Senior Associate Dean for Strategic Initiatives, Innovation, and College Affairs

About the Department:

The Office of Strategic Initiatives Innovation and College Affairs within the College of Science will advance the colleges mission through visionary leadership strategic planning and cross-functional collaboration. The unit is responsible for identifying and implementing transformative initiatives that enhance academic excellence student and faculty success and community engagement. It serves as a catalyst for interdisciplinary collaboration institutional alignment and continuous improvement ensuring the college remains responsive to emerging trends in science education.

About the Position:

The Senior Associate Dean for Strategic Initiatives Innovation and College Affairs will be a vital member of the Mason Science executive leadership team. This position is charged with the planning execution and continuation of strategies for innovation and excellence in the areas of academic student and faculty affairs strategic enrollment management and community engagement. This position additionally serves as the colleges deputy acting for the Dean when the Dean is unavailable.

Responsibilities:

College Affairs Leadership and Operations

• Oversees the college affairs functions and offices in the position portfolio;
• Ensures continuous alignment with the colleges mission and strategic plan monitoring progress and evaluating performance;
• Oversees the colleges strategy for development implementation and evaluation of academic programs and student support;
• Oversees the colleges enrollment management strategy including setting both new and continuing student targets recruitment marketing admissions and student support and retention;
• Oversees the colleges strategy and processes for faculty recruitment hiring development and performance evaluation;
• Manages direct reports to ensure collaboration and continuity among them and their associated teams;
• Serves as a liaison between the Deans Office and academic departments to ensure alignment and effective implementation of initiatives; and
• By request attends meetings and directs the college on the Deans behalf.

Strategic Initiatives and Innovation

• Leads the implementation and assesses progress of strategic initiatives as identified in the colleges strategic plan as well as related initiatives as directed by the Dean;
• Promotes a culture of innovation and collaborates with stakeholders to identify and assess emerging strategic opportunities for the college;
• Monitors progression toward goals including data analysis and tracking of key performance indicators; and
• Supports the development of interdisciplinary programs new academic offerings and cross-unit collaborations.

Internal and External Relations

• Collaborates with the colleges research business operations advancement and communications teams to support and promote the colleges initiatives and achievements;
• Represents the college in university-wide committees and task forces;
• Fosters collaborative and transparent communication both internal and external to the college; and
• Oversees special projects and performs other related duties as assigned by the Dean.

Required Qualifications:

• Terminal degree in a related field;
• Substantive leadership experience in higher education (or similarly complex organization) such as department chair associate dean or equivalent administrative role (typically five or more years);
• Demonstrable experience with the formulation and execution of strategic high-level initiatives proven impactful for stakeholders;
• Experience as associate professor or higher with ability to meet tenure requirements;
• Experience effectively managing large teams;
• Experience using data to glean insights about plans or operations; and
• Significant record of timely clear and professional communication and collaboration skills (e.g. leading or co-chairing cross-functional committees or task forces).

Proven ability to:

• Lead strategic high-level initiatives (e.g. program launches cross-unit collaborations institutional planning efforts) with demonstrable positive outcomes;
• Manage complex projects (e.g. coordination across multiple groups/units);
• Foster the professional development of direct reports;
• Leverage data to formulate insights and execute college-wide or otherwise large-scale action plans; and
• Communicate complex ideas clearly and effectively.

Preferred Qualifications:

• Significant experience as strategic academic leader including leadership roles at the college school and/or university level;
• Demonstrable experience with change management across teams;
• Demonstrable experience building high-performing teams that work together to achieve impactful goals; and
• Experience collecting and managing data.

Demonstrable knowledge of:

• Higher education trends especially in STEM fields (e.g. experiential learning workforce/market demands);
• Change management and organizational development;
• Budget and resource management; and
• State accreditor and university policy compliance.

Instructions to Applicants:

For full consideration applicants must apply for theSenior Associate Dean for Strategic Initiatives Innovation and College Affairs at and submit the online application to include three professional references with contact information and provide a cover letter and CV for review.

Posting Open Date: November 5 2025

For Full Consideration Apply by: December 5 2025

Open Until Filled:Yes