Associate Vice Chancellor, Human Resources

Monday through Friday and as required

Virginia's community colleges have a 50-year track record of educational excellence and innovation to serve the needs of our citizens and strengthen the Commonwealth's economy. When Virginia's General Assembly established the Virginia Community College System in 1966, the need for a comprehensive system was well known. Over the two decades after the end of World War II, leaders in government, business, professional sectors, and academia had called for a new approach to providing educational opportunity. A key concern was Virginia's ability to develop a skilled and knowledgeable workforce to expand the state's economy. Today our community colleges give every Virginian the opportunity to gain a quality education. With 23 colleges on 40 campuses located throughout the state, Virginia's Community Colleges are committed to serving Virginia families, helping them acquire the knowledge and skills to seize the opportunities of today and tomorrow.

The Virginia Community College System ( VCCS) invites nominations and applications for the position of Associate Vice Chancellor ( AVC) for Human Resources Services. Reporting to the Senior Vice Chancellor for Finance and Operations, and a key member of the Chancellor's Cabinet, the Associate Vice Chancellor will lead human resource functions and transformation for the system and in support of the system's 23 colleges, in alignment with the mission and strategic objectives of the VCCS. Guided by the mission to give everyone the opportunity to learn and develop the right skills so lives and communities are strengthened, the Chancellor and the gubernatorially appointed State Board for Community Colleges launched a strategic plan in 2024 to award 300,000 cumulative meaningful credentials by 2030 across all regions through accelerated access and success for every student.

The Role of the Associate Vice Chancellor for Human Resources Services

The Associate Vice Chancellor for Human Resources Services provides strategic leadership for all human resources functions across the VCCS system office and its 23 colleges. Reporting to the Senior Vice Chancellor for Finance and Operations and serving as a member of the Chancellor's Cabinet, the AVC leads the development and execution of a comprehensive HR strategy aligned with the system's strategic priorities.

This role oversees workforce planning, organizational development, talent management, policy development, compliance, and employee relations, while leveraging data and HR technologies to strengthen decision-making and operational effectiveness. In addition, this role will lead strategic and transformational One System initiatives. The AVC will advance a culture of care, accountability, and continuous improvement, ensuring that HR practices evolve to meet the changing needs of the VCCS and its employees

Position Priorities

Guide Human Resources Strategy and Planning

The Associate Vice Chancellor will lead human resources strategic planning to support system initiatives and goal achievement. Central to this role is leading data-informed workforce planning and organizational development eorts to proactively address stang needs and enhance structural eciency across the system oce and all 23 institutions. The AVC plans and executes a system-wide human resources strategy that supports the quality and eectiveness of talent acquisition, compensation/classication, learning and talent development, employee relations and compliance programs that foster and sustain a productive, engaged, and welcoming work environment.

Central to this role is the ability to cultivate strong, trust-based partnerships with campus presidents, executive leaders, college chief human resources ocers, system oce employees, campus faculty, and sta to ensure HR strategies are responsive, equitable, and eective. Promoting shared governance and transparent communication in HR decision-making is essential to reinforcing trust and inclusivity. As a unifying presence across multiple campuses, the HR leader will strike a balance between maintaining system-wide consistency and honoring campus-level autonomy and culture. Furthermore, the role involves representing the VCCS in external partnerships and consortia focused on human capital development, and workforce eectiveness, reinforcing the system's commitment to collaboration both internally and externally.

The Associate Vice Chancellor will be responsible for designing and overseeing talent acquisition strategies that attract, hire, and retain a skilled and multidimensional, and highly qualied workforce. Leading succession planning and implementing leadership development and employee engagement initiatives will be vital to building internal capacity and ensuring long-term institutional success. This role will also direct system-wide training and development programs to support ongoing professional growth and performance excellence among all employees. Equally important is ensuring that onboarding, retention, and promotion practices reect and reinforce the mission of the VCCS.

To drive eciency and eectiveness, the Associate Vice Chancellor will support standardized policies, procedures, and technologies across campuses, ensuring consistency and scalability of operations. Utilizing HR technology and data systems, the role will enhance service delivery, bolster compliance, and provide strategic insights that support decision-making. By benchmarking HR practices against both higher education and broader industry standards, he or she will help identify opportunities for innovation and improvement. A strong emphasis will be placed on fostering a continuous improvement mindset, embedding best practices in employee relations, performance management, benets administration, and workplace wellness throughout the system.

As a strategic goal, the VCCS has committed to developing a Culture of Care that will identify needs, research and share best practices, and implement policies, programs, and practices that positively impact the learning environment and outcomes of all students, as well as the experience and professional success of all employees. The Associate Vice Chancellor will serve as an employee advocate, will monitor system- wide employee climate and culture survey data, and champion eorts to measure and improve the employee experience. Developing and delivering employee training and leadership programs that inculcate practices that support a thriving workforce will also be an expectation of the system-level human resources function.

HR Brochure
Job Description

Salary is competitive and commensurate with experience. The hiring range for this role is approximately $175,000 - $210,000 with a generous benefits package.

Candidate review will begin immediately. For best consideration applications should be submitted by February 16, 2026.

The Associate Vice Chancellor must be a strategic thinker as well as a high-energy individual with a demonstrated capacity to lead across the organization. Key qualifications include substantial progressively responsible experience in human resources with management experience in a complex organization. Experience in higher education, executive experience, experience as a chief human resources officer, and corporate headquarters/system-level experience are all highly desirable. A master's degree is required- ideally, in human resources management or a related field. A human resource-related certification/s such as PHR, SPHR, SHRM-CP, SHRM- SCP, or CEBS is preferred.

In addition, candidates should bring the following complementary abilities and experiences to the work of the VCCS:
* A commitment to community college education;
* Demonstrated ability to understand system-level policies and processes, distributed decision-making, shared governance, matrixed organizations, and complex management systems and protocols;
* Executive level problem solving and organizational skills and ability to function in a complex, high demand environment, managing multiple priorities simultaneously;
* Strong managerial skills and experience working across human resources in areas of talent acquisition, compensation/classification, learning and talent development, employee relations and compliance;
* Experience with strategic planning and the ability to apply critical, conceptual, and strategic thinking to human resource functions across the system;
* Outstanding diplomatic, negotiation, and communication skills, and the ability to represent the VCCS externally;
* The ability to lead effectively within and across units, using collaboration, strong listening skills, and persuasion to guide decision making and influence critical operations;
* A proven collaborator, skilled negotiator and experience in reviewing and realigning systems, policies and human capital;
* The ability and desire to innovate and apply creative problem-solving to the complex challenges facing Virginia and higher education;
* A commitment to and understanding of the fundamental need for multiple perspectives and backgrounds in the workforce;
* The ability to plan and act strategically while maintaining transparency and building consensus;
* The ability to inspire trust and build relationships;
* Project development expertise to lead (or assist staff in leading) new initiatives on a grand scale, setting a standard of collaborative needs assessment, creating benchmarks for evaluation, setting, and maintaining project timelines and budgets, and evaluating project success;
* The ability to identify administrative cost savings and operational efficiencies and communicate effectively, clearly, and diplomatically to a wide range of interest groups; and
* Excellent writing and communication skills.

None

Travel as required for conferences and meetings

The Virginia Community College System ( VCCS) provides equal employment opportunities to all employees and applicants for employment and prohibits discrimination and harassment of any type without regard to race, color, religion, age, sex, national origin, disability status, genetics, political affiliation, veteran status, sexual orientation, gender identity or other non-merit factors.

The Virginia Community College System ( VCCS) is an Equal Employment Opportunity employer and complies with the Americans with Disabilities Acts ( ADA and ADAAA), to provide, reasonable accommodation to applicants in need of access to the application, interviewing, and selection processes when requested.