Faculty Positions

Position Title / Rank: Associate Dean or Executive Director, Strategy and Planning

College: Ontario Veterinary College

Department: Office of the Dean

Date Posted: March 25, 2019
Deadline: April 27, 2019
Please reference AD #19-09

Position Description:

The Ontario Veterinary College (OVC) at the University of Guelph is seeking applications or nominations for the position of Associate Dean or Executive Director, Strategy and Planning (AD/ED SP). A new position, the selected candidate will be a key member of the OVC executive team, working closely with the Dean to establish and implement College strategy, informed by the OVC Healthy Futures Strategic Plan.

The AD/ED SP will lead the Dean, Associate Deans and Department Chairs in an annual cycle of planning activities resulting in improved alignment of College priorities and activities to achieve organizational success and influence change. The AD/ED SP will assist the Dean in engaging with various internal and external stakeholders (government agencies, industry, international partners, donors) to deliver on the College’s complex mission and respond to emergent needs.

The AD/ED SP will support members of the OVC community in ways which facilitate quality, innovation and growth, while ensuring the College delivers its core programing and exceeds external accreditation standards. The AD/ED SP will assist the Dean in implementing strategy while ensuring fiscal sustainability and mitigating risk using recognized methodologies for project, resource and operations management.

The AD/ED SP will ensure that OVC maintains an effective resource utilization model (capability/capacity/cost) within a balanced budget, using a rolling 3-year cycle. The role will oversee accountability and appropriate use of resources funded by 4 major government operating grant agreements and earned revenue (hospital, department sales and services). Sources of income from these streams total approximately $75 million, of which nearly $15 million is in sponsored research.

The AD/ED SP will be a critical resource for the Dean and all OVC units, providing operational oversight and guidance for a wide range of issues in support of OVC’s teaching, research, and service mission. This position will oversee deployment of College resources required to deliver programs, maintaining consistent quality and effectiveness. This will include strategic support for the planning of new and expanded academic and research programs and initiatives. The AD/ED SP will be expected to articulate, negotiate, and communicate the need for resources through the creation of compelling cases for support or value propositions, given that in most cases resources and funding have already been already allocated to existing programs

Qualifications and Experience:

  • Graduate degree (e.g., MBA) with training in strategic business planning and resource modeling, or related fields, and/or equivalent professional experience. A degree in a health science discipline is considered an asset.
  • Five or more years of experience in higher education, preferably health sciences (or the equivalent in non-profit or other organization), including planning, resource management, and leadership.
  • Experience relevant to supporting academic program development and working collaboratively with senior academic leadership and faculty.
  • Evidence of excellence in analysis and systems thinking, with superior organizational, planning, modeling skills.
  • Experience in the collaborative assessment and resolution of complex problems in organizations.
  • Evidence of excellence in interpersonal, written, and oral communication skills.
  • Demonstrated success working as part of a senior leadership team.
  • Ability to present value propositions and supporting financials to a wide-range of stakeholders, e.g., Dean, Associate Deans, Chairs, Provost’s Office, faculty, staff and students and Board of Governors.

    • The Ontario Veterinary College (OVC) is Ontario’s only college of veterinary medicine and is a founding college of the University of Guelph, one of Canada’s leading comprehensive universities. Recently the OVC was ranked first in Canada, seventh worldwide and fourth in North America for veterinary science by Quacquarelli Symonds.

    Guelph is a vibrant community of over 130,000 people located in Southern Ontario, approximately 100 kilometers west of Toronto.

    Salary is negotiable and commensurate with experience and qualifications. Review of applications and nominations will begin on April 27, 2019 and will continue until the position is filled.

    This position is open to either an academic or non-academic appointment.

    Application Process

    Please send a letter of intent, life-time curriculum vitae, and the contact information for three referees to:

    Dr. Jeffrey J. Wichtel,
    Dean, Ontario Veterinary College
    University of Guelph
    Guelph, Ontario, N1G 2W1
    Email: ovcdean@uoguelph.ca

    All qualified applicants are encouraged to apply; however, Canadians and permanent residents will be given priority.

    The University recognizes that applicants may have had obligations outside of work that have negatively impacted their record of achievements (e.g., parental, elder care, and/or medical). You are not required to disclose these obligations in the hiring process. If you choose to do so, the University will ensure that these obligations do not negatively impact the assessment of your qualifications for the position.

    The University of Guelph resides on the ancestral lands of the Attawandaron people and the treaty lands and territory of the Mississaugas of the Credit and we offer our respect to our Anishinaabe, Haudenosaunee and Métis neighbours as we strive to strengthen our relationships with them.

    At the University of Guelph, fostering a culture of inclusion (https://uoguel.ph/ox2p9) is an institutional imperative. The University invites and encourages applications from all qualified individuals, including from groups that are traditionally underrepresented in employment, who may contribute to further diversification of our Institution.

    If you require a medical accommodation during the recruitment or selection process, please contact Occupational Health and Wellness at 519-824-4120 x52674.