Vice Provost

Midwestern University; Downers Grove (IL); On-site; USD 180,000 - 230,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Medical Insurance

Dental Insurance

Vision Insurance

Life Insurance

Disability Insurance

Tuition Reimbursement

Wellness Facility

401(k) Retirement Plan

Flexible Spending Accounts

Job summary

Midwestern University is seeking a Vice Provost for Campus Academic Operations to lead campus-based academic operations, ensuring strategic alignment, regulatory compliance, and strong student outcomes. The role works closely with deans, program leaders, and faculty across colleges to advance teaching excellence and clinical education.

Reporting to the Provost, this leader will drive operational excellence, plan resource deployment, and coordinate cross-campus initiatives while maintaining high

Qualifications

• Terminal degree from an accredited institution.
• Academic credentials appropriate for faculty appointment.
• Progressive senior leadership experience in higher education (Dean, Assistant/Associate Provost or other senior academic administrator).
• Experience in graduate health sciences or professional education environments.
• Demonstrated experience managing complex academic operations across multiple healthcare disciplines and/or campuses.
• Experience with accreditation, regulatory compliance, and academic quality processes.
• Strong organizational, problem-solving, and operational management skills.
• Proven ability to lead collaboratively across multiple stakeholders.
• Excellent communication and interpersonal skills.

Responsibilities

• Implement the Provost’s academic vision, policies, and strategic priorities at the campus level.
• Serve as the Provost’s on-site designee and representative for academic matters.
• Coordinate academic planning, scheduling, and resource deployment across colleges.
• Ensure consistency and alignment of standards, practices, and expectations.
• Collaborate with service departments to oversee daily academic operations, space utilization, instructional scheduling, and campus support functions.
• Align campus operations with institutional strategy and priorities.
• Identify and resolve operational bottlenecks affecting faculty, students, or programs.
• Lead continuous improvement initiatives to enhance efficiency, service, and student experience.
• Support crisis response and operational continuity planning.
• Partner with deans and program directors to facilitate cross-college collaboration.
• Support program launches, expansions, and curriculum implementation.
• Align campus operations with enrollment targets and clinical/experiential training capacity.
• Promote interprofessional education and shared campus initiatives.
• Coordinate campus preparation for accreditation and regulatory reviews.
• Ensure adherence to policies, accreditation standards, and state/federal requirements.
• Monitor academic quality metrics and support corrective action plans.
• Maintain documentation and reporting processes.
• Support colleges for faculty recruitment, onboarding, and development initiatives.
• Partner with colleges to promote faculty evaluation and workload practices.
• Partner with student services to strengthen retention, progression, and learning support.
• Foster a positive, inclusive, and collaborative campus culture.
• Track and report key performance indicators and use data to inform planning and resource allocation.
• Provide regular updates and recommendations to the Provost.

Skills

Operational excellence

Systems thinking

Relationship builder

Data-informed decision maker

Strong communicator

Education

Terminal degree

Academic credentials for faculty appointment

Experience in graduate health sciences or professional education

Job description

Position Summary

The Vice Provost for Campus Academic Operations serves as theProvost’s senior academic leader for campus-based operations and isresponsible for the effective implementation of academic strategy,policies, and priorities at the campus level. Acting as theProvost’s primary representative on site, the Vice Provost providesday-to-day leadership, coordination, and oversight of academicoperations across colleges and programs located on thecampus.

The Vice Provost supports the Provost’s Office to ensureoperational excellence, efficient campus functioning, and alignmentbetween the academic direction and institutional operationalstrategy.

The Vice Provost role ensures regulatory and accreditationcompliance, strong student outcomes, and alignment betweeninstitutional academic strategy and campus execution. Workingclosely with deans, program leaders, faculty, and administrativepartners, the Vice Provost facilitates college collaboration,addresses operational challenges, and advances a high-performingacademic culture that supports teaching excellence, clinicaleducation, and student success.

Primary Responsibilities

Campus Academic Leadership & Execution

• Implement the Provost’s academic vision, policies, andstrategic priorities at the campus level
• Serve as the Provost’s on-site designee and representative foracademic matters
• Coordinate academic planning, scheduling, and resourcedeployment across colleges
• Ensure consistency and alignment of standards, practices, andexpectations

Operational Oversight

• Collaborate with appropriate service departments to overseedaily academic operations, including space utilization,instructional scheduling, shared services, and campus academicsupport functions
• Align campus academic operations with institutional operationalstrategy and priorities
• Identify and resolve operational bottlenecks that affectfaculty, students, or programs
• Lead continuous improvement initiatives to enhance efficiency,service, and effectiveness in student experience
• Support crisis response and operational continuityplanning

College & Program Coordination

• Partner with deans and program directors to facilitatecollaboration across colleges
• Support program launches, expansions, and curriculumimplementation
• Align campus operations with enrollment targets andclinical/experiential training capacity
• Promote interprofessional education and shared campusinitiatives

Accreditation, Compliance & Quality Assurance

• Coordinate campus preparation for accreditation and regulatoryreviews
• Ensure adherence to institutional policies, accreditationstandards, and state/federal requirements
• Monitor academic quality metrics and support corrective actionplans
• Maintain documentation and reporting processes

Faculty & Student Support

• Support colleges for faculty recruitment, onboarding, anddevelopment initiatives
• Partner with colleges to promote effective faculty evaluationand workload practices
• Partner with student services to strengthen retention,progression, and learning support
• Foster a positive, inclusive, and collaborative campusculture

Data, Outcomes & Accountability

• Track and report key performance indicators, includingenrollment, progression, licensure/board outcomes, and operationalefficiency
• Use data to inform planning and resource allocation
• Provide regular updates and recommendations to the Provost

Financial & Resource Stewardship

• Assist in campus-level budget planning and resourcemanagement
• Ensure responsible use of facilities, personnel, andinstructional resources
• Support capital planning and academic infrastructure needs

Institutional Engagement

• Represent the campus in university committees and coordinatecross-campus initiatives
• Serve as liaison between campus stakeholders and centraladministration
• Strengthen relationships with clinical partners, communityorganizations, and external stakeholders as appropriate

Eligibility / Qualifications

Required

• Terminal degree from an accredited institution
• Academic credentials appropriate for faculty appointment
• Progressive senior leadership experience in higher education(Dean, Assistant/Associate Provost or other senior academicadministrator)
• Experience in graduate health sciences or professionaleducation environments
• Demonstrated experience managing complex academic operationsacross multiple healthcare disciplines and/or campuses
• Experience with accreditation, regulatory compliance, andacademic quality processes
• Strong organizational, problem-solving, and operationalmanagement skills
• Proven ability to lead collaboratively across multiplestakeholders
• Excellent communication and interpersonal skills

Core Competencies

• Operational excellence and execution focus
• Systems thinking and coordination across units
• Relationship builder and collaborator
• Data-informed decision maker
• Adaptable, pragmatic problem solver
• Strong communicator and trusted campus presence

Midwestern University is a private, not-for-profit organizationthat provides graduate and post-graduate education in the healthsciences. The University has two campuses, one in Downers Grove,Illinois, and the other in Glendale, Arizona. More than 6,000full-time students are enrolled in graduate programs in osteopathicmedicine, dentistry, pharmacy, physician assistant studies, physical therapy, occupational therapy, nurse anesthesia,cardiovascular perfusion, podiatry, optometry, clinical psychology,speech language pathology, biomedical sciences, and veterinarymedicine. Our faculty and staff members are dedicated to theeducation and development of our students in an environment thatencourages learning, respect for all members of the health careteam, service, interdisciplinary scholarly activity, and personalgrowth.

• We offer a comprehensive benefits package that includes medical, dental, and vision insurance plans as well as life insurance, short/long-term disability and pet insurance.
• We offer flexible spending accounts, including healthcare reimbursement and child/dependent care account.
• We offer a work-life balance with a competitive time off package including paid holidays, sick/flexdays, personal days, and vacation days.
• We offer a 403(b) retirement plan, tuition reimbursement, child care subsidy reimbursement program, identity theft protection, and an employee assistance program.
• Wellness is important to us, and we offer a wellness facility on-site with a fully equipped fitness facility.

Midwestern University is an Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Actionemployer that does not discriminate against an employee orapplicant based upon race; color; religion; creed; national originor ancestry; ethnicity; sex (including pregnancy); gender(including gender expressions, gender identity; and sexualorientation); marital status; age; disability; citizenship; past,current, or prospective service in the uniformed services; geneticinformation; or any other protected class, in accord with all federal, state and local laws and regulations. MidwesternUniversity complies with the Smoke-Free Arizona Act (A.R.S.36-601.01) and the Smoke Free Illinois Act (410 ILCS 82/).Midwestern University complies with the Illinois Equal Pay Act of2003 and Arizona Equal Pay Acts.

Equal Opportunity Employer/Protected Veterans/Individuals withDisabilities

This employer is required to notify all applicants of their rights pursuant to federal employment laws. For further information,please review the Know Your Rights notice from the Department of Labor.