Associate Vice President for Campus Life and Dean of Students

Brown University • Providence, RI

10d • Hybrid

About The Position

Reporting directly to the Vice President for Campus Life, the Associate Vice President and Dean of Students (AVP/DOS) delivers an exceptional, responsive, and integrated student experience that meets the expectations of highly engaged, intellectually curious students who actively shape their community. The AVP/DOS is a strategic, mission driven, and deeply student-centered leader committed to the work of serving students. This role provides strategic vision and operational execution for four (4) departments: Student Support Services (SSS), Student Conduct and Community Standards (SCCS), Student Activities Office (SAO), Student Accessibility Services (SAS), and 25+ employee portfolio, delivering an integrated student experience for Brown’s 7,200+ undergraduates and approximately 4,000 graduate and medical students. As a visible advocate and hands-on senior leader, the AVP/DOS fosters a culture of innovation and transparency, ensuring the University is responsive to the needs of a highly engaged student body while strengthening collaborative partnerships across a complex, matrixed environment that bridges the division of Campus Life with the University’s academic mission.

Requirements

• Master’s degree required; doctorate preferred.
• At least 10 years of progressively responsible managerial experience within a higher education setting.
• Significant experience supervising and developing staff, managing resources, and advancing organizational effectiveness is required.
• Extraordinary commitment to a deeply student-centered leadership approach, with the ability to translate student voice into strategy and action.
• Demonstrated ability to lead through change, inspire innovation, and move teams beyond established practices.
• Exceptional leadership, communication, and interpersonal skills.
• Strategic mindset paired with a willingness to be hands-on and operational when needed.
• Exceptional collaboration and relationship-building skills, with success navigating complex, matrixed organizations.
• The ability to inspire confidence, build consensus, and lead change.
• Comfort engaging with highly motivated, vocal, and engaged students who expect transparency, responsiveness, and partnership.
• Proven ability to manage through crises with equanimity, discretion, and a sense of responsibility and respect for students, families, and the institution.
• Ability to inspire, develop, and bring staff along through periods of evolution and cultural shift.
• Strong critical thinking skills and the capacity to assess systems and reimagine approaches to better serve students.
• Firm but fair approach to conflict resolution.
• Ability to leverage data and assessment to inform strategic decision-making and measure program effectiveness.
• Experience serving as a trusted thought partner in high-stakes, rapidly evolving situations.

Nice To Haves

• Doctorate preferred.
• Direct experience in student affairs is helpful but not required.
• Adjacent or complementary experiences and a willingness to challenge traditional models are preferred.

Responsibilities

• Provides strategic vision and operational execution for four (4) departments: Student Support Services (SSS), Student Conduct and Community Standards (SCCS), Student Activities Office (SAO), Student Accessibility Services (SAS), and 25+ employee portfolio.
• Delivers an integrated student experience for Brown’s 7,200+ undergraduates and approximately 4,000 graduate and medical students.
• Fosters a culture of innovation and transparency.
• Ensures the University is responsive to the needs of a highly engaged student body.
• Strengthens collaborative partnerships across a complex, matrixed environment that bridges the division of Campus Life with the University’s academic mission.
• Leads through change, inspires innovation, and moves teams beyond established practices.
• Manages through crises with equanimity, discretion, and a sense of responsibility and respect for students, families, and the institution.
• Inspires, develops, and brings staff along through periods of evolution and cultural shift.
• Assesses systems and reimagines approaches to better serve students.
• Leverages data and assessment to inform strategic decision-making and measure program effectiveness.
• Serves as a trusted thought partner in high-stakes, rapidly evolving situations.

Benefits

• Information on the Benefits of Working at Brown can be found here.
• Information about our salary ranges can be found here.

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Manager