Associate Vice President of Planning, Design, and Construction

The Georgia Institute of Technology, also known as Georgia Tech, a top-ranked public institution and one of the leading research universities in the United States, seeks an experienced and collaborative leader and manager who can inspire others around change to evolution to serve as its Associate Vice President of Planning, Design, and Construction (AVP). Reporting to the Vice President of Infrastructure and Sustainability, the AVP is a critical, high-impact and senior leader responsible for driving strategic planning and initiatives, ensuring fiscal accountability, and delivering key design and construction projects to meet the university’s evolving needs. Georgia Tech has been on an impressive growth trajectory guided by a strategic plan with goals to develop leaders who advance technology, improve the human condition, and make a global impact. The AVP will have the opportunity to have high-level interactions with senior leadership, including the Board, to help transform the campus in the coming years to fulfill those ambitions. The AVP will be forward-thinking and data-oriented, as thoughtful planning will be needed to shape strategy and the direction of the university as it balances expanding its footprint, maintaining facilities, and evolving the campus’ physical plant to fulfill the campus’ many ambitions, managing all design and construction needs in-house.  

Georgia Tech is one of the nation's top public research universities with more than 45,000 students who study in person at the main campus in Atlanta, at Georgia Tech-Europe in France, at Georgia Tech-Shenzhen in China, as well as through distance and online learning. With nearly $1.3 billion annually in research awards across six Colleges and the Georgia Tech Research Institute (GTRI), Georgia Tech is among the nation’s most research-intensive universities and is an engine of economic growth and development for the city of Atlanta, the state of Georgia, the Southeast, and the nation. 

The AVP will join the Infrastructure and Sustainability (I&S) team at an exciting time as they work to transform and expand the campus’ physical environment with an electric infrastructure and by retrofitting vital buildings that span more than 400 acres in midtown Atlanta and campuses abroad. Their work will not only have a positive impact on Georgia Tech but the surrounding area by providing access to a part of Atlanta that wasn’t accessible previously. The role demands an energetic and proactive approach to overseeing the full lifecycle of campus construction projects (both domestic and international), from inception through completion and building end of life, including collaboration with Georgia Tech’s Real Estate team and working closely with community and government entities. The AVP will lead efforts to establish robust governance procedures, actively engage stakeholders, and ensure data-driven, need-based project planning focused on financial containment, prioritizing funded planning, and updating campus infrastructure to increase sustainability and meet the goals developed in the institution's climate action plan. The AVP will be well-versed in planning, design and construction, and will lead and motivate the team, championing cost control measures and fixing processes, ensuring AE teams and contractors deliver maximum value while maintaining high standards of quality and efficiency while adapting to the changing needs of the university. The AVP will need to gain campus credibility quickly to move strategic initiatives forward and gain buy-in for longer-term planning and investments. They will need to be an exceptional communicator whose leadership exemplifies the Georgia Tech Values which include empathy, building trust, and effectively sharing complex information with internal and external stakeholders, including donors, university leadership, and state and local government officials. In doing so, they will focus on what is needed to maximize the impact of the university and address the following opportunities and challenges:

• Craft and execute a transformative vision for campus expansion and space planning
• Create and implement strategies that best steward Georgia Tech’s physical assets, inspiring innovative change and buy-in when necessary
• Serve as an effective steward of university resources, ensuring all projects are fully programmed, designed, and constructed within budget and on time
• Lead the campus planning, design, and construction team in unison with Georgia Tech's values to foster a high-performance culture focused on accountability, innovation, and excellence
• Balance sustainability goals with fiscal responsibility, aligning project proposals to be more acceptable to all stakeholders without compromising the university’s commitment to energy efficiency and environmental stewardship

Screening of complete applications will begin immediately and continue until the completion of the search process. Inquiries, nominations, referrals, and resumes with cover letters should be submitted below. Electronic submission of materials is required.

Lindsay Gold is leading this search with Drew Nichols. 

Georgia Tech provides equal opportunity to all faculty, staff, students, and all other members of the Georgia Tech community, including applicants for admission and/or employment, contractors, volunteers, and participants in institutional programs, activities, or services. Georgia Tech complies with all applicable laws and regulations governing equal opportunity in the workplace and in educational activities. Georgia Tech prohibits discrimination, including discriminatory harassment, on the basis of race, ethnicity, ancestry, color, religion, sex (including pregnancy), sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, age, disability, genetics, or veteran status in its programs, activities, employment, and admissions. This prohibition applies to faculty, staff, students, and all other members of the Georgia Tech community, including affiliates, invitees, and guests.