment diversification, workforce‑responsive programming, correctional education partnerships, concurrent and dual enrollment, credit and non‑credit offerings, and serving both traditional and non‑traditional learners in two communities.

Expand Academic, Workforce, and Career Education Opportunities

Ensure the continued quality and growth of academic, transfer, career technical education, nursing, allied health, and workforce programs while adapting curriculum and delivery models to meet evolving community and employer needs. Continue to advance PVC's leadership role for incarcerated and formerly incarcerated students through the Rising Scholars Program and role in the Rising Scholars Network.

Community Engagement and Outreach

Strengthen trust across the District and throughout the region by positioning PVC as a valued educational, workforce, cultural, and economic development partner. Engage actively with students, employees, community members, and other internal and external stakeholders.

Economic Development and Workforce Alignment

Collaborate with local employers, economic development leaders, correctional education partners, and workforce agencies to align programs with current and emerging workforce needs while expanding opportunities for students and the communities served by the College.

Community Support and Rural Responsiveness

Understand the history, culture, opportunities, and challenges of the College's rural service area and demonstrate a commitment to serving diverse populations through accessible, student‑centered educational opportunities.

Government and Strategic Partnerships

Advocate for increased and sustained support from local, state, federal, and institutional partners while maintaining and strengthening key external relationships, including those that support enrollment and workforce development.

Fiscal Stewardship and Resource Development

Demonstrate strong fiscal leadership by aligning resources with institutional priorities, evaluating long‑term sustainability, pursuing grants and partnerships, and ensuring responsible stewardship of public funds.

Shared Governance

Foster a culture of transparency, accountability, communication, and shared governance that strengthens collaboration among students, faculty, staff, administrators, bargaining units, and the Board of Trustees.

Marketing and Visibility

Actively promote the College, increase its visibility, strengthen its reputation, and communicate a clear vision for Palo Verde College's future.

Characteristics and Skill Sets of the President

• Visionary and Courageous Leadership: Demonstrated ability to lead institutions through complex challenges, make difficult decisions when necessary, and establish a clear, student‑centered strategic direction.
• Mission-Driven Advocate: Passion for the community college mission, advocating for learner-centered initiatives and addressing unique challenges faced by disadvantaged populations throughout a large and rural service area.
• Effective and Transparent Communication: Exceptional communication and listening skills, maintain visibility throughout the College and community, foster trust through openness, accessibility, and transparency.
• Participatory Governance: Integrity, fairness, accountability, and commitment to participatory governance while respecting governance roles and institutional policies.
• Student Experience: Commitment to positive student experiences through student life and athletics with an emphasis on inclusivity and belonging.
• Strategic Enrollment and Student Success Expertise: Implement innovative strategies that support enrollment growth, retention, completion, workforce preparation, and educational access for diverse student populations.
• Fiscal Stewardship and Institutional Effectiveness: Strong financial acumen, accreditation awareness, and ability to align resources, planning, and assessment processes with institutional goals and long‑term sustainability.
• Resource Development: Build relationships to generate revenue from multiple sources through foundations, alumni, and fundraising initiatives.
• Team Building: Recruit, retain, develop, and support talented employees while fostering a culture of respect, accountability, collaboration, morale, and professional growth.
• Partnership Development: Create and strengthen strategic partnerships with business and industry partners to enhance economic impact, and Career Technical Education (CTE). Work closely with the Pre‑TK, TK‑12 school systems, and regional higher education partners to build educational pathways for PVC's students.
• Innovation, Technology, and Adaptability: Support innovative approaches to instruction, student services, operational effectiveness, and emerging technologies that enhance learning and institutional performance.
• Strategic and Effective Decision Making: Utilize data to inform and support strategic decisions with the senior administrative team, ensuring choices are evidence-based and aligned with institutional goals.
• Board and Governance Relations: Work effectively with an elected governing board while maintaining appropriate governance boundaries, professionalism, and institutional focus.
• Visible, Approachable, and Student-Centered Leadership: Maintain a strong campus presence, engage regularly with students and employees, create an environment where all constituent groups are valued, heard, and supported.
• Cultural Appreciation and Rural Community Engagement: Understand and appreciate the cultures, opportunities, and challenges facing rural community colleges and actively engage with the communities served by the College.
• Collaborative and Unifying Leadership: Authentic, approachable, and humble leader who will foster trust, unite diverse constituencies, and create a culture focused on student success and institutional excellence while committing to PVC and the community.

Minimum Qualifications

• All candidates must have evidence of responsiveness to and understanding of the diverse academic, socioeconomic, cultural, disability, gender, gender identity, sexual orientation, and ethnic backgrounds of community college students as these factors relate to the need for equity-minded practices.
• Earned master’s degree from a regionally accredited institution or equivalent.
• Five (5) years of senior‑level administrative experience in education, defined as an executive position reporting directly to a governing body or chief executive officer and being responsible for a broad operational segment of the organization with significant fiscal and programmatic oversight (e.g., academic affairs, student services, administrative services, college campus).

Preferred Qualifications

• Significant senior level administrative experience in higher education at a community college.
• Higher education teaching experience at a community college.
• Experience working with multiple collective bargaining units.
• Clear understanding of the importance of Participatory Governance, and demonstrates ability to effectively cultivate it.
• Experience in a Hispanic-Serving Institution (HSI).
• Demonstrated experience to effectively navigate the complex policy and regulations of the California community college environment or a comparable system.
• An earned doctorate from a regionally accredited institution.

Pursuant to Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972, Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, and amendments and other laws, orders, and regulations governing discrimination, Palo Verde College is an equal opportunity employer and does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, national and ethnic origin, handicap, sexual orientation, sex, or age.