Search
Search

Executive Brief

Assistant Vice-President, Continuing Studies
York University

July 2023
<

Assistant Vice-President, Continuing Studies

Position Overview

Founded in 2014, the York University School of Continuing Studies (the School) is home to a diverse community of learners, graduates and industry experts dedicated to professional growth in a world of constant change. As of May 2023, the School launched its state-of-the-art new building with a unique, twisted design. This new, dedicated space on York's Keele Campus is a testament to the growth of the School, as well as the need for continuing education options to respond to the growing skills gaps and talent shortages in Canada.

Reporting to the Provost & Vice President Academic (Provost), the Assistant Vice President (AVP) will provide leadership on strategic and operational planning, accountability and performance frameworks, benchmarks and measurements for the School and its staff, with the goal of driving growth, student satisfaction and York’s brand. The School functions as a self-sustaining revenue generating operation, requiring its AVP to develop and oversee enrolment and financial planning systems to produce net revenues for investment in business growth, capital improvements, and supporting the academic priorities of the University. Reporting to the Provost & Vice President Academic (Provost), the AVP will engage and work collaboratively with the Deans, academic colleagues and other senior university administrators regarding the University's overall strategy for Lifelong Learning, and to identify new ways to address the changing needs of learners for both degree and non-degree study options. In collaboration with the Vice Provost Students, the AVP will be responsible for the recruitment of domestic and international students, as a significant number of York’s international students come by way of the School.

Oversight/Stewardship Functions

Strategic Planning & Leadership
  • Provide leadership on strategic planning, operational planning, accountability and performance frameworks, benchmarks and measurement for the School and its staff.
  • Interact on a continuous basis with academic and administrative leaders to advance the University mission.
  • Sit on the Deans Forum and contribute to ongoing planning within the Academic Division.
  • Contribute to University planning forums and documents such as the Institutional Resource Plan (IRP) and the University Academic Plan (UAP).
  • Use understanding of environment, competition and trends to set strategic direction and drive growth of programs to meet financial targets and market needs.
  • Create an environment that facilitates and encourages entrepreneurship and innovation in delivery methods and programming.
Financial Planning & Budgetary Control
  • Develop and oversee an enrolment and financial planning system that provides a multi-year forecast and in-year rolling forecast for planning and reporting purposes.
  • Develop and present annual budget to Provost. Monitor and provide regular progress reports.
  • Generate a profit to be invested in business growth, capital improvements, contingency reserves, as well as a net revenue contribution of $2.0m annually to the Provost for investments in academic priorities of the University.
Planning and Management of Physical Resources, Facilities & Space Allocation
  • Lead facilities planning, including capital improvements, service level agreements, and maintenance planning.
  • Negotiate with housing and other internal and external stakeholders to ensure adequate residence/housing spots for YUELI and CPE students.

Major Responsibilities

Organizational & Business Processes
  • Oversee key strategic and business functions for the School, including sales, marketing, recruitment, enrolment forecasting and management, financial forecasting and scenario planning, admissions, student records, student services, graduation, program quality reviews, and student evaluation.
  • Collect and analyze key performance measures against internal and industry benchmarks.
  • Evaluate overall performance of current offerings in the competitive environment and determine where there are market needs that can be met in support of the Divisional goals.
  • Negotiate and develop legal service or partnership contracts with external parties, such as corporate clients, funding agencies, international recruiters or international university partners.
  • Lead special projects to drive sales growth and efficiency such as implementation of enterprise software.
  • Facilitate and oversee reviews of business processes with a view to increasing efficiency and effectiveness, reducing costs and improving customer service.
  • Ensure an excellent customer service experience by overseeing the development and management of customer service standards, measuring the customer experience, and ensuring continuous improvement.
Business Development
  • Lead business development and sales strategy for contract training and partnerships. Develop relationships, present to professional associations or potential partners, meet with clients during sales process, consult on proposals, negotiate complex agreements, and ensure client satisfaction.
  • Develop the reputation of the School and University within the community, with community partners and with the business community.
  • Support and partner with Faculties on business/program development.
Marketing, Recruitment & Public Relations
  • Oversee the development and implementation of an annual marketing plan, including market research, market segmentation, marketing/promotion strategy, student retention strategy, e-marketing and evaluation/tracking indicators.
  • Oversee the development and implementation of an international recruitment strategy for YUELI and CPE programs. Liaise and coordinate with the Office of the University Registrar (OUR) to ensure an integrated approach to international student recruitment (both domestically and abroad) and Deans regarding international recruitment activities.
  • Conduct internal and external public relations and act as the media spokesperson for continuing education at York.
Human Resource Management
  • Direct all non-academic and academic human resources and employee relations activities of the School.
  • Set organizational goals, communicate goals and monitor progress against those goals.
  • Negotiate and manage collective agreements with OPSEU Unit 1 and Unit 2 instructor unions.
  • Oversee the hiring, training, quality and quantity of work performed, performance management, progressive discipline/discharge, participating in grievance proceedings and maintaining confidential staff files, merit increases, etc., for all staff and instructors.
  • Develop, evaluate effectiveness and modify structure of School based on changing needs, size and strategic focus.
  • Responsible for staff professional development initiatives, ensuring that staff develop and maintain current knowledge and skills to allow them to be cutting edge and competitive in an international marketplace.
Program Development & Delivery
  • Ensure sufficient quantity and quality of new CPE and YUELI programs going through the market research and development process to achieve steep annual growth to meet the School’s financial target and University’s financial needs.
  • Ensure manager engage in a regular environmental scan to assess competitor programs, pricing and changes in the marketplace to ensure competitiveness of York programs.
  • Champion new programs and revisions through relevant quality assurance review and approval process through the Office of the Provost or otherwise as appropriate. 
  • Responsible for all aspects of the student experience, including communication, student counselling, academic integrity, registration, grades, and complaints for academic, professional development and corporate programs.
  • Set standards for quality of instruction for CPE and processes for instructor selection and determine market rates for instructors.
  • Research and develop proposals and business cases for new initiatives to meet the needs of the University, such as the design or re-design of transition and bridging programs to support York’s enrolment objectives.
Academic Accountability & Student Services
  • Responsible for hearing, investigating and resolving student complaints related to topics such as grades, transcripts, fees, instructors, staff and policies and responding to student appeals.
Support University Policy and Strategy related to Continuing Professional Education
  • Provide advice to Deans and others regarding “revenue-generating” program ideas.
  • Liaise with the heads of other continuing and executive education units (such as OPD, SEEC, HLLN and Education) and advocate for University policy and processes that are supportive of all such operations.
  • Recommend policy changes and draft policy related to continuing education for Senate.
  • Act as the primary representative of the School on related Faculty and University academic committees.
  • Represent the School’s proposals on new academic initiatives as they proceed through the requisite approval processes.
Fundraising
  • Work with Advancement to build and refine donor cases, identify potential donors, and attempt to engage potential donors (along with the President, Provost and VP Advancement) to name the School, the building, and classrooms.
Other Duties
  • Act as an advocate for adult, non-traditional and international learners.
  • Represent the participating Faculties and University on various external committees, as required, to compliment the strategic priorities and academic/research objectives of the University.

Ideal Candidate Profile 

Academic Qualifications

Experience

The ideal candidate will bring to York University:

Knowledge and Skills

<
This website uses cookies to ensure you get the best experience on our website. Learn more