Position | Associate Vice President of Special Projects INTERNAL APPLICANTS ONLY |
| Office of the Chief of Staff | Department: | Office of the Chief of Staff | Reports to: | Chief of Staff | Position Summary | Reporting directly to the Chief of Staff, the Associate Vice President of Special Projects is a campus-wide leader who plans, delivers, and sustains high-priority initiatives that advance Livingstone College’s mission and operational excellence. Partnering with the President, Chief of Staff, and Cabinet, the Associate Vice President of Special Projects translates strategy into execution. Defining scope, aligning resources, managing budgets and vendors, tracking KPIs, and mitigating project risk to ensure projects are completed on time, within budget, and to a high standard of quality. The ideal candidate has a proven record of driving complex projects to measurable outcomes and excels in organization, analysis, communication, and stakeholder engagement across students, employees, alumni, and the community. | Essential Duties & Responsibilities The results you will deliver each day that matter most! | - Strategy & Roadmap: Develop and steward the College’s special-projects strategy aligned to institutional and departmental goals.
- End-to-End Delivery: Plan and execute projects from charter through closeout; manage scope, milestones, resources, timelines, vendors, and quality.
- Goals & KPIs: Define objectives, deliverables, and KPIs with stakeholders; maintain dashboards and provide timely updates to the President, Chief of Staff, and Cabinet.
- Budget & Resources: Build and monitor project budgets; coordinate with the Business Office/Procurement and oversee vendor contracts and performance.
- Cross-Campus Collaboration: Partner with Academic Affairs, Student Affairs, Enrollment, Finance, Facilities/Physical Plant, IT, Athletics, Public Safety, Institutional Effectiveness, Communications, and Advancement to set scope and responsibilities.
- Methods & Tools: Implement practical project-management methodologies, templates, and SOPs to improve speed, clarity, and accountability.
- Risk & Change Control: Conduct risk assessments; prioritize and mitigate risks; manage change requests and escalate barriers quickly.
- Communication: Coordinate integrated communications (email, web, social) with Communications; brief leadership, advisory councils, and campus groups; prepare clear reports and presentations.
- Events & Logistics: Plan logistics for key meetings for high-impact campus programs, forums, and events tied to project milestones. (e.g., Stonecoming, CIAA, Presidential events).
- Evaluation & Improvement: Lead post-project reviews; capture lessons learned and drive continuous improvement across future initiatives.
- Vendor Engagement: Oversee vendor engagement and partnerships related to licensing, branding, and merchandise to ensure compliance with institutional standards and maximize revenue opportunities.
Required Skills & Competencies- Proven record delivering complex, multi-stakeholder projects on time, on budget, and in scope.
- Strong leadership and team coordination; motivates cross-functional contributors and drives accountability.
- Strategic, data-informed thinker with excellent problem-solving and a continuous-improvement mindset.
- Outstanding communication (written, verbal, and presentation); confident briefing senior leadership and diverse audiences.
- Relationship builder who collaborates across administrative and academic units, faculty, staff, facilities, students, alumni, vendors, and community partners; committed to Livingstone’s HBCU mission and values.
- Sound judgment and discretion with confidential matters; skilled in negotiation and conflict resolution.
- Exceptional organization and time management; maintains professionalism and composure while managing multiple priorities and deadlines.
- High initiative and follow-through; effective working independently and as part of a team.
- Routinely conducts quarterly competitive and environmental scans of peer HBCUs and regional institutions, evaluating Livingstone College’s strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats (SWOT) across enrollment, student success, finance, facilities, and community partnerships; delivers actionable recommendations to the President and Cabinet via dashboards, workshops, and presentations.
- Additional Duties as assigned.
| Education/ Experience What you will need to be successful! | - Master’s degree in business, public administration, education, or a related field required. Doctorate (EdD/PhD) preferred.
- 5–10 years of progressive managerial experience at the Associate Vice President level, leading cross-functional projects and teams.
- Experience in higher education or a nonprofit environment; familiarity with HBCU culture and mission.
- Technology fluency: project-management tools (Microsoft 365 Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Teams).
| Life at Livingstone College Why we believe you will love working at Livingstone College!! | Livingstone College is a private historically black college that is secured by a strong commitment to quality instruction, academic excellence, and student success. Through a Christian-based environment suitable for holistic learning, Livingstone provides excellent business, liberal arts, STEAM, teacher education, and workforce development programs for students from all ethnic backgrounds designed to promote lifelong learning and to develop student potential for leadership and service to a global community. |
About Livingstone College: http://Livingstone.edu
Livingstone College is an equal opportunity employer that employs qualified individuals based upon job related qualifications regardless of race, religion, ancestry, gender, sexual orientation, national origin, age, disability, marital status, domestic partner status, medical condition, political affiliation or any other classification proscribed under applicable federal, state or local law. Livingstone College complies with all laws regarding reasonable accommodation for disabled candidates and employees. Applicants requiring reasonable accommodation in order to participate in the interview process are requested to contact Human Resources in order to arrange such accommodation. We offer competitive compensation and an attractive benefits package. No recruiters or agencies without a previously signed contract. |
