General Summary: 

The Assistant Vice Provost for Academic & Career Engagement & Success provides strategic and operational leadership for comprehensive academic advising and career services. This role advances student success, equity, and post-graduation outcomes through integrated, student-centered, and culturally sustaining approaches. The AVP partners across colleges and administrative units, employer and community partnerships, and advances data-informed continuous improvement. The position supervises directors and professional staff who deliver impactful high-quality services aligned with institutional mission, compliance standards, and accreditation expectations.

Reporting to and working in close partnership with the Vice Provost of Student Equity, Access, and Success (SEAS), the Assistant Vice Provost helps shape and implement strategic initiatives that advance student outcomes. The Assistant Vice Provost is a member of and collaborates with the SEAS executive leadership team to align practices and strategic vision throughout SEAS. Responsibilities include contributing to policy development, overseeing the effective application of existing policies, cultivating and stewarding fiscal resources, and ensuring compliance with academic, administrative, and fiscal standards set by the University, Board of Trustees, and Board of Higher Education. The incumbent partners with the Vice Provost and University Advancement in the development and submission of external donor proposals and grant applications that support and expand student-centered programming. In this role, the Assistant Vice Provost builds strong cross-campus partnerships, fostering collaboration among academic and administrative departments and external partners to ensure a comprehensive integration of high-quality comprehensive academic and career advising services and high impact practices.

Examples of Duties: 

Strategic Leadership & Vision

• Develop and execute a strategic vision, long-term plans, and priorities for Academic and Career Services aligned with the university’s mission, strategic priorities, and educational goals.
• Lead comprehensive strategic planning for academic and career advising that advances goals related to student success, equity, persistence, and career readiness.
• Facilitate the development of unit-level vision statements, measurable goals, and key performance indicators for all teams under the purview of the Assistant Vice Provost.
• Collaborate with the Executive Leadership Team of SEAS and the Director and Assistant Directors of ACES to implement and assess an integrated, holistic advising model that values students’ cultural wealth.

Program Development, Delivery & Evaluation

• Oversee design, implementation, and assessment of programs including comprehensive academic and career advising for primarily undeclared students, career advising services for all students, experiential learning (internships, co-ops), job placement services, and career communities.
• Integrate equity-minded, culturally sustaining, and asset-based practices across advising and career services, with a focus on expanding access to experiential learning opportunities and maximizing student engagement in campus resources.
• Ensure services are inclusive, high-quality, and aligned with institutional expectations and accreditation standards.

Budgeting, Resource Cultivation & Financial Stewardship

• Provide strategic oversight of unit budgets and multi-year financial planning.
• Serve as a responsible steward of university, donor, and grant funds, ensuring fiscal integrity, compliance with university, Board, state, federal, and foundation requirements, and transparent financial reporting.
• Lead fundraising efforts for experiential learning programs; identify funding opportunities and strengthen financial sustainability.
• Lead financial planning and oversight for donor- and grant-funded initiatives, including proposal development, budgeting, monitoring, reporting, and renewal processes.

Employer, Donor & Community Engagement

• Cultivate and sustain partnerships with employers, industry leaders, alumni, and community stakeholders to align programming with labor market needs, and secure internships.
• Oversee employer relations activities, including networking events and career fairs, in partnership with Colleges, Schools, and Career Communities.
• Expand and oversee donor- and grant-funded programming to advance student success; align proposals and renewals with institutional priorities and funding requirements.

Data-Informed Decision Making & Assessment

• Develop and implement effective assessment methodologies; prepare and analyze qualitative and quantitative data on academic performance, advising outcomes, experiential learning, employment/placement, and other success metrics.
• Use findings to inform strategic planning, resource allocation, and continuous improvement; produce regular reports for stakeholders and senior leadership.
• Provide strategic oversight for data collection processes for donor-funded and externally funded grant programs to enhance services and support institutional decision-making.
• Align unit practices and metrics with the ACM initiative using data-informed approaches to increase reach and effectiveness of comprehensive advising and career services.
• Oversee the campus career management system (Handshake) and assess employer partnership programming.

Collaboration & Campus Leadership

• Serve as a liaison to academic deans, department chairs, and faculty to integrate career readiness and academic support into curricula and co-curricular activities.
• Collaborate with the campus Advising Leadership Team to support UMass Boston’s student success agenda, including the development, implementation, and assessment of student learning outcomes related to advising and career success.
• Engage in cross-campus collaboration with Academic Affairs, Enrollment Management, Institutional Research, Assessment, and other units to integrate access and retention strategies.
• Represent the unit in institutional initiatives that advance student success and educational equity; contribute data-informed insights to campus-wide planning and decision-making.

 Career Communities & Experiential Learning

• Provide strategic leadership to enhance the University’s Career Communities and Experiential Learning activities in alignment with institutional goals.
• Collaborate with Colleges to design and deliver relevant academic and career exploration programming; convene advising teams within career communities regularly to review progress and guide improvements.
• Implement an integrated Career Communities model to support effective academic and career exploration and strengthen experiential learning pathways.
• Expand opportunities for employer engagement, internships, and post-graduation employment, ensuring high-impact practices and positive student outcomes.

Staff Leadership, Training & Operations

• Recruit, onboard, and directly supervise leadership staff and indirectly supervise 10-15 professional staff.
• Provide ongoing professional development; ensure proper training to uphold compliance standards and foster transparency and accountability.
• Implement culturally responsive training modules that honor the diversity, identities, and strengths of the student population.
• Manage departmental budget, operations, and resource allocation to ensure efficiency and service excellence.

 Compliance

Ensure compliance with all federal, state, local, foundation, and university policies and regulations governing grants, donor relations, education programming, data security, and accessibility.

Minimum Qualifications

• Doctorate degree required in education, higher education administration, student affairs, or a related field.
• 7–10 years of progressively responsible leadership experience in academic advising, career services, experiential learning, student success, or related areas within higher education.
• Proven ability to lead complex, cross-functional teams; develop strategy; manage budgets; and drive continuous improvement through data and assessment.
• Exceptional communication, collaboration, partnership- and relationship-building skills with faculty, staff, administrators, employers, and community organizations.
• Proven track record of working with diverse student populations and employers from various industries.
• Demonstrated ability to develop strategic partnerships and to oversee major projects from development to implementation.
• Extensive experience providing direct supervision of professional staff.
• Ability to work under pressure and under tight timeframes and deadlines.
• Ability to multi-task in a fast-paced environment.
  
  

Application Instructions:

Please apply online with your resume, cover letter and list of three references. 

This is a non-union exempt position. 

All official salary offers must be approved by Human Resources.

UMass Boston is committed to the full inclusion of all qualified individuals. As part of this commitment, we will ensure that persons with disabilities are provided reasonable accommodations for the hiring process. If reasonable accommodation is needed, please contact HR@umb.edu or 617-287-5150.