Vice President of Instruction and Student Services

Luna Community College; Las Vegas (NM); On-site; USD 90,000 - 110,000; Full time

Job summary

Luna Community College seeks a Vice President of Instruction and Student Services to lead all instructional programs and student services, aligning academic offerings with workforce needs and community expectations.

The role emphasizes data-informed decision making, accreditation readiness, and strategic partnerships to boost enrollment, retention, and completion while prioritizing student success and equity.

Qualifications

• Master's degree in an academic discipline, higher education administration, workforce development, or a related field.
• At least five (5) years of progressively responsible leadership experience in academic administration, student services, workforce development, continuing education, or related areas within higher education.
• Demonstrated experience in fiscal management, budget development, and resource allocation.

Responsibilities

• Provides strategic leadership for all instructional programs, including academic, workforce, professional credit, continuing education, and community education programs.
• Oversees budgets and allocates resources across all areas of responsibility to support mission alignment, student success, and long-term financial sustainability.
• Leads collaboration with academic directors, faculty, workforce staff, and student services leaders to ensure Luna offers the right mix of programs.
• Partners with assessment and accreditation leadership to drive regular program reviews and continuous improvement.
• Supports program development, scheduling improvements, and new pathways to advance instructional quality and student success.
• Advances enrollment, retention, completion, and student success through cross-functional collaboration.
• Develops and sustains partnerships with employers, districts, transfer institutions, and community organizations.

Skills

Strategic leadership

Higher education knowledge

Data-driven decision making

Stakeholder collaboration

Budgeting and financial planning

Change management

Organizational development

Communication skills

Problem solving

Education

Master's degree in higher education administration or related field

Doctoral degree preferred

Job description

Compensation $100,000.00 negotiable based on experience.

Compensation $100,000.00 negotiable based on experience.

Compensation Type Exempt

Employment Type Regular

Scheduled Weekly Hours 40

Grade E15

Department Executive Team

Position Summary The Vice President of Instruction and Student Services (VPISS) provides strategic, collaborative leadership for all instructional programs and student support services, including academic and workforce programs, professional credit, continuing education, community education, and grant‑funded initiatives. The VPISS ensures that Luna offers the right mix of programs to meet student, employer, transfer, and community needs, while advancing academic quality, enrollment growth, student retention, and completion, workforce alignment, and integrated student success. The VPISS fosters a culture of student‑centered leadership, transparency, collaboration, evidence‑based decision‑making, and constructive change that moves the college forward in ways that honor Luna’s mission, communities, and future direction.

Duties & Responsibilities

• Provides strategic leadership for all instructional programs, including academic, workforce, professional credit, continuing education, and community education programs.
• Provides leadership for the development, evaluation, revitalization, and continuous improvement of academic and workforce programs, including professional credit, continuing education, and community education.
• Oversees budgets and allocates resources across all areas of responsibility to support mission alignment, student success, and long‑term financial sustainability.
• Works collaboratively with academic directors, faculty, workforce staff, and student services leaders to ensure Luna offers the right mix of programs to meet the needs of students, employers, transfer institutions, and the communities served by the College.
• Collaborates with the Director of Assessment/Accreditation Liaison Officer to lead a regular, data‑informed program review and program vitality process that evaluates enrollment, student outcomes, workforce demand, transfer pathways, costs, facilities, and long‑term sustainability.
• Partners with the Director of Assessment/Accreditation Liaison Officer to advance institutional assessment, accreditation readiness, program review, and continuous improvement.
• Ensures that academic directors, faculty, workforce staff, and student services leaders actively participate in assessment, program review, accreditation‑related documentation, and continuous improvement processes.
• Supports academic directors in strengthening curriculum, improving scheduling, developing new pathways, and advancing instructional quality and student success.
• Builds leadership capacity among academic directors and other direct reports by providing clear expectations, coaching, accountability, professional development, and support for collaborative problem‑solving.
• Leads the integration of instruction and student support services to ensure holistic student success.
• Supervises the Associate Vice President of Student Services, who oversees recruitment, admissions, dual credit, financial aid, academic support services, and student life programs.
• Advances enrollment, retention, completion, and student success through collaboration across instructional and student services functions.
• Fosters a culture of transparency, collaboration, shared responsibility, and professional growth within instructional services and between instructional services, student services, and other areas of the College.
• Develops and sustains strategic partnerships with employers, school districts, transfer institutions, workforce agencies, community organizations, tribal partners, regional partners, and other stakeholders to strengthen educational and workforce opportunities.
• Oversees the Learning Resource Center/Library and Bookstore/Café operations.
• Uses data, institutional priorities, accreditation standards, budget realities, and community input to guide academic and student services decision‑making.
• Ensures instruction and student services compliance with all internal and external policies and regulations.
• Ensures comprehensive student development and support while prioritizing the well‑being, belonging, academic advancement, and long‑term success of all students.
• Performs other duties as assigned.

Knowledge, Skills, And Abilities

• Demonstrated ability to provide strategic, collaborative leadership in a complex higher education environment while fostering innovation, accountability, and continuous improvement.
• Strong understanding of the mission, operations, and student‑centered philosophy of community colleges, including instruction, workforce development, student services, enrollment management, and the integration of academic and student support functions.
• Ability to lead organizational planning, change management, and continuous improvement across multiple functional areas.
• Ability to build leadership capacity through coaching, mentoring, delegation, and professional development while promoting a culture of trust, collaboration, and shared responsibility.
• Knowledge of budgeting, resource allocation, grant development and administration, and long‑range financial planning.
• Ability to use institutional data, assessment results, workforce trends, fiscal information, and student outcomes to guide strategic planning and decision‑making.
• Knowledge of accreditation standards, institutional effectiveness, assessment, program review, and continuous quality improvement processes.
• Excellent interpersonal, written, and verbal communication skills with the ability to build productive relationships with faculty, staff, students, governing boards, employers, community partners, and external agencies.
• Ability to lead organizational change, manage multiple priorities, resolve complex issues, and achieve institutional goals in a dynamic environment.
• Knowledge of federal and state regulations, higher education policies, and workforce training requirements applicable to instructional and student services operations.
• Commitment to student success, equity of opportunity, employee development, and the mission of an open‑access community college.

Work Environment and Physical Factors

• This is an in‑person position.
• Office environment with frequent student, faculty, and staff interactions.
• Requires occasional evening and weekend work for student events and initiatives.
• Some travel required for outreach, partnership development, and professional conferences.
• Exerting up to 10 pounds of force occasionally and/or negligible amount of force frequently or constantly to lift, carry, push, pull or otherwise move objects, including the human body. Sits most of the time.
• The worker is required to have close visual acuity to perform an activity such as: preparing and analyzing data and figures; transcribing; viewing a computer terminal; extensive reading and visual inspection.
• The worker is not substantially exposed to adverse environmental conditions.

Minimum Qualifications

• Master's degree from an accredited institution in an academic discipline, higher education administration, workforce development, or a related field.
• At least five (5) years of progressively responsible leadership experience in academic administration, student services, workforce development, continuing education, or related areas within higher education.
• Demonstrated experience in fiscal management, budget development, and resource allocation.

Preferred Qualifications

• Doctoral degree preferred. Candidates who do not possess a doctoral degree must be willing to pursue doctoral study within a timeframe established in consultation with the President.
• Experience with community colleges, technical colleges, or workforce training institutions.
• Experience managing grants or alternative funding sources to support institutional priorities.

Start date is expected to be in January 2027.

EEO STATEMENT:

LCC is an equal opportunity employer.