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Associate Vice Provost for Academic Personnel and Labor Relations
Job Posted: 20 November 2025
Company: University of Rhode Island 
Closing Date: November 29 for first consideration
Location: Kingston, RI

 

Link to application and full position listing

 

POSITION SUMMARY:
The Associate Vice Provost for Academic Personnel and Labor Relations serves as the lead for the Office of the Provost on academic personnel and labor relations issues. This includes working closely with Deans and their teams on faculty recruitment and hiring, overseeing sabbatical review and approvals, and tracking key metrics related to faculty. On the labor relations front, this position will represent the Office of the Provost and work in collaboration with the Division for Human Resources in collective bargaining with unions representing faculty, part-time faculty, and graduate assistants. It will also serve as the lead for Academic Affairs in administering collective bargaining agreements with faculty, part-time faculty, and graduate assistants, including discipline and grievance procedures.

KEY RESPONSIBILITIES:

Faculty Hiring, Retention, and Performance
  • Working with the Office of Human Resources, ensure an effective hiring process for faculty, deans, and other Academic Affairs personnel that facilitates timely and competitive hiring and retention of academic personnel.
  • Advise and consult with Deans on all matters relating to the hiring of faculty, including salary, appointment letters, set up costs, relocation expenses, etc.
  • Oversee sabbatical review and approvals, including chairing the sabbatical review committee.
  • Work with Deans on exceptional salary increases and other faculty performance and retention matters.
Labor Relations
  • Serve as the lead in the Office of the Provost on labor relations strategies, contract negotiations and the administering of collective bargaining agreements (CBAs) with faculty, part-time faculty, and graduate assistants.
  • Serve as the University lead in collective bargaining with the part-time faculty and graduate assistants and support Human Resources in negotiations with the AAUP.
  • Work closely with Human Resources and the Office of General Counsel on discipline matters, grievances, and arbitration under the CBAs with faculty, part-time faculty, and graduate assistants.
  • Develop solution-oriented relationships with union officials to aid in resolving issues outside of the grievance procedure.
Personnel Metrics
  • Work in collaboration with the Colleges and Institutional Research to track data related to faculty and academic personnel.
  • Provide the Office of the Provost and the Office of Human Resources with data and analysis related to faculty, academic personnel, and academic CBAs to assist with strategic planning and decision-making.
OTHER DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES:
Perform other duties as assigned.

LICENSES, TOOLS, AND EQUIPMENT:
Personal computers and software including Microsoft word, Excel, PowerPoint, Adobe, and electronic database and spreadsheets, and calculators.
Required Qualifications

REQUIRED:
  1. Master’s degree or higher.
  2. Minimum of seven years of experience in labor relations (including responsibilities for contract administration, grievances, corrective action, and general human resources management).
  3. Knowledge, skills, and experience in collective bargaining.
  4. Understanding of labor and human relations issues within higher education.
  5. Ability to interpret institutional policies, plans, objectives, rules and regulations and communicate the interpretation to others.
  6. Strong interpersonal and verbal communication skills.
  7. Proficiency in written communication skills.
  8. Ability to work with diverse groups/populations.
PREFERRED:
  1. A terminal degree (Ph.D., J.D).
  2. Experience in labor negotiation, mediation, and conflict resolution.
  3. Experience as a faculty member in higher education.
URI is unwavering in its commitment to equal opportunity, community, equity, and diversity. In furtherance of its mission to serve and support all learners as the state’s public flagship university, URI continues to expand efforts to recruit and retain a broadly representative workforce as well as to regularly evaluate the effectiveness of those efforts.

All employment decisions, including hiring, are made without regard to protected status. Qualified individuals with disabilities may request a reasonable accommodation by contacting the URI benefits office at 401-874-2416. For TTY assistance, contact R.I. Relay Services at 711.