Associate Vice Chancellor - Strategic Initiatives & Partnerships

City Colleges of Chicago'svision is to be recognized as the city's most accessible higher education engine of socioeconomic mobility and racial equity - empowering all Chicagoans to take part in building a stronger and more just city.The community college system's more than 3,500 faculty and staff servemore than 60,000 students annually at seven colleges and five satellite sites. 

CCC's Office of Student Experience (OSX) partners with college leadership, district academic affairs leadership, and district institutional excellence/advancement leadership to deliver strong student enrollment and retention, completion, transfer, and employment outcomes across CCC, and to drive equity of access and success for students of all backgrounds. Moreover, OSX seeks to ensure an exceptional experience for every student at every stage of their CCC career from enrollment to post-CCC success.

PRIMARY OBJECTIVE

Reporting to the Executive Vice Chancellor - Chief Student Experience Officer (EVC-CSXO), the Associate Vice Chancellor (AVC) - Strategic Initiatives and Partnerships provides leadership for strategic planning, data-informed continuous improvement and accountability, and Strategic Initiatives, partnerships, and innovation spanning the CCC student experience from enrollment to post-CCC transfer and career success.

As a proven strategic and operational leader with a passion for driving equity and excellence in higher education, the AVC - Strategic Initiatives and Partnerships partners with the EVC and OSX leaders in working collaboratively with district and college level leaders, staff, and additional key stakeholders in planning, implementing, and advancing student success initiatives and partnerships, ensuring a cutting edge approach to driving a seamless, supportive, and empowering student experience. Performs related duties as required.

ESSENTIAL DUTIES

Working in partnership with the EVC - CSXO:

• Leads strategic planning and data-informed performance management for OSX:

•  Lead the annual development and execution of OSX's strategic planning and goal setting aligned to the CCC strategic framework and in coordination with partner OSX and broader district and college leaders.
•  Facilitate target setting and ongoing progress monitoring and reflection on Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) and strategic milestones.
•  Propose new strategies and make case for resource commitments to improve operations and student outcomes.
• Partner with relevant CCC stakeholders to ensure regular incorporation of student voice in strategy setting and continuous improvement efforts.

• Advances use of data and technology to optimize OSX impact:

• Partner with Decision Support to establish robust data-informed management routines to support strong and equitable student enrollment, retention, completion, transfer, and career results.
• Serve as OSX lead and subject matter expert for related data and technology optimization, partnering with internal and external stakeholders to ensure optimal usage that accelerates impact, including but not limited to use of tools such as EAB Navigate, Handshake, and OSX KPI Dashboards.
• Remain abreast of new technology and automation innovations, systematically scanning landscape for cutting edge opportunities to integrate use of technology and data to advance student success.

• Drives key OSX-wide strategic partnerships and initiatives spanning the continuum of the student experience:

• Support the EVC-CSXO in overseeing a range of strategic partnerships and initiatives to advance success across the continuum of CCC student enrollment and outcomes, collaborating with college, district, and external partner stakeholders to plan and achieve breakthrough results, and demonstrating use of outstanding project management skills and exceptional team leadership to drive success.
• Oversee external partnerships including but not limited to One Million Degrees and Chicago Housing Authority programs.

• Collaborate with relevant stakeholders to optimize Virtual Support Services (VSS) for students.
• Oversee district-wide efforts to establish hospitality standards to ensure a positive student experience in interactions with all staff
• Drive strategy to journey map and improve the student experience from enrollment to post-CCC success in order to ensure seamless, supportive, and empowering collaboration every step of the way. 

• Serve as OSX liaison for CCC-wide student-related initiatives owned outside of OSX, ensuring OSX thought partnership and alignment as needed to ensure a seamless and exceptional student experience.

• Serve as active member of OSX and CCC leadership

• Contribute and model proactive and strategic thought leadership, student-centeredness, collaborative spirit, team leadership, and equity mindset to advance OSX and CCC planning and execution.
• Serve as a role model ambassador of OSX and CCC.
• Serve on CCC and partner mission-related teams as required.
• Represent EVC-CSXO at internal and external engagements as needed to ensure presence of OSX-wide perspective.
• Perform other duties and lead additional special initiatives as assigned. 
   

REPORTING RELATIONSHIPS

Reports To

Executive Vice Chancellor-Chief Student Experience Officer

Direct Supervision

One Million Degrees program management, CHA program management

QUALIFICATIONS

• Master's degree from an accredited college or university in Education, Business, Social and Behavioral Sciences, or a related field  
• Five years in a leadership role in higher education, K-12, nonprofits, or related fields, leading teams and/or complex projects to advance strategy, manage change, and achieve measurable outcomes
• Demonstrated leadership experience related to student enrollment, student success, and student customer service including fluency and currency with best practices in these areas.
• Broad knowledge of higher education leadership, holistic student support, budgeting, strategic and operational planning, and personnel management
• Excellent interpersonal, written, and verbal communication skills
• Excellent organizational skills
• Strong project management skills
• Demonstrated ability to lead in a multi-site environment and build relationships with a wide variety of stakeholders, including college leadership, faculty, and student services and academic support departments
• Ability to work independently, utilize professional judgment, make sound decisions, and accept responsibility for decisions made
• Ability to get up to speed quickly on institutional programs, institutional planning, and key performance indicators.
• Ability to work within a culturally diverse environment
• Willing and able to work some evenings and weekends and travel to CCC sites and campuses.
• High level of proficiency in the use of Microsoft Office (Word, Excel, PowerPoint).

OTHER CHARACTERISTICS

• Strategic Thinking: Formulates vision and strategy for the future of the organization, while weighing diverse inputs, identifying innovative opportunities, and courageously pursuing change in service of impact. Strong analytical and problem solving skills. Familiarity with systems and technologies that enhance strategic planning and evaluation.
• Results Focused: Develops and executes action plans to drive intended impact, engaging stakeholders and adjusting course as needed to ensure on-time and high-quality results. Ability to work independently within a broad strategic framework and CCC priorities.
• Team Leadership: Sets clear goals and works to integrate team and program needs into cohesive actions. Delegates, coaches and develops team members while inspiring them. Recognizes individual strengths and builds community through recognizing success. Strong communication and collaboration skills; team- oriented and student centric approach to all duties.
• Equity Mindset: Understands and is committed to the goals of equity; consistently brings an equity mindset to the organization's work and workplace; considers the impact of equity related issues on students, staff, and faculty.
• Executive Presence:  Demonstrates confidence, composure, and credibility when engaging with a range of internal and external stakeholders, including executive-level colleagues; communicates clearly and concisely, and tailors messages to achieve buy-in of diverse audiences; Connects with others as an active, empathetic, and responsive listener and visionary.

Approved by Compensation Design & Strategy

Date:   October 26, 2023

The intent of this job description is to provide a general description of the duties and responsibilities of this position.  It is not intended to be an exhaustive set of the duties and responsibilities, nor all of the necessary qualifications to perform the work.