Columbia University seeks an outstanding leader to serve as its next Vice President, Campus Services (VPCS). Reporting to the Executive Vice President for University Facilities and Operations, the VPCS will drive innovation, operational excellence, and customer-focused service delivery while advancing the university’s mission and fostering a vibrant, inclusive campus community.

The VPCS provides strategic, operational, and financial leadership for the following service departments that touch almost every member of the Columbia communities located at and around the Morningside and Manhattanville Campuses: dining; undergraduate residence halls; catering and event management services; student center and bookstore; print and mail services; trademark licensing; and transportation.  The overarching objective of these units is to ensure that essential services and critical infrastructure are organized appropriately and function with the highest possible efficiency and effectiveness in support of the university’s academic mission.

The VPCS is a member of the executive management team of CUFO’s Executive Vice President and works closely and collaboratively with other senior leaders across the campus including deans, vice-presidents, and senior managers. Responsibilities include leading and participating in a variety of university and school initiatives and programs, serving on ad-hoc committees, and advising senior leadership on policy issues. An area of ongoing strategic and operational alignment is with student-affairs and residential-life areas of the university, especially those focused on the undergraduate experience. 

Qualifications

The VPCS will be a creative, collaborative, and enterprising leader who values team development, is an accomplished manager, and is committed to building a team-oriented organizational culture. The ideal candidate will view inclusion and belonging as the pathway to achieving excellence and to fostering a campus culture where everyone can thrive.  The position requires proven executive and leadership skills necessary both to execute a long-term strategic vision in support of the university’s mission of teaching and research and to manage the immediacy of daily operations.

The success of Campus Services rests on the VP and their senior team maintaining a dynamic awareness of the expectations and performance of each service line within a holistic grasp of the division’s overall success as measured by both customer satisfaction and financial performance.

In addition to these qualities and competencies, qualified candidates will possess:

• A demonstrated track record of effective leadership and collaboration with various constituents at all levels and ranges of expertise
• A deep commitment to customer service and a track record of leading high performance service delivery teams defined by a results-oriented culture of excellence and responsiveness
• Demonstrated ability and commitment to cultivating a work environment that is equitable and inclusive of faculty, staff, and students from diverse cultural backgrounds and social identities
• Effective written and presentation skills, proven financial acumen and negotiation skills, a creative bent and innovative approach to problem solving
• A minimum of 15 years of progressive growth in management and specific executive experience in one or more of the service areas within the scope of responsibilities of the position
• Demonstrated excellence managing operations and/or services on a profit and loss basis
• An undergraduate degree

Preferred qualifications:

• Professional experience in an academic or other non-profit environment
• Supervisory experience in a unionized environment
• An advanced degree in business management

The full position description can be viewed here.

To Apply

Columbia has retained Opus Partners to support this recruitment. Craig Smith, Managing Partner, Katie Dean, Senior Partner, and  Abigail Maynard, Managing Associate, are leading the search. Inquiries, applications, and nominations should go to abigail.maynard@opuspartners.net. The search process is confidential.

To be considered by Columbia’s search committee, candidates must provide a resume and a letter of introduction that addresses the specific responsibilities, expectations, and qualifications described above. Please consult Opus Partners for more information about the application process.

The budgeted annual salary range for the position is $300,000-400,000, commensurate with experience. Columbia University offers all full-time employees a comprehensive and competitive array of benefits including for health, retirement, education, and professional development. A full description of the university’s benefits programs is available here. In a leadership role that directly engages customers, university leaders, and many highly dedicated employees, the Vice President must be engaged and present on site.

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As an institution, Columbia University is committed to the principles of equity and excellence.  It actively pursues both, adhering to the belief that equity is the partner of excellence.  Columbia University's goal is a workforce and student body that reflects the diversity and talent of New York City, the larger metropolitan area, and the nation.  In furtherance of this goal, Columbia has implemented policies and programs which seek to ensure that its employment and educational decisions are based on individual merit and not on bias or stereotypes.

The University’s Office of Institutional Equity (OIE) has overall responsibility for the management of the University’s Anti-Discrimination and Discriminatory Harassment Policies & Procedures for Faculty and Staff, Anti-Discrimination and Discriminatory Harassment Policy and Procedures for Students; and Gender-Based Misconduct and Interim Title IX Policies and Procedures for Students. The Office coordinates compliance activities under these policies and the applicable federal, state and local laws; and is designated as the University’s Compliance Office for Title IX, Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act, and other equal opportunity and nondiscrimination laws.