Director of Academic Infrastructure - Office of the Provost

The University of Tennessee, Knoxville, seeks applications for the position of Director of Academic Infrastructure, based in the Office of the Provost.

The position provides the Provost's Office and academic units with extensive analysis, guidance, and coordination related to academic infrastructure, in the context of the university strategic plan, campus master plan, capacity needs, and institutional goals. The position works with multiple campus offices to analyze academic space and infrastructure needs and priorities. The position provides guidance, analysis, and recommendations to the Office of the Provost on utilization of space, prioritization of needs for instruction and research, and projections on future space needs, infrastructure, and classroom technology. The position serves as the central point of contact in the Office of the Provost for colleges and other academic units on their infrastructure needs, acts as an advocate for academic space needs, and leads coordination and communication on projects that affect colleges and academic units.

UT is the state's flagship research university. A campus of choice for outstanding undergraduates and a premier graduate institution, UT has approximately 36,000 students and 8,000 employees. As a land-grant university, the institution fulfills its access mission through a commitment to excellence in learning, scholarship, and engagement.

Qualifications:

Duties & Responsibilities

Campus-level analysis and planning

• Work with multiple campus offices - including Office of the Registrar, Facilities Services, Campus Architect, Finance and Administration, Office of Innovative Technologies, and the Office of Research, Innovation, and Economic Development - to analyze academic space and infrastructure needs and priorities in the context of campus-level strategic and master plans.
• Provide guidance to the Office of the Provost on utilization of space and prioritization of needs for instruction and research.
• Project needs for future space, infrastructure, and classroom technology based on institutional goals and capacity demands.
• Provide clear analysis and recommendations to the Office of the Provost. Serve as the lead from the Office of the Provost on master planning with an emphasis on academic infrastructure.
• Serve as liaison and represent academic interests throughout the capital project programming and conceptual design process.
• Work with Office of Emergency Management and additional partners in development, revision, and execution of emergency plans for academic infrastructure.

Serve as the central point of contact in the Office of the Provost for colleges and other academic units on their infrastructure needs and act as an advocate for academic space needs. Duties include:

• Regularly meet with colleges' leadership teams, campus space advisory groups with faculty representation across colleges, and additional stakeholders to assess academic infrastructure.
• Develop plans to address short and long-term needs. Operationalize plans and track plans through completion.
• Serve as liaison with Facilities Services, Finance and Administration, Office of Innovative Technologies and additional campus offices on any academic infrastructure projects including construction, renovations, and relocations.
• Develop and coordinate communication plans for academic infrastructure projects including construction, renovations, and relocations.

Space practices and processe

• Serve as the central point of contact within the Office of the Provost for all space requests from academic units, including evaluation of requests, identification of possible options, and coordination of solutions that involve renovation and/or construction with Facilities Services and additional campus partners.
• Develop policy recommendations on use of campus space and refine processes related to campus space requests. Serve as lead from the Office of the Provost for the Classroom Upgrade Committee, Facilities Fee Committee, and the Campus Space Committee with responsibilities for co-chairing the Space Committee.
• Research best practices on use of space and lead efforts, in partnership with stakeholders and partners to institute best practices.

Required Qualifications & Education

• Requires a bachelor's degree and six years of relevant experience
• Space management experience, including planning and design
• Experience with process analysis and improvements
• Experience related to architecture, engineering, business, project management

Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities (required)

• Technical knowledge in architectural or a construction related engineering discipline
• Ability to conduct strategic planning: plan, organize, and collaborate with partners, stakeholders and external design teams
• Strong teamwork and collaboration skills
• Ability to understand building/room types and uses, space management procedures, and priorities in higher education
• Knowledge of generally accepted architectural, planning, and construction principles and practices as related to public works and institutions of higher education and schools

Preferred Qualifications & Education

• Master's degree preferred
• Project Management Professional (PMP) certification preferred
• Space management experience in higher education, including planning and design
• Experience with academic processes and infrastructure, including budgeting, course scheduling, and additional administrative processes
• Experience working with university or college administration

Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities (preferred)

• Knowledge of higher education space management systems
• Ability in building diverse leadership and work teams and meeting performance standards
• Ability to work effectively with faculty, college leadership, central administrators, and personnel and leadership in partnering non-academic units

Salary

• The market range for this position is MR13. Salary is dependent on qualifications and experience.

Benefits

• The university offers a highly competitive benefits package that includes health insurance and retirement plans through the State of Tennessee, generous annual and sick leave accruals, longevity pay, tuition waivers and discounts, discounted athletics tickets, and more.

Application Process

• A review of all applications will begin immediately and continue until the position is filled. For full consideration, applicants must apply electronically through Taleo and submit a cover letter, resume, and the names and contact information for three professional references. A minimum of two references should be current or previous supervisors.