Assistant Vice President for Administration

Empire State University•Saratoga Springs, NY

5d•Hybrid

About The Position

Empire State University seeks applicants for the position of Assistant Vice President for Administration in the Office of Administration and Finance. Reporting to the Vice President for Administration and Finance, the Assistant Vice President for Administration leads enterprise risk management, institutional compliance oversight, internal controls, procurement strategy and operations, contract administration, administrative policy, and Title IX coordination. The position builds and maintains practical, coordinated frameworks that clarify accountability, strengthen institutional operations, and support sound decision-making across a geographically dispersed university. The Assistant Vice President balances regulatory compliance and responsible risk management with operational efficiency, service quality, and the University's strategic priorities. The position serves as the University's Title IX Coordinator and Internal Control Officer and provides management and professional development for the Compliance and Procurement departments, with a combined staff of approximately ten.

Requirements

Bachelor's degree in business administration, public administration, higher education administration, law, or a related field from an accredited college or university.
At least seven years of progressively responsible leadership experience in two or more of the following areas: enterprise risk management, regulatory compliance, internal controls or audit, procurement, contract administration, or related administrative functions.
Demonstrated knowledge of enterprise risk management, institutional compliance, and internal control principles and practices.
Experience developing or overseeing institutional policies, governance frameworks, internal control systems, or similarly complex administrative programs.
Experience working with legal counsel, auditors, regulators, or other external oversight bodies.
Experience managing and leading professional teams and achieving results across organizational boundaries in a complex, decentralized, or matrixed organization.
Demonstrated ability to assess complex risks and competing priorities, exercise sound judgment with incomplete information, and manage sensitive, confidential, or high-risk matters.
Demonstrated ability to translate complex requirements into clear, practical processes and to use technology (i.e., Microsoft Suite tools) and data effectively in support of administrative operations.
Strong written, verbal, analytical, facilitation, and interpersonal communication skills, including the ability to build trust and influence diverse stakeholders.
Commitment to accountability, operational effectiveness, service excellence, and compliance without unnecessary complexity.

Nice To Haves

Advanced degree in public administration, law, business, higher education administration, or a related field from an accredited college or university.
Leadership experience in public higher education or another complex public-sector environment.
Experience serving in a Title IX leadership, coordination, investigation, or institutional partner role.
Familiarity with SUNY and New York State regulatory, procurement, internal control, and administrative frameworks.
Intermediate level user of Power BI and JAGGAER.
Experience establishing or leading an enterprise risk management program.
Experience leading formal business-process improvement, administrative modernization, or organizational-effectiveness initiatives.
Relevant professional certification in internal audit, risk management, compliance, procurement, Title IX, or a related area.

Responsibilities

Develop and lead an enterprise risk management framework appropriate to a public higher education institution.
Lead the identification, assessment, prioritization, mitigation, monitoring, and reporting of institutional risks.
Establish clear processes for risk ownership, escalation, and response, and advise senior leadership regarding significant or emerging regulatory, operational, financial, and reputational risks.
Integrate risk considerations into institutional planning and decision-making while balancing mitigation needs with operational realities and service priorities.
Provide strategic oversight and coordination for the University's institutional compliance framework while maintaining operational responsibility within the appropriate functional divisions.
Serve as the University's Internal Control Officer and lead the development, assessment, documentation, and continuous improvement of the internal control program.
Support audit and regulatory responses, corrective-action planning, and remediation monitoring; communicate significant findings, risks, and unresolved issues to appropriate university leaders.
Lead the administrative policy framework, including standards for policy development, review, approval, communication, implementation, revision, and retirement.
Coordinate records retention and disposition activities and supervise the University's local Records Management Officer.
Provide strategic leadership for the university purchasing department.
Ensure competitive procurements, vendor responsibility determinations, onboarding, and procurement-related agreements comply with SUNY and New York State requirements.
Use procurement data and operational information to identify sourcing opportunities, efficiencies, service improvements, and institutional risks.
Promote procurement planning, education, continuous improvement, and responsible stewardship while balancing compliance with timely, service-oriented operations.
Provide strategic leadership for the university Compliance department.
Oversee institutional contract intake, review coordination, approval routing, tracking, renewal, and lifecycle monitoring.
Establish contract-administration standards, responsibilities, review pathways, and compliance checkpoints, including appropriate legal, financial, procurement, information-security, accessibility, and insurance review.
Provide contract-compliance oversight while maintaining responsibility for legal drafting and negotiation with University Counsel and ensuring the integrity of the University's contract repository.
Serve as the University's Title IX Coordinator and provide institution-wide leadership for compliance with applicable federal and state Title IX requirements.
Oversee Title IX policy administration, regulatory interpretation, training, reporting, investigations, documentation, and resolution procedures.
Coordinate prompt, equitable, impartial, and legally compliant responses to reports and complaints, including the work of deputy coordinators, investigators, and other institutional partners.
Collaborate with Human Resources, Student Success, University Counsel, the Office of Diversity Equity and Inclusion, and other offices to promote prevention, education, institutional trust, and an environment free from sex discrimination and harassment.
Build the University's capacity for structured business-process improvement and administrative modernization as the administrative services function continues to mature.
Lead cross-functional initiatives that simplify administrative processes, clarify responsibilities and decision authority, strengthen controls, and improve service delivery.
Evaluate the relationships among policy, process, technology, organizational structure, and user experience when developing sustainable improvements.
Use data, performance measures, and stakeholder feedback to establish priorities, assess results, and support implementation and change management.