Associate Vice President, Learning Ecosystems and Student Affairs

ORGANIZATION

Building a Nation of Learners by Advancing America’s Community Colleges

The American Association of Community Colleges (AACC) is the primary advocacy organization for the nation’s community colleges. The association represents more than 1,000 2-year, associate degree-granting institutions and nearly 10.5 million students.

POSITION SUMMARY

The AVP, Learning Ecosystems and Student Affairs leads data-driven, cross-institution efforts to improve learner success, access, and persistence across AACC’s member colleges by integrating curriculum design and assessment with comprehensive student services, advising, enrollment management, and wraparound supports. This leader champions student agency and civic learning while ensuring alignment with accreditation standards, policy updates, and regional collaboration. The role oversees program development, faculty and staff development, and the use of analytics to drive continuous improvement, equity, and measurable student outcomes, managing both internal teams and grant-funded initiatives to advance a student-centered, accessible, and affordable community college experience.

Key responsibilities

Academic programs and curriculum development

• Lead the design, evaluation, and dissemination of best practices in curriculum development, program alignment, competency-based approaches, and transfer/articulation across member colleges, with explicit integration of student services into curricular planning.
• Promote and assist with program reviews, articulation agreements, transfer pathways, and credit-for-prior-learning initiatives; ensure alignment with advising models and enrollment management processes.
• Support institutions implementing Guided Pathways, student success frameworks, and integrated student services (advising, tutoring, career exploration).
• Develop and coordinate faculty development programs, instructional design support, and dissemination of teaching excellence practices; promote effective use of open educational resources (OER) and affordable learning options; ensure accessibility and inclusive pedagogy.
• Ensure online/hybrid learning quality and accessibility; guide the adoption of instructional technology, digital pedagogy, and scalable student-support integration within online pathways.

Student supports, wraparound services, and Student Affairs

• Develop scalable models for student supports (advising, tutoring, mental health, financial literacy, childcare, transportation, food security) and wraparound services that reduce barriers to persistence and completion.
• Integrate data-informed supports and targeted strategies to close achievement gaps; measure and report on student achievement gaps; align supports with enrollment management and student affairs operations.
• Foster cross-institution collaboration to share evidence-based supports, resources, and implementation strategies; coordinate with college-level student affairs leadership to integrate services across institutions.

Student agency, civic learning, and democracy in higher education

• Champion student voice, agency, and leadership development within program design and implementation.
• Promote civic learning, democratic engagement, and responsible citizenship as integral components of higher education experiences; develop resources and programs to advance these objectives.

Accreditation, compliance, and continuous improvement

• Provide guidance on accreditation readiness, compliance, and continuous improvement processes; support member colleges in preparing for accreditation reviews and annual reports.
• Monitor evolving accreditation standards and ensure alignment of AACC resources and guidance with regional and national requirements; incorporate student services and outcomes into accreditation evidence.

Data governance, analytics, and evaluation

• Establish data governance frameworks for learning outcomes, student success metrics, and program evaluation; emphasize privacy and compliance.
• Lead data-informed decision-making, develop dashboards and analytic tools, and disseminate findings to members and stakeholders; include student services metrics (advising load, completion rates, time-to-degree, CPL outcomes) in dashboards.

Strategic initiatives, collaboration, and regional ecosystems

• Lead cross-team projects to advance shared outcomes; integrate student affairs and enrollment management perspectives into regional ecosystems.
• Strengthen transfer ecosystems, articulation workflows, and credit for prior learning (CPL) frameworks across regions; manage grant-funded initiatives related to learning strategies with a focus on student access and success.
• Oversee or collaborate on proposal development, program management, and reporting for funded initiatives; emphasize student services innovation.

Thought leadership, communications, and advocacy

• Establish metrics and shareable insights on learner success, equity, and program impact; represent AACC in external forums related to learning strategies, student affairs, and higher education policy.
• Develop toolkits, templates, and guidance documents to facilitate rapid adoption by member institutions; ensure student services best practices are transferable.
• Engage in policy analysis and advocacy related to accreditation, funding, student supports, and higher education quality; provide spokesperson support as needed.

Staff leadership and development

• Build and mentor a high-performing team focused on learning strategies, curriculum innovation, student supports, and student affairs initiatives; manage dotted-line and grant-funded staff as applicable.

Internal and external communications

• Clearly communicate strategic priorities, updates, and outcomes to member colleges, stakeholders, and governing bodies; highlight student affairs initiatives and enrollment management progress.

Administrative duties

• Manage budgets, grants, contracts, and vendor relationships related to learning strategies initiatives; ensure compliance with AACC policies and reporting requirements; allocate resources to student services and advising programs.

QUALIFICATIONS

Required Education and Experience

Experience in higher education, particularly at community colleges, is strongly preferred and will be prioritized in the review process.

• Education: Doctorate or master’s degree in higher education administration, curriculum and instruction, educational leadership, student affairs administration, or a closely related field. A terminal degree is preferred for a chief academic officer level.

• Experience: 8–12+ years of progressively responsible leadership in higher education, with substantial experience in curriculum design, student services (advising, enrollment management, tutoring, mental health, etc.), accreditation processes, and program development within community colleges or higher education consortia.

• Leadership: Demonstrated success in leading cross-institution programs, teams, and partnerships; experience with grant management and collaborative funding models; track record of integrating student affairs with academic strategy.

• Subject-matter expertise: Proficiency in curriculum design, assessment, and accreditation standards (regional and programmatic), student supports, wraparound services, student belonging, civic learning, and the integration of student affairs into academic strategy.

• Strategy and analytics: Strong ability to translate data into actionable strategy; experience with evaluation methods, continuous improvement, and reporting to senior leadership and member institutions; include student services metrics.

• Communication: Excellent written and verbal communication skills; ability to represent the association in national dialogues and facilitate complex conversations with diverse stakeholders.

• Interpersonal skills: Collaborative, with the ability to lead through influence, build consensus, and manage competing priorities across multiple teams.

• Technology and adaptability: Comfortable with data systems, analytics tools, online learning platforms, and changing higher-education environments.

Work Environment and Reporting

Reports to: SVP, Learning Ecosystems, Workforce Strategies & Intelligence

Supervises: Direct management of program staff within learning strategies and related initiatives; dotted-line oversight of grant-funded personnel as applicable.

Location and travel

This position is based in the AACC office located in Washington, DC and is eligible for a hybrid schedule with one day remote per week. Ther will be periodic travel to member institutions, conferences, and partner sites as required.

The above statements are intended to describe the general nature of work being performed by the individual assigned to the position. They are not intended to be an exhaustive list of duties, responsibilities, and skills required. Management reserves the right to modify, add, or remove duties, and to assign other duties as necessary. In addition, reasonable accommodation may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions of this position.

American Association of Community Colleges is an equal employment opportunity (EEO) employer committed to providing equal employment opportunities to all employees and applicants without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, gender identity, or any other characteristic protected by applicable federal, state, or local law. We are committed to fostering an inclusive and diverse workplace where all individuals are valued and respected.

• Health, Dental and Vision Insurance
• EAP
• Flex Spending Account
• Legal Shield
• Vacation, Paid Holidays and Sick Leave
• 403(b) Retirement Plan
• Life Insurance