The Executive Director, Office of the President serves as a strategic partner to the President of Ponce Health Sciences University (PHSU), and a senior administrative leader, providing executive-level support in advancing institutional priorities, coordinating strategic initiatives, and ensuring effective execution of presidential directives.
The Executive Director plays a critical role in strengthening communication, collaboration, and accountability across the University's campuses, academic units, and administrative divisions. Working closely with senior leadership, the position facilitates cross-functional initiatives, monitors progress on institutional priorities, and supports informed decision-making.
This role requires exceptional leadership, organizational, communication, and project management skills, along with the ability to exercise sound judgment, discretion, and initiative in a complex, multi-campus academic environment.
PRINCIPLE DUTIES/RESPONSIBILTIES:
1. Strategic Initiatives and Institutional Priorities
- Collaborate directly with the President to advance institutional strategic priorities and special initiatives.
- Translate presidential priorities into actionable plans with defined objectives, timelines, deliverables, and accountability measures.
- Monitor the implementation of key institutional initiatives and provide regular progress reports to the President.
- Identify operational challenges, emerging risks, and opportunities for institutional improvement.
- Facilitate coordination among academic and administrative leaders to ensure alignment with the University's mission and strategic plan.
2. Executive Project Management
- Lead and coordinate high-priority projects assigned by the President, ensuring timely execution and measurable outcomes.
- Establish project management frameworks, including milestones, performance indicators, reporting mechanisms, and follow-up processes.
- Coordinate cross-functional teams responsible for implementing institutional initiatives.
- Track commitments and action items resulting from presidential meetings, leadership discussions, and strategic planning activities.
- Prepare executive dashboards, project updates, and briefing materials to support presidential decision-making.
3. Executive Leadership Coordination
- Serve as a liaison between the President and senior institutional leaders, including Vice Presidents, Deans, Campus Directors, and other executives.
- Facilitate collaboration across PHSU campuses, including Ponce, San Juan, St. Louis, and the British Virgin Islands.
- Coordinate executive-level meetings, leadership discussions, and institutional planning activities as assigned.
- Promote accountability and timely follow-through on institutional commitments.
- Support the President in identifying and addressing matters requiring cross-campus or interdepartmental coordination.
4. Presidential Advisory and Decision Support
- Provide strategic and operational advice to the President on matters affecting institutional performance and organizational effectiveness.
- Conduct research, analyze institutional information, and prepare recommendations on emerging issues and strategic opportunities.
- Develop executive briefings, presentations, reports, and other materials for presidential engagements.
- Assist the President in evaluating institutional priorities and resource considerations.
- Handle sensitive and confidential matters with the highest standards of professionalism and discretion.
5. Institutional Communication and Stakeholder Engagement
- Facilitate effective communication between the Office of the President and institutional leadership.
- Coordinate follow-up on presidential communications, requests, and directives.
- Support the development of communications related to institutional initiatives, strategic priorities, and organizational change.
- Assist in coordinating engagement with external stakeholders, institutional partners, and community leaders as directed by the President.
- Promote a collaborative institutional culture consistent with the One PHSU, One Team philosophy.
6. Operational Effectiveness and Continuous Improvement
- Identify opportunities to strengthen institutional processes, coordination, and administrative efficiency.
- Collaborate with relevant leaders to advance organizational improvement initiatives.
- Support the development and monitoring of institutional performance indicators.
- Facilitate solutions to operational challenges that require collaboration across multiple divisions or campuses.
- Promote a culture of accountability, transparency, responsiveness, and continuous improvement.
QUALIFICATIONS: To perform this job successfully, an individual must be able to perform each essential duty satisfactorily. Listed below are the knowledge, skills, and/or abilities required for this position, as well as the Physical Demands and Work Environment. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.
EDUCATION:
- Master's degree in Business Administration, Healthcare Administration, Higher Education Administration, Public Administration, Project Management, or a related field required.
EXPERIENCE:
- Minimum of five years of progressively responsible experience in executive administration, strategic planning, project management, organizational leadership, or related areas.
- Demonstrated experience managing complex projects involving multiple stakeholders.
- Experience supporting senior executives or institutional leadership teams.
- Experience in higher education, healthcare, academic medicine, or similarly complex organizations strongly preferred.
- Proven ability to manage competing priorities and deliver results within established timelines.
COMPETENCIES:
To perform the job successfully, an individual must possess strong
strategic thinking skills and the ability to understand institutional priorities and translate them into practical, measurable initiatives. The individual must demonstrate expertise in
project management, including project planning, implementation, performance monitoring, and accountability. Excellent
written and verbal communication skills are required, with the ability to prepare executive-level reports, presentations, and correspondence. The role requires the ability to
work effectively with senior leaders, build
collaborative relationships, and influence outcomes without direct supervisory authority.
Strong analytical skills are essential to interpret institutional data, identify trends, and develop evidence-based recommendations that support organizational goals. The successful candidate must exhibit
exceptional organizational effectiveness, managing multiple projects, stakeholders, and competing deadlines simultaneously.
Sound professional judgment, discretion, integrity, and the ability to maintain confidentiality are critical. The individual must be
adaptable and capable of responding effectively to evolving priorities and complex organizational challenges. Proficiency with project management tools, executive dashboards.
Bilingual communication skills in English and Spanish are strongly preferred.
Computer Skills: Microsoft Office applications, and collaborative technologies is required.
KEY PERFORMANCE INDICATORS: Performance may be evaluated using the following indicators:
Scope of Authority
The Executive Director, Office of the President reports directly to the President and works collaboratively with institutional leadership to advance presidential priorities.
The position is authorized to coordinate activities, request progress updates, facilitate meetings, and monitor the execution of initiatives on behalf of the President, within delegated authority.
The Executive Director does not replace the supervisory responsibilities or decision-making authority of Vice Presidents, Deans, or other institutional executives. Rather, the position serves as a central coordination and execution resource to strengthen institutional alignment and effectiveness.
Leadership Expectations
The successful candidate will demonstrate a commitment to the mission, vision, and values of Ponce Health Sciences University and embody the principles of integrity, collaboration, accountability, innovation, and service.
The Executive Director is expected to be proactive, solution-oriented, highly organized, and capable of building productive relationships across a geographically distributed institution.
The position requires a strong commitment to advancing the University's strategic direction while promoting a unified institutional culture under the One PHSU, One Team philosophy.
TOP PRIORITIES FOR THE NEW POSITION
Presidential priorities: Ensure that decisions and directives from the President translate into measurable action and results.
Cross-campus coordination: Strengthen communication, collaboration, and accountability among PHSU's campuses and leadership teams.
Executive project management: Oversee progress on high-priority initiatives and proactively identify delays, obstacles, and needed interventions.
PHYSICAL DEMANDS: The physical demands described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.While performing the duties of this job, the employee is regularly required to sit and to use hands to type on a computer, operate office equipment and handle books, files, documents, etc. Must be able to talk and hear to answer phones and when assisting others. The employee is occasionally required to stand, walk, reach with hands and arms, climb or balance, and to stoop or kneel. The employee must occasionally lift objects weighing from 10 - 30 pounds and possibly up to 50 pounds. Close vision needed to use a computer. Must have distance vision and depth perception for safety purposes.
WORK ENVIRONMENT: The work environment characteristics described here are representative of those an employee encounters while performing the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions. The work environment in this position is characteristic of a normal office environment. The noise level in the work environment is usually mild to moderate. At times, the position requirements will require the ability to produce results in a fast-paced environment. Independence and autonomy with little direct supervision is required. Professional mannerisms are expected as a representative of the university. This position requires leadership and the ability to accept performance feedback.
NOTE: This job description in no way states or implies that these are the only duties to be performed the employee will be required to follow any other instructions and to perform any other duties requested by his or her supervisor. An employee is expected to assist and provide coverage for coworkers during peak periods, vacation days or sick days.
