Dean and Principal

D'Youville University invites applications for the position of Dean and Principal at its educational site in Oakville, Ontario. The Dean Principal will serve as the University's senior on-site executive in Ontario, responsible for the overall operation, performance, and external representation of the site as D'Youville establishes its first location in Canada. Working in close partnership with the University's academic administration in Buffalo, the Dean/Principal ensures that the programs meet its enrollment, financial, student outcome, and operational objectives and operates in full compliance with Ontario regulatory requirements.

Reporting directly to the Vice President for Academic Affairs of D'Youville University, the Dean/Principal is responsible for the operation of the campus—its business performance, operational infrastructure, regulatory standing, and external relationships—ensuring that the Ontario location functions effectively as an integrated part of the University.

Position Summary

The Dean/Principal leads the establishment and ongoing operation of the Ontario site as our educational entity. The Campus Principal monitors the campus's performance, reports to the VPAA on progress toward the site's strategic objectives, and coordinates the operational, student-services, and administrative infrastructure required to support high-quality program delivery. The Dean/Principal serves as the University's primary representative to the Ontario government, as well as regulatory, community, and healthcare-sector partners.

Reporting Relationships and Governance

The Dean/Principal reports directly to the VPAA of D'Youville University in Buffalo and participates in the University's centralized budgeting, governance, and quality-assurance processes. The Dean/Principal maintains an open line of communication with the VPAA, meeting with them regularly and on request.

The Dean/Principal oversees the executive directors of the Doctor of Pharmacy and Doctor of Chiropractic programs to ensure that the programs meet institutional standards, accreditation requirements, and enrollment targets.

Responsibilities

Campus Establishment

• Lead the operational stand-up of the D'Youville University Ontario site, coordinating facility readiness, staffing, systems, and services in preparation for the launch of instruction.
• Establish the site's operational, student-services, and administrative functions, and recruit and onboard the non-academic staff required to operate the location.
• Support the recruitment of the founding program directors and faculty members, partnering with the University's academic leadership to attract and select strong candidates for the Ontario site.
• Support the development of the campus's Ontario-specific human-resources infrastructure, ensuring compliance with Ontario employment legislation.
• Identify and engage Ontario legal counsel and other external advisors, and work with them to develop the policies, contracts, and agreements required to operate in Ontario.
• Lead the development of the site's marketing, brand, and web presence, working with web designers, marketing firms, and the University's marketing team to support student recruitment and campus launch.
• Build the site's relationships with Ontario government, regulatory, community, and healthcare-sector partners in support of the University's educational establishment in Canada.
• Working with the University's marketing and admission's team, develop the Ontario site's marketing brand and web presence to support student recruitment.

Operational Leadership

• Monitor the site's performance against the enrollment, student success, financial, and operational benchmarks established by the University.
• Report to the VPAA on progress toward the campus's strategic objectives, including enrolment, financial performance, and operational milestones.
• Oversee day-to-day site operations, ensuring that the location functions effectively and in alignment with University and Canadian policies, systems, and procedures.
• Coordinate the delivery of student services—including advising, accessibility support, counselling, student engagement, financial aid, and career services—tailored to the Ontario context.
• Ensure that the site's technology, facilities, and administrative infrastructure are maintained according to University standards, with on-site support integrated into the University's centralized operational framework.

Administrative and Fiscal Management

• Manage the site's operating budget and oversee the effective allocation of the sites's financial, physical, and human resources.
• Recruit, supervise, and evaluate the site's operational and administrative staff.
• Monitor the campus's ongoing human-resources needs in coordination with the University's HR function, flagging Ontario-specific considerations as they arise.
• Engage and manage external counsel, and other service providers required for campus operations.
• Participate in the University's institutional planning, budgeting, and assessment cycles, ensuring that the Ontario site needs, and performance are reflected in institutional decision-making.

External Relations and Representation

• Serve as the University's principal on-site representative to the Ontario government, as well as provincial and national regulatory bodies, community organizations, healthcare partners, and the broader public.
• Cultivate and maintain relationships with clinical, hospital, and community partners that support the programs' experiential learning and placement needs across Ontario.
• Oversee the site's marketing, advertising, and communications activities, working with external marketing partners and the University's marketing team to support enrollment and build the site's profile in Canada.
• Represent the site in local and regional forums, and advance D'Youville's reputation and standing within the Canadian post-secondary and healthcare sectors.
• Coordinate site communications and stakeholder engagement in alignment with University policies and messaging.

Program Quality and Coordination

• Work with the directors of the Doctor of Pharmacy and Doctor of Chiropractic programs to ensure that these programs meet institutional standards, accreditation requirements, and enrolment targets.
• Oversees the academic program directors to align campus operations, services, and resources with academic and accreditation requirements.

Regulatory and Compliance Oversight

• Supervise the preparation and timely submission of regulatory filings and reports required to establish and maintain the site's operations in Ontario—including submissions to MCURES, PEQAB, and program-specific accrediting bodies.
• Ensure the site operates in full compliance with Ontario regulatory requirements, including those associated with ministerial consent under the Post-secondary Education Choice and Excellence Act, 2000.
• Support the University's Ontario Student Assistance Program (OSAP) designation and coordinate the site's financial-aid operations with the dedicated financial-aid professional at the location.
• Oversee site-level compliance with Ontario employment, accessibility (AODA), privacy, and health-and-safety legislation, in coordination with University leadership and Canadian legal counsel.
• Monitor indicators specific to the Ontario context—including clinical placement capacity, student satisfaction, performance on Canadian licensure examinations, and graduate employment outcomes—and incorporate results into the University's continuous-improvement processes.

Equity, Diversity, Inclusion, and Indigenous Engagement

• Provide leadership in fostering an environment committed to anti-racism, anti-oppression, equity, diversity, and inclusion for students, faculty, and staff.
• Advance the Truth and Reconciliation Commission's Calls to Action and support respectful, reciprocal relationships with Indigenous communities and partners.
• Support recruitment and outreach that attract a diverse community and enhance representation of Indigenous and other equity-deserving groups.

Required Qualifications

• A graduate degree, or an equivalent combination of education and senior leadership experience.
• Progressive senior operational, administrative, or executive leadership experience, ideally in higher education, healthcare, or a comparable regulated sector.
• Demonstrated experience leading the establishment, launch, or substantial growth of an operation, site, or organization—including facilities, staffing, systems, and budget management.
• A strong understanding of the Ontario regulatory, government, and post-secondary environment.
• Demonstrated success building and maintaining relationships with government, regulatory, community, and sector partners.
• Experience engaging and managing external service providers to deliver on organizational objectives.
• Experience managing budgets and monitoring performance against benchmarks.
• Experience operating within, or establishing, a cross-border or multi-site institution.
• Familiarity with Ontario post-secondary regulation, including PEQAB and ministerial consent processes.
• Familiarity with Ontario employment and HR requirements, including pension and benefits arrangements.
• Knowledge of the Canadian healthcare and health-professions education landscape.

How to Apply

Applications can be submitted through the D'Youville University career application portal. Applications should include a cover letter, curriculum vitae, and the names of three professional references. Review of applications will continue until the position is filled.

About D'Youville University

D'Youville University is a private university founded in 1908 and based in Buffalo, New York. From its origins as a small college focused on education and service, it has grown into a doctoral and professional university offering more than fifty programs across the health sciences, business, education, and liberal arts, with a particular strength in the health professions - pharmacy, chiropractic, nursing, physical and occupational therapy, osteopathic medicine, and more. Today D'Youville serves roughly three thousand students and is known for hands-on, interprofessional health education and a longstanding commitment to its surrounding community.

A Heritage That Crosses Borders

D'Youville University takes its name from Saint Marguerite D'Youville, who in 1737 founded the Sisters of Charity-the Grey Nuns-in Montreal. Over the following century, the order grew into one of Canada's most significant providers of health care and social services, devoting itself to the care of the most vulnerable. It was this Canadian order that came to Buffalo and founded the college that is today D'Youville University in 1908, naming it in honour of their patron saint.

Adjacent to the International Peace Bridge, D'Youville has been a destination for Canadian students for generations, with many thousands choosing to cross the border to study at its Buffalo campus. The Ontario site in Oakville is a natural extension of that history-bringing D'Youville's health-professions education home to the Canadian students it has served for over a century.

Physical Demands and Working Conditions

This is a site-based leadership role performed at the Oakville campus. The position involves extended periods of seated work and computer use, frequent meetings and presentations, and regular communication by phone, video, and in person. Regular travel to the Buffalo campus and travel within Ontario, as well as occasional evening or weekend commitments, may be required. Accommodations will be provided in accordance with the AODA and the Ontario Human Rights Code.

Diversity Statement

Rooted in the service mission of its founders, D'Youville University believes that a community of varied backgrounds and perspectives makes for stronger teaching, scholarship, and patient care. We warmly invite applications from candidates of all backgrounds, and especially from Indigenous Peoples, Black and racialized people, women, persons with disabilities, and people of every sexual orientation and gender identity. A candidate's track record of fostering equity and inclusion will be considered a meaningful strength.

Accessibility Statement

Consistent with our obligations under the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act (AODA) and the Ontario Human Rights Code, we work to ensure that every stage of hiring-from application through interview and final selection-is barrier-free, and we will arrange suitable accommodations for any candidate who needs them.