Vice Provost for Workforce Partnerships and Professional Learning

Vice Provost for Workforce Partnerships and Professional Learning

The Vice Provost for Workforce Partnerships and Professional Learning provides university-wide strategic leadership for Virginia Tech's workforce and professional learning enterprise by fostering innovative educational models and creating educational pathways that: respond to evolving workforce needs and employer demand; align with institutional priorities and Virginia Tech's research and scholarly expertise; and advance Virginia Tech's land-grant mission through educational innovation, workforce preparation, and economic development. The Vice Provost builds partnerships across academic and administrative units and leads the growth of a sustainable portfolio of professional graduate degrees, certificates, executive education, and other credentialed workforce programs. The Vice Provost has entrepreneurial drive and works collaboratively with and provides strategic leadership across the academic colleges and departments, research institutes, the Graduate School, Enrollment Management, Outreach & International Affairs (OIA), and Virginia Cooperative Extension (VCE) to launch and sustain programs that capitalize on the institution's strengths and geographic opportunities. As a member of the Provost's senior leadership team, the Vice Provost advises the Provost on institutional growth and sunsetting strategies related to workforce partnerships and professional learning. The position will be based either in Blacksburg or the Greater Washington, D.C. area.

Key Responsibilities:

• Develop and implement Virginia Tech's strategy for professional workforce education.
• Develop an organization that brings coherence to activities related to workforce partnerships and professional learning that includes organizational design, staffing, governance, long-term strategic priorities, and a financial operating model such that it is a self-sustaining unit.
• Lead university-wide strategic development for professional master's degrees, graduate certificates, executive education, and other relevant credentialling offerings, ensuring alignment with Virginia Tech's academic strengths, research priorities, and market opportunities.
• Advise the Provost regarding institutional investments, policies, and priorities related to workforce education and professional learning.
• Identify and recommend changes to university policies, processes, and governance that enable more agile development and delivery of workforce education and professional learning opportunities.
• Coordinate workforce education and professional learning strategies across Virginia Tech's statewide locations to maximize institutional impact while responding to regional workforce priorities.

Organizational Strategy and Portfolio Management:

• Lead institutional market and feasibility analysis and portfolio planning to identify opportunities for new workforce education and professional learning initiatives (in-person, fully online, or hybrid) aligned with Virginia Tech's strengths.
• In partnership with the Graduate School, academic colleges and departments, research institutes, and VCE, develop and manage a university-wide portfolio of workforce education and professional learning offerings, ensuring academic quality, financial sustainability, and alignment with institutional priorities.
• Regularly assess the portfolio using enrollment, financial, workforce demand, learner outcomes, and employer engagement metrics, recommending expansion, modification, or discontinuation as appropriate.
• Establish performance expectations and portfolio review processes for workforce education and professional learning initiatives.

Partnerships and Pathway Development:

• Build strategic partnerships with academic leaders across Virginia Tech to leverage faculty expertise, research strengths, and geographic assets in support of workforce education and professional learning. Initial foci will center on Blacksburg/Roanoke and the Greater Washington, D.C. area, with emerging foci in the Tidewater and Richmond regions.
• Develop strategic partnerships with industry, government agencies, military organizations, health systems, and nonprofit organizations to expand workforce education and professional learning opportunities.
• Advance workforce education and professional learning as a strategic component of Virginia Tech's research enterprise by partnering with principal investigators and research institutes to integrate workforce development into major sponsored initiatives.
• In partnership with the Division of Enrollment Management, establish enrollment goals, evaluate market opportunities, prioritize new program development, and monitor portfolio performance using shared institutional metrics.
• Serve as the primary academic partner to VCE, establishing a collabo