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Oakland University, a thriving public research university in the Metro Detroit area, invites applications and nominations for a dynamic Chief Community Engagement Officer, a senior leadership role committed to promoting and supporting engaged scholarship and research, meaningful community service, and sustainable partnerships that impact Southeast Michigan and beyond.

Reporting to President Ora Hirsch Pescovitz and serving as a key member of the President’s Cabinet, the Chief Community Engagement Officer will play a vital role in coordinating, inspiring, and advancing efforts to position Oakland University as an institution that works deeply and effectively with community partners. The CCEO is expected to begin in Summer 2026.

The CCEO will provide leadership and supervision of community engagement in support of the University’s mission and strategic vision, while coordinating engagement efforts across campus and strengthening collaboration with University offices and Senate committees. Responsibilities include implementing strategies aligned with institutional priorities, elevating the University’s community partnerships, and serving as a catalyst to expand the community engagement enterprise, including fundraising. The CCEO will work closely with campus units to integrate engagement activities, support professional development in community-based research, cultivate strong relationships with local communities, and represent the University publicly. In addition, the CCEO will help ensure that university policies, procedures, communications, and culture consistently reflect and advance community engagement goals and priorities.

The leadership agenda includes cultivating new and strengthening existing engagement opportunities, developing and overseeing the community-engaged research center, identifying and addressing systematic barriers, and leading execution and assessment of engagement elements of the strategic vision. The successful candidate will demonstrate strong leadership, collaboration with diverse partners, responsiveness, public speaking experience, passion for engaged scholarship, commitment to the OU Pledge, exceptional communication skills, and impeccable character, integrity, and professionalism.

To be effective in this senior leadership role, the successful candidate for Chief Community Engagement Officer must demonstrate all of the following required qualifications:

• Earned terminal degree from an accredited institution;
• At least 10 years of experience in higher education and community-engaged work, resulting in mutual benefit for the campus and community, mostly in a leadership capacity;
• Experience as a tenure-track faculty member; and
• Experience in strategic planning and execution, including aligning organizational objectives with external relations strategies.

For more information about the institution, position, preferred qualifications, leadership agenda, and the complete application process, please review the full position profile linked at the top of this page.

Academic Search, led by Dr. Ginny Horvath, is partnering with Oakland University in this search. Potential applicants are welcome to schedule a confidential meeting with Dr. Horvath to discuss qualifications and position details. Nominations and expressions of interest may be submitted to OaklandCCEO@academicsearch.org. All information is held in strict confidence. Applications may be submitted by clicking the APPLY button above.

Although the search remains open until the position is filled, for full consideration by the Search Committee, candidates should submit all application materials by Friday, May 8, 2026.

Oakland University is an Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action Employer committed to fostering a diverse, equitable and family-friendly environment in which all faculty and staff can excel and achieve work-life balance.

Oakland University sits on traditional and ancestral lands and waters of the Anishinaabe people, also known as the Three Fires Confederacy comprised of the Ojibwe, the Odawa, and the Potawatomi.