Administrative Director

University of Wisconsin Madison•Madison, WI

23h•Hybrid

About The Position

The Administrative Director will provide administrative leadership and professional oversight to the Wisconsin Energy Institute (WEI) and is listed as key personnel in the Great Lakes Bioenergy Research Center (GLBRC) grant, one of 4 Bioenergy Research Centers, funded by the Department of Energy (DOE). This individual will manage the human resources, facilities, financial management, and pre- and post-award functions for the WEI, the GLBRC, and all other WEI grants, as well as all of their subcontractors. The individual will supervise and provide leadership to the Building Manager, Human Resources Manager, Departmental Property Administrator, as well as pre- and post-award Financial Team regarding those activities. This position reports directly to the WEI Director and interacts collaboratively with WEI faculty and staff, as well as GLBRC Leadership. There are many varying types of appointments (Academic Staff, University Staff, Employees-in-Training, Students, Honorary) held at WEI, with hundreds of other funded and un-funded collaborators on GLBRC and other grants housed in Schools, Colleges and other Institutes across the UW-Madison campus and at other institutions in the US and other countries. The Administrative Director will be the primary administrative point of contact with colleagues in the Office of the Vice Chancellor for Research (OVCR). They will develop and administer the center's annual budget, help ensure compliance with all research funds in WEI, and serve as a primary point of contact for new faculty and staff joining WEI. The WEI (energy.wisc.edu) is helping to solve one of the world's greatest challenges: developing sustainable alternatives to meet society's ever-growing need for power, fuels, and chemicals. WEI is committed to generating the knowledge and technologies that will speed a transition to a sustainable, resilient, affordable, and just energy future. WEI is led by scientists and engineers committed to making major breakthroughs in the way we source and use energy. Specifically, WEI seeks to: 1) foster collaborative energy projects across sectors and disciplines, 2) prepare energy leaders of today and tomorrow, and 3) enhance public understanding of energy issues. The largest research program within WEI is the GLBRC (www.glbrc.org), one of four Department of Energy-funded Bioenergy Research Centers that is led by the University of Wisconsin-Madison with partners in the U. S. and Canada. The mission is to create biofuels and bioproducts that are economically viable and environmentally sustainable while reducing society's dependence on fossil fuels. This position is full-time, 100%. This position will primarily work onsite and have the ability to work up to two days per week remotely. Remote work requires an approved remote work agreement (RWA) agreement. An RWA requires successful candidates to possess their own high-speed internet and phone to perform the work on a university provided computer. Per University policy, transportation between home and assigned work location is not payable/reimbursable and will be at the expense of the employee.

Requirements

Minimum of five years of progressively responsible professional services with a record of accomplishments in administrative management, to include areas such as research or sponsored programs in an academic environment
Grants management, budget experience and a strong working knowledge of University of Wisconsin and UW-Madison administrative policies and procedures
Demonstrated experience overseeing University administrative and operational processes and resources
Experience supervising a team, that includes growing, coaching, mentoring, and team building
Excellent communication and the ability to handle sensitive personnel situations
Demonstrated analytical and decision-making skills
Demonstrated ability to plan, establish priorities and organize varied and complex tasks

Nice To Haves

Strategic planning experience
Demonstrated ability to work independently and in a team setting to establish and maintain effective working relationships
Demonstrated ability to prioritize workload, manage multiple projects and deadlines effectively, and follow-through on tasks and work unsupervised
Professional or personal experience relevant to the academic and research mission of the Wisconsin Energy Institute

Responsibilities

Directs, implements, and monitors strategic planning initiatives to ensure appropriate use of financial, administrative, and staffing resources
Exercises supervisory authority, including hiring, transferring, suspending, promoting, managing conduct and performance, discharging, assigning, rewarding, disciplining, and/or approving hours worked of at least 2.0 full-time equivalent (FTE) employees
Develops and audits administrative operating reports, budgets, policies, and procedures to comply with regulations, institution policies, and business objectives
Serves as the unit liaison to internal and external stakeholder groups providing organizational information and representing the interests of the unit
Supervises managerial, professional, and support staff of the unit or division and facilitates unit staff developmental opportunities
Recommends, reviews, and directs personnel resource allocation to ensure appropriate utilization of resources