Senior Consultant and Facilitator

All full-time university staff are eligible for VCU’s robust benefits package that includes: comprehensive health benefits, paid annual and holiday leave granted up front, generous tuition benefit, retirement planning and savings options, tax-deferred annuity and cash match programs, employee discounts, well-being resources, abundant opportunities for career development and advancement, and more. Learn more about VCU’s benefits here.

Summary:

The Grace E. Harris Leadership Institute in the L. Douglas Wilder School of Government and Public Affairs invites applications for a Senior Consultant and Facilitator. The position serves as the senior lead for consulting and training contracts through research, analysis, completion of scopes of work, project management, and delivery of workshops and presentations to clients. The Senior Consultant and Facilitator is expected to develop consulting opportunities through business development outreach and follow up.

This position involves securing contracts on behalf of GEHLI to engage clients, analyzing the results of qualitative and quantitative data, and facilitating meetings. Additionally, it involves developing presentations and reports. GEHLI provides customized training and facilitation services to help organizations develop programs, strategies and practical action plans for improved performance. GEHLI’s professional development institutes enhance critical skills at the supervisory, management, and senior leadership levels.

The Wilder School's mission is to:

● Engage, teach and inspire students and leaders to understand and solve challenges in our world.

● Advance research that informs public policy and decision-making to improve our communities.

● Collaborate with communities through innovative partnerships to enhance the quality of life.

The Wilder School's vision is to be the premier resource for public policy expertise and social equity in public safety, governance, and economic and community development. The 2024 U.S. News and World Report rankings confirm the Wilder School among the top 15% of graduate schools of public affairs at No. 39 and tied for No.1 in Virginia. The School is also ranked No. 19 in Social Policy, No. 28 in Urban Policy, and No. 33 in Public Management and Leadership. The Wilder School has over 1,500 students and more than 11,000 alumni, with an established environment where diverse perspectives thrive and where a common interest in public service and the betterment of society unites these perspectives together. Our academic excellence attracts the highest quality faculty, staff, and students, and our graduates are leaders in their professions.

The Wilder School’s location in Richmond, the capital of the Commonwealth of Virginia, combined with our proximity to Washington, DC, provides numerous opportunities for engaged scholarship, teaching, and community engagement activities. A creative, interdisciplinary School with both academic programs and training/research centers in the social sciences and professional arenas, we reflect the diversity of the communities we serve, providing students and faculty with the knowledge, skills, opportunities, and experience necessary for success.

For additional information about the Wilder School, please visit our website at https://wilder.vcu.edu/.

Specific Duties

·     ●  Leadership Assessments and Instruments - Manage, interpret, and oversee the utilization of leadership and training assessments and inventories.

·     ●  Written Communication (Research & Report Writing) - Conduct research for client projects.

·     ●  Write research reports and communications for consulting projects, including validating, synthesizing, and presenting data and client information in charts, graphs, and written summaries. Provide client documents that are clear, concise, easy to follow, and professionally presented.

·     ●  Workshop delivery - Create and update content based on client workshop needs. Present the content independently and with other team members in professional, credible ways that meet client needs and encourage investments in future projects.

·     ●  Client Meetings, Proposal Development, and Project Pitch - Meet with potential clients about consulting needs. Develop consulting proposals in partnership with the Center for Public Policy and present proposals to clients.

·     ●  Project Management - Manage all timelines and deliverables for consulting projects workshop delivery. This includes but is not limited to proposal development, client meetings, project deliverables, and workshop presentations.

      ● Other duties as assigned.

Preferred Qualifications

·          ●  Experience working with state agencies or state/local government.

·       ●  Previous experience providing leadership training.

·       ●  Previous experience providing consulting products to various clients

·       ●  Experience with business development.

·       ●  Knowledge and experience working with various individual and organizational assessment     tools.

Minimum Qualifications

·            ●  Master’s degree in business or business-related field, psychology, public policy, public administration, communication, information technology, economics, analytics, or any field related to the above or relevant experience.

·       ●  Excellent oral and written communication skills.

·       ●  Experience working skillfully in a consulting relationship.

·       ●  Strong analytic skills.

·       ●  Ability to engage in business development across local and state government sectors and non-profit organizations.

·       ●  Ability to work independently but in a collaborative team environment.

·       ●  Ability to travel at least 25% of the year.

·       ●  Experience in developing presentations and technical reports.

·       ●  Experience delivering presentations and technical reports.

·       ●  Positive presentation style that encourages active engagement by participants.

·       ●  Ability to work effectively in a diverse environment with a lens focused on equity.

·       ●  Demonstrated experience working in and fostering a diverse faculty, staff, and student environment at VCU.

Typical Physical and Cognitive Requirements

Physical Demands and Activities (Essential):

•    Light lifting (<20 lbs.)
•    Pushing/pulling
•    Standing
•    Sitting
•    Emotional Demands (Essential):
•    Fast pace/Average pace
•    Multiple stimuli
•    Frequent change
•    Intense customer interaction

Mental/Sensory Demands (Essential):

•    Memory
•    Reading
•    Reasoning
•    Hearing
•    Logic
•    Analyzing
•    Verbal communication
•    Written Communication

Application Submission/Other Information

All applications should include a cover letter and a detailed resume with the names and contact information of three professional references. 

Review of applications will begin immediately and continue until the position is filled, with priority review beginning October 14, 2024.

“Virginia Commonwealth University is an equal opportunity, affirmative action university providing access to education and employment without regard to race, color, religion, national origin, age, sex, political affiliation, veteran status, genetic information, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, or disability”.

Jenn Reid
jguyre@vcu.edu
8504-827-0459