Director, U of A Yuma Strategic Partnerships & Institutional Initiatives

Posting Number
req26361

Department
Office of the Provost

Department Website Link
https://provost.arizona.edu/

Location
Yuma

Address
Yuma, AZ USA

Position Highlights
The Office of the Provost invites applications for the position of Regional Director, U of A Yuma Strategic Partnerships and Institutional Initiatives. This position is responsible for advancing a unified, coordinated, and high-impact U of A presence in Yuma by aligning university initiatives, academic programing, community, and stakeholder engagement. This role builds and strengthens partnerships, collaborates with Yuma teams and entities, and mobilizes resources to advance U of A Yuma initiatives aligned with the university's land grant mission, institutional imperatives, and Yuma County regional priorities. This position will report directly to the Senior Vice Provost and serve as a member of the University Provost's Integrated Leadership Team and the Academic Leadership Council. The position will be responsible for fostering an integrated regional strategy by convening education, industry, government, and nonprofit stakeholders across Yuma and the region to ensure continuity of services, alignment of shared goals, and a growth mindset in advancing joint academic, research, workforce and community engagement initiatives. Serving as the primary connector between U of A Yuma-based entities, community partners and university executive leadership, colleges and administrative units in Tucson, the Regional Director, U of A Yuma Strategic Partnerships and Institutional Initiatives will ensure strong institutional alignment, effective two-way communication, and cross-campus collaboration. Central to this role is advancing academic program success that addresses needs in Yuma, while ensuring that U of A Yuma operates with a cohesive vision, shared voice, institutionalized resources, to maximize the regional impacts.
Visa sponsorship is not available for this position.

Duties & Responsibilities

University Initiatives Leadership

• Providesstrategic leadership and oversight with developing and implementing U of A Yumastrategic short and long-term goals and initiatives with university leaders toadvance our vision for academic, research and community engagement programs inYuma.
• Lead andadvise senior university leadership on regional trends, risks, opportunities,and strategic investments related to Yuma operations.
• Collaborateand work with internal and external partners to advance the implementation ofUniversity of Arizona Yuma-focused initiatives and projects, ensuring alignmentwith the university's mission and compliance requirements.
• Conductongoing needs assessments across all University of Arizona units in Yuma andprovide advice to UA leadership related to strategy, policy and organizationaleffectiveness in Yuma.
• Accountablefor tracking and analyzing outcomes across academic, research, workforce, andcommunity initiatives in Yuma to generate insights that inform continuousimprovement and strategic planning.
• Developand lead a cross-functional team in Yuma within a matrix organization of staffand faculty that have reporting lines connected to leaders in Tucson.
• Encouragea positive working environment in Yuma that stimulates growth, opportunity,innovation and collaboration with campus partnerships.
• Guide andsupport the identification, development, and implementation of researchpartnerships and grant-funded projects that leverage Yuma's agricultural,environmental, healthcare and community assets, ensuring alignment withuniversity-wide research priorities and compliance frameworks.

Academic-Focused Leadership

• Strengthenand align University of Arizona academic programs in Yuma by identifyingopportunities, addressing resource gaps, and informing funding priorities,while fostering cross-unit coordination and advancing partnerships andinnovative educational pathways with regional high schools and communitycolleges (e.g., Arizona Western College and Imperial Valley colleges) tosupport student success and meet evolving workforce needs.
• Work withdeans, department heads, faculty, U of A Yuma Academic Director leads, and theOffice of the Provost to ensure excellent, efficient and effective delivery ofacademic programs.
• Lead thedevelopment and implementation of academic systems to support a thriving andsustained physical campus presence and enrollment for the University of ArizonaYuma.
• Lead andsupport the University of Arizona- Yuma staff in the daily coordination andproblem-solving regarding academic programs and student success.
• Collaboratewith University Analytics and Institutional Research (UAIR) to track, analyze,and report student outcomes including enrollment, persistence, graduation,transfer success, and job placement-to drive continuous improvement and alignprograms with workforce needs.
• Ensureequitable access, retention, and completion of academic programs for various student populations in the Yuma region.
• Collaboratein budget planning and resource allocation to sustain and grow academicprograms and identify and pursue external funding opportunities (grants,partnerships).
• Overseeoperational coordination between Yuma and main campus units to ensure seamlessacademic delivery.
• Supportinfrastructure planning (space, scheduling, technology-enabled learningenvironments).

Stakeholder Engagement and Communication

• Serve as aUniversity of Arizona's key point of contact with our strategic educational,research, industry, and community partners in Yuma.
• Work withYuma based U of A affiliates to build and strengthen partnerships with state,county, and city officials; community organizations, particularly growers andmilitary partners; health and corporate partners; and other key stakeholders toadvance initiatives.
• Increasethe university's visibility, impact and reputation in the Yuma County region.
• Facilitatestrong partnerships with university leaders, deans, department heads, chairs,and directors, faculty, governance bodies, and administrative units to alignpriorities.

Knowledge, Skills and Abilities

• Ability to effectively communicate across populations,including students, faculty, staff, community and industry partners,policymakers, and university administrators.
• Leadershipskills in cross-functional, collaborative environments.
• Changemanagement skills.
• Provenability to engage with senior executives and provide actionable, high-impactdata insights.

This job posting reflects the general nature and level of work expected of the selected candidate(s). It is not intended to be an exhaustive list of all duties and responsibilities. The institution reserves the right to amend or update this description as organizational priorities and institutional needs evolve.

Minimum Qualifications

• Minimum of 9 years of related work experience, including 5 years of managerial experience, or equivalent combination of education and work experience.
• Bachelor's degree or equivalent advanced learning attained through professional level experience required.
• Experience leading a team, project, program, or function is required.

Preferred Qualifications

• Master's degree, Ph.D. or professional degree in a related field.
• Experience working in municipal planning, community development, public administration, or related field and in complex project management, research, university systems, academics, land grant, science/STEM.
• Experience in a large, complex public university setting.
• Experience working with agricultural communities and agricultural-related initiatives.
• Experience developing, acquiring, and managing physical, digital for an organization or community.
• Change management experience.
• Experience leading organizational change initiatives, assessing resource needs and navigating complex institutional environments.

FLSA
Exempt

Full Time/Part Time
Full Time

Number of Hours Worked per Week
40

Job FTE
1.0

Work Calendar
Fiscal

Job Category
Organizational Administration

Benefits Eligible
Yes - Full Benefits

Rate of Pay
$139,102 to $180,833

Compensation Type
salary at 1.0 full-time equivalency (FTE)

Grade
14

Compensation Guidance
The Rate of Pay Field represents the University of Arizona's good faith and reasonable estimate of the range of possible compensation at the time of posting. The University considers several factors when extending an offer, including but not limited to, the role and associated responsibilities, a candidate's work experience, education/training, key skills, and internal equity.

The Grade Range represent a full range of career compensation growth over time. The university offers compensation growth opportunities within its career architecture. To learn more about compensation, please review our Applicant Compensation Guide and our Total Rewards Calculator.

Career Stream and Level
M4

Job Family
Administrative Strategy

Job Function
Organizational Administration

Type of criminal background check required:
Name-based criminal background check (non-security sensitive)

Number of Vacancies
1

Target Hire Date
8/31/2026

Expected End Date

Contact Information for Candidates
Nina Bates | [email protected]

Open Date
6/26/2026

Open Until Filled
Yes

Documents Needed to Apply
Curriculum Vitae (CV) and Cover Letter

Special Instructions to Applicant