Job Title: Vice President, Academic
Location: Ontario
Compensation: $179,000 annually
The Opportunity:As a member of the Executive Leadership Team, the Vice-President Academic plays a central role in establishing triOS Institute's pursuit of degree-granting status and establishing it as a high-quality institution recognized for innovative, career-focused graduate education, subject to Postsecondary Education Quality Assessment Board (PEQAB) approval and Minstrel consent. The VPA provides leadership in academic planning, program development, regulatory compliance, institutional effectiveness, and continuous improvement while ensuring that all academic activities align with the Institute's mission, strategic priorities, and applicable PEQAB requirements as the Institute pursues and maintains degree-granting approval.
The VPA works collaboratively with the President, Board of Governors, Academic Council, faculty, administrative leaders,
regulatory bodies, professional organizations, and industry partners to ensure that academic programs remain relevant, rigorous,
innovative, and responsive to labour market needs.
What you'll be doing:Academic Leadership- Provide strategic leadership for all academic programs and educational initiatives.
- Create a culture of academic excellence, innovation, integrity, and continuous quality improvement.
- Ensure all academic programs meet provincial quality assurance standards and institutional objectives.
- Lead the academic planning process, including new program development, program review, and program renewal.
- Promote excellence in teaching, learning, assessment, and graduate outcomes.
- Champion evidence-based decision-making and continuous academic improvement.
Academic Governance- Serve as a member of Academic Council and provide administrative and institutional support to enable the Council to fulfill its independent academic governance responsibilities.
- Ensure Academic Council fulfills its responsibilities related to curriculum, admissions, academic policies, academic standards, progression, graduation requirements, and academic appeals.
- Develop and implement academic policies that support institutional excellence and regulatory compliance.
- Ensure effective communication between Academic Council, senior leadership, and the Board of Governors.
Curriculum Development & Quality Assurance- Lead the design, development, implementation of graduate programs, and the evaluation and continuous improvement of programs following approval.
- Ensure curriculum reflects current industry practices, employer expectations, and emerging workforce needs.
- Oversee program learning outcomes, graduate competencies, and assessment frameworks.
- Ensure compliance with PEQAB quality assurance standards and Ministry requirements.
- Lead cyclical program reviews and continuous quality improvement initiatives.
- Supervise institutional quality assurance processes and academic performance reporting.
- Coordinate Program Advisory Committees (PACs) and ensure meaningful industry engagement in curriculum development.
Faculty Leadership- Provide leadership for faculty recruitment, orientation, development, mentoring, evaluation, and succession planning.
- Promote excellence in teaching through professional development and instructional innovation.
- Ensure faculty qualifications meet institutional policies and PEQAB expectations.
- Develop a collaborative academic culture grounded in academic freedom, integrity, inclusion, and respect.
- Support faculty engagement in scholarship, applied research, and professional practice.
Student Academic Success- Champion student-centred teaching and learning.
- Ensure academic support services promote student retention, persistence, and graduation.
- Monitor academic performance indicators and implement strategies to improve student outcomes.
- Promote accessibility, equity, diversity, and inclusion throughout the academic experience.
- Ensure graduates possess the competencies required for professional success and lifelong learning.
Research, Innovation & Artificial Intelligence- Develop and implement the Institute's strategic vision for applied research, innovation, scholarship, and knowledge mobilization.
- Lead the growth of an applied research agenda that addresses emerging industry, healthcare, business, technology, cybersecurity, and societal challenges while supporting regional and national workforce priorities.
- Develop a culture of scholarly inquiry, innovation, and continuous improvement among faculty, staff, and students.
- Promote interdisciplinary research collaborations across academic disciplines and with external partners, including industry, healthcare organizations, government agencies, community organizations, and international institutions.
- Advance graduate student participation in applied research through capstone projects, internships, research assistantships, and collaborative industry initiatives.
- Provide leadership for research governance, ethics, integrity, and compliance with all institutional, provincial, and federal policies and standards.
- Identify and pursue external research funding opportunities through government agencies, foundations, private-sector organizations, and collaborative partnerships.
- Encourage faculty scholarship through publications, conference presentations, applied research projects, curriculum innovation, and professional engagement.
- Establish processes to measure and communicate research outcomes, institutional impact, innovation performance, and knowledge transfer activities.
Artificial Intelligence & Digital Innovation- Lead the development and implementation of the Institute's strategy for the ethical, responsible, and effective use of Artificial Intelligence (AI) across teaching, learning, applied research, student services, and institutional operations.
- Promote AI literacy among faculty, staff, and students by supporting professional development, curriculum integration, and responsible use of emerging AI technologies.
- Champion the integration of AI, learning analytics, automation, simulation technologies, and digital learning tools to enhance student engagement, academic quality, research productivity, and operational effectiveness.
- Ensure institutional policies and academic standards address AI-related issues including academic integrity, data privacy, cybersecurity, transparency, intellectual property, bias mitigation, and ethical decision-making.
- Encourage faculty to leverage AI and emerging technologies to enhance curriculum design, personalized learning, assessment strategies, scholarly research, and evidence-informed decision-making.
- Develop strategic partnerships with technology companies, healthcare organizations, research institutes, and innovation hubs to expand opportunities for collaborative research, AI initiatives, and experiential learning.
- Monitor emerging trends in artificial intelligence, educational technology, and digital transformation to ensure the Institute remains at the forefront of innovation in higher education.
- Position the Institute as a recognized leader in AI-enabled education, applied research, and digital innovation by creating collaboration between academia, industry, and government.
Strategic Planning- Contribute to the development and implementation of the Institutional Strategic Plan.
- Develop long-term academic plans that align with enrolment projections and workforce needs.
- Identify emerging educational trends and recommend new academic opportunities.
- Support institutional growth through innovative program offerings and delivery models.
Regulatory Compliance- Ensure compliance with all academic legislation, regulations, and quality assurance requirements.
- Lead institutional interactions related to academic reviews and quality assurance.
- Ensure compliance with PEQAB, Ministry of Colleges, Universities, Research Excellence and Security, AODA, Human Rights Code, copyright legislation, privacy legislation, and academic integrity standards consistent with the authority and resources delegated by the Board and President.
- Maintain institutional academic policies consistent with provincial and national best practices.
Financial & Resource Management- Develop and manage the Academic Division budget.
- Allocate academic resources strategically to support institutional priorities.
- Ensure effective utilization of faculty, instructional resources, and educational technologies.
- Participate in institutional budget planning and resource allocation.
External Partnerships- Build collaborative relationships with employers, professional associations, healthcare organizations, universities, colleges, government agencies, and community organizations.
- Represent triOS Institute at provincial, national, and international academic forums.
- Support the development of academic partnerships that enhance student opportunities and institutional reputation.
Leadership- Lead, mentor, and develop academic leaders across the institution.
- Promote collaboration among faculty, administration, and students.
- Encourage innovation and continuous improvement throughout the Academic Division.
- Foster a respectful, inclusive, and high-performing organizational culture.
What you bring to the position:- Earned PhD from a recognized institution. For credentials obtained internationally, equivalency must be assessed by a recognized Canadian credential assessment service.
- Minimum 10-15 years of progressively senior academic leadership experience within post-secondary education.
- Significant experience as a Vice-President Academic, Provost, Dean, Associate Vice-President, or equivalent senior academic administrator.
- Demonstrated success in curriculum development and academic program leadership.
- Extensive experience with graduate education and degree programming.
- Experience with PEQAB or comparable quality assurance and accreditation processes.
- Experience leading faculty and academic administrators.
- Strong knowledge of academic governance and institutional policy development.
- Demonstrated financial and operational leadership experience.
- Proven ability to lead organizational and academic change.
- Experience building partnerships with industry and professional organizations.
- Qualified candidate must reside in Ontario, or willing to relocate to Ontario prior to starting this role.
This position is for an existing vacancy.
A criminal background check will be required for the selected candidate.
