Vice President for Operations & Strategy

Mohawk Valley Community College; Utica (IA); On-site; USD 144,000 - 176,000; Full time

Job summary

Mohawk Valley Community College seeks a Vice President for Operations & Strategy to serve as Chief Operations Officer. The role guides campus safety, facilities, IT, institutional research, and compliance, aligning operations with MVCC’s Strategic Framework and Annual Plan.

The VP partners with the President and Cabinet to advance organizational effectiveness, strategic priorities, and enterprise risk management, fostering a high-trust, collaborative culture across MVCC.

Qualifications

• Master’s degree from an accredited institution of higher education.
• Progressively responsible leadership experience with cross-functional collaboration and strategic execution.
• Experience in higher education, preferably at a community college or similar complex organization.

Responsibilities

• Engages with all members of the college and community in a welcoming, respectful, collaborative manner.
• Models strengths-based, emotionally intelligent leadership to foster an inclusive culture.
• Collaborates with College areas to create a positive work environment and vibrant student experience.
• Serves as a highly collaborative member of the President’s Cabinet contributing to shared leadership and cross-functional decision-making.
• Provides leadership to strengthen shared governance and inclusive decision-making with broad engagement.
• Leads development and alignment of major College plans including Emergency Response, IT, Institutional Effectiveness, and Strategic Framework.
• Coordinates institutional strategy and planning to align with Annual Plan and priorities, with data governance and continuous improvement.
• Recruits and retains a diverse, high-performing team across Facilities, IT, Institutional Research, Compliance, and Public Safety.
• Oversees performance management, professional development, and budgeting alignment with the President and CFO.
• Negotiates contracts and serves on Crisis Management Team for safety and risk mitigation.
• Represents the College in governance and with external partners to support mission and community impact.

Skills

Leadership

Cross-functional collaboration

Strategic execution

Organizational improvement

Education

Master’s degree

Doctoral degree

Job description

Vice President for Operations & Strategy

Location: Utica, NY
Job Type: Full-Time, 12-Month

Mohawk Valley Community College provides accessible, high-quality educational opportunities to meet the diverse needs of our students. We are the community’s college, committed to student success through partnerships, transfer and career pathways, and personal enrichment.
The College is looking for exceptional colleagues to join the MVCC community. We are currently seeking a Vice President for Operations & Strategy. As the College’s Chief Operations Officer, the Vice President provides emotionally intelligent, inclusive, and strengths-based leadership toadvance alignment across the College’s strategy, operations, and institutionaleffectiveness efforts. They will partner with the President and Cabinet to translate theCollege’s mission and Strategic Framework into coordinated, cross-functionalaction that meets the needs of students and the community.
This position works under the general directionof the President with line authority over key functions including, but notlimited to, campus safety, facilities, institutional research and compliance,and information technology, ensuring these functions operate as an integratedsystem in support of institutional priorities. The Vice President for Operations & Strategy exercises broad latitude andindependent judgment in guiding strategic priorities, fostering organizationaleffectiveness, and cultivating a high-trust, collaborative culture across theCollege. They will lead the coordination and execution of institutional strategy andplanning processes, and works closely with the President on enterprise riskmanagement and strategic partnerships.

Key responsibilities for this position include:

• Engages with all members of the college and the community as needed in a manner that is welcoming, kind, respectful, cooperative, and collaborative.
• Serves as a visible role model for the institution, advancing strengths-based, emotionally intelligent leadership that cultivates a high-performing, vibrant, and inclusive culture focused on organizational health, employee well-being, and shared accountability.
• Collaborates with all areas of the College to create the conditions for a positive work environment that ensures a meaningful, supportive, and vibrant student experience.
• Serves as a highly collaborative and fully engaged member of the President’s Cabinet, contributing to shared leadership, institutional problem-solving, and cross-functional decision-making across the College.
• Provides leadership to strengthen shared governance and inclusive decision-making processes, ensuring transparency, clarity, and broad institutional engagement in addressing College issues and priorities, and makes recommendations to the President as appropriate.
• Provides leadership for the development, implementation, and alignment of major College plans, including Emergency Response, Facilities Master Planning, Information Technology, Institutional Effectiveness, and the College’s Strategic Framework and Annual Plan.
• Leads the coordination and execution of institutional strategy and planning processes, ensuring alignment between the Strategic Framework, Annual Plan, and institutional priorities, supported by effective planning, reporting, and data governance systems. Partners closely with others to ensure that performance monitoring, data use, and continuous improvement processes support institutional learning and decision-making.
• Recruits, develops, and retains a highly qualified, collaborative, and inclusive team within areas of responsibility, including Facilities, Information Technology, Institutional Research and Compliance, and Public Safety.
• Oversees performance management and professional development, fostering a culture of trust, accountability, and continuous learning.
• Works closely with the President and Chief Financial Officer to ensure linkages between the Annual Plan for the College and the annual operating budget priorities.
• Negotiates contracts within areas of responsibility and reviews other contracts as assigned, providing recommendations to the President as appropriate.
• Serves as a member of the College’s Crisis Management Team and provides leadership in institutional readiness, safety, and risk mitigation efforts.
• Serves on College negotiating teams and coordinates with legal counsel on matters within areas of responsibility or as assigned by the President.
• Develops and maintains strong relationships with community, governmental, and regional partners to support the College’s mission and role as a driver of community vitality and economic mobility.
• Performs other duties as may be assigned by the President of the College.

Work Schedule: Monday - Friday, 8:30am - 4:30pm
Hours per week: 35

Qualifications:

Required Qualifications:

• Master’s degree from an accredited institution of higher education
• Demonstrated record of effective leadership in complex, multi-functional organizations, with the ability to lead across diverse teams and disciplines
• Progressively responsible leadership experience with demonstrated success in cross-functional collaboration, strategic execution, and organizational improvement
• Experience in higher education, preferably at a community college, or in a similarly complex, mission-driven organization

Preferred Qualifications:

• Doctoral degree
• Excellent communication and interpersonal skills, with the ability to build trust and engage effectively with diverse constituencies
• Demonstrated understanding of strategic planning, institutional effectiveness, and data-informed decision-making
• Demonstrated commitment to the mission, values, and role of community colleges as engines of access, equity, and economic mobility
• A collaborative, consensus-building leadership style that fosters trust, transparency, and shared accountability
• Experience with contract negotiation, labor relations, and/or complex stakeholder environments
• Demonstrated ability to work effectively in a diverse, inclusive environment and engage respectfully with individuals from a wide range of backgrounds

Additional Information:

• Applicants must be currently authorized to work in the United States on a full-time, permanent basis. VISA sponsorship is not available for this position.
• Offers of employment are contingent upon the successful completion of a background check.
  

We encourage applicants who meet the minimum qualifications and have transferable skills to apply. If you have related experience that may not align perfectly with the job description, we’d still like to hear from you.

To learn more about MVCC, our culture, and employee benefits, please visit: https://www.mvcc.edu/about/discover

Special Instructions to Applicants: Official academic transcripts required upon hire.

Salary: $160,000's

Mohawk Valley Community College is an Affiliation,Equal Opportunity Employer deeply committed to a community of excellence,equity, and diversity. MVCC maintains an inclusive learning environment inwhich students, faculty, administrators, staff, curriculum, social activities,governance, and all other aspects of campus life reflect a diverse,multi-cultural, and global worldview. We value the many similarities anddifferences among individuals and groups. We are committed to preparingstudents to understand, live among, appreciate, and work in a world made up ofpeople with different ethnic and racial backgrounds, military backgrounds,religious beliefs, socio-economic status, cultural traditions, differentabilities, sexual orientations and gender identities. All qualified applicantswill receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color,religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, veteran statusor on the basis of disability.