Director of Student Success and Leadership Centre

The University of Windsor is searching for a dynamic and student-centred leader to act as Director, Student Success and Leadership Centre and create exceptional student experiences for all students.

The Organization

The University of Windsor is situated on the traditional territory of the Three Fires Confederacy of First Nations: the Ojibwa, the Odawa, and the Potawatomie. The University is a comprehensive research and teaching institution with more than 16,000 students. Located in Canada’s most southern city, the University of Windsor combines excellence in teaching, research, and professional practice with a commitment to build stronger communities, treat people with respect and dignity, and address pressing societal needs.

The Role

Reporting to the Associate Vice-President, Student Experience, the Director of the Student Success and Leadership Centre (SSLC) is responsible for a diverse portfolio of functional areas dedicated to fostering student success through supported learning, recognizing academic excellence, fostering leadership, transition support, and building community engagement. They actively participate in building strategic plans and manage operations and budgeting for all areas within the SSLC, developing initiatives that reflect the University’s commitment to student success and working collaboratively with the University community. Their ultimate goal is establishing a sense of belonging and supporting growth for students throughout their time at the University.  Areas that currently report to this leader include programming related to Indigenous education, orientation and transition, leadership, community engagement, and learning supports.

This portfolio is growing and changing as higher education evolves. This leader will play a key role in shaping the future of student support and programming at the University through the development of effective systems and services, while expertly employing change management skills to support the community.

Key areas of oversight and responsibility are:

• Strategic Vision and Leadership – Provides creative and student-centred strategic leadership for their portfolio and shaping the development and integration of all functional areas under a shared identity.
• Operational Management – Provides direction, coaching, and support to the portfolio’s staff and ensures ongoing stability, flexibility, inclusivity, and accountability of each of the reporting areas. Acts as steward for the SSLC budget and resources.
• Student Engagement and Wellbeing – Supports the development of innovative and relevant opportunities for students to engage and find a place they feel they belong and ensures the provision of student-centred interventions for those in need of support.
• Assessment and Data Strategy – Ensures the strategic assessment of SSLC offerings, needs assessments, and research that contributes to a robust understanding of current student demographics and climate and informs programming design and decision-making across the department.
• Representation and Networking – The Director acts as a representative of Student Experience to internal partners and committees, community partners, associations, and networks related to student engagement, transition, learning support, and wellbeing.

The Ideal Candidate

The successful candidate will be an experienced student affairs leader and scholar-practitioner who thrives when focused on building inclusive communities for students and staff. This leader has outstanding communication and interpersonal skills with a student-centred and collegial management style. They are a courageous, caring leader with integrity. They will be knowledgeable about processes, co-curricular programming, and issues management in student affairs. They bring a track record of improving and innovating operations, with a demonstrated commitment to transformational learning experiences. They must have demonstrated experience successfully engaging with and supporting initiatives that foster an equitable, inclusive, and accessible community. They excel at bringing together people with disparate ideas, beliefs, and opinions to engage in community dialogue and productive collaborations. A data-driven decision maker, this leader values multiple ways of knowing and has a record of building strong and effective relationships across administrative and faculty departments in a large university setting.

Qualifications and Experience:

While the Search Committee recognizes that no one candidate is likely to meet all qualifications in equal measure, those listed below are desirable and will be used to compare candidates.

• A Master’s degree in Education, Leadership, or Student Affairs, or a related field required, with a PhD preferred.
• At least 5 years of leadership experience in post-secondary student services or student affairs with supervisory, operational, and administrative duties overseeing student programming.
• Demonstrated commitment to Indigenization and decolonization, and equity, diversity, inclusion, and accessibility and fostering a widespread sense of belonging.
• Experience in student-centred program delivery with knowledge of how to apply student development theories, current research, and best practices in a university setting.
• Demonstrated ability to effectively respond to complex situations involving gender-based violence, racism, and harassment.
• Experience leading, supporting, and coaching a team, and overseeing complex budgets and operations.
• Ability to create, review, and ensure alignment of programming, policies, and procedures with broader institutional goals.
• Excellent oral, written, and interpersonal communication skills.

You are someone with:

• A sense of curiosity and joy in supporting students throughout their journeys.
• An empathetic style, capable of building trusting and authentic relationships with students, employees, and community.
• A spirit of positive restlessness – striving to innovate and seeing possibilities where others see problems.
• The ability to courageously face challenges and to exercise integrity, flexibility, and good judgment.
• The ability to work collegially and effectively within a unionized environment, building strong, trusting relationships.
• An exceptional listener who prioritizes human-centred practice and acts as a steward of positive culture.
• Decisiveness combined with a facilitative style and the ability to effectively explain decisions.
• A high energy level and the capacity to balance multiple priorities.

In pursuit of the University of Windsor's employment policies as well as the University’s equity, diversity, inclusion, and decolonization commitments, members from designated groups (Women, Indigenous Peoples, Racialized Persons, Persons with Disabilities, and those that identify as 2SLGBTQIA+) are encouraged to apply and may self-identify if they choose to do so. Please refer to the Office of the Vice-President, People, Equity and Inclusion website for information about the University’s Anti-Racism Organizational Change supports, activities and initiatives.

If you require an accommodation for any part of the application and hiring process, please contact accommodate@kbrs.ca or the Talent and Recruitment team by email at employment@uwindsor.ca.  Please refer to the Office of Human Rights, Equity & Accessibility website for additional information on accommodations.

All qualified candidates are encouraged to apply; however, Canadians and permanent residents will be given priority.

If you are interested in this opportunity, contact Debra Clinton at dclinton@kbrs.ca, Kyle Steele at ksteele@kbrs.ca, or Dr. Jennie Massey at jmassey@kbrs.ca or submit your full application package online by clicking on the “Apply Now” button below.