Job Details
Job no: 530605
Work type: Regular Full-time (Benefits eligible)
Location: Alabama
Categories: Faculty Administrative Positions
Department/Organization
225101 - School of Leadership & Policy
Rank
Associate/Full Professor
Position Summary
• The Associate Dean for Partnerships and Policy Engagement is a senior executive leader who advances the institution’s mission through the development and formalization of high-impact partnerships that create student development and learning opportunities, generate applied research, and advance the School’s mission. This position operates under the direction of the Dean, who retains ultimate responsibility and oversight for partner strategy and external policy engagements. The Associate Dean serves as the Dean’s senior designee for negotiating and stewarding institutional partnerships into scalable, executable agreements. They provide executive leadership for external relations, corporate engagement, alumni and constituent relations, donor stewardship, advisory board operations, and major organizational events. They are responsible for developing and implementing strategic engagement initiatives that strengthen relationships with external stakeholders and support organizational goals, coordinating support boards and committees, and supporting philanthropic and engagement activities. As a senior member of the School’s leadership team, the Associate Dean partners with the Dean and Senior Associate Dean for Academic Affairs to launch the new School of Leadership and Policy and participates in executive leadership meetings and strategic planning discussions.
Detailed Position Information
• In close coordination with the UA Vice President for Partnerships, provide executive oversight of School’s institutional partnership portfolios.
• Build high-level strategic partnerships and cultivate relationships with corporate, civic, and governmental agencies.
• Plan, coordinate, and implement external relations activities.
• Negotiate and oversee executive-level memoranda of understanding and formal partnership agreements.
• Develop processes for partnership evaluation, renewal, and strategic alignment.
• Develop and report performance measures for external relations activities.
• Ensure partnership agreements support scholarly activity and research competitiveness.
• Collaborate with academic leadership to align partnerships with educational quality and capacity.
• Represent the institution in internal and external partnership initiatives.
• Establish and manage the School’s Advisory Board of civic, governmental and corporate leaders.
• Collaborate with the Senior Associate Dean for Academic Affairs to develop applied programmatic offerings.
• Connect students with clients to address their leadership challenges and policy requirements and identify research opportunities via the Leadership Lab, Policy Lab, and in house think tank.
• Design and launch student residencies, policy clinics, and consulting projects. Establish formal agreements with organizations as required.
• Manage student internship programs. Solicit, secure, and assign intern opportunities in Washington, DC, Montgomery, and key communities across Alabama.
• Develop and manage formal mentorship program for SLP students.
• Establish K-12 programming to nurture leadership and policy interest and create a student pipeline for future leaders and policymakers.
• Synchronize SLP efforts with other leader development organizations on campus to maximize collaboration and generate new opportunities for SLP students.
• Oversee School’s Office of Research to generate a visible record of impactful scholarly research in applied leadership and policy studies.
• In close coordination with the UA Vice President for Advancement, lead cultivation and stewardship of donors and organizational supporters.
• Oversee School’s fundraising and development efforts to secure long-term funding for initiatives and programs.
• Develop and execute solicitation and engagement strategies and oversee fundraising campaigns and annual giving initiatives.
• Coordinate and execute major events to ensure the School is a nationally recognized convening authority for accomplished leaders and policy practitioners.
• Serves as a member of the faculty and delivers course instruction as required.
Minimum Qualifications
- Terminal degree in a relevant discipline. An acceptable terminal degree may include Ph.D., Ed. D., J.D., M.P.P., or M.P.A. among others, depending on the discipline.
- Significant experience in building academic programs, developing strategic partnerships, and managing external relationships.
- Successful teaching experience with demonstrated academic leadership experience.
- A significant body of high-impact scholarship and/or a distinguished record of exceptional leadership sufficient to qualify for appointment at the rank of full professor/professor of practice in the School.
- Ability to work independently and collaboratively with individuals and groups.
- Appropriate membership and active participation in professional organizations.
Preferred Qualifications
Instructions and Required Materials for Application
Apply at UA’s Careers website for the School of Leadership and Policy. Candidates should submit: • cover letter • current CV or resume • contact info for references • possibly graduate transcripts Applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis until the position is filled. Questions may be directed to Dr. Joseph Smith at jos.smith@ua.edu.
About the Division/College/School
The School of Leadership and Policy is a new academic unit designed to prepare leaders, policymakers, and public servants to navigate complex challenges and develop evidence-based solutions across public, private, and nonprofit sectors. It combines coursework and hands-on experiences to help students understand how policy is made and how leadership shapes communities.
About the University
The University of Alabama is located in Tuscaloosa, Alabama, named one of Travel + Leisure’s 25 Best College Towns and Cities in the U.S. As one of the nation’s premier universities, UA offers bachelor’s, master's and doctoral degrees in nearly 200 fields of study. With more than 1,400 acres of tree-lined academic core campus and over 300 state-of-the art facilities, UA has been ranked among the most beautiful and most impressive college campuses in the South, in the state of Alabama and in the nation.
In Fall 2023, the Capstone set a new enrollment record with more than 39,000 students, including more than 8,200 in the freshman class. The current enrollment includes students from every county in Alabama, every state in the nation and 92 countries around the world. More than 1,100 National Merit Scholars are currently enrolled, making UA one of the largest enrolling institutions of the scholars in the country.
UA was recently recognized as a Top Producing Institution of Fulbright U.S. students for the seventh time in nine years, as well as a Top Producing Institution of Fulbright U.S. Scholars for the first time. UA is one of only 12 universities in the nation to receive both honors.
For reasons like this, the University made Forbes list of America’s Top Colleges for 2023 and Time magazine’s list of Top 50 Best Colleges for Future Leaders. It also made Princeton Review’s list of Top Value Colleges.
UA is also designated among the top doctoral research universities in the United States in the Carnegie Classification of Institutions of Higher Education. One of the fastest growing major research institutions in the nation, UA saw a 21% increase in sponsored awards in the 2023 fiscal year.
Since 2015, UA has invested over $1.1 billion in the physical campus, adding more than 2.55 million gross square feet of space, over 150 new research-intensive faculty, signature research areas (e.g., “The Alabama Research Institutes”), and a growing number of partnerships with industry and with state and federal agencies.
The University employs nearly 2,100 faculty and over 4,500 staff, with 52 UA researchers included in the National Academy of Inventors. An additional 40 current faculty have received the NSF CAREER Award, the nation’s most prestigious recognition of top performing young scientists in disciplines ranging from nanoscience and engineering to biological sciences.
Background Investigation and EEO Statement
Background Investigation Statement: Prior to hiring, the final candidate(s) must successfully pass a pre-employment background investigation and information obtained from social media and other internet sources. A prior conviction reported as a result of the background investigation DOES NOT automatically disqualify a candidate from consideration for this position. A candidate with a prior conviction or negative behavioral red flags will receive an individualized review of the prior conviction or negative behavioral red flags before a hiring decision is made.
Equal Employment Opportunity: The University of Alabama is an Equal Employment/Equal Educational Opportunity Institution. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment or volunteer status without regard to any legally protected basis and will not be discriminated against because of their protected status. Applicants and employees of this institution are protected under Federal law from discrimination on several bases. More information is available in the EEOC’s Know Your Rights: Workplace (https://www.eeoc.gov/sites/default/files/2023-06/22-088_EEOC_KnowYourRights6.12ScreenRdr.pdf) discrimination is illegal poster.
The University of Alabama affirms its longstanding commitment to institutional neutrality, free speech, and academic freedom.
Advertised: 21 Sep 2026 Central Daylight Time
Applications close: 21 Oct 2026 Central Daylight Time