Senior Vice President, Provost & Chief Academic Officer

Capella University seeks an academically accomplished financially adept leader to serve as Provost and Senior Vice President for Academic Affairs. This critical role provides strategic leadership for the universitys academic enterprise aligning academic priorities with fiscal stewardship while advancing high-quality affordable and cutting-edge learning experiences. The provost leads the institution through complex internal and external challenges including accreditation regulatory compliance and evolving market demands while fostering faculty engagement and academic innovation in support of student success.

Reporting directly to the President the ideal candidate should possess a solid record of scholarly achievements combined with a broad vision and commitment to upholding the position of Chief Academic Officer in a leading university. We seek a candidate with substantial administrative experience preferably at the dean level or higher overseeing graduate and undergraduate programs. We value a history of operational leadership highlighting excellence growth financial effectiveness and a proven capability to manage complex organizations including personnel resources and budget.

The successful applicant will bring a strong motivational capacity inspiring excellence and dedication to academic success. They should demonstrate an energetic and engaged approach to leadership paired with decisive execution skills and proven business acumen. The individual must be fully committed to furthering Capella Universitys mission as a premier institution of adult higher education.

Location & Work Arrangement (On-Site)
This role is based in Minneapolis Minnesota and requires an on-site presence. As the universitys Chief Academic Officer the Provost is expected to be present to effectively support academic affairs shared governance and institutional addition the provost serves as a visible senior leader in the local professional and civic community representing Capella and cultivating partnerships that advance institutional priorities.

Essential Duties & Responsibilities:

• Lead effectively within a complex matrixed organizational structure aligningacademic operational and financial stakeholders to advance institutional priorities without direct line authority.
• Exercise influence with impact by building trust-based partnerships shaping agendas and driving outcomes across academic units shared services and enterprise leadership.
• Provide strategic leadership for faculty and academic administrators through intentional talent development performance management and succession planning to ensure continuity resilience and long-term academic excellence.
• Lead the development and implementation of a cohesive academic strategy that supports instructional quality equity student success and sustainable growth.
• Oversee academic program planning curriculum development evaluation and outcomes assessment ensuring programs align with market needs and academic standards.
• Provide executive leadership for faculty recruitment development evaluation promotion and tenure processes.
• Foster a culture of scholarship professional growth and collaborative governance across colleges and academic units.
• Build and mentor a high-performing academic leadership team.
• Cultivates a culture focused on outcomes continuous improvement innovation and engagement that recognizes and rewards high performers and creates a more diverseequitable and inclusive organization.
• Continually benchmark against external best practices including innovative technology products and platforms to promote faculty engagement and support academic success.
• Collaborate with the President and other internal stakeholders to formulate and implement strategic operational and quality metrics.
• Act as the primary liaison to the Board of Trustees leading the preparation presentation and reporting of academic and student affairs materials for the Academic Affairs and Student Affairs for Capella University as a competency-based learning and assessment model ensuring its comprehensive implementation.
• Enhance the universitys brand bydemonstratingleadership behaviors like enterprise thinking learner centricity prioritizing effectively valuing speed showing courage and setting high integrity standards.
• Oversee daily operations of academic and faculty affairs including budgeting and recruiting.
• Ensure the universitys compliance with applicable accreditation standards and federal/state regulations.
• Represent the universityexternally.
• Perform all other duties as assigned.

Job Skills:

• An entrepreneurial disposition thatidentifiesopportunities and inspires collaboration to achieve them.
• Strong management planning and financial acumen including the ability to set programmatic and budgetary priorities that balance near-term needs with long-termobjectives.
• A collaborative and transparent interpersonal style that fosters an environment of trust empowerment and shared governance.
• Exceptional communication skills and emotional intelligence with the ability to engage effectively with many constituencies.
• Knowledge of emerging technologies and their application to enhance student learning.
• Knowledge of current and emerging issues trends and best practices in higher education andenrollment;
• Proven success leading high-performing teams in a diversemetric-driven environment.
• Evidence of sound executive decision-making and adeptness at coaching and developing teams including in remote/distributed settings.
• Demonstrated organizational discernment.
• Commitment to the ongoing professional development of faculty and academic administrators.
• Experience with digital tools such as Microsoft 365 Smartsheet SharePoint and Zoom.
• Ability to delegate and manage multiple projects simultaneously.
• Data-driven approach strong business judgement and proven ability to draw key insights and recommend strategies.
• Executive-levelinfluencing skills and presence.

Work Experience:

• Experience: 10years in academic and administrative roles with progressively increasing responsibility.
• Leadership: Track record of progressively responsible roles in academic leadership with responsibility in building strategy budgeting and faculty relations.
• Skills: Excellent communication stakeholder managementpolicyand academic governanceexpertise.
• Values: Commitment to academic excellence and inclusive institutional culture.

Education:

Terminal degree (Ph.D./Ed.D. or equivalent) from an accredited institutionrequired.

Other:

• Must be able to travel up to 10% of the time.
• Must be able to lift 25 lbs.
• Typical office setting.
• Mobility within the office including movement from floor to floor.
• Travel via plane car and metro may be required to perform this job.
• Must be able to work more than 40 hours per week when business needs warrant.
• Access information using a computer.
• Effectively communicate both up and down the management chain.
• Effectively cope with stressful situations.
• Strong mental acuity.
• Regular dependable attendance and punctuality are essential functions of this job.
• Other essential functions and marginal job functions are subject to modification.

SEI offers a comprehensive package of benefits to employees scheduled 30 hours or more per addition to medical dental vision life and disability plans SEI employees may take advantage of well-being incentives parental leave paid time off certain paid holidays tax saving accounts (FSA HSA) 401(k) retirement benefit Employee Stock Purchase Plan tuition assistance as well as entertainment and retail discounts. Non-exempt employees are eligible for overtime pay if applicable.

Careers - Our Benefits Strategic Education Inc

SEI is an equal opportunity employer committed to fostering an inclusive and collaborative culture where individuals can grow their careers and contribute fully. We strive to attract talent with broad experiences skills and perspectives. We welcome applications from all. While it is not typical for an individual to be hired at or near the top end of the pay range at SEI we offer a competitive salary. The actual base pay offered to the successful candidate may vary depending on multiple factors including but not limited to job-related knowledge/skills experience business needs geographical location and internal pay equity. Our Talent Acquisition Team is ready to discuss your interest in joining SEI. The expected salary range for this position is below.

$250000.00 - $450000.00 - Salary

If you require reasonable accommodations to complete our application process please contact our Human Resources Department at .