Vice Chancellor for Planning, Design & Construction and University Architect

Job Description

The Opportunity

The University of Pittsburgh is seeking a dynamic and visionary leader to serve as Vice Chancellor for the Office of Planning, Design, and Construction, and in addition, University Architect (VC-PDC). Reporting to the Senior Vice Chancellor for Business and Operations, the VC-PDC will lead the major planning, design and construction on the Pittsburgh Campus as well as regional campuses in Bradford, Johnstown, Greensburg, and Titusville, PA. This will be done in close collaboration with the Vice Chancellors for Real Estate, Facilities Management, and Business, Hospitality, and Auxiliary Services, each of whom lead Offices organized under Business and Operations.

The University recently completed a 30-year Campus Master Plan along with a 10-year Institutional Master Plan approved by the City of Pittsburgh. These ambitious plans call for extensive renovations, reorganizations, and campus growth, creating a dynamic roadmap for the future. The VC-PDC will oversee the curation and execution of these plans, and foster coordination with supporting plans, including for real estate, housing, parking, and transportation.

Offices within Business and Operations have been newly organized, with Real Estate being established as an independent unit; Construction being united with Planning and Design under one unit; and Maintenance and Operations falling under Facilities Management. The VC-PDC will lead and build out the newly-formed PDC unit, ensuring the existence of relevant processes, infrastructure, staffing, and organizational structures to ensure delivery of services based on best practices. The existing staff includes an Assistant Vice Chancellor of Planning along with the university's interior designer, four planners, an environmental graphic designer and a space administrator. Finalizing the reorganization, additional reports are expected to include a second Assistant Vice Chancellor, project managers, construction managers, and a technical services group.

The Position Summary

The VC-PDC will provide strategic leadership, vision, coordination and administrative oversight to campus facility planning and construction functional areas, and the development of long-range strategies to meet the needs of the university. This is a highly visible position that interacts regularly with the University's senior administration with regard to strategic planning, long-range physical planning and development, and advancement of the University's capital construction program. The Vice Chancellor will translate project-specific and campus-wide visions into prioritized capital projects consistent with the long-term Master Plan and will be responsible for the development, implementation, and maintenance of the institutional and campus master plans for all University of Pittsburgh campuses. The VC-PDC will also be responsible for coordinating university efforts to assure facility and space needs are being met and supporting compliance and aspirational efforts associated with accessibility and inclusion. All project feasibility and programming studies will be led by the position.

Essential Functions

Oversight of the Physical Campus Environments and The Built Environment

• Stewardship of campus facilities, grounds and infrastructure, serving as the aesthetic conscience for all University of Pittsburgh campuses
• Development of the long-range, three-year to ten-year capital plans and reporting on the Institutional Master Plan to both the campus community and the City of Pittsburgh
• Oversight of design and construction functions with the assistance of a design review committee in the conceptual and schematic design stages
• Sets the direction for PDC, including strategic vision, design standards, review of internal work, and serving as liaison with regional campus administrators for planning and construction activities on their campuses
• Responsible for the ongoing success of capital projects, ensuring close coordination and collaboration with Facilities Management and project stakeholders
• Facilitates meetings across University departments to develop and promote campus design standards, capital plans, facility plans, exterior plans, space plans, and ensures project advancement in support of the physical campus
• Provides support for land use, zoning, and regional development initiatives for the campuses and specifically for the Office of Real Estate

Internal Operations and Management

• Provides planning, design and construction services for all capital projects and physical campus improvements undertaken by all University of Pittsburgh campuses
• Oversees development of integrated planning documents for the short, mid and long-term physical planning efforts of the University
• Communicates with major stakeholder groups across the campus, including students, faculty and staff constituents

• Provides coordination and planning input for major functional areas within the University such as the Office of the Provost, School of Medicine, Office of Research, Athletics, Facilities Management, and Sustainability, among others
• Represents the University in meetings with city, county and state-related agencies as required, in coordination with Government Relations and Community Engagement
• Serves on University of Pittsburgh’s Capital Planning Review Board and the Board of Trustees’ Property and Facilities Committee
• Attends and actively participates in neighborhood development corporation meetings, including the Oakland Planning and Development Corporation and the Hill Planning and Development Corporation, and other planning meetings as requested by City agencies and partners
• Overall supervisory responsibilities for the PDC responsibility center
• Champions and advances Pitt’s efforts to maintain a diverse, equitable, and inclusive community
• Remains competent and current through self-directed professional continuing education and directs staff to do the same as appropriate for their role and responsibilities
• Contributes to the success of Business and Operations by performing any other duties as assigned
• Advises the University's senior administration of planning, design and construction issues and concerns
• Oversees and promotes the effective allocation, use and management of University space
• Oversees work of consulting firms for the production of documents and project construction management, ensuring completion on time and within budget

Project Management and Records

• Provides a system for storage and retrieval of all project documents including drawings, specifications, and other files as well as documentation of updates to buildings and sites as projects are initiated and completed
• Develops, implements, and maintains a comprehensive space management system to provide improved records and efficient retrieval of space allocation, occupancy, and use data

Qualifications

• Master's degree from an accredited college or university and an architecture license in the state of Pennsylvania or NCARB with the opportunity for reciprocity
• Minimum of 10 years of experience in the practice of architecture with some experience serving higher education
• Demonstrated leadership experience in the management of design and construction project managers, with particular emphasis in the development and  packaging of construction documents
• Ability to direct design reviews for the stewardship of campus aesthetics
• Ability to move through the campus environs
• Familiarity and understanding of building codes in the state of Pennsylvania
• Excellent communication skills across a wide audience including members of the University's senior administration, board members, faculty, staff, contractors and consulting architecture and engineering firms
• Ability to review construction budgets and assemble reporting documents on projects for a variety of University and external audiences
• Extensive experience managing complex programming, design and construction projects for Institutions
• Expertise in Microsoft Windows, Excel, Word, and drawing software used for the production of documents
• A broad understanding of urban planning, land use planning and zoning, architectural design, open space preservation, entitlement procedures, infrastructure and utility development as related to a large-scale public and institutional setting. Must be highly skilled in the research, analysis, and synthesis of data from a variety of sources.
• Excellent skills in verbal and written communication with strong acumen to facilitate productive work across all levels of the University along with outside agencies. A team spirit and collaborative style is required for engagement with the many different constituents who are impacted by campus planning and design

About the University of Pittsburgh

Founded in 1787 as the Pittsburgh Academy, the University of Pittsburgh (Pitt) is one of the nation’s oldest institutions of higher education and is now a state-related research university with a global reach. Consistently ranked among top institutions of higher learning in the United States, Pitt continues to build upon a rich legacy of innovation and intellectual exploration within the University as well as a history of collaboration with partners in the city and region of Pittsburgh. Pitt is a member of the Association of American Universities (AAU), which comprises 66 preeminent doctorate-granting research institutions in North America. Pitt offers a broad curriculum of more than 520 academic programs for more than 33,000 students through the efforts of over 13,000 faculty members, research associates, and staff members. Since its founding, the University of Pittsburgh has proudly cultivated a community shaped by ambition, innovation, and excellence as one of the nation’s best institutions for undergraduate education and a national leader in science, engineering, and health research.

Embedded within the City of Pittsburgh, the University includes four regional campuses: Bradford, Greensburg, Johnstown, and Titusville. Each of the regional campuses offers the advantages and environment of liberal arts colleges along with the resources and prestige of a major research university.

The mission of Pitt is to:

• Provide high-quality undergraduate programs in the arts and sciences and professional fields, with emphasis upon those of special benefit to the citizens of Pennsylvania.
• Offer superior graduate programs in the arts and sciences and the professions that respond to the needs of Pennsylvania, as well as to the broader needs of the nation and the world.
• Engage in research, artistic, and scholarly activities that advance learning through the extension of the frontiers of knowledge and creative endeavor.
• Cooperate with industrial and governmental institutions to transfer knowledge in science, technology, and health care.
• Offer continuing education programs adapted to the personal enrichment, professional upgrading, and career advancement interests and needs of adult Pennsylvanians.
• Make available to local communities and public agencies the expertise of the University in ways that are consistent with the primary teaching and research functions and contribute to social, intellectual, and economic development in the Commonwealth, the nation, and the world.

With over 4,500 full-time and 700 part-time faculty members serving almost 25,000 undergraduate students and over 9,000 graduate/doctoral students, Pitt’s large scale is still suited to offer a 14:1 student/faculty ratio. Faculty members have expanded knowledge in the humanities and sciences earning prestigious honors. Pitt students have earned Rhodes, Goldwater, Marshall, and Truman Scholarships among others. Alumni have pioneered MRI and TV, won Nobel and Pulitzer Prizes, led corporations and universities, served in government and the military, conquered Hollywood and The New York Times bestsellers list, and won Super Bowls and NBA championships.

For more information on the University of Pittsburgh, please visit www.pitt.edu.

University Disclosures
The University of Pittsburgh is an Affirmative Action/Equal Opportunity Employer and values equality of opportunity, human dignity, and diversity. EOE, including disability/veterans.