Vice President for Innovation and Workforce

Job Description

Position Summary

Campbellsville University seeks a visionary, entrepreneurial, and collaborative leader to serve as Vice President for Innovation & Workforce Strategy. This executive level position will provide strategic leadership for institutional innovation, workforce development initiatives, certificate and alternative educational programming, employer partnerships, and growth-oriented strategic initiatives.

The Vice President will help position the university for long-term sustainability and regional impact by identifying emerging educational opportunities, expanding workforce-ready programs, strengthening employer and community partnerships, and supporting innovative approaches to enrollment growth and educational delivery.

The Vice President will provide disciplined leadership in evaluating, prioritizing, and implementing strategic initiatives, ensuring that institutional resources, timing, operational capacity, and mission alignment are carefully considered in decision-making. The role requires ingenuity in planning and design, operational efficiency in execution, and strategic discipline in funding, implementation, and long-term sustainability.

This role is designed for a leader who can move ideas into implementation, cultivate strategic partnerships, identify future-focused opportunities, and help the university adapt to the evolving needs of students, employers, and communities.

The Vice President serves as a member of the President’s Cabinet and reports directly to the President.

Primary Areas of Responsibility

Institutional Innovation & Strategic Growth

• Lead university innovation initiatives that strengthen institutional relevance, adaptability, and long-term sustainability.
• Identify emerging educational, workforce, and community opportunities aligned with the university’s mission and regional needs.
• Evaluate and prioritize new initiatives, projects, and growth opportunities based on strategic alignment, operational readiness, institutional timing, financial sustainability, and mission impact.
• Support development of new workforce-ready programs, certificates, microcredentials, and alternative educational pathways.
• Demonstrate ingenuity in the planning, design, and development of innovative educational models, operational strategies, and institutional growth initiatives.
• Help shape institutional strategy related to nontraditional learners, adult education, and market-responsive programming.
• Promote a culture of innovation, collaboration, and continuous improvement across the university.
• Work collaboratively across university departments to identify operational efficiencies, eliminate duplication, strengthen resource stewardship, and uncover opportunities for institutional growth and effectiveness.
• Design and support operational strategies that advance the mission, long-term sustainability, and strategic objectives of the university.
• Identify and capture operational savings and efficiencies that may be redirected toward strategic institutional priorities and future growth initiatives.
• Collaborate with university leadership on strategic initiatives and long-range planning efforts.

Workforce Development & Employer Partnerships

• Provide strategic oversight for workforce development initiatives, certificate programs, and career-focused educational offerings.
• Lead strategic enrollment growth initiatives within workforce development, certificate, and alternative educational programs.
• Support enrollment growth within workforce and technical education programs including areas such as cosmetology, barbering, welding, HVAC, aesthetics, healthcare-related training, and future workforce-oriented disciplines.
• Support the design and launch of new workforce-ready programs aligned with emerging labor market demands and regional economic opportunities.
• Build and strengthen partnerships with local businesses, industries, healthcare organizations, manufacturers, school systems, and community leaders.
• Develop customized employer training partnerships and workforce upskilling opportunities.
• Identify regional labor market needs and strategically align university programming, enrollment growth initiatives, and workforce investments with current and future workforce demand.
• Apply disciplined strategic filtering and operational evaluation processes to ensure workforce initiatives align with institutional priorities, operational capacity, financial sustainability, and market demand.
• Explore grant opportunities, strategic partnerships, and external funding sources that support workforce initiatives.
• Represent the university in workforce, economic development, and community partnership discussions.