Vice President, Presidential Initiatives & Chief of Staff to President at UT San Antonio

This position has two components: the Vice President for Presidential Initiatives and the Chief of Staff to the President. The position is a Cabinet-level position. The primary work location is at the executive offices at the Academic Campus of UT San Antonio.

The Vice President for Presidential Initiatives role involves the development and execution of strategic presidential initiatives principally derived from the President’s annual work plan. It includes special projects, strategic relationships support, institutional advocacy, and executive communication strategies, principally for the President, while collaborating closely with the Senior Vice President for Marketing and Communications and the entire Cabinet. This role will oversee initiatives that vary in scale, time frame, and relative involvement of other divisions, ranging from small, short-term, simple projects to large, multiyear, institutional-scale, complex projects.

The Vice President will formulate analysis, strategy, and communication development around the presidential initiatives that will shape the trajectory as the new institution develops, serving on behalf of the President as a thought leader within higher education, research, academics, and public/private partnerships.

The Chief of Staff to the President role involves representing the interests and priorities of the President and the Office of the President through the coordination and advancement of the Presidential initiatives, enterprise risk management, KPI tracking, special projects, and priorities. This role involves the management and leadership of the Office of the President and its four components:
Special Events and Protocol, Administrative Operations, Presidential Initiatives, and Presidential Communications. It includes supporting the President in prioritizing and making the best use of their time, providing strategic and analytical support to the President, and managing certain special projects end to end to ensure achievement towards strategic initiatives and annual plans.

Execution of all the functions of the office: special events and protocol, administration and operations, presidential initiatives, and presidential communications.

Oversight of direct reports leading those functional areas.

Facilitate coordination, alignment and follow through across Cabinet on presidential priorities, institutional initiatives and matters requiring cross functional executive leadership.

Coordination with UT system executive offices and the Board of Regents Office of the Secretary as needed.

Provide strategic insights and implementation for strategic initiatives related to the Office of the President.

Leverage opportunities with strategic partners that further university missions and strategic efforts.

Coordinate with Cabinet members and other institutional leaders to identify, assess, monitor, and address significant enterprise risks.

Coordinate enterprise risk reporting and engagement with UT System and the Board of Regents, as appropriate.

Ensure emerging risks and issues are elevated to the President and appropriate executive leaders to support timely decision making and response.

Serve as an ambassador of the Office of the President.

Closely collaborate with the Chief of Staff to the SEVP for Health Affairs and Health System.

Collaborate with Cabinet members and executives across the institution.

Represent the President and the university at community events as needed.

Oversee the annual State Employee Charitable Campaign.

Serve as the internal liaison/coordinator and mentor for the following groups:
Staff Advisory Council, Staff Emergency Fund, Association of Retired Faculty and Associates (ARFA), and others as needed.

Serve in an internally and externally facing leadership role.

Serve as a liaison with members of the Board of Regents and the University of Texas System regarding presidential topics and related support of issues and  partnership with the Office of Human Resources, manage and oversee the search process for VPs directly reporting to the President as needed. This includes collaborating with selected search advisory committee chair, selected search firm, and other key stakeholders to ensure a seamless and successful search process.

Ensure effective planning of presidential activities and special events (both internal and external). To include receptions, Presidential Awards, holiday events, VIP visits, graduation speakers and coordination of annual Presidential Ambassador Scholars.

Support…