Associate Vice President & Deputy Director, Asia (Yokota)

Office of Global Military Operations

Overseas, Regular, Full-time

University of Maryland Global Campus (UMGC) seeks an experienced and mission-driven servant leader to serve as Associate Vice President & Deputy Director, Asia (AVP). Based in Tokyo Prefecture/Yokota Air Base, Japan, the AVP reports directly to the Vice President & Director, Asia (VP), and will represent the VP as needed. The position oversees dozens of locations and hundreds of staff across Japan, Okinawa, South Korea, and Guam, requiring exceptional leadership skills in managing large, dispersed operations.

The AVP will collaborate closely with Stateside and Overseas colleagues in Europe, the Middle East and Africa to leverage data, learning science, and emerging technologies to advance UMGC's vision of growth, innovation, and world-class student learning experiences. As UMGC learners move globally, the AVP will work with institutional leadership to ensure a seamless student experience across locations as learners traverse the globe. The AVP will also seek new opportunities for UMGC to expand access to credentials and degree programs throughout the Asia region.

This role requires a relentless focus on student success and persistence across all learning modalities—face-to-face, hybrid, and online. The AVP will lead real-time interventions for students who may be struggling academically, ensuring immediate support both in-person and online.

A spirit of collegiality, collaboration, and accountability is essential for this highly visible position. The AVP will guide UMGC Asia's teams in delivering exceptional learning experiences while being accountable for the following responsibilities: 

• Designing proactive, data-driven interventions that help students succeed and ensure a consistent UMGC experience as they travel and transfer globally
• Leveraging data and digital tools to identify and engage at-risk students in real time
• Expanding UMGC's brand awareness while increasing enrollment and persistence across Asia
• Overseeing the recruitment, hiring, orientation, and management of staff, including direct supervision of HQ department heads, with an emphasis on cross-departmental integration
• Building an engaged and motivated workforce through employee engagement initiatives, workforce learning, and professional development programs
• Establishing priorities and direct the execution of UMGC Asia's strategic goals and objectives
• Leading recruitment and retention initiatives to maximize enrollment and support UMGC's global mission and strategic direction
• Implementing strategies to reduce operational costs and reinvest savings into initiatives that enhance student growth and experience
• Adapting and localizing best practices from UMGC's global communities of practice in recruiting, marketing, admissions, advising, and academics to provide outstanding service
• Creating a team culture that prioritizes exceptional student learning experiences across all modalities
• Offering workforce-relevant, accessible learning opportunities (including prior learning assessment credits) that deliver measurable results
• Providing leadership in developing non-credit opportunities and advancing AI initiatives to improve operational efficiency
• Collaborating across UMGC Asia, Europe, and Stateside to fulfill the One Global University vision
• Modeling and upholding UMGC's core values
• Performing other job-related duties as assigned

Required education and experience: A demonstrated track record of achieving results and getting things done; an earned Master's degree from an accredited institution of higher learning; at least ten years total of both strategic and operational leadership experience; capacity to thrive in a VUCA (Volatile, Uncertain, Complex, Ambiguous) environment — to remain steady under pressure, adapt with agility, and inspire confidence and resilience in others, even in the most challenging circumstances; demonstrated success in managing a large, culturally diverse, geographically dispersed workforce across multiple time zones; experience building strategic partnerships beyond the organization; and the ability to pass a U.S. background check.

Preferred experience: Demonstrated success with a servant leadership style rather than a command-and control approach; proven problem-solving and decision-making skills, including taking calculated risks in multicultural, matrixed organizations; experience working with academic partners and third-party agencies; expertise in change management and successfully leading strategic transformation; ability to set and implement an organizational vision in dynamic environments, demonstrating creativity, innovation, flexibility, integrity, and resilience; high emotional intelligence, professional maturity, and the ability to serve as a global executive leader; familiarity with the DoD's Voluntary Military Education Program and knowledge of the military lifestyle; and previous service as a U.S. military field grade officer or above (preferred but not required).