Senior Director, Growth Initiatives Strategy

About the Role

The Senior Director of Growth Initiatives is a strategic leader in Graduate Education, responsible for advancing Vanderbilt University’s academic vision, planning, and institutional coordination required to develop its growing network of campuses. The role ensures that decisions about new and expanding locations are grounded in Vanderbilt’s academic mission, distinctive strengths, faculty expertise, student needs, and standards of excellence. Reporting directly to the Vice Provost for Graduate Education and Growth Initiatives and the Dean of the Graduate School, the Senior Director translates institutional and academic priorities into a coherent portfolio strategy for new locations and coordinates the academic decisions, approvals, partnerships, and readiness activities necessary to move initiatives from concept through launch and maturation.

About the Work Unit

The Vice Provost for Graduate Education and Growth Initiatives leads a portfolio of academic strategic growth initiatives, serves as Dean of the Graduate School, and oversees the Office of Postdoctoral Affairs (OPA). The Graduate School’s mission is to promote excellence in research, scholarship, and creative expression so that graduate students and postdoctoral trainees are optimally prepared for successful careers in academia, industry, and related fields. Vanderbilt’s campus network—comprising sites in New York City, West Palm Beach, San Francisco, and the Quantum Campus—extends the university’s academic impact beyond Nashville.

Responsibilities

• Academic Campus Network Strategy and Portfolio Design
  • Develop and maintain the academic strategy and portfolio framework for Vanderbilt’s campus network, aligning institutional priorities, school and college strengths, market opportunities, learner and employer demand, and Vanderbilt’s mission and brand.
  • Operationalize the academic strategy for each campus by translating priorities into coordinated implementation plans, timelines, milestones, and deliverables in partnership with faculty and academic leadership.
  • Establish decision frameworks and a multi‑campus roadmap for evaluating, sequencing, and scaling academic investments based on strategic fit, academic capacity, market opportunity, and enrollment potential.
• Academic Program Development, Governance and Quality
  • Lead and coordinate the execution of academic initiatives from opportunity assessment and school sponsorship through faculty governance, institutional approval, launch readiness, and ongoing assessment.
  • Partner with deans, faculty leaders, and university offices to define program ownership, faculty participation, curricular expectations, and requirements for academic quality, accreditation, authorization, and compliance.
  • Ensure academic standards, learning outcomes, faculty support, and accountability are maintained across locations while enabling programmatic innovation and local differentiation.
• Collaboration and Cross‑Functional Leadership
  • Develop strategies for faculty participation and academic integration across locations, addressing teaching, program leadership, research, interdisciplinary collaboration, faculty capacity, and connections with Vanderbilt’s schools, centers, institutes, and Nashville academic community.
  • Partner with enrollment, student affairs, undergraduate and graduate education, career services, and academic units to define target student populations, enrollment strategies, admissions pathways, and expectations for student experience and success.
  • Establish a decision‑making process supported by academic business cases, portfolio analysis, readiness criteria, and clear recommendations for university leadership.
  • Serve as a central connector among the Office of the Provost, schools and colleges, faculty leadership, the Office of Campus Networks, and administrative partners, ensuring campus implementation reflects academic program, faculty, research, student, and quality requirements.
  • Provide strategic counsel and regular updates to the Vice Provost and other senior leaders on portfolio priorities, progress, risks, dependencies, and emerging opportunities.
  • Represent Academic Affairs in campus network planning and relevant external partnerships.
• Academic Portfolio Assessment and Continuous Improvement
  • Use evidence, data analytics, and AI‑enabled tools to support academic planning, decision‑making, and continuous improvement.
  • Establish measures and conduct periodic reviews of academic initiatives based on program quality, enrollment and student outcomes, faculty engagement, market relevance, and strategic contribution.
  • Recommend expansion, refinement, integration, or discontinuation of initiatives and identify scalable approaches that strengthen academic planning and responsible growth across Vanderbilt’s campus network.

Supervisory Relationships

This position may supervise select Graduate School staff and reports directly to the Vice Provost for Graduate Education and Growth Initiatives and the Dean of the Graduate School.

Education and Certifications

• Bachelor’s degree in higher education, academic administration, public policy, business administration, or a related field (required).
• Advanced degree in higher education, academic administration, public policy, business administration, or a related field (preferred).

Experience and Skills

• 8–10 years of experience in higher education administration with a demonstrated track record of success.
• Experience in academic strategy, program development, portfolio planning, graduate or professional education, or significant academic growth initiatives.
• Deep understanding of university academic structures and decision‑making processes.
• Proven ability to build alignment among faculty, academic leaders, schools, and cross‑functional partners.
• Outstanding verbal and written communication skills.
• Experience analyzing data to evaluate programs and inform best‑practice decisions.
• Ability to perform complex tasks and prioritize multiple projects.
• Experience developing, preparing, distributing, and educating on research reports and proposals (preferred).
• Fluency with artificial intelligence and emerging technologies for research, analysis, planning, project management, communication, and workflow improvement (preferred).