University Wellness Director

Overview

Tufts University is creating a bold new vision for wellbeing-and we're looking for a leader to bring it to life. As the Director, University Wellness , you will serve as the architect of a comprehensive, integrated wellness strategy that supports students, faculty, and staff across all campuses. This first-of-its-kind role offers the opportunity to shape culture, influence policy, and design programs that promote mental, emotional, social, and physical health. You will collaborate with senior leaders and campus partners to embed wellness into the fabric of university life-creating a thriving, resilient community for years to come.

This newly created leadership role is responsible for building and leading a comprehensive, integrated model of university-wide wellness and wellbeing as a Community of Practice. You will collaborate, influence, and gain support for uniting prevention, intervention, health promotion, and culture change across all campuses for faculty, students, and staff. The position leads the design and implementation of an integrated strategy that promotes mental, emotional, social, and physical health in partnership with key stakeholders. This role is part of the centralized Health Services office and reports to the Associate Vice President, Health Services. At this time, the position does not have direct reports and will require strong influence without authority.

As the founding Director, you will have the unique opportunity to create an enduring legacy-building the framework, partnerships, and programs that define Tufts' commitment to holistic wellbeing for years to come. This role is not only about managing wellness services-it is about reimagining how a university lives, learns, and works well together.

Please be sure to review the Application Instructions under "What We're Looking For" for specific details on submitting your cover letter.

What You'll Do

The Director will create a unifying framework and strategy that embeds wellness into the culture, operations, and daily practices of Tufts University. Serving as a strategic advisor, educator, and catalyst for organizational change, you will ensure wellbeing is recognized as a foundation for academic excellence, workplace performance, and community vitality. This is a rare opportunity to build something new-to define the university's long-term vision for wellness, establish partnerships across units, and design programs that elevate the health and resilience of the entire campus community.

Essential Responsibilities include:

Strategic Leadership and Vision

• Establish and lead the University Wellness and Wellbeing Office, defining its mission, priorities, and operating structure.
• Develop and implement a university-wide wellness strategy in collaboration with stakeholders, aligning with institutional goals and campus initiatives.
• Serve as a key advisor to senior leadership on wellbeing policies, emerging issues, and organizational effectiveness.
• Build a collaborative culture of wellbeing and shift perspectives to view wellness as integral to academic and workplace success.
• Develop metrics to assess impact, identify trends, and measure success.

Program Development and Integration

• Evaluate current wellness efforts, identify gaps, and design unified, impactful programs addressing mental health, physical wellbeing, resilience, and prevention.
• Integrate wellness practices into student life, employee orientation, and leadership development.
• Partner with Human Resources, Faculty Affairs, and Student Success to embed wellness principles into institutional policies and everyday operations.
• Ensure programs address the diverse needs of the campus community.

Education, Training, and Cultural Change

• Lead education and awareness initiatives that empower the community to recognize and respond to wellness needs.
• Develop professional development programs for faculty and staff to reduce stressors and wellbeing risks.
• Create and implement policies and procedures related to wellness.

Leadership and Administration

• Convene and lead a university-wide Wellness Community of Practice to share best practices and connect initiatives across campuses.
• Continuously research innovative wellness practices and identify opportunities for improvement.

Data Analysis and Assessment

• Collect and analyze data to guide program development, measure effectiveness, and inform decision-making.
• Define success metrics and KPIs to demonstrate the impact of wellness initiatives.

Community Engagement and External Relations

• Build strong relationships with campus partners and external organizations to enhance access to wellness resources.
• Serve as a visible champion for wellness through events, communications, and speaking engagements.

What We're Looking For

Application Instructions: To receive full consideration, applicants should apply online and include: 1.) A resume 2.) A cover letter (two pages max) that addresses the following:

• Vision for Wellness in Higher Education: How you would design and implement a university-wide wellness strategy that bridges across schools and aligns with student and faculty success, considering Tufts' unique environment.
• Influence and Change Leadership: Examples of how you have successfully navigated institutional complexity and resistance to change, particularly in higher education settings.
• Experience in Complex Environments: How your background (especially in similar institutions) has prepared you to work across decentralized structures and build consensus without direct authority.
• Measurement and Impact: How you would define success and use data to demonstrate the impact of wellness initiatives.

Basic Requirements:

• Master's degree in Public Health, Health Promotion, Psychology, Counseling, Higher Education Administration, or related field.
• Minimum of 10 years of progressively responsible leadership experience in wellness, mental health, or public health within higher education or healthcare.
• Demonstrated experience building or transforming wellness programs in complex institutions.
• Proven ability to influence institutional culture and collaborate across academic and administrative units.
• Excellent communication, facilitation, and relationship-building skills.
• Knowledge of applicable federal and state regulations related to wellbeing.

Preferred Qualifications:

• Doctoral degree in a related field.
• Supervisory experience.
• Experience developing and implementing metrics to assess program effectiveness.
• Familiarity with tools and techniques for conducting community surveys and data gathering.
• Experience leading wellness strategy at a complex, research-focused university (R1 or similar) with multiple schools and campuses.
• Documented success aligning decentralized wellness programs into a cohesive university-wide vision.
• Proven ability to influence without direct authority, using collaboration and consensus-building to drive change.
• Experience working with diverse student populations, including undergraduate and professional schools (medical, dental, graduate programs), and tailoring wellness strategies to meet their distinct needs.
• Familiarity with bridging wellness initiatives into academic success frameworks (e.g., Student Success, Faculty Success).
• Demonstrated success navigating institutional complexity and resistance to change in higher education settings.

Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities:

• Expertise in best practices for college health and wellness, including prevention and intervention strategies.
• Proven capacity to drive large-scale, cross-organization change initiatives through strategic influence and consensus-building without direct reporting authority.
• Ability to champion organization-wide transformations and foster buy-in at all levels, successfully navigating stakeholder resistance to achieve goals.
• Proficiency in data analysis, assessment, and program evaluation.

Key Leadership Competencies:

• Strategic Builder: Creates infrastructure, systems, processes, and culture from the ground up.
• Collaborative Influencer: Builds coalitions across diverse departments and disciplines.
• Innovative Thinker: Designs forward-looking, evidence-based solutions to emerging challenges.
• Inclusive Leader: Champions equity and accessibility in all wellness efforts.
• Results-Driven: Sets measurable goals, evaluates data-driven wellness effectiveness, and delivers sustained outcomes.

Pay Range

Minimum $155,100.00, Midpoint $193,900.00, Maximum $232,600.00

Salary is based on related experience, expertise, and internal equity; generally, new hires can expect pay between the minimum and midpoint of the range.

Required

Preferred

Job Industries

• Other