Public Service Faculty - Strategic Management and Organizational Effectiveness Unit Manager

About the role

The UGA Carl Vinson Institute of Government is a Public Service and Outreach unit at the University of Georgia that contributes to the university’s public service mission by helping to create jobs and prosperity, developing leaders, and addressing critical issues. The Institute provides impartial support to local governments and state agencies, convenes multidisciplinary groups, and focuses on workforce and economic development, infrastructure and community resilience, government operations and organizational effectiveness, impact measurement, capacity building for government leaders, and technology and data utilization for governments. The Government Services and Research (GSR) Division delivers applied research, organizational consulting, strategic planning, and decision‑support services that help state and local governments strengthen organizational effectiveness, improve operational performance, and address complex public‑sector challenges. The Strategic Management and Organizational Effectiveness Unit Manager provides strategic leadership for the Unit, oversees the development and delivery of organizational consulting services, establishes the Unit’s strategic direction, leads organizational assessments, strategic planning initiatives, process improvement efforts, performance management projects, and other management consulting engagements designed to improve organizational effectiveness and public service delivery.

Responsibilities

• Supervising and developing public service faculty and professional staff
• Managing client relationships, contracts, and project portfolios
• Providing executive consultation
• Conducting applied research
• Facilitating executive‑level planning and organizational development initiatives
• Building collaborative partnerships with state agencies, local governments, University partners, and other stakeholders
• Identifying emerging client needs and developing innovative service offerings
• Contributing to the continued success, innovation, and long‑term effectiveness of the Government Services and Research Division
• Providing objective, data‑informed consultation, applied research, and organizational expertise that strengthen government operations, improve public sector performance, and enhance the capacity of Georgia’s state and local governments to serve their communities

Requirements

• Master’s degree in public administration, political science, education, finance, accounting, business administration, organizational development, industrial/organizational psychology, sociology, public policy, or a closely related field

Qualifications

• Ten or more years of progressively responsible experience providing organizational consulting, strategic planning, process improvement, performance management, or organizational effectiveness services to state or local government or similarly complex organizations
• Background leading multidisciplinary consulting engagements and supervising professional staff or project teams
• Demonstrated success developing client relationships, securing new business opportunities, and managing contracts or externally funded projects
• Background facilitating executive leadership teams, governing boards, elected officials, or other senior‑level stakeholder groups
• Background designing and implementing organizational assessments, management studies, and data‑informed decision support tools
• Background conducting applied research and translating complex findings into practical recommendations for executive audiences
• Background utilizing human‑centered design, Lean Six Sigma, Kaizen, or other continuous improvement methodologies
• Background designing and delivering professional education, executive training, or leadership development programs for adult learners
• Proficiency with quantitative and qualitative research methods, data visualization, and analytical software used to support organizational decision‑making
• Background working with executive leadership within state government, local government, or similarly complex public‑sector organizations

Skills

• Knowledge of organizational effectiveness, strategic planning, process improvement, and performance management principles and practices
• Knowledge of state and local government operations, organizational structures, and emerging public sector issues
• Ability to assess organizational challenges, analyze complex information, and develop practical, data‑informed solutions
• Ability to lead organizational assessments, facilitate strategic planning initiatives, and manage complex consulting engagements
• Ability to build and maintain collaborative relationships with governmental agencies, University partners, and other stakeholders
• Ability to supervise, mentor, and develop faculty, professional staff, and project teams
• Strong project management, organizational, and prioritization skills with the ability to manage multiple concurrent initiatives
• Excellent written, verbal, facilitation, and presentation skills, including the ability to communicate complex concepts to executive and public‑sector audiences