Associate Vice President, Business Services

University of Virginia
Associate Vice President, Business Services

Position Specifications

Position: Associate Vice President for Business Services
Organization: University of Virginia (UVA)
Location: Charlottesville, Virginia
Reporting Relationship: Senior Vice President for Operations and State Government Relations
Website: Homepage | The Office of Business Operations (virginia.edu)

Position Summary
The University of Virginia (UVA) seeks a collaborative and innovative auxiliaries executive to serve in the role of Associate Vice President for Business Services (AVP). As one of the nation’s leading public institutions, UVA pushes the boundaries of what’s possible – always in the name of the greater good. One of the things that makes this possible is an unwavering commitment to initiatives that grow, strengthen, and shape the institution for the future. The Associate Vice President for Business Services will be joining UVA at an exciting juncture marked by an ambitious strategic plan that positions the institution to be the best public university by 2030.

Reporting to the Senior Vice President for Operations and State Government Relations, the AVP will provide strategic vision, leadership, and oversight for a wide range of mission critical services including housing and residential life, dining services, parking and transportation, bookstores and computer stores, printing and copying services, mail services, and ID card offices. In doing so, the AVP will collaborate with other campus leaders to enrich the living and learning experience for a diverse set of stakeholders including faculty, students, staff, and visitors. The AVP will evaluate strategies, policies, and practices to ensure Business Services meet the University’s ongoing and evolving needs through the delivery of high-quality services. This is an exciting opportunity for a dynamic leader to further Business Services’ reputation as a highly effective partner known for excellent services at outstanding value.

In this highly visible role, the AVP must be a thoughtful and engaging leader who excels at customer service and community engagement, as well as continuous improvement and innovation. The successful candidate will be an inspirational leader with a successful track record of providing strategic direction in a vibrant organization of similar size, scale, and complexity. Candidates must possess outstanding interpersonal skills to build effective relationships with a wide range of stakeholders. In addition, the successful candidate must demonstrate a commitment to the University’s core values around diversity, equity, and inclusion as well as foster strong, collaborative relationships.

The Institution
The University of Virginia was founded by Thomas Jefferson in 1819 to advance human knowledge, educate citizen leaders, and cultivate an informed citizenry. The complicated history of our founding and the legacy of enslaved labor is one that we acknowledge in our pursuit of a more inclusive, equitable, and diverse community. Today, UVA is a diverse global community of over 45,800 students, faculty, and staff. University students represent virtually every state in the U.S., and 124 countries, and our 224,000 alumni are active in support of our mission to serve the greater good.

UVA is an iconic university of higher education, boasting nationally ranked schools and programs, distinguished faculty, a major academic medical center recently ranked number one in the Commonwealth of Virginia, and proud history of pursuing research and discovery to advance society.

For 2022, the University was ranked fourth among public universities by U.S. News & World Report. In the 22 years since public universities were a separate category, UVA has ranked in the top four. For more information, visit www.virginia.edu. 

The Grounds: At the heart of the University’s campus – or the Grounds, as it is called at UVA – is the “Academical Village,” a U-shaped group of buildings designed by the founder Thomas Jefferson and set around an open space known as the Lawn. Jefferson envisioned this arrangement as well suited to the frequent contact and shared learning between professors and students that define the ideal college experience. 

Today the lawn remains the center of University life. Each year thousands of visitors tour the Rotunda, which is also a venue for lectures, social events, student activities, and meetings. The Academical Village is considered one of the world’s great cultural treasures, and UVA was the first University to be chosen as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. 

Experiencing the UVA Community: The community and culture of the University are enriched by a vibrant system of student self-governance, a sustained commitment to the arts, and a robust NCAA Division I Athletics program. UVA is made up of twelve schools in Charlottesville plus the College at Wise in Southwest Virginia. The University’s twelve distinguished schools bring together a variety of disciplines, offering exciting opportunities collaboration and cross- disciplinary exploration. Not including the College at Wise, the University employs nearly 30,000 people, including approximately 16,000 faculty and staff and approximately 12,000 Health System employees.

Key Responsibilities
The Associate Vice President for Business Services is responsible for ensuring that all support units meet service and financial performance objectives, comply with University and Commonwealth of Virginia policies and procedures, and adhere to sound business practices and internal controls. The Associate Vice President also oversees operating and capital budgeting, rate development, and the strategic planning process. The Associate Vice President reports to the Senior Vice President for Operations and State Government Relations and represents the Senior Vice President on various University-wide committees and initiatives. In addition, the AVP must develop strong relationships with diverse constituencies across Grounds including the leadership in Student Affairs.

The Business Services units represent a diverse portfolio of self-supporting service units that are operated directly by the University or operated by external management companies. This group of service providers generates revenues and recoveries in excess of $170 million making them one of the University’s largest revenue generators. These units have a combined full-time and part-time workforce of approximately 900 employees. 

The primary responsibilities of this role include but are not limited to:

• Lead the Business Services function, ensuring alignment of human, financial, and capital resources to meet the University’s mission and strategic initiatives.
• Guide the Business Services units to identify and explore new strategic options for revenue enhancement, allocating resources towards institutional strategic initiatives.
• Explore and develop strategic and entrepreneurial opportunities for new sources of revenue while working in partnership and collaboration with senior administrators and deans.
• Develop fluid and efficient ways of managing resources and services while providing excellent customer service and optimizing organizational performance.
• Ensure sufficient ongoing investment in the Business Services physical infrastructure to meet the projected future enrollment growth and to appropriately maintain existing assets.
• Promote the University's values, programs, and contributions to the community; embrace diversity, equity and inclusion; and foster strong relationships.
• Identify complex issues, evaluate relevant data, substantiate information, evaluate options, and recommend/implement solutions.
• Oversee and manage key contract negotiations for major service providers.
• Administer the Business Services capital program ensuring that projects are developed in a timely manner from concept through construction and are financially feasible.
• Interact with members of the President’s senior leadership team in conducting key objectives of the Business Services units.
• Direct department staff, implementing measures to develop and maintain a strong team environment and a goal-oriented and evaluative approach to all Business Services activities.
• Communicate and collaborate regularly with key stakeholders (faculty, staff, and students) to advance Business Services strategies, activities, and achievements.

Professional Qualifications
The Associate Vice President for Business Services must be a goal-oriented and strategic leader with a passion for higher education coupled with demonstrated success working at the senior level of an academic institution or complex organization to set and achieve ambitious service goals. The ideal candidate will bring a proven track record of senior-level and proactive leadership and team building skills, and outstanding communication and interpersonal skills.

The ideal candidate must have exceptional relationship skills along with diplomacy, tact, and an ability to collaborate and partner with multiple internal and external constituencies including students, faculty, academic and administrative leaders, and colleagues across Grounds, and other key stakeholders. The Associate Vice President must possess a high degree of emotional intelligence and be sensitive to the needs of other divisions, departments, and units with competing objectives.

Other desired qualifications and leadership characteristics include:

• A minimum of 10 years relevant experience in leadership roles with demonstrated success functioning in a complex and demanding environment, managing and balancing multiple priorities, and developing and achieving executive-level, strategic goals and initiatives.
• Experience as a proven senior executive in higher education, government or business organization of relevant size and complexity; evidence of vision, service orientation and commitment to collaboration.
• A record of demonstrated success in improving services and customer service.
• Demonstrated understanding of financing, budgeting, financial analysis, and debt management policies and best practices.
• Considerable experience engaging in major construction, renovation, and maintenance projects/programs.
• Strong interpersonal skills with a demonstrated ability to establish and maintain working relationships at all levels of an organization.
• Excellent communication and presentation skills with the ability to effectively deliver concise, compelling messages.
• Unquestionable integrity coupled with a commitment to operational excellence.
• Demonstrated leadership skills with the ability to oversee and motivate front-line service professionals to achieve aggressive goals.
• Strong commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion as a foundational value central to the University’s mission.
• Exceptional written and oral communication, presentation, and interpersonal skills coupled with the ability to relate to students, colleagues, faculty, and staff at all levels of the organization.
• Strong negotiating skills, ability to navigate challenges and manage conflict.

Education
A Bachelor’s degree is required. An advanced degree and/or additional professional certification is preferred.

Compensation
Compensation and benefits will be competitive and commensurate with experience.

Application Process
Candidate nominations and interested and qualified candidates are welcome to submit a resume and cover letter to:

UVAAVPBusinessServices@KornFerry.com

The University of Virginia, including the UVA Health System which represents the UVA Medical Center, Schools of Medicine and Nursing, UVA Physician’s Group and the Claude Moore Health Sciences Library, are fundamentally committed to the diversity of our faculty and staff.  We believe diversity is excellence expressing itself through every person's perspectives and lived experiences.  We are equal opportunity and affirmative action employers. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to age, color, disability, gender identity or expression, marital status, national or ethnic origin, political affiliation, race, religion, sex (including pregnancy), sexual orientation, veteran status, and family medical or genetic information.

COVID Vaccination Requirement and Guidelines
Please visit the UVA COVID-19 Job Requirements and Guidelines webpage prior to applying for current information regarding vaccination requirements and guidelines for employment at UVA.