Senior Director of Faculty Affairs and Leadership Development

Summary

The Senior Director of Faculty Affairs and Leadership Development provides strategic and operational leadership for the Office of Faculty Affairs and Leadership Development (OFALD), a university-wide function serving faculty across the School of Medicine, the School of Pharmacy, the Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences, and future schools and programs. The Senior Director oversees faculty affairs operations, faculty leadership development, and executive faculty recruitment, ensuring that each function delivers a responsive, consistent, and high-quality experience for faculty, candidates, academic leaders, and institutional partners.

The Senior Director serves as a trusted advisor and strategic partner to academic and administrative leaders, translating institutional priorities into effective programs, processes, and services. Within the Office of the Provost, the Senior Director is the lead partner for faculty governance and a thought partner to the Provost on faculty matters, ensuring that faculty governance bodies operate effectively and that faculty perspectives inform institutional decision-making. This role also leads the continued development and evaluation of the institution’s executive faculty recruitment capability; advances faculty leadership development initiatives; ensures the effective administration of faculty appointments, promotions, tenure, and other faculty lifecycle processes; and uses data and metrics to evaluate outcomes and drive continuous improvement.

The Senior Director leads and develops the OFALD team and promotes a culture of accountability, collaboration, service, and continuous learning.

Reporting Relationship

Reports jointly to the Senior Vice President and Chief People Officer and to the Provost/Senior Associate Dean for Faculty Affairs. The Provost/Senior Associate Dean for Faculty Affairs sets priorities for faculty affairs, faculty governance, and executive faculty recruitment. The Senior Vice President and Chief People Officer ensure alignment with Human Resources, Organizational Development, and institutional people strategy.

Primary Responsibilities

Faculty Affairs

• Provide day-to-day leadership and oversight of Faculty Affairs operations, services, and staff.
• Oversee and facilitate proactive administration of faculty recruitments and appointments, reappointments, promotions, tenure, non-renewals, sabbaticals, and other faculty employment and lifecycle actions.
• Manage and continuously improve new faculty orientation and onboarding processes.
• Interpret, communicate and administer institutional policies and procedures related to faculty.
• Ensure compliance with applicable institutional policies, procedures and external regulations relating to faculty employment.
• Manage the Faculty Offer Letter process, ensuring compliance with applicable policies, appropriate review of compensation and market benchmarks, and completion of required institutional approvals and appropriate due diligence.
• Maintain the integrity, accuracy, confidentiality, and appropriate use of faculty data and records.
• Serve as an institutional resource regarding Faculty Affairs policies, practices and processes.
  

Faculty Governance and the Office of the Provost Partnership

• Serve as the lead partner to the provost for faculty governance, including ECF and the MCW Faculty Council, and other faculty committees and groups that elevate faculty perspectives in institutional decision-making.
• Own the operations and continuity of faculty governance bodies, including agenda development, meeting preparation, materials, minutes, action tracking, and follow-through on decisions and recommendations.
• Coordinate faculty governance processes such as elections, committee appointments, charges, and orientation of new governance members.
• Lead preparation and coordination for the Academic, Clinical, Research and Education (ACRE) Committee of the Board of Trustees, in partnership with the Provost and the Dean of the School of Medicine, including agendas, materials, and follow-up.
• Lead the development, review, and maintenance of faculty-facing policies, faculty bylaws, and the Faculty Handbook across all schools, ensuring consistency, clarity, and appropriate governance review and approval.
• Serve as a liaison among faculty governance bodies, the provost, deans, and senior leadership, ensuring timely communication, alignment, and closure on faculty issues.
• Advise the Provost on faculty-related matters, emerging issues, and opportunities to strengthen faculty engagement and shared governance.
• Partner with the Provost office’s education leadership on faculty matters that intersect with the education mission.

Executive Faculty Recruitment

• Lead the institution’s executive faculty recruitment function, including searches for designated senior faculty and academic leadership positions.
• Partner with hiring leaders to develop search strategies, position profiles, recruitment plans, candidate assessment processes, and effective onboarding and transition plans.
• Ensure a consistent, high-quality experience for candidates, search committee members, hiring leaders, and other stakeholders throughout the recruitment process.
• Develop and maintain effective executive search practices, tools, resources, and service standards.
• Evaluate the effectiveness and value of the internal executive faculty recruitment function, including comparison with external executive search firms, market practices, costs, timelines, candidate quality, stakeholder satisfaction, and search outcomes.
• Determine when internal search capabilities or external search firm support is most appropriate and manage external search firm relationships and performance when firms are engaged.
• Develop and monitor executive recruitment metrics and use findings to improve search quality, efficiency, and outcomes.
• Ensure executive faculty recruitment practices comply with applicable institutional policies and legal and regulatory requirements. 

Faculty Leadership Development

• Partner with institutional and academic leaders to assess faculty and faculty-leader development needs and establish priorities for leadership development.
• In collaboration with Organizational Development, design, implement, and evaluate programs and resources that strengthen the leadership capabilities of current and emerging faculty leaders.
• Support leadership onboarding and transition for vice deans, senior associate deans, department chairs, division chiefs, center and institute directors, and other designated faculty leaders.
• Collaborate with key stakeholders to align faculty leadership development with institutional talent, succession, organizational development, and strategic priorities.
• Establish measures of effectiveness and use participant feedback, organizational outcomes, and leading practices to continuously improve leadership development offerings.
• Identify and evaluate internal and external resources, facilitators, and partners needed to support faculty leadership development. 

Strategy, Operations and Team Leadership

• Translate the vision and priorities of OFALD into actionable strategies, operating plans, and measurable outcomes.
• Develop reports, dashboards, and faculty metrics that inform institutional priorities, decisions, and initiatives.
• Conduct continuous quality improvement reviews of OFALD programs and processes to reduce turnaround time, eliminate unnecessary steps, improve stakeholder experience, and remain current with leading practices.
• Lead cross-functional projects and initiatives involving faculty affairs, faculty governance, executive recruitment, and leadership development.
• Build strong working relationships with the provost, deans, academic and administrative leaders, faculty, Human Resources, Legal, Finance, and other institutional partners.
• Recruit, develop, coach, and manage OFALD staff; establish clear expectations; evaluate performance; and ensure the team provides responsive, accurate, and high-quality service.
• Manage the human, financial, and operational resources assigned to the areas of responsibility.
• Perform special assignments as directed by the Provost, Senior Associate Dean for Faculty Affairs, the Chief People Officer, or other members of senior leadership.
• Perform other duties as assigned. 

Knowledge – Skills – Abilities

• Demonstrated knowledge of faculty affairs practices and the faculty employment lifecycle, preferably within academic medicine or higher education.
• Knowledge of executive recruitment practices, including search strategy, candidate assessment, executive search firm management, and stakeholder and candidate experience.
• Knowledge of leadership development principles, program design, adult learning, and evaluation of program effectiveness.
• Strong business and organizational acumen, with the ability to think strategically and translate strategy into effective operational plans.
• Demonstrated ability to lead, develop, and hold teams accountable for high-quality results.
• Strong executive presence and the ability to establish credibility with faculty, physician leaders, senior executives, and other institutional stakeholders.
• Ability to navigate complex, sensitive, and ambiguous situations using sound judgment and discretion.
• Ability to interpret and consistently apply policies, procedures, and governance requirements.
• Strong analytical skills and the ability to use metrics and qualitative information to assess effectiveness and guide decisions.
• Demonstrated commitment to service excellence and continuous improvement.
• Ability to manage multiple priorities and complex projects in a fast-paced environment.
• Excellent written, verbal, facilitation, consultation, and relationship-building skills.
• Ability to manage highly confidential and sensitive information.
• Demonstrated ability to lead change and build effective partnerships across organizational boundaries.
• High degree of integrity, professionalism, initiative, and accountability.

Qualifications

Appropriate experience may be substituted on equivalent basis.

Minimum Required Education: Bachelor’s degree in human resources, business administration, higher education administration, organizational development, or related field

Minimum Required Experience: 10 years of progressively responsible experience in human resource, faculty affairs, executive recruitment, leadership development, academic administration or a related field,  including experience working with senior executives and faculty leaders in a complex organization.

Preferred Education: Master’s degree in human resources, business administration, higher education administration, organizational development, or related field                

Preferred Experience: experience in academic medicine, higher education, or a health sciences environment. Experience leading a team or an organizational function. Experience supporting faculty governance, appointments, promotion and tenure processes.     

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Why MCW?

• Outstanding Healthcare Coverage, including but not limited to Health, Vision, and Dental. Along with Flexible Spending options
• 403B Retirement Package
• Competitive Vacation and Paid Holidays offered
• Tuition Reimbursement
• Paid Parental Leave
• Employee & Family Assistance Program (EFAP)
• Pet Insurance
• On campus Fitness Facility, offering onsite classes
• Additional discounted rates on items such as: Select cell phone plans, local fitness facilities, Milwaukee recreation and entertainment etc.

For a brief overview of our benefits see: Benefits Overview

For a full list of positions see: MCW Careers

At MCW all of our endeavors, from our internal operations to our interactions with our partners, are driven by our shared organizational values: Caring – Collaborative – Curiosity – Inclusive – Integrity – Respect. We are committed to fostering an inclusive environment that values diversity in backgrounds, experiences, and perspectives through merit-based processes and in alignment with all applicable laws. We believe that embracing human differences is critical to realize our vision of a healthier world, and we recognize that a healthy and thriving community starts from within. Our values define who we are, what we stand for and how we conduct ourselves at MCW. If you believe in embracing individuality and working together according to these principles to improve health for all, then MCW is the place for you. For more information, please visit our institutional website.

MCW as an Equal Opportunity Employer and Commitment to Non-Discrimination:

The Medical College of Wisconsin (MCW) is an Equal Opportunity Employer. We are committed to fostering an inclusive community of outstanding faculty, staff, and students, as well as ensuring equal educational opportunity, employment, and access to services, programs, and activities, without regard to an individual's race, color, national origin, religion, age, disability, sex, gender identity/expression, sexual orientation, marital status, pregnancy, predisposing genetic characteristic, or military status. Employees, students, applicants or other members of the MCW community (including but not limited to vendors, visitors, and guests) may not be subjected to harassment that is prohibited by law or treated adversely or retaliated against based upon a protected characteristic.