Associate Vice-President, Student Engagement

The University of Winnipeg is searching for its first Associate Vice-President, Student Engagement to lead efforts fulfilling its strategic commitment to student success and creating exceptional student experiences for all.

The Organization

The University of Winnipeg resides on ancestral lands, on Treaty One Territory. These lands are the heartland of the Métis people. The University acknowledges that water is sourced from Shoal Lake 40 First Nation to serve its campuses.

The University of Winnipeg is a dynamic campus and a downtown hub that connects people from diverse cultures and nurtures global citizens. We offer high-quality undergraduate and graduate programs including several that are unique in Western Canada: for example, a Bachelor of Arts in Human Rights, and a Master’s degree in Development Practice with a focus on Indigenous Development. Our graduates value their educational experience, as UWinnipeg is known for small class sizes, academic excellence, sustainability, and commitment to Indigenous inclusion.

The Role

The role of Associate Vice-President, Student Engagement is a newly created leadership position that will lead the University’s efforts to fulfill its strategic commitment to student success and to creating an exceptional student experience. Reporting to the Provost and Vice-President Academic, this leader is responsible for a comprehensive portfolio dedicated to fostering student success and fulfilling the University of Winnipeg’s strategic commitments to Indigenization and decolonization; equity, diversity, and inclusion; student-centred education; academic excellence; civic leadership; and community engagement. They will oversee Student Support Services (including Counselling and Accessibility, Academic and Career Services, Student Central, Student Success and Advising), the Aboriginal Student Services Centre, International Student Services, and Campus Living. As a new portfolio, this role will need to support the development of effective systems and services, while expertly employing change management skills to support the community.

Key areas of oversight and responsibility are:

Strategic Vision and Leadership – Providing creative and student-centred strategic leadership at senior-level decision-making tables and managing the development and integration of the portfolio’s areas and identity.

Indigenization and Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion (EDI) – Fostering creative, inclusive, and engaging student experiences that align with the Truth and Reconciliation Commission’s Calls to Action and the Scarborough Charter and cultivating student wellbeing and resilience.

Policy and Operational Excellence – Creating and reviewing effective policies and providing direction, coaching, and support to the portfolio’s staff. Ensuring ongoing stability, flexibility, inclusivity, and accountability of each of the reporting areas.

Financial Management and Budgeting – Acts as steward of financial resources, overseeing budgeting, forecasting, and planning, including ancillary budgets.

Student Engagement and Wellbeing – Supports the development of innovative and relevant opportunities for students to engage and find a place they feel they belong and facilitates student-centred interventions for those in need of support.

Assessment and Data Strategy – Ensures the strategic assessment of portfolio offerings, needs, and research that contributes to a robust understanding of students and climate and informs programming design and decision-making across the University.

Representation and Networking – Acts as a University representative to external community, government, associations, commissions, and consortia related to student engagement, Indigenization, EDI, and wellbeing.

The Ideal Candidate

The successful candidate will be a seasoned university leader and scholar-practitioner who thrives when focused on building inclusive communities for students and staff. This leader has outstanding communication and interpersonal skills and an open, collegial management style. They are a compassionate, caring leader with integrity. They will be knowledgeable about processes and responsibilities in student affairs and have a track record of improving and innovating operations, with a demonstrated commitment to transformational learning experiences. They must have demonstrated experience successfully listening to and engaging with members of equity groups. They excel at bringing together people with disparate ideas, beliefs, and opinions to engage in community dialogue and productive collaborations. A data-driven decision maker, they value multiple ways of knowing and have a record of building strong and effective relationships across administrative and faculty departments in a large university setting.

Qualifications and Experience:

While the Search Committee recognizes that no one candidate is likely to meet all qualifications in equal measure, those listed below are desirable and will be used to compare candidates.

• A graduate degree, with a PhD or other terminal degree is an asset.
• At least 5 years of experience in post-secondary student services or student affairs with responsibility for student programming.
• Significant, progressive senior leadership experience in an academic institution with supervisory, operational, and administrative duties.
• Demonstrated commitment to Indigenous ways of knowing and diverse worldviews; and equity, diversity, inclusion, and accessibility.
• Experience in student-centred program delivery with knowledge of how to apply student development theories, current research, and best practices in a senior leadership context.
• Demonstrated skill in managing student conduct cases and responding to complex situations involving gender-based violence, racism, and harassment.
• Experience leading, supporting, and coaching a team, and overseeing complex budgets and operations.
• Ability to create, review, and ensure alignment of policies and procedures with broader institutional goals.
• Knowledge of Indigenous pedagogy and approaches to programming, services, and assessment.
• Commitment to collaboration and community engagement.
• Excellent oral, written, and interpersonal communication skills.

You are someone with:

• Creativity, empathy, and curiosity as a leader.
• A visionary leader, with a distinctive perspective and the capacity to build something special.
• Empathetic style, capable of building trusting and authentic relationships with students, employees, and community members.
• A spirit of positive restlessness – striving to innovate and seeing possibilities where others see problems.
• The ability to face challenges courageously and to exercise integrity, flexibility, and good judgment.
• The ability to work collegially and effectively within a unionized environment, building strong, trusting relationships.
• An exceptional listener who prioritizes human-centred practice and acts as a steward of positive culture.
• Decisiveness combined with a facilitative style and the ability to effectively explain decisions.
• A high energy level and the capacity to balance multiple priorities.

The University of Winnipeg is committed to equity, diversity and inclusion and recognizes that a diverse staff/faculty benefits and enriches the work, learning and research environments, and is essential academic and institutional excellence. We welcome applications from all qualified individuals and encourage women, racialized persons, Indigenous persons, persons with disabilities, and 2SLGBTQ+ persons to confidentially self-identify at time of application. All qualified candidates are encouraged to apply; however, Canadian citizens and permanent residents will be given priority.

The University is committed to providing an inclusive and barrier-free experience to applicants with accessibility needs. Requests for accommodation can be made at any stage during the recruitment process. Please contact accommodations@kbrs.ca to request accommodation.

If you are interested in this opportunity, contact Debra Clinton at dclinton@kbrs.ca, Kyle Steele at ksteele@kbrs.ca, or Dr. Jennie Massey at jmassey@kbrs.ca or submit your full application package online by clicking on the “Apply Now” button below.