Provost and Vice-President, Academic
Sudbury, Ontario

Laurentian University is seeking a visionary and empathetic leader to take on a unique opportunity as Provost and Vice-President, Academic, building a lasting legacy as the University evolves. 


The Organization

Laurentian University is located within the territory of the Robinson-Huron Treaty of 1850 and recognizes its placement on the traditional lands of the Atikameksheng Anishnawbek. The City of Greater Sudbury also includes the traditional lands of the Wahnapitae First Nation. We extend our deepest respect to Indigenous peoples, and as a sign of our continued relationship we will support Laurentian University’s Truth and Reconciliation Task Force Recommendations. 

Laurentian University currently serves just over 8,000 students and is one of two bilingual universities in the province of Ontario. Committed to its bilingual, tricultural mandate, Laurentian University offers an outstanding university experience in English and French with a comprehensive approach to Indigenous education. Approximately 27% of students are enrolled in French-language programs, 11% self-identify as Indigenous, and 14% are international students representing over 71 countries. Laurentian also offers online degree programs, which account for 30% of enrollment. The University’s beautiful, forested campus is surrounded by fresh-water lakes, conservation lands and hundreds of kilometres of cross-country and hiking trails while situated in the geographic centre of Greater Sudbury, Northern Ontario’s major urban centre (population 175,000). Laurentian University has close and productive ties to Science North, the Sudbury Neutrino Observatory Lab (SNOLAB), Health Sciences North, and multiple post-secondary institutions including NOSM U, Cambrian College, and Collège Boréal.

Laurentian’s broad range of programs has garnered top distinction by leading in graduate employment outcomes for more than a decade. Having recently celebrated its 65th anniversary, Laurentian University’s vision for the future is as a university focused on the needs of the north and the communities it serves. The University prepares its graduates to be the next generation of leaders who bring innovative solutions to local and global issues. 


The Role

Reporting to the President and Vice-Chancellor, the Provost and Vice-President, Academic is the chief academic officer of the University and provides leadership for all academic programs and initiatives at the institution, both Francophone and Anglophone. They are responsible for overseeing the University's academic policies, procedures, strategic academic planning and development activities. 

The Provost and Vice-President works collaboratively with faculty, staff, and administrators to ensure the delivery of high-quality education, promote academic excellence, and foster a positive and inclusive learning environment supporting its tricultural and bilingual mandate. They play a key role in the implementation of the University’s strategic plan, academic plan, and transformation plan. As a member of the University’s Executive Team, they collaborate with peers to drive the academic mission of the institution, while ensuring long-term sustainability, responsible management of budgets, community engagement, and institutional reputation. 

Key responsibilities include:

Strategic Leadership and Governance – Provides visionary and innovative leadership while ensuring alignment with Laurentian University's mission, goals, and strategic priorities and fostering a diverse and inclusive academic community. Supports bicameral collegial governance providing reports to the Board of Governors on academic matters and acting as administrative lead to Senate.

Academic Stewardship and Labour Relations – Leads the implementation of the Academic Plan, ensuring alignment with institutional priorities and the bilingual and tricultural mandate. Models healthy and positive academic culture and oversees the development, evaluation, and enhancement of academic programs, ensuring their relevance and alignment with provincial standards and accreditation requirements. Manages unionized employees supporting collective bargaining, faculty relations, and academic personnel processes.

Quality Assurance and Compliance – Ensures the regular review of academic programming through robust quality assurance processes. Develops and maintains academic policies, ensuring compliance with relevant legislation, regulations, and accreditation standards, and promoting academic integrity, ethical conduct, and responsible research practices.

Finance and Operational Administration – Makes resource allocation decisions, ensuring alignment between academic priorities and financial constraints. This includes balancing budgets, recruitment and retention of exceptional faculty and staff, policy development and review, and issues management.

Networking and Partnerships – Establishes and maintains productive internal and external relationships and communications and oversees University representation to Francophone and Indigenous communities, relevant committees, consortia, associations, and partnerships, and works collaboratively with provincial and federal government.


The Ideal Candidate

As the ideal candidate, you are an experienced and visionary academic leader with strategic thinking and collaborative skills, and a commitment to Reconciliation, diversity, equity, and inclusion. Your expertise in program development, quality assurance, and resource and financial management, coupled with your commitment to academic integrity and responsible research practices, position you as an inspiring leader who can effectively shape the University's academic direction and enhance its reputation. You have a strong background in research and teaching, and a proven track record of successfully managing academic programs and their budgets, promoting excellence, and fostering an inclusive and vibrant learning environment. You have demonstrated success in managing change, building effective policies and procedures, and making transparent and sound decisions that align with Laurentian’s institutional culture and values. You use your excellent communication and interpersonal skills to build trusting relationships, resolve conflicts, and engage with all constituents. 


Qualifications and Experience: 
While the Search Committee recognizes that no one candidate is likely to meet all qualifications in equal measure, those listed below are desirable and will be used to compare candidates.

A doctoral degree in a relevant field.

Extensive experience in academic leadership roles, preferably at the provost, vice-president, dean, or associate vice-president level.

Commitment to Indigenization and Reconciliation, as well as diversity, equity, and inclusion in all aspects of academic life, demonstrated in actions and decisions you have taken.

Demonstrated progress developing and executing on a vision and strategic plan.

Demonstrated experience in academic planning, program development, and quality assurance.

Experience developing and reviewing academic policies, procedures, practices, and processes. 

Strong knowledge of trends and best practices in higher education and familiarity with accreditation standards and processes.

Success in fostering positive relationships and partnerships with university departments, unions, associations, and among faculty, staff, and students.  

Demonstrated skill and transparency in strategic financial management and long-term resource planning, including multi-million-dollar budgets. 

A track record of success in managing change, organizational transformation and rebuilding in a unionized environment.

Experience managing labour relations in a complex, unionized environment.

Experience making change within bicameral governance systems, especially with senates or academic councils.

Ability to communicate fluently in both official languages is required; as an inclusive university with a tricultural mandate, Indigenous candidates need to be fluent in one official language.

You are someone with:

A credible, collaborative, and consultative leadership style, able to empathetically manage change.

The ability to collectively inspire and motivate large groups of people with authenticity and integrity.

The ability to build and lead a high-performing team and engage with internal and external partners to achieve goals and outcomes.

Courage, with the ability to effectively explain decisions and bring clarity to complex issues to a variety of audiences.

A high capacity to balance multiple priorities while being responsive.

Salary: This role is currently identified as a designated executive under the Broader Public Sector Executive Compensation Act
Current vacancy
KBRS does not use artificial intelligence in the screening of application materials.

If you are interested in this opportunity, contact Abbey MacLeod at amacleod@kbrs.ca, or Kyle Steele at ksteele@kbrs.ca or submit your full application package online by clicking: Provost and Vice-President, Academic | KBRS.

Employment Equity at Laurentian

Laurentian University is an inclusive and welcoming community committed to employment equity. Applications are encouraged from members of equity-seeking communities including women, racialized and Indigenous persons, persons with disabilities, and persons of all sexual orientations and gender identities/expressions.

Laurentian University is committed to providing an inclusive and barrier-free experience to applicants with accessibility needs. Requests for accommodation can be made at any stage during the recruitment process. Please contact accommodations@kbrs.ca to request accommodation. 

All qualified persons are encouraged to apply; however, in accordance with Canadian immigration requirements, Canadian citizens and permanent residents of Canada will be given priority.

To comply with federal laws, the University is obliged to gather statistical information as to how many applicants for each job vacancy are Canadian citizens / permanent residents of Canada. Applicants need not identify their country of origin or citizenship; however, all applicants must include one of the following statements: “I am a Canadian citizen / permanent resident of Canada”; OR “I am not a Canadian citizen / permanent resident of Canada” in their cover letter. Applications that do not include this information will be deemed incomplete. 


To view this advertisement in French, please click here.

Pour consulter cette annonce en français, veuillez cliquer ici.