University Ombuds

The Opportunity

As one of the nation's leading public universities, the University of Virginia (UVA) is committed to excellence in teaching, research, and service. UVA is known for its nationally ranked schools and programs, distinguished faculty, and research university status, and for fostering a vibrant learning environment that values collaboration, innovation, and shared governance. In support of these commitments, the University seeks a University Ombuds to serve as an independent, neutral, and confidential resource for members of the UVA community.

The University Ombuds plays a critical role in strengthening institutional trust, supporting constructive conflict resolution, and identifying systemic trends—helping the University advance its mission while upholding the highest standards of fairness, integrity, and respect.

Operating within the principles of the International Ombuds Association (IOA) and the University of Virginia Ombuds Charter, the University Ombuds Office is a confidential and independent resource available to the university community to address issues in an informal and impartial manner. The Ombuds Office services include individual consultation, helping individuals navigate challenges and explore options, reviewing available informal and formal resolution options, providing conflict management coaching, facilitating conflict resolution in one-on-one and group settings through alternative dispute resolution methods, and educating the community on conflict resolution methods.

The University Ombuds Office operates independently of other administrative structures to maintain impartiality and to better ensure confidentiality when collaborating across the university. As the leader of the University Ombuds Office, the University Ombuds provides thoughtful and strategic leadership to ensure the office adheres to the Ombuds principles and serves as a resource to help empower individuals to proactively address their conflicts and concerns in a positive, constructive manner.

As the designated dispute resolution practitioner for the university and as a practitioner of dispute resolution, the Ombuds serves as one of the university's primary resources to develop, guide, and coordinate conflict resolution efforts, and to educate and train others on alternative dispute resolution practices and facilitation skills. To this end, the Ombuds provides an invaluable resource to the university in increasing its collective understanding, development, and use of alternative resolution approaches and practices - both in offering and applying dispute resolution practices to facilitate resolution of specific conflicts, as well to build the competency of others within the university in their understanding and use of alternative resolution in a variety of settings.

The Ombuds leads the University Ombuds Office and supervises the UVA Health Ombuds (serving faculty, staff, and students within UVA Health entities) and the Program Coordinator. The office sits within the Division for Community Engagement and Equal Opportunity (DCEEO), reporting to the AVP for Equal Opportunity and Civil Rights (EOCR) for purposes of administrative and budgetary support. Crucially, however, the Ombuds is independent in their work and maintains as confidential all records and information with respect to services provided.

While maintaining confidentiality of communications with inquirers, the Ombuds maintains direct lines of communication with university leadership to keep the university informed about the work and any patterns or systemic issues of concern. The University Ombuds Office Charter affirms the purpose of the office and its privileges, responsibilities and authority.

• Actively listen to visitor concerns during confidential consultations and employ a wide variety of problem-solving techniques to assist visitors, including helping to clarify problems, identifying and evaluating options, offering referrals to other resources as necessary, providing conflict management and other forms of coaching.
• Apply essential knowledge of, and experience with, university policies, procedures, and related process information, guidelines, state policies, and other potentially applicable sources of information in responding to and providing helpful information.
• Engage in informal information gathering when appropriate and only with the visitor's permission before proceeding, if necessary. Lead in-person and virtual informal mediation, facilitated dialogues, shuttle diplomacy and small-group facilitation requests by fostering constructive communication and guiding visitor(s) toward mutually acceptable resolutions; conduct formal mediation intake as requested.

• Provide strategic and thoughtful leadership to the Ombuds Office personnel.
• Represent the Ombuds Office throughout the university community and serve as a valuable resource to…