Vice Provost, Academic Affairs

Missouri Arts Council; Missouri; On-site; USD 180,000 - 195,000; Full time

Job summary

Webster University in Webster Groves, MO seeks a Vice Provost to lead academic programs, student pathways, and global academic innovation. Reporting to the Provost, the role shapes institution-wide strategies, partnerships with deans, and student success across multiple campuses.

The ideal candidate has 12–15+ years of senior higher-education leadership, strong data-informed decision making, and a track record in academic administration, governance, and strategic enrollment alignment.

Qualifications

• Extensive executive leadership in higher education.
• Experience guiding enrollment strategies and student success.
• Proven ability to manage academic portfolios institution-wide.

Responsibilities

• Provide executive oversight of academic programs, records, and graduation processes.
• Lead academic administration and institutional effectiveness initiatives.
• Serve as liaison to Strategic Enrollment Management and Deans.
• Advance global education, study abroad, and online learning.
• Develop senior leaders and ensure accountability across portfolios.

Skills

Strategic leadership

Data-informed decision-making

Executive communication

Cross-functional influence

Education

12–15+ years higher-education leadership

Experience with Deans and faculty partnerships

Global/multi-campus leadership experience

Doctorate preferred

Job description

The Vice Provost serves as a senior academic executive with institution-wide responsibility for academic programs, student pathways and success, academic administration, enrollment partnership, and global academic innovation. Reporting directly to the Provost, the Vice Provost leads complex academic portfolios and institution-wide initiatives, establishes priorities and accountability, and exercises delegated authority on behalf of the Provost, including serving as the Provost’s primary designee when unavailable.

As a senior advisor to the Provost, the Vice Provost partners with Deans, faculty, shared governance, Strategic Enrollment Management, and institutional leaders to advance academic strategy, new-student recruitment and enrollment growth, student success, institutional effectiveness, and innovation. The Vice Provost serves as the primary Academic Affairs executive liaison to Strategic Enrollment Management, ensuring strong alignment among academic programs, enrollment priorities, market demand, student pathways, and institutional capacity.

The role requires executive-level strategic thinking, academic and organizational leadership, change leadership, data-informed decision-making, agility, executive communication, cross-functional influence, and sound executive judgment within Webster’s global, multi-campus environment.

Areas of Executive Responsibility

• Academic Programs and General Education
• Registrar and Academic Records
• Transfer Pathways and Articulation
• Commencement
• Student Success, Academic Advising, and Academic Support
• Academic Affairs Partnership with Strategic Enrollment Management
• Global Education and Planning
• Study Abroad and WINS
• Faculty Development and Academic Innovation
• Academic Programs, Pathways & Student Success — 35%
• Provide executive leadership for academic programs, general education, academic pathways, advising, academic support, retention, and degree completion.
• Align academic offerings and pathways with student needs, new-student recruitment opportunities, enrollment demand, market conditions, academic quality, and institutional priorities.
• Serve as the senior Academic Affairs liaison and strategic partner to Strategic Enrollment Management, strengthening coordination among Enrollment Management, Deans, academic programs, faculty, and other academic stakeholders.
• Partner with Strategic Enrollment Management to support new-student recruitment, conversion, and enrollment growth by ensuring appropriate academic engagement in recruitment initiatives, prospective-student experiences, program promotion, and enrollment priorities.
• Use enrollment trends, market demand, student-interest data, and academic performance information in partnership with Strategic Enrollment Management to identify opportunities for program growth, new student pipelines, transfer pathways, and academic portfolio alignment.
• Engage Deans and other academic leaders in establishing appropriate shared accountability for enrollment outcomes, including academic participation in recruitment, conversion, and yield strategies.
• Advance transfer, articulation, academic policy, and student-success strategies that improve access, progression, retention, and degree completion.
• Establish measurable outcomes and accountability across assigned areas.
• Academic Administration & Institutional Effectiveness — 25%
• Provide executive oversight of the Registrar, academic records, registration, graduation, commencement, and related academic administrative functions.
• Ensure consistent application of academic policies and effective practices across schools, colleges, locations, and instructional modalities.
• Use academic, enrollment, student-success, operational, and financial data to strengthen institutional effectiveness, resource allocation, and decision-making.
• Assess the effectiveness of assigned academic and administrative functions and recommend changes to organizational structures, processes, resources, technology, and practices when necessary.
• Advance operational effectiveness, accountability, and continuous improvement across assigned portfolios.
• Global Education, Faculty Development & Academic Innovation — 20%
• Provide strategic leadership for global education, study abroad, online learning, faculty development, and academic innovation.
• Strengthen academic quality and consistency across Webster’s global, multi-campus, and multimodal environment.
• Advance innovative approaches to teaching, learning, faculty development, academic delivery, and student engagement.
• Identify opportunities to leverage online, global, and innovative academic offerings to support student access, enrollment opportunities, and institutional growth.
• Partner with academic leaders to ensure faculty development and academic innovation support institutional priorities, student needs, and evolving educational and market expectations.
• Executive Leadership & Institutional Strategy — 20%
• Serve as senior advisor to the Provost and as the Provost’s primary designee when assigned or unavailable.
• Serve as the primary Academic Affairs executive liaison to Strategic Enrollment Management, ensuring sustained coordination between academic and enrollment strategies, priorities, initiatives, and performance.
• Partner with Enrollment Management and academic leadership to identify and address barriers to recruitment and enrollment growth and ensure academic programs, faculty engagement, resources, and student pathways appropriately support institutional enrollment objectives.
• Lead complex, cross-functional academic initiatives and translate institutional priorities into measurable outcomes.
• Assess institutional and academic conditions, identify emerging opportunities and risks, and demonstrate the agility to adjust priorities, strategies, and resources as conditions change.
• Establish accountability and performance expectations across assigned portfolios.
• Develop senior leaders and strengthen organizational capacity, succession readiness, and operational continuity.
• Build effective partnerships with Deans, faculty, shared governance, executive leadership, and institutional partners.
• Provide the Provost with strategic analysis, recommendations, and executive-level insight regarding academic performance, student success, enrollment alignment, organizational effectiveness, and institutional priorities.

The salary range for this position is: $180,000-$195,000 annually.

Location

Webster Groves Campus-WEBG

Minimum Qualifications

Education & Experience

• 12–15+ years of progressively responsible higher-education leadership experience, including substantial senior-level leadership.
• Demonstrated experience leading multiple academic functions, complex portfolios, and institution-wide initiatives.
• Demonstrated success partnering with Deans, faculty, shared governance, and senior institutional leaders.
• Demonstrated experience partnering with Enrollment Management, Admissions, or related functions to support student recruitment, enrollment growth, academic program demand, and student success.
• Experience across academic programs, student success, academic administration, and organizational change.
• Demonstrated experience assessing organizational or academic operations and translating findings into strategic and operational improvements.
• Demonstrated experience using academic, enrollment, operational, market, and financial data to support institutional decision-making and resource allocation.
• Demonstrated ability to lead effectively in a changing higher-education environment, including the ability to reassess priorities, address barriers, and adjust strategies when institutional or market conditions warrant.
• Experience in a global, multi-campus, online, or similarly complex higher-education environment preferred.

Strategic Leadership Competencies

• Executive & Academic Leadership — Leads complex portfolios, establishes accountability, develops leaders, and exercises sound executive judgment.
• Strategy, Enrollment Partnership & Institutional Effectiveness — Translates institutional priorities into measurable academic and student-success outcomes and builds strong partnerships between Academic Affairs and Strategic Enrollment Management to advance recruitment, enrollment, retention, and institutional sustainability.
• Academic Governance & Partnership — Effectively engages Deans, faculty, shared governance, Enrollment Management, and institutional partners while navigating complex academic and institutional environments.
• Organizational & Change Leadership — Assess organizational effectiveness, leads change, develops leaders, aligns resources, and strengthens institutional capacity and continuity.
• Financial & Data-Informed Decision-Making — Uses academic, enrollment, student-success, operational, market, and financial data to inform strategy, resource allocation, and executive decision-making.
• Agility & Strategic Judgment — Anticipates emerging challenges and opportunities, reassesses assumptions, and adjusts strategies and priorities as institutional needs and external conditions evolve.
• Executive Communication & Influence — Communicates effectively at the executive level, builds alignment across organizational boundaries, and influences outcomes through collaboration, credibility, and sound judgment.

Preferred Qualifications

• Doctorate or terminal degree strongly preferred.
• Faculty experience strongly preferred.

Department

Academic Affairs-ACAF

Physical Demands

Work is generally performed within a standard office environment with regular use of technology and virtual collaboration tools.

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