Your next career opportunity awaits at LSU School of Veterinary Medicine. One of only 33 veterinary schools in the United States, LSU Vet Med is experiencing unprecedented growth as we seek to improve and protect the lives of animals and people through superior education, transformational research, and compassionate care. We are dedicated to building a premier team of world-renowned clinicians, educators, and researchers to provide an elite healthcare experience in Louisiana and the region. This is where science meets passion and global health prevails. We hope you will join us as we explore what is possible.

We are seeking a new senior leadership position, Department Head for Veterinary Clinical Sciences (VCS). The Department Head, as the Executive Officer of the academic department, serves as the leader and a strategic visionary for a vibrant group of faculty and staff focused on teaching, clinical service, and the broad spectrum of veterinary and biomedical research conducted in the VCS department at LSU Vet Med. The Head administers the teaching, research, and service programs of the Department in addition to managing the fiscal, human, and physical resources of the department.

VCS is the largest department in the school, and we continue to grow.  We are seeking an energetic, creative leader and advocate to support our upward trajectory. Our hospital sees approximately 20,000 cases per year and is expanding services to promote additional in-house and outreach initiatives.  Our innovative curriculum, launching in Fall 2023, will provide unique opportunities for clinical faculty engagement.  The VCS Department Head will be supported by a dynamic team of staff and faculty who are eager to work together to launch our program and school into the next phase of evolution. 

Compensation/Benefits: Competitive base salary, dental, and vision insurance, 401(k) with match, paid CE, license fees and membership dues, Paid holidays accrued up to 14 days per year, Annual leave accrued up to 14 days per year, paid sick leave accrued up to 12 days per year, wellness and mentorship programs, and more.

About Baton Rouge, Louisiana:

The LSU campus is located in beautiful Baton Rouge, a vibrant and growing metropolitan area with over 300 years of history. Enjoy amazing culinary experiences, unique architecture, a thriving arts scene, unparalleled musical performances, thrilling sporting events, vibrant festivals and celebrations, and southern hospitality at its finest.

We are just an hour’s drive from the international city of New Orleans, the home of Mardi Gras, jazz music, and restaurants that are among the finest in the world. We are surrounded by natural beauty that is a paradise for outdoor enthusiasts. Enjoy a short trip to the shores of the Gulf of Mexico for beautiful beaches, or explore the bayous of the Atchafalaya Basin, a vast natural wonder with a storied past. A world of new experiences awaits you in the heart of Louisiana.

To learn more about LSU Vet Med and Baton Rouge, please visit the links below:

• LSU Vet Med: A Dynamic Biomedical Campus Shaping the Future of Animal and Human Health - YouTube (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VK5x-ivpbBU)
• LSU Vet Med website (https://www.lsu.edu/vetmed/index.php)
• Baton Rouge visitor information (https://www.visitbatonrouge.com/)

We teach. We heal. We discover. We protect. Join us at LSU Vet Med as we make a profound difference in global health!

Job Responsibilities:

50% - General/ Programmatic: Plan and manage department functions, seeking counsel from the department faculty and delegating duties when possible. As a faculty member, the Department Head is expected to participate in the teaching, research and other activities of the department. Assume responsibility for the quality, effectiveness and progress of the Department including leading the departmental faculty to excellence in the teaching, research, service, and civic engagement activities for the Department and School. Be responsible for the administration of the curriculum taught by department faculty in the professional and graduate programs. Coordinate development and improvement of professional and graduate programs with key leaders. Promote acquisition of resources needed to support scholarly activity and motivate department faculty toward sponsored scholarship productivity. Be responsible for an annual budget for his/her administrative area and its subsequent execution. Provide for the control, maintenance and general supervision of movable and fixed property and all official records assigned or delegated to the department. Facilitate and improve the efficiency and operation of organizational units assigned to the department. Formulate and execute departmental policies and execute School and University policies as these affect the Department, with due regard for the prerogatives and responsibilities of the faculty. Implement policies for the safety and protection of employees and students in the department. The Department Head has the authority to take whatever emergency action deemed appropriate to avoid accidents or damage to personnel or property, pending investigation by the Dean and appropriate safety committees and other officers. Develop and execute, with counsel from the faculty, long range departmental strategic planning. Call and preside over all meetings of the departmental faculty and staff. Serve as a member of the  Administrators' Council of the School. 

25% - Personnel: Coordinate the recruitment of new faculty members and support staff with the counsel of departmental faculty, and advertise vacancies appropriately, consistent with the University’s policies on equal employment opportunity and affirmative action. Recommend, after due faculty consultation where appropriate, appointment, reappointment, salary increases and adjustments, promotion, tenure, dismissal and other personnel actions relating to the members of the faculty and staff under his/her direction. Promote and facilitate faculty professional development thereby enabling each faculty member to realize full potential in teaching, research, and service. Prepare five-year departmental evaluation and annual reports on academic personnel. Collaborates with other leadership/supervisors to maintain a quality, inclusive, collaborative, and supportive work environment. Develops initiatives for visionary growth of the hospital in a nuanced, forward-thinking manner. Provide annual evaluations of faculty members and ensure staff member evaluations are completed by their supervisors. Work closely with other administrators to develop methods and strategies for retention of faculty. Develop and supervise an effective support staff and structure.

10% - Collaboration and Communication;  Serve as communications officer in collaboration with the Office for Strategic Communications for all official business within the Department and with the Dean of the School. Promote the public image of the Department, the School, and the University.  Hold regular meetings with individual faculty to promote communication and retention of faculty.  Serve as a facilitator/team-builder to encourage interactions among faculty within and between departments to achieve individual and departmental goals. Coordinate faculty effort in concert with the Associate Dean for Clinical Programs. Communication and regular interaction with the Associate Dean for Clinical Programs is essential to build a trust and understanding toward a concerted effort to elevate both the clinical and academic programs and faculty accomplishments within the VCS Department. 

10% -  Teaching and Scholarly activity:  Participate in Phase 1 and/or Phase 2 teaching and learning opportunities.  Collaborate on research projects with other investigators as available.  Participate in local and/or national committees within the specialty college. 

5% - Other duties as assigned.

Minimum Qualifications:

DVM or equivalent and board certification in a specialty area of veterinary medicine with 5 years of leadership experience and 10 years of DVM experience.

Specific experience in leadership positions and/or directing large groups of individuals. Diplomate of a recognized Veterinary Specialty of the American Board of Veterinary Specialties or European Board of Veterinary Specialties.

Preferred Qualifications:

Master's or Ph.D. with experience in leadership positions and/or directing large groups of individuals.

Special and Physical Qualifications:

Safety and Security Sensitive Job - Safety and security-sensitive positions are defined as those positions where any form of substance abuse may affect University activities through unsafe work behavior/performance or error in judgment; or where substance abuse could jeopardize the safety and well-being of employees, other personnel, or the general public, or cause significant damage to University property. This includes positions requiring firearms, access to controlled substances,
handling hazardous material, operating heavy equipment or machinery, etc. These positions are subject to drug screens per PS-67/FASOP HR-04.

Essential Personnel - This position may be required to report to campus in times of emergency and/or closure per PS-18.

Required to be capable of lifting up to 50 pounds, standing, sitting, walking, bending, reaching above the shoulder, reaching below the shoulder, vision near sight, vision far sight, climbing, crawling, twisting, pushing/pulling, grasping, and squatting.

About Louisiana State University

Louisiana State University is a public coeducational university located in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. The university was founded in 1853 in what is now known as Pineville, Louisiana, under the name Louisiana State Seminary of Learning & Military Academy. The current LSU main campus was dedicated in 1926, consists of more than 250 buildings constructed in the style of Italian Renaissance architect Andrea Palladio, and occupies a 650-acre plateau on the banks of the Mississippi River.

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