Job Summary

Reporting to the Dean, the Director of Strategic Initiatives is a trusted thought-partner who provides a school-wide, integrative perspective across Leeds, identifying and advancing connections across units to achieve our strategic priorities.

The Director maintains a broad understanding of strategic initiatives and activities across the School and works closely with the Dean, Dean's Cabinet and other school leaders to find opportunities where greater coordination, alignment, and collaboration can advance Leeds' strategic objectives. In close partnership with the Assistant Dean for Advancement and the Dean, the Director also helps shape the agenda for Leeds Advisory Board (LAB) meetings, ensuring the Board's expertise and engagement are strategically leveraged to support and advance the School's strategic priorities.

The Director provides leadership and project management for AACSB accreditation in coordination with the Associate Dean for Research and Academics, as well as campus-level accreditation reviews. This includes close partnerships with faculty and various staff units to collect, compile, and report data on the success of the Leeds School, its programs and initiatives and coordination of accreditation review visits.

What Your Key Responsibilities Will Be

Strategic Plan Administration

• In partnership with the Dean, be responsible for administration and ongoing execution of the Leeds strategic plan.
• Manage regular check-ins with academic divisions and unit leaders to ensure alignment and execution of initiatives, providing ongoing support to move critical initiatives towards successful completion.
• Develop feedback mechanisms allowing faculty and staff to provide input on strategic plan implementation in their respective units. Use feedback to improve activation of the strategic plan across the school.
• Maintain records of unit-level strategic plans for each academic division and program, ensuring they are regularly reviewed and updated to track progress.
• Manage the external review process for academic divisions, in which visiting scholars travel to Leeds to provide their perspectives on our academic divisions to support innovation and improvement.
• Track school-wide progress on the strategic plan, using a dashboard of important measurements and other reporting tools to support ongoing monitoring and assessment.
• Maintain a broad, school-wide perspective on strategic priorities, initiatives, and emerging opportunities in order to identify connections, dependencies, gaps, and opportunities across organizational boundaries.
• Partner with the Dean to identify initiatives that would benefit from strategic integration or cross-functional coordination.
• Serve as a strategic thought partner to the Dean and other members of the Dean's Cabinet on initiatives with significant cross-school implications. The Director coordinates cross-functional initiatives until clear ownership is established and transitions sustained implementation to the appropriate functional or portfolio leader.
• Participate in Cabinet and other leadership/strategy meetings to maintain current understanding of priorities, decisions, emerging initiatives, and organizational context.
• Maintain regular strategic touchpoints with Dean's Cabinet members and other school leaders to identify developments, progress, and emerging priorities that should be reflected in updates to the School's strategic plan.

Accreditation & Institutional Review

• Lead the project management, coordination and overall process for Leeds' AACSB accreditation process, in close partnership with the Associate Dean for Research and Academics, who provides academic leadership and content expertise.
• Establish accreditation timelines, achievements, responsibilities, and documentation requirements.
• Manage the collection, organization, and maintenance of required accreditation data and supporting evidence across units. This includes coordination of a faculty and staff committee who determine assessment plans and data sources.
• Partner with academic and administrative leaders to develop required reports and manage the reporting process to ensure submission by established due dates.
• Coordinate internal and external review processes and evaluator visits.
• Maintain institutional knowledge and continuity between accreditation cycles.
• Leverage accreditation findings and documentation, where appropriate, as inputs to strategic planning and continuous improvement.
• Serve as the primary Leeds contact and coordinator for CU-campus level accreditation processes, including HLC and ARPAC.

Communicate with Leeds Advisory Board (LAB)

• Along with the Assistant Dean of Advancement and the Dean, contribute to the development of the Leeds Advisory Board (LAB) agenda, positioning the Board as a resource for advancing the School's strategic priorities and supporting the implementation of 2035 Leeds.
• Partner with the Assistant Dean of Advancement and the Dean to develop the Board's meeting agendas and opportunities for involvement in alignment with the School's strategic plan and emerging institutional needs.
• Maintain regular coordination with the advancement office to track the progress of Leeds Advisory Board working groups, ensuring their efforts remain aligned with the School's strategic priorities.

Coordination of the Portfolio of the Office of the Dean

• Coordinate with the Dean's Cabinet, ensuring alignment among members around Leeds' strategic priorities.
• Track key strategic priorities and follow-up items across the Dean's Cabinet, helping maintain insight into progress, dependencies, and areas requiring the Dean's attention or decision.
• In coordination with the Associate Dean for Administration and Finance, supervise the Dean's Office Assistants, providing direction on administrative priorities and workflow to ensure the effective execution of the ongoing needs of the Dean's Office and facilitate coordination across the portfolio of the Dean's Office.

What You Should Know

• This position offers a hybrid work modality with at least 3 days in the office and up to 5 depending on meeting schedule. Work hours are Monday-Friday, 8am-5pm plus evenings and weekends as needed for events, conferences and activities.

What We Can Offer

• The hiring range for this position is $99,700-$115,000. Relocation is available for eligible candidates within department guidelines.

Benefits

At the University of Colorado Boulder , we are committed to supporting the holistic health and well-being of our employees. Our comprehensive benefits package includes medical, dental, and retirement plans; generous paid time off; tuition assistance for you and your dependents; and an ECO Pass for local transit. As one of Boulder County's largest employers, CU Boulder offers an inspiring academic community and access to world-class outdoor recreation. In fact, CU Boulder has been named one of Forbes' America's Best Large Employers , ranking #4 among large employers in Colorado and #28 among universities nationwide. Explore additional perks and programs through the CU Advantage program.

Be Statements

Be engaged. Be impactful. Be Boulder.

What We Require

• Bachelor's degree or equivalent combination of education and experience may substitute.
• 5+ years of professional experience including: working for an institution of higher education, supporting/advising executive or senior level staff, and supervisory experience.

What You Will Need

• Requires a highly motivated individual with integrity, tact, discretion, a proven track record, and exceptional organizational skills.
• Ability to work across a variety of projects among diverse constituencies.
• Ability to problem-solve and effectively operate within a large, dynamic environment with experience in senior level administrative management in an academic environment. Experience with strategic planning processes and procedures.
• Management experience and skill, including the ability to be responsible for a complex and fast paced office in a manner that combines speed, precision, and thoroughness.
• Excellent interpersonal and communications skills with the ability to interact with a diverse group of internal and external constituents. Proven ability to engage effectively with high-level business leaders, scholars, alumni, school, and university administrators, faculty, and students.
• Ability to handle complex, multiple, concurrent tasks including excellent organizational skills and proficiency in prioritizing assignments to complete work accurately and in a timely manner. Anticipate, interpret, and respond to a variety of issues with minimum direction and the highest level of discretion and judgment.
• Process confidential matters and either resolve or refer questions to appropriate personnel.
• Must possess initiative and ability to anticipate executive needs for information and support.
• Demonstrated ability to plan, organize, coordinate, and direct multiple projects and activities with varied timelines, use sound judgment, and be a strategic problem solver.
• Ability to work with confidentiality and discretion when handling sensitive information.
• Promotes creating an inclusive environment to reflect our values and vision at Leeds.

What We Would Like You to Have

• 5+ years of experience working for an institution of higher education.
• 5+ years of experience supporting/advising executive or senior level staff.
• 3+ years of supervisory experience.
• Experience working in a business school.

Special Instructions

To apply, please submit the following materials:

1. A current resume.
2. A cover letter that specifically tells us how your background and experience align with the requirements, qualifications, and responsibilities of the position.

We may request references at a later time.

Please apply by October 1, 2026 for consideration.

Note: Application materials will not be accepted via email. For consideration, please apply through CU Boulder Jobs

In compliance with the Colorado Job Application Fairness Act, in any materials you submit, you may redact or remove age-identifying information such as age, date of birth, or dates of school attendance or graduation. You will not be penalized for redacting or removing this information.