Executive Director for Strategic Initiatives and Operations, SESS

Provides strategic and operational leadership supporting the Senior Vice Provost for Strategic Enrollment and Student Success. Expands the operational capacity of the Vice Provost's office by coordinating cross-portfolio initiatives and ensuring timely execution of strategic priorities across Enrollment Management, Undergraduate Studies, University Connected Learning, and partnerships involving the Office of Global Engagement. Serves as the primary operational integrator across these areas, represents the Vice Provost's office in designated institutional forums, and coordinates initiatives related to enrollment growth, student persistence, graduation outcomes, online learning expansion, and global engagement. Serves as a strategic advisor and operational proxy to the Senior Vice Provost, extending executive decision-making capacity across the Strategic Enrollment and Student Success portfolio. Owns intake, triage, and prioritization of issues requiring executive attention; structures decision frameworks; and ensures alignment of initiatives with institutional strategy, financial sustainability, and student success outcomes.

Responsibilities

• Serve as operational integrator across Enrollment Management, Undergraduate Studies, University Connected Learning, and Office of Global Engagement partnerships.
• Coordinate and advance strategic initiatives that span multiple units within the Strategic Enrollment and Student Success portfolio.
• Represent the Senior Vice Provost in institutional meetings, committees, and working groups as designated.
• Develop implementation plans, timelines, and accountability structures for cross-unit initiatives.
• Ensure strategic initiatives move from planning to execution and remain aligned with institutional priorities.
• Prepare executive briefing materials, analyses, and recommendations for leadership decision-making.
• Drives cross-functional execution across admissions, financial aid, advising, student communications, and technology platforms; resolves barriers and enforces timelines.
• Identify operational gaps, redundancies, and opportunities for improved alignment across EM, US, UCL, and OGE activities.
• Establishes performance frameworks with measurable KPIs tied to enrollment, persistence, and graduation outcomes; holds initiative owners accountable for results.
• Support strategic planning, initiative prioritization, and operational coordination across the Strategic Enrollment and Student Success portfolio.
• Operates with discretion in high-visibility, politically complex environments.
• Owns decision intake, triage, and routing for issues requiring Senior Vice Provost attention; ensures appropriate escalation and resolution pathways.
• Acts with delegated authority of the Senior Vice Provost on designated initiatives and operational decisions; ensures follow-through and accountability.
• Ensures execution of decisions made in executive forums (Provost, UMT, ULC, SEP governance bodies).
• Designs, implements, and enforces governance structures across student-facing systems, communications, and enrollment operations.
• Aligns governance across councils and working groups (e.g., communications, technology, student success) to reduce fragmentation and duplication.
• Supports portfolio-level resource allocation, aligning staffing, technology, and financial investments to enrollment growth, retention, and revenue outcomes.
• Partners with finance and unit leaders to evaluate ROI and sustainability of major initiatives.
• Identifies tradeoffs across competing priorities and recommends resource reallocation to maximize institutional impact.
• Integrates planning across Enrollment Management, Undergraduate Studies, University Connected Learning, and Global Engagement.
• Represents the Senior Vice Provost in high-stakes institutional settings with authority and accountability.
• Synthesizes complex operational and strategic information into clear materials for executive audiences.
• Supports crisis response, issue management, and executive messaging as needed.
• Aligns communications strategy with institutional priorities and student experience goals.

Master's degree in Business Administration or equivalency (one year of education can be substituted for two years of related work experience); ten years of progressively more responsible experience; demonstrated skills in leadership, management, financial planning, quality improvement and service delivery within assigned area; and demonstrated human relations and effective communication skills.

Department Preferred Qualifications

• Master's degree required; advanced degree (MBA, MPA, or equivalent) strongly preferred.
• Minimum 10 years of progressively responsible leadership experience in complex, matrixed organizations.
• Demonstrated experience supporting a cabinet-level executive or equivalent senior leader.
• Proven ability to drive enterprise-scale initiatives with measurable operational, financial, or student success outcomes.
• Strong analytical capability, including experience with data-driven decision making, financial analysis, or strategic planning.
• Demonstrated success operating in high-visibility, politically complex environments requiring discretion and sound judgment.
• Exceptional written and verbal communication skills, including preparation of executive-level briefings and recommendations.

• Experience working within a research university or similarly complex organization
• Experience in enrollment management, student success, online education, or academic administration
• Experience coordinating initiatives across multiple institutional units; strong executive communications skills; and the ability to manage sensitive, high-visibility projects with discretion and sound judgment.
• Experience leading cross-functional operations in complex, multi-unit organizations.
• Demonstrated success driving enterprise-scale initiatives with measurable outcomes.

Requisition Number: PRN44725B

Full Time or Part Time? Full Time

Work Schedule Summary: Full-time, standard business hours; occasional evening/weekend work as needed.

Department: 02404 - SVP Strategic Enrollment

Location: Campus

Pay Rate Range: $130,000

Close Date: 6/13/2026

Open Until Filled

To apply, visit https://utah.peopleadmin.com/postings/202270

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