Job Description:

AVP Role and Responsibilities

The Assistant Vice President for Workforce Innovation and External Relations is a senior leader who reports directly to the President and serves as a member of SUNY Oswego's President's Cabinet and President's Council. AVP contributes to executive-level decision-making, institutional strategy, enrollment strategy, external engagement, and regional impact efforts.

AVP leads and contributes to the development of grants and partnership initiatives related to SUNY Oswego's workforce innovation programming and community-serving high-impact programs. The AVP demonstrates exemplary leadership, relationship cultivation and management, project management, and communication skills with colleagues and external partners.

AVP is responsible for creating and implementing strategies required to successfully develop, advance, and sustain partnerships between SUNY Oswego and regional partners that attract and secure significant external investment and contribute to increased educational attainment, workforce training, employment outcomes, and the economic and social health of the region.

AVP establishes strong working relationships and proactively engages internal members of the institution, including President's Cabinet and Council members, deans, the Office of Research and Sponsored Programs, Extended Learning, Career Services, Office of Experiential Learning, University Advancement, faculty, staff, and students, to understand the internal and external environment, leverage existing partnerships, and establish new relationships.

Key Responsibilities Include:

• Serve as a member of the President's Cabinet, President's Council, and other leadership groups as requested by the President, contributing to executive-level decision-making, institutional strategy, enrollment, and external engagement efforts.
• Direct institutional government relations strategy, serving as primary liaison to local, state, and federal stakeholders; influence policy, funding, and advocacy efforts that advance university and regional priorities.
• Build and lead cross-sector partnerships by aligning public, private, nonprofit, industry, and community organizations to support regional workforce strategy tied to SUNY Oswego and external partners' broader economic development efforts.
• Oversee operations, strategy, and a six-figure budget, including program design, stakeholder engagement, grant compliance, assessment, and execution across multi-county initiatives.
• Serve as Principal Investigator or senior institutional leader on SUNY Oswego grants managed by OWIER, and maintain compliance, coordination, communication, tracking, assessment, and reporting for assigned local, state, and federal grant-funded projects and awards.
• Partner closely with SUNY Oswego vice presidents, deans, faculty, SUNY Research Foundation Office of Research and Sponsored Programs staff, and industry and community members to apply for, secure, and maintain significant local, state, and federal grants.
• Represent SUNY Oswego on external advisory boards, councils, and committees to promote collaboration and communication with the external community.
• Serve as SUNY Oswego's liaison to SUNY System Administration's Office of Governmental and External Relations, coordinating advocacy, communications, and strategic engagement efforts.
• Serve as liaison to SUNY Oswego's University Council, coordinating communications, supporting council engagement and governance activities, and facilitating participation in the Association of College Trustees (ACT) and other SUNY-related council initiatives.
• Possess a comprehensive understanding of the institution's mission, goals, and existing resources and work collaboratively with relevant team members to envision and identify new opportunities that advance the institution and contribute to the common good.
• Maintain regular office presence at SUNY Oswego at Syracuse and SUNY Oswego's Office of Workforce Innovation and External Relations in Oswego to ensure impact in both Onondaga and Oswego counties.

Opportunities for Strategic Growth

• SUNY Oswego is positioned for an ambitious next phase of regional, workforce, and external engagement. Key opportunities for the next Assistant Vice President include:
• Advance workforce innovation aligned with regional transformation: Central New York is entering a period of transformational workforce demand connected to Micron, advanced manufacturing, healthcare, education, public service, and emerging technologies. AVP will have a unique opportunity to connect industry needs with university assets, support high-demand credit and non-credit pathways, and position SUNY Oswego as a leading driver of workforce and innovation for Central New York.
• Strengthen SUNY Oswego's role as a regional convener: Building on SUNY Oswego's leadership of the Oswego County Micron Strategy Steering Committee, AVP can deepen cross-sector partnerships that bring together employers, elected officials, nonprofit organizations, public agencies, and educational partners around shared regional priorities.
• Grow external grants and partnership resources: AVP will partner with deans, faculty, ORSP, Extended Learning, Advancement, Career Services, and external stakeholders to identify, develop, secure, and steward grants and investments that advance workforce innovation, community impact, and student opportunity.
• Expand impact through SUNY Oswego at Syracuse: AVP will help leverage SUNY Oswego at Syracuse as a platform for flexible, professional, continuing, and workforce-aligned education in Central New York. This includes strengthening partnerships that expand access for adult learners, working professionals, transfer students, and regional employers.
• Deepen government and legislative affairs strategy: AVP will lead institution-wide legislative affairs strategy, helping SUNY Oswego articulate its priorities, align with SUNY and state funding opportunities, and strengthen relationships with elected officials and policy stakeholders.
• Elevate community-serving high-impact programs: AVP will support and expand programs such as RSVP of Oswego County, the Hometown University Internship, and campus-community initiatives that foster civic engagement, connect students with real-world opportunities, and strengthen SUNY Oswego's reputation as a hometown university with global impact.
• Strengthen institutional reputation and visibility: As a visible institutional ambassador, AVP will translate SUNY Oswego's mission, Vision 4040, and strategic plan into compelling partnership opportunities that enhance the university's regional and statewide reputation.

SUNY Oswego works continuously to create an inclusive environment which respects, embraces, and promotes cultural safety, belonging, civil discourse, cultural humility, and other values and goals outlined in SUNY Oswego's Strategic Diversity and Inclusion Plan. As such, the incumbent is expected to contribute to these efforts and possess communication and interpersonal skills necessary to engage effectively with an increasingly diverse community of students and colleagues.

Requirements:

Required Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in a related field.
• 10+ years of related professional experience.
• Successful track record of securing and managing state and/or federal grants.
• Highly adept at developing and maintaining close collaborative partnerships that lead to awarded grants and desired impacts.
• Demonstrated leadership skills focused on building relationships to accomplish organizational mission and goals.
• Excellent analytical, written, oral, interpersonal, and presentation skills.
• Comprehensive understanding of the current Central New York and New York State workforce market and emerging labor needs.

Preferred Qualifications

• Master's degree in a related field at the time of appointment.
• Demonstrated success leading workforce development and community-advancing initiatives in a public comprehensive university environment.
• Experience partnering with Marketing and Communications to align brand, messaging, and advertising with OWIER communication strategy.
• Evidence of effective cross-divisional collaboration with Academic Affairs, Student Affairs, Administration and Finance, University Advancement, Research and Sponsored Programs, Extended Learning, Career Services, and Office of Experiential Learning to attract and secure dollars and other resources for the advancement of the university.
• Experience with government relations, legislative advocacy, public policy engagement, or public-sector partnership development.
• Demonstrated ability to steward grant-funded projects, budgets, assessment, compliance, and external reporting in a complex public institution.

At SUNY Oswego we value the diversity found in each member of our campus community and strive to create a community where that diversity is embraced and enhanced. Recognizing the strength of diversity, our mission is to foster an environment which respects, embraces and promotes cultural competence, civil discourse and active engagement in developing an inclusive and vibrant community of scholars who act as transformational agents of change and responsible citizens of the world. For more information see SUNY Oswego's Strategic Diversity and Inclusion Plan.

As a candidate seeking consideration you are asked to submit a separate statement specifically addressing how your commitment to diversity, equity and inclusion has been evidenced in your career experience and professional activity, and/or community service (volunteer work, etc.), and/or professional development. (Please see Application Instructions)

Additional Information: