Vice President of Academic Affairs & Operations

About Us

The University of Silicon Valley (USV) is the world’s first polymathic university — a bold reimagining of higher education that unites liberal and technical arts to cultivate “builders of the impossible.” Rooted in Silicon Valley’s culture of innovation, USV prepares creators, engineers, designers, and entrepreneurs to learn like the future depends on it — by shipping real products, building real companies, and shaping technology and culture for the common good.

Position Summary

The Vice President of Academic Affairs & Operations serves as a senior academic executive responsible for full ownership, integration, and automation of all academic administration and related student operational functions. This role bridges academic strategy with execution, ensuring operational excellence across curriculum delivery, faculty management, student academic services, internships, and academic compliance.

The VP provides institutional leadership in building scalable systems, optimizing workflows, operationalizing experiential learning (including internships and industry engagement), and ensuring that all academic and student-facing processes are efficient, compliant, student-centered, and aligned with institutional goals.

This position plays a critical role in transforming academic operations into a data-informed, technology-enabled, and highly coordinated infrastructure that supports student success, faculty effectiveness, and institutional growth.

Key Responsibilities

I. Executive Leadership in Academic Affairs

• Provide strategic and operational oversight of all academic programs.
• Ensure academic quality, rigor, and continuous improvement across departments.
• Oversee curriculum development, revision, and program expansion initiatives.
• Lead institutional academic planning in alignment with enrollment targets and financial sustainability.
• Ensure all academic policies, procedures, and practices meet accreditation and regulatory standards.
• Partner with the CAO & Provost on long-range academic strategy and institutional planning.
• Serve as an executive liaison to faculty leadership, academic committees, and cross-functional administrative teams.

II. Full Ownership of Academic Administration & Automation

• Assume complete operational oversight of academic administration, including:
  • Course scheduling and multi-term academic planning.
  • Faculty workload modeling and instructional assignments.
  • Academic catalog integrity and degree plan management.
  • Academic policy implementation and documentation.
• Design and implement automated systems to streamline:
  • Scheduling processes.
  • Faculty onboarding and evaluation tracking.
  • Assessment collection and reporting.
  • Student academic progress monitoring.
• Lead cross-functional process redesign to eliminate redundancy and improve efficiency.
• Develop dashboards and data systems to monitor academic performance, retention, completion, and faculty productivity.
• Ensure seamless coordination between Academic Affairs, Registrar, Advising, Career Services, Financial Aid, and Student Services.

III. Operationalization of Internships & Experiential Learning

• Establish a scalable, institution-wide internship framework integrated into academic programs.
• Develop standardized processes for:
  • Internship approval and placement.
  • Industry partner agreements.
  • Credit-bearing experiential learning oversight.
  • Faculty supervision and evaluation of internship experiences.
• Collaborate with Career Services and industry partners to expand internship pipelines.
• Ensure internships and experiential learning activities are academically aligned, compliant, and systematically tracked.
• Build automation systems for internship documentation, student placement tracking, and employer feedback.

IV. Faculty Leadership & Performance Management

• Oversee recruitment, development, and evaluation of full-time and adjunct faculty.
• Ensure instructional quality through structured faculty performance review processes.
• Build faculty capacity in online, hybrid, and experiential modalities.
• Partner with the Dean of Faculty to implement systems to monitor grading integrity, feedback quality, and course readiness.
• Develop a scalable adjunct pipeline aligned with enrollment growth.
• Promote faculty engagement in assessment, accreditation, and innovation initiatives.

V. Student Academic Operations

• Oversee student academic progression processes including:
  • Degree audits.
  • Course substitutions and exceptions.
  • Academic standing and policy enforcement.
• Ensure student-facing academic operations are efficient, transparent, and responsive.
• Operationalize academic-related student initiatives such as portfolio reviews, milestone assessments, capstone coordination, and student showcases.
• Monitor retention data and collaborate with advising to implement targeted interventions.
• Ensure consistency and clarity in academic communication across departments.

VI. Assessment, Accreditation & Compliance

• Lead institutional assessment planning and implementation across all programs.
• Ensure systematic collection, analysis, and reporting of learning outcomes data.
• Coordinate documentation and compliance efforts related to accreditation and regulatory agencies.
• Oversee academic policy audits and internal compliance reviews.
• Ensure documentation integrity and process readiness for site visits and reporting cycles.

VII. Strategic Process Innovation

• Serve as executive sponsor for academic systems innovation and digital transformation.
• Evaluate and implement technology solutions to enhance academic administration.
• Identify operational bottlenecks and implement measurable improvements.
• Establish KPIs for academic operations and regularly report progress to executive leadership.
• Cultivate a culture of accountability, clarity, and operational excellence.

Education

• Doctorate preferred in higher education leadership, academic administration, or related field.
• Master’s degree required; advanced professional experience may be considered.

Experience

• Minimum 7–10 years of progressive leadership experience in higher education.
• Demonstrated success managing academic operations at scale.
• Experience leading cross-functional teams and institutional initiatives.
• Experience with accreditation processes and regulatory compliance.
• Proven ability to implement operational systems and automation initiatives.
• Experience overseeing internships or experiential learning programs preferred.

Skills & Competencies

• Strategic and systems-level thinker with strong operational execution skills.
• Exceptional organizational and project management capability.
• Strong analytical skills with experience using data to drive decisions.
• Ability to manage complex, multi-departmental initiatives.
• Excellent written, verbal, and interpersonal communication skills.
• Strong technological fluency and comfort implementing workflow systems.
• High level of accountability, initiative, and executive presence.

EEO Statement

USV is an Equal Employment Opportunity & Americans with Disabilities Act institution. We value diversity and are committed to fostering a campus environment where all individuals are respected, supported, and empowered to succeed.

Working Conditions

This role operates in a hybrid academic environment (on-ground and online) with extensive collaboration across departments. Occasional evening or weekend engagement may be required to support academic initiatives or events.

Physical Requirements

While performing the duties of this job, the employee is regularly required to communicate effectively and operate standard office technology. The role may involve extended periods of sitting, standing, and computer use.

Salary : $140,000 - $190,000