Associate Vice Chancellor for Faculty Affairs and Faculty Success

University of Colorado•Denver, CO

2d•$200,000 - $220,000•Hybrid

About The Position

The Associate Vice Chancellor for Faculty Affairs and Professional Development (AVCFAPD) is a senior academic leader and a member of the Provost’s Leadership Team, reporting directly to the Provost and Executive Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs. The AVCFAPD provides strategic leadership for faculty affairs, faculty success, and academic culture across the CU Denver campus. This role is responsible for advancing faculty excellence and wellbeing across the full faculty lifecycle, including recruitment, onboarding, development, evaluation, advancement, governance, and transition. Central to the position is fostering an inclusive, supportive, and high-performing academic environment in which faculty thrive as teachers, scholars, mentors, and institutional leaders. In alignment with CU Denver’s mission as a public, urban serving, equity focused research university, the AVCFAPD leads and coordinates institutional policies, practices, and initiatives that support faculty success; promote excellence and innovation in teaching and pedagogy; ensure fair and consistent faculty personnel processes; and align faculty work with student success and institutional priorities.

Requirements

Earned doctorate from an accredited institution.
A minimum of seven years of progressively responsible leadership experience in higher education, with significant responsibility for faculty affairs, academic administration, or faculty development.
Demonstrated expertise in faculty personnel policies, evaluation processes, and shared governance.
Documented experience leading faculty professional development, mentoring, or institutional initiatives.

Nice To Haves

Record of accomplishment at the rank of full professor or equivalent.
Experience leading an academic unit at or above the level of department chair/head.
Demonstrated leadership in teaching excellence, faculty pedagogy, or academic innovation.
Experience at a public research university and/or equity serving institution.
Experience navigating multicampus or system level governance environments.
Demonstrated success managing organizational change and conflict in complex academic settings.
Deep understanding of academic culture and faculty roles.
Ability to lead through influence, collaboration, and evidence-based decision making.
Strong analytical and organizational skills with the ability to manage multiple priorities.
Demonstrated commitment to diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging.
Ability to effectively partner with senior leadership, faculty governance, and campus stakeholders.
Knowledge of faculty HR practices, including recruitment, evaluation, compensation, and workload analysis.
Excellent written, verbal, and interpersonal communication skills.

Responsibilities

Provide institutional leadership for faculty affairs and academic personnel strategy across the faculty lifecycle, ensuring that policies and practices advance academic excellence, institutional priorities, and a strong and sustainable faculty.
Provide university-wide leadership and oversight for faculty recruitment, appointment, onboarding, evaluation, promotion and tenure, post-tenure review, sabbaticals and leaves, grievances, retention, and separation.
Lead institutional faculty hiring planning in partnership with the Provost and deans, aligning faculty investments with academic priorities, enrollment and program needs, research strengths, and available resources.
Establish and interpret university-level faculty policies and standards and ensure consistent, equitable, and effective implementation across schools and colleges.
Ensure institutional compliance with faculty credentialing, accreditation, Regent and System requirements, and applicable state and federal requirements.
Advise the Provost, deans, and other academic leaders on complex faculty personnel matters and emerging issues affecting the faculty.
Provide strategic leadership for faculty development across career stages, advancing faculty effectiveness as teachers, scholars, mentors, institutional citizens, and academic leaders.
Lead university-wide strategy for teaching excellence and pedagogical innovation, including effective use of emerging technologies and evolving instructional modalities.
Advance faculty practices that strengthen student learning, engagement, belonging, and success across CU Denver's diverse student population.
Develop a robust faculty leadership pipeline through leadership development, mentoring, and preparation for roles including program director, department chair/head, associate dean, and other academic leadership positions.
Partner with deans and academic leaders to strengthen the onboarding, development, effectiveness, and success of department chairs and other faculty leaders.
Foster mentoring, professional growth, and career advancement opportunities responsive to faculty across appointment types, disciplines, career stages, and roles.
Provide institutional leadership for faculty performance management, including annual evaluation, workload, professional development leave, sabbaticals, and related policies and processes.
Establish and interpret university-level expectations and frameworks for faculty workload and differentiated contributions, working with academic leaders to promote appropriate consistency, transparency, and accountability across units.
Use institutional data and evidence to identify faculty workforce trends, workload patterns, compensation and retention issues, and opportunities to strengthen faculty effectiveness and sustainability.
Lead institutional strategies for faculty recognition, retention, and career advancement, including university-level awards and recognition of excellence in teaching, research and creative work, mentorship, service, and public impact.
Partner with deans, Human Resources, and other university leaders on faculty compensation, salary equity, retention, and related workforce strategies.
Serve as a principal liaison between the Provost's Office and faculty governance, fostering effective shared governance and constructive engagement among faculty, academic leaders, and university administration.
Advise the Provost and senior academic leadership on faculty perspectives, emerging concerns, and issues affecting academic culture and institutional effectiveness.
Lead and support institutional change initiatives affecting faculty roles, policies, expectations, and academic culture.
Foster a high-performing academic culture that values excellence in teaching, research and creative work, mentorship, service, collaboration, and shared responsibility for the university's mission.
Facilitate constructive engagement on complex or sensitive faculty and academic issues and strengthen institutional capacity for productive dialogue and change.
Provide institutional leadership for strategies that promote faculty success, professional sustainability, well-being, equity, and belonging.
Advance equitable and transparent practices in faculty recruitment, appointment, compensation, evaluation, workload, mentoring, advancement, leadership development, and recognition.
Ensure institutional compliance with applicable faculty employment and compensation requirements in partnership with Human Resources, University Counsel, deans, and CU System offices.
Identify systemic barriers to faculty success and work with academic leaders to develop institutional strategies that strengthen faculty experience, engagement, retention, and effectiveness.