Vice President of Academic Affairs

Yakima Valley College serves all students holistically, supports all students’ learning goals, and fosters achievement within career and educational pathways.

We strengthen our communities by providing opportunities for personal enrichment, economic mobility, and sociocultural engagement.

Are you passionate about working at an institution whose focus is student success? Do you want to work with a dynamic team that is leading the national conversation on increasing retention and completion? Can you envision yourself challenging and being challenged to find innovative ways to address persistent service gaps? If these questions resonate with you, then we invite you to consider joining the executive ranks at Yakima Valley College (YVC), an innovative and equity-focused designated Hispanic Serving Institution dedicated to helping all students achieve their academic and professional goals.

Yakima Valley College has an opportunity for the position of Vice President of Academic Affairs who is committed to community college students and their success. This is a full-time, administrative position, with an anticipated start of July 1, 2026.

The Vice President of Academic Affairs (VPAA) serves as the chief academic officer of Yakima Valley College (YVC), providing visionary and strategic leadership for all instructional programs and academic support services. The VPAA reports directly to the President and is a key member of the college’s executive leadership team, responsible for advancing the institution’s mission of student success, equity, and community engagement.

Under the direction of the College President, the Vice President provides vision, leadership, planning, and administration of a comprehensive array of instructional activities and support services designed to promote student success. As an engaged visionary and leader, the Vice President is involved in long-term planning for Academic Affairs by understanding and determining resolutions, strategies, and initiatives to move forward Instructional programming, academic portfolio and student learning.

Essential Tasks

Leadership:

• Serve as Chief Academic Officer at YVC.
• Provide vision, leadership, direction, and administrative oversight for academic divisions, programs, faculty, and staff while promoting employee excellence and integrity.
• Promote partnerships with local school district, community organizations and employers to support workforce development and transfer pathways.
• Leadership and oversight of the college’s grants that support the strengthening of the institution; professional development for faculty and staff; library, assessment; and program specific accreditation of the institution.
• Collaborate with the President and Executive Team to develop and administer YVC’s Strategic Plan and institutional strategic priorities.
• Provide leadership in accordance with the College Mission and Strategic Objectives.
• Provide leadership in institutional reform that advances a collaborative and communicative academic culture.
• Develop and lead senior staff in the functional areas of Academic Affairs.
• Empower faculty and staff to reach personal and professional goals by developing a supportive work environment that focuses on continuous improvement and individual growth.
• In support of the College's academic goals, provide leadership in building and maintaining articulation and collaborative activities with other institutions (K12 and higher education), public agencies and boards, as well as with business and industry while developing partnerships with community organizations.

Operations, Strategic Planning, Compliance, and Assessment:

• Provides guidance and oversight in the college’s major initiatives and priorities.
• Direct and support instructional administration and staff through appropriate development and evaluation.
• Manage funding models and direct budget development by Deans and Directors within Academic Affairs.
• Prioritize budgetary resources as they relate to needs of divisions and services to support the educational goals of the College and assure fiscal accountability.
• Prepare and update an annual comprehensive instructional plan and budget, with the involvement of faculty, staff, and administrators.
• Provide leadership and guidance for the development of new and existing Bachelor of Applied Science (BAS) Degrees.
• Provide leadership for instructional efforts associated with outcomes assessment and accreditation.
• Remain current on innovative educational programming, issues of evolving trends impacting faculty, transfer, and student success.
• Participate in instructional facility planning.
• Establish and effectively communicate goals and objectives that support YVC’s mission and learning objectives.
• Encourage innovation in equitable and inclusive teaching and learning while providing administrative leadership for accreditation and its activities.
• Strategically develop, implement, and provide administrative oversight of the college's instructional plan.
• Ensure and promote high impact academic programs and services consistent with accreditation standards and best practices.
• Strategically plan and provide vision for new programs that reflect the needs of the community and ensure that academic offerings are effective and current in the areas of transfer, professional/technical, college and career readiness, and community education.
• Provide direction for the systematic review of academic policies, programs, and course offerings.
• Work with faculty and staff to create equitable policies, programs, and courses to meet emerging or changing needs of students and the community.
• Oversee the creation and implementation of annual operational plans for each area of supervision.
• Provide policy level oversight and guidance for Associate Vice Presidents, Deans and Directors.
• Provide oversight and guidance in academic efforts to enhance opportunities for student success.
• Collaborates with the Office of Institutional Effectiveness to develop, analyze, and monitor disaggregated student success indicators, and leads a continuous improvement cycle that advances strategies to promote and ensure equitable student outcomes.
• Serve on designated college committees.
• Present division information at Yakima Valley College Board of Trustee meetings.
• Engage in and promote shared governance.
• Assist in the negotiation and administration of faculty and staff collective bargaining agreements.
• Ensure appropriate training, mentorship, and support for all faculty.
• Evaluate and make necessary recommendations regarding staff and instructional administrators in accordance with college policies and the applicable Collective Bargaining Agreement or Administrative Code.
• Participate as appropriate in appeals procedures and faculty grievances concerning academic matters.
• Other duties as assigned.

Qualifications

MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS:

• Master’s degree from an accredited institution
• Demonstrated progressive responsible administrative or executive experience in a higher education environment
• Three years of teaching experience
• Experience with regional accreditation
• Experience in negotiation of collective bargaining agreements and labor management with organized unions.

DESIRED QUALIFICATIONS:

• Doctoral or terminal degree from an accredited institution.
• Experience providing leadership at Hispanic Serving Institutions and/or with minoritized student populations.
• Executive experience at the community college level.
• Demonstrated commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion.
• Ability to lead and inspire faculty, staff, and students in a collaborative environment.
• Strong understanding of curriculum development, assessment, and accreditation processes.
• Excellent interpersonal, communication, and organizational skills.
• Knowledge of current trends and challenges in community college education.

ABILITY TO:

• Promote an inclusive environment that reflects the broad diversity and backgrounds represented by our students, employees, and our community.
• Building relationships, networking, and working effectively with diverse populations, community organizations, and campus community.
• Establish trust and foster transparency by being a skilled communicator in building and maintaining effective communication across the college and among all Instructional departments and employees.

KNOWLEDGE OF:

• Systemic oppression, racism, and equity concepts and applications in teaching, advising and retention of students.
• Strategic planning and implementation.
• Assessment of instructional and support programs.
• Effective financial management and ethical use of institutional resources.
• Innovative and equitable teaching practices that advance the learning of diverse student populations.
• Collective bargaining processes and negotiations.

Supplemental Information

APPLICATION INSTRUCTIONS:

To apply for this position, you MUST submit a complete YVC Online Employment Application, and include the following REQUIRED attachments:

• A cover letter describing how you meet the qualifications of this position (a generic cover letter will not be accepted)
• A current resume (a resume will not substitute for the "work experience" section of the online application)
• Three (3) professional references(personal references do not count as professional)
• Unofficial transcripts for confirmation of degree (if minimum qualifications require a degree). The successful candidate will be required to submit official transcripts at time of hire.
• Certifications/Credentials as required for fulfillment of the minimum qualifications.

Please note: Failure to follow the above application instructions will lead to disqualification. Please do not include any attachments other than the ones requested above. E-mailed documents will not be accepted after the closing of the recruitment or in lieu of attaching your documents to the online application.

SUPPLEMENTAL INFORMATION:

• Candidates invited for interviews may be required to complete a skills test.
• Candidates may be subject to a Criminal History Background Check as a condition for consideration of employment.
• "In compliance with federal law, all persons hired will be required to verify identity and eligibility to work in the United States and to complete the required employment eligibility verification form upon hire."

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