Manager Academic Operations Jobs in California (NOW HIRING)

Position Title: Deputy Provost                        

Department Name: Office of the Provost

Position Reports To: Provost

FLSA STATUS:  Salaried

Salary Range: $225,000 to $275,000

Benefits: The University's comprehensive benefits program

Position Overview

Golden Gate University seeks an experienced academic leader to serve as Deputy Provost, a senior position responsible for overseeing core academic operations and helping lead the transformation of the university during a period of growth, innovation, and change.

Reporting to the Provost and serving as a key member of the senior leadership team, the Deputy Provost will provide leadership across major academic and student-facing functions, driving operational excellence and continuous improvement.

This role requires strong academic leadership, operational discipline, emotional intelligence, and the ability to work across a complex organization with diverse stakeholders. The successful candidate will be a skilled listener, able to build trust and consensus across faculty and administrative units, with the judgment and decisiveness to move priorities forward.

Golden Gate University is building a new model of higher education: AI-enabled, multilingual, global, and designed for the future of work. This leader will help operationalize that vision.

About Golden Gate University

Founded in 1901, Golden Gate University is a private, nonprofit university based in San Francisco with a long history of serving working adults and professional learners.

Today, GGU is undergoing an ambitious transformation. The university has expanded its global presence, launched innovative academic programs in artificial intelligence and emerging technologies, developed international partnerships, created new hybrid and shared-campus models, and is building one of the world’s first AI-native global universities.

The institution serves students across the United States and multiple countries through online and hybrid models.

Primary Responsibilities

The Deputy Provost will provide oversight of major academic and student-facing functions across the university, including:

Academic Leadership and Faculty Affairs

• Oversee faculty affairs across the university, including both full-time and adjunct faculty
• Support deans and academic leaders in faculty recruitment, evaluation, development, and performance management
• Ensure academic quality across all academic programs and instructional delivery models
• Help manage faculty policies, workload planning, academic governance, and academic standards
• Partner with faculty and academic leadership to maintain a culture of academic excellence and continuous improvement

Enrollment and Student Success Operations

• Provide executive oversight for admissions operations
• Oversee academic advising and student support to promote student success and retention
• Supervise student services and ensure student experience across all modalities
• Oversee registrar operations, academic records management, scheduling, and related functions
• Ensure alignment between academic operations, enrollment growth, and student persistence outcomes

Academic Operations and Institutional Execution

• Oversee day-to-day academic operations across colleges, schools, and academic administrative units
• Ensure effective implementation of institutional priorities and cross-functional initiatives
• Improve systems, workflows, and processes across the academic enterprise
• Identify operational bottlenecks and implement scalable solutions as the university grows
• Lead projects requiring coordination across multiple academic and administrative units

Innovation and Institutional Transformation

• Support development of innovative degree models, new academic programs, and emerging delivery formats
• Help advance university-wide adoption of AI-enabled teaching, learning, and operational systems
• Build systems and processes to support a growing global student population
• Help ensure the university remains operationally agile in a changing higher education environment

Leadership Profile

The successful candidate will demonstrate:

• Strong listening skills and emotional intelligence
• The ability to work productively with a wide range of personalities and leadership styles
• Strong consensus-building and a collaborative approach
• Patience, maturity, and professionalism when managing interpersonal or organizational dynamics
• Excellent operational judgment and strong execution skills
• The ability to manage complex systems while maintaining attention to detail
• A practical, solutions-oriented approach to problem solving
• Comfort operating in a fast-moving, entrepreneurial environment
• A willingness to challenge assumptions and rethink conventional higher education models
• The ability to move initiatives forward while maintaining trust and alignment

Required:

• Terminal degree (PhD, EdD, JD, or equivalent)
• Significant senior academic leadership experience in higher education, such as dean, associate provost, vice provost, or comparable role
• Demonstrated experience overseeing faculty affairs, academic administration, enrollment management, and student-facing operations
• Strong understanding of accreditation, curriculum management, faculty governance, and academic policy
• Proven ability to manage complex organizations and lead institutional change initiatives

Preferred:

• Experience with online, hybrid, and nontraditional delivery models
• Experience leading academic operations at institutions serving adult and professional learners
• Experience with global education initiatives or international partnerships
• Familiarity with AI, emerging technologies, and future-of-work education
• Experience working in entrepreneurial environments undergoing significant transformation

For more information about GGU, including academic focus areas and recent accomplishments, please see: https://ggu.edu/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/GGU-Year-in-Review-2026.pdf

The Opportunity

Golden Gate University is building a model of higher education — one designed for a global, technology-driven world. We seek a leader who understands how universities operate, but who also recognizes that higher education must evolve and wants to help build that future. This is an opportunity to play a leadership role in one of the most exciting university transformations in higher education today.

Supplemental Information

To apply: Please go to http://www.ggu.edu/jobs to submit an application, letter of interest, and a resume.

In applying for a position, candidates sign a consent authorizing a broader inquiry which may include reference checks, a motor vehicle check, and a third-party background check.

Golden Gate University is an equal employment opportunity employer. We support inclusive excellence and are committed to creating a safe and welcoming community for all.

University policy prohibits discrimination based on race, color, religion/creed, national origin, ancestry, age, sex/gender, sexual orientation, marital status, medical condition, physical or mental disability, gender stereotyping, and gender identity, gender expression, military or veteran status, taking a protected leave (e.g., family medical or pregnancy leave), or on any other basis protected by applicable laws.

The University has a strong commitment to the principles of diversity and inclusion, and to maintaining working and learning environments that reinforces these practices. The University welcomes and encourages applications from all demographics.

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