Associate Vice President and Executive Director, Academic Enterprise - Herberger Institute for Design and the Arts | Arizona State University

Prime Executive Office•Los Angeles, CA

22d•$180,000 - $250,000•Onsite

About The Position

Arizona State University seeks an accomplished, entrepreneurial, and collaborative leader to serve as Associate Vice President of the Academic Enterprise and Executive Director of the Herberger Institute for Design and the Arts (HIDA) and ASU in Los Angeles. Based in Los Angeles and working across ASU campuses, this leader will grow HIDA’s presence in the region and build partnerships, industry connections, community relationships, and organizational capacity. Initial priorities include fashion, game, and film, aligning academic, enrollment, marketing, career, student-experience, industry, and community efforts around a clear growth strategy and measurable priorities. The AVP/ED will establish an integrated HIDA Los Angeles ecosystem connecting students and faculty with industry, expanding ASU’s reach, strengthening experiential learning and career pathways, advancing research and creative practice, and attracting corporate and philanthropic investment. As additional ASU colleges launch programs in California, the AVP/ED will increasingly act as a strategic connector for other colleges and initiatives in Los Angeles, while individual colleges retain responsibility for their academic programs and execution. The AVP/ED will report to the Senior Vice Provost and Dean of HIDA, with a dotted-line relationship and regular one-on-one meetings with ASU’s Executive Vice President and University Provost. The role is a member of HIDA’s leadership team and works closely with the Associate Dean for HIDA Operations in Los Angeles, school directors, faculty, central enrollment and brand leaders, university leadership, and external partners. The successful candidate will bring strategic judgment and an action orientation to building a durable platform for ASU and HIDA in Los Angeles. The anticipated salary range is $180,000 to $250,000. Final compensation will reflect the selected candidate’s experience and qualifications; exceptional candidates whose experience warrants compensation above this range are encouraged to apply. ASU offers a comprehensive benefits package.

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree and ten years of progressively responsible experience appropriate to the area of assignment or field, including five years of senior-level leadership experience; or an equivalent combination of experience and/or training demonstrating comparable knowledge, skills, and abilities.
Ability to lead complex, cross-functional initiatives through influence, build alignment, make decisions without requiring unanimous consensus, and advance work across multiple organizational units.
Exceptional communication, relationship-building, negotiation, and executive-presentation skills, including the ability to serve as a credible public voice and convener for ASU in Los Angeles.
Maturity, political savvy, sophistication, and executive presence, with the ability to earn trust across constituencies and work effectively with senior university and external leaders.

Nice To Haves

Deep knowledge of Los Angeles and Southern California, including creative industries, cultural institutions, communities, civic and political landscape, funding ecosystem, and networks; established regional relationships and credibility are strongly preferred.
Strong operational leadership in complex, decentralized, or matrixed environments, including bringing structure, direction, and accountability to work involving many stakeholders and competing priorities.
Proven ability to build creative, long-term partnerships with corporate, philanthropic, cultural, media, civic, community, and industry organizations that become embedded in organizational operations.
Ability to assess opportunities quickly, focus on high-value priorities, act with urgency, make sound decisions with imperfect information, learn from outcomes, and adapt while maintaining momentum.
Executive-level leadership experience in higher education, creative industries, arts and design, business, civic or nonprofit organizations, or another comparably complex and stakeholder-rich environment.
Advanced degree; welcome but not required.
Ability to understand and adapt to a market’s or community’s distinct culture while connecting local priorities to a larger institution’s expectations and capabilities.
Track record of developing and implementing strategies that advance institutional growth, external engagement, enrollment, revenue, and/or new program opportunities.
Experience working directly with presidents, deans, executive leadership, faculty, and other senior stakeholders to advance institutional priorities.
Experience leading and developing multidisciplinary teams and fostering collaborative, high-performing cultures while balancing autonomy with shared accountability.

Responsibilities

Set and execute HIDA’s Los Angeles strategy with the Senior Vice Provost and Dean, establishing priorities, goals, ownership, and success measures.
Coordinate with ASU’s Executive Vice President and University Provost and central and HIDA leadership to advance shared priorities and key performance indicators.
Connect HIDA’s Los Angeles schools, programs, and initiatives, identifying opportunities to collaborate, share resources and relationships, and draw on ASU capabilities.
Identify and prioritize programmatic growth and differentiation opportunities that strengthen HIDA’s reach, student enrollment, and impact in Southern California.
Serve on the Dean’s leadership team and represent HIDA across Southern California and within ASU’s broader California strategy.
Partner with ASU brand and media relations teams to communicate why ASU is in Los Angeles and what it offers the region.
Provide senior on-the-ground leadership in Los Angeles, aligning faculty, staff, school directors, university partners, and external stakeholders around shared priorities.
Establish ownership, operating rhythms, decision-making processes, and accountability; resolve cross-functional issues and move initiatives from idea to execution.
Connect HIDA’s Los Angeles teams with HIDA and university leadership in Arizona and central ASU functions, supporting coordinated information flow and execution.
Mobilize existing talent, expertise, and resources across HIDA and ASU while clarifying ownership and respecting school leaders’ responsibility for their programs.
Build Los Angeles-based student career pathways, including employer relationships, internships, and experiential learning in creative industries.
Create pathways for faculty to engage with industry through research, creative practice, partnerships, and applied projects.
Identify emerging workforce and professional-learning needs and connect them with HIDA schools and partnerships such as LACMA and JACCC.
Build partnerships with cultural institutions, libraries, media organizations, community-based organizations, and neighborhoods across Los Angeles.
Position ASU’s Los Angeles buildings, including the ASU FIDM Museum, as public-facing venues, and use regional events such as the LA28 Olympic and Paralympic Games as engagement platforms.
Identify opportunities where ASU’s scale, interdisciplinary capacity, and expertise can create distinctive value in Los Angeles.
Connect HIDA’s Los Angeles priorities with ASU expertise in technology, sustainability, engineering, business, law, entrepreneurship, materials science, and other areas.
Use fashion, film, and game as initial platforms for combining HIDA and ASU capabilities to address industry needs and challenges.
Partner with central ASU enrollment and brand marketing teams and HIDA marketing to coordinate local execution, strengthen visibility, and support California enrollment growth.
Work with ASU fundraising and ASU Foundation teams to cultivate corporate, philanthropic, foundation, and sponsored investment for HIDA’s Los Angeles priorities.
Build relationships, resources, and external support to sustain and scale successful initiatives.
Develop scalable partnership, industry-engagement, and external-investment models for HIDA and, where relevant, ASU.