Assistant Vice President Auxiliary Services

JOB SUMMARY:

The Assistant Vice President of Auxiliary Services provides strategic and operational leadership for a diverse and evolving portfolio of campus services that support the daily experience of students, faculty, staff, visitors, and the broader RISD community. The position ensures these operations deliver high-quality, responsive, financially responsible, and sustainable services aligned with institutional priorities.

The Assistant Vice President develops a cohesive vision for Auxiliary Services while recognizing the distinct operational needs of the areas within the portfolio. Responsibilities include strategic planning, service delivery, financial management, revenue generation, workforce planning, vendor and contract management, regulatory compliance, sustainability, and continuous improvement.

Working collaboratively across RISD, the Assistant Vice President identifies opportunities to strengthen services, improve operational effectiveness, enhance the campus experience, and responsibly grow or diversify auxiliary revenue. The position establishes clear expectations and performance measures while developing leaders and teams capable of delivering effective services in a complex campus environment.

ESSENTIAL FUNCTIONS/DUTIES:

Strategic Leadership and Operations

• Provide strategic leadership and overall direction for RISD's Auxiliary Services portfolio, ensuring effective, coordinated, and responsive operations across assigned service areas.

• Develop and implement short- and long-term goals aligned with RISD's institutional priorities, operational needs, and evolving community expectations.

• Establish service standards, performance measures, and accountability structures to evaluate operational effectiveness, customer experience, financial performance, and service quality.

• Regularly assess operations and recommend improvements to organizational structures, processes, technology, staffing models, facilities, and resource allocation.

• Identify opportunities to expand, consolidate, or redesign services to improve institutional efficiency, sustainability, and responsiveness.

• Ensure effective operational planning, service continuity, and coordination across departments, including services operating beyond traditional business hours.

• Serve as a senior institutional resource on auxiliary operations, advising leadership on emerging needs, opportunities, risks, and investments.

Financial Management and Revenue Strategy

• Develop and oversee operating budgets across the Auxiliary Services portfolio, ensuring responsible stewardship of institutional resources.

• Direct financial planning, forecasting, expense management, and performance analysis to support operational effectiveness and long-term financial sustainability.

• Identify and evaluate opportunities for revenue generation, cost efficiencies, strategic partnerships, and expanded services consistent with RISD's mission.

• Establish financial and operational metrics, monitor results, and implement improvements to strengthen performance and accountability.

• Evaluate service models, pricing strategies, resource utilization, and operational investments to balance financial performance with service quality and accessibility.

• Collaborate with Finance and other institutional partners on financial reporting, procurement, capital planning, and long-range resource planning.

Service Excellence and Campus Partnerships

• Establish a culture of service excellence that emphasizes responsiveness, reliability, accessibility, and continuous improvement across auxiliary operations.

• Build strong relationships with students, faculty, staff, institutional leadership, and external partners to understand needs and align services with institutional priorities.

• Develop mechanisms to gather and respond to community feedback and use operational data to improve services and customer experience.

• Coordinate with academic and administrative departments to ensure auxiliary services effectively support campus programs, activities, and institutional operations.

• Balance competing operational demands, customer expectations, financial considerations, and institutional priorities in service planning and decision-making.

• Represent Auxiliary Services on institutional committees, working groups, and planning initiatives as appropriate.

Contracts, Compliance, Risk Management and Sustainability

• Oversee significant contracts, vendor relationships, and external service partnerships associated with Auxiliary Services.

• Establish performance expectations and monitor vendor service quality, financial performance, contractual obligations, and compliance.

• Partner with Procurement, Finance, General Counsel, Risk Management, and other stakeholders on contract development, negotiation, renewals, and competitive procurement processes.

• Ensure operations comply with applicable federal, state, and local regulations, safety requirements, and RISD policies and procedures.

• Identify operational risks and implement appropriate controls, procedures, and continuity plans.

• Advance sustainable practices, responsible sourcing, resource conservation, waste reduction, and other initiatives that support RISD's institutional sustainability priorities.

Organizational Leadership and Staff Development

• Lead, support, and develop managers and staff across Auxiliary Services, establishing clear expectations for performance, accountability, collaboration, and service.

• Build an effective leadership team capable of managing varied and complex operations while fostering coordination across service areas.

• Partner with Human Resources on organizational design, workforce planning, recruitment, performance management, employee development, and employee and labor relations.

• Evaluate staffing structures and workforce needs to ensure appropriate operational coverage, efficiency, and responsiveness.

• Foster a culture of open communication, collaboration, problem-solving, continuous improvement, and professional development.

Additional Responsibilities

• Maintain regular on-campus presence and engagement with operations across multiple campus locations.

• Be available to respond to significant operational issues outside normal business hours as needed.

• Perform other related duties as assigned.

MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS:

• A Bachelor's degree in business administration, hospitality management, higher education administration, facilities or operations management, or a related field and seven (7) to ten (10) years of significant progressively responsible leadership experience overseeing complex service-oriented operations, preferably within higher education, hospitality, campus services, or a similarly complex organization, are required.
• An equivalent combination of education and experience may be substituted for the minimum educational requirement.

KNOWLEDGE, SKILLS, AND ABILITIES:

• Demonstrated experience leading multiple operational functions and managing managers or senior-level staff.
• Strong financial management experience, including budget development, forecasting, financial analysis, cost management, and evaluation of revenue-generating operations.
• Demonstrated ability to develop strategy and translate strategic priorities into effective operational plans.
• Experience managing contracts, vendors, procurement processes, and service-level expectations.
• Strong understanding of customer- and community-focused service delivery.
• Demonstrated ability to use operational and financial data to evaluate performance and inform decision-making.
• Experience leading organizational change, process improvement, or service redesign.
• Strong leadership and staff development skills with the ability to build effective, collaborative teams.
• Excellent interpersonal, communication, negotiation, and problem-solving skills.
• Demonstrated ability to develop productive relationships with a wide range of internal and external stakeholders.Ability to navigate competing priorities and make sound decisions in a complex institutional environment.
• Commitment to sustainability and responsible resource stewardship.
• Experience working in higher education and/or a unionized environment is strongly preferred.
• Experience with auxiliary, hospitality, enterprise, or other complex service operations is preferred.
• Commitment to supporting an inclusive work environment and the ability to work respectfully and effectively across differences in background, role, and perspective.

SUPERVISORY RESPONSIBILITIES:

• Direct and indirect supervisory responsibilities.

UNION:

No

WORK MODALITY:

Hybrid Eligible

EMPLOYMENT STATUS (Temp, Term, On-call, etc)

Full-time, Regular, Exempt

GRADE:

570EX

DOCUMENTS NEEDED TO APPLY:

Resume (Required)

Cover Letter (Required)

Salary Grade Structure

Incomplete applications will not be considered. Please upload all required documents.

The successful candidate will be required to meet our pre-employment background screening requirements.

RISD recognizes inclusion and belonging as fundamental to its learning and working community and integral to an art and design education. We welcome candidates whose experience has prepared them to contribute to this community and to our commitment to excellence. RISD is an Equal Opportunity Employer. Employment decisions are made without regard to race, color, religion, sex, age, national origin, disability, veteran status, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, genetics, or any other protected characteristic as established by law.

For internal use only - Job Family:

Dining - Operations

About Us

Rhode Island School of Design is a nonprofit college and museum founded in 1877 in Providence, RI — one of the first art and design schools in the US. Our students engage in rigorous, studio-based learning and liberal arts studies.

By cultivating expansive and elastic thinking, RISD equips artists, designers and scholars to generate and challenge the ideas that shape our world. Find out much more about RISD at risd.edu/about.