Chief Administrative Officer, Darden School of Business

UVA Health•Charlottesville, VA

5d•Onsite

About The Position

The University of Virginia’s Darden School of Business seeks a strategic, forward-looking leader to serve as its next Chief Administrative Officer (CAO). As a core member of the Dean’s senior leadership team and direct report to the Dean, the CAO leads the School’s financial and operational strategy, ensuring that resources are deployed effectively to advance Darden’s academic mission and strategic priorities. This opportunity comes at a moment of historic momentum for the school as Darden welcomes its 10th dean, Yael Grushka-Cockayne. The School is celebrating record enrollments; the growth of UVA Darden DC Metro in Rosslyn, Virginia; a triumphant $632 million campaign; the execution of an ambitious master plan; and a sustained position as the No. 1 global public Full-Time MBA program. By aligning resources with bold academic ambitions and supporting a culture of collaboration and excellence across the enterprise, the CAO’s role is critical to ensuring Darden’s continued strength and future impact. This senior executive role has direct oversight of Finance, Human Resources, Facilities, Information Technology, Compliance, and Financial Aid. They will partner with the Dean and other senior leaders to ensure that each of these functions support the School’s operations and continued excellence and growth.

Requirements

Master’s degree and minimum of 10 years of progressively responsible administrative leadership experience, preferably in higher education or large complex organizations.
Significant senior leadership experience in financial and administrative roles within large, complex, or mission-driven organizations.
Proven ability to serve as a trusted strategic advisor to senior leadership, influencing organizational direction through data-driven insight, cross-functional collaboration, and innovation.
Excellent communication and presentation skills, with the ability to translate complex issues clearly and serve as an effective spokesperson.
High emotional intelligence, integrity, sound judgment, and discretion in navigating complex and sensitive matters.
Proven ability to build, lead, and inspire high-performing, multidisciplinary teams by fostering a culture of collaboration, accountability, innovation, continuous learning, and professional growth.
Experience leading and integrating diverse operational functions (e.g., finance, facilities, IT, HR) within higher education or a comparably complex, mission-driven organization.
Demonstrated success leading technology adoption and digital transformation initiatives.
Strategic thinker with the ability to build consensus, lead change, and inspire action across varied stakeholder groups.
Strong analytical capability, with a commitment to data-informed decision-making, operational excellence, and continuous improvement.
Demonstrated success in multi-year financial planning, budgeting, forecasting, and resource allocation, including oversight of substantial and complex budgets.

Responsibilities

Serve as a key member of the School’s leadership team, partnering with the Dean and senior faculty and staff leaders to develop and shape strategic plans and align academic, financial and operational strategies with Darden’s long-term vision and mission.
Lead the development and execution of multi-year financial and operational plans that support the School’s strategic goals.
Partner with the Advancement team to identify and prioritize strategic funding opportunities, helping align philanthropic investments with Darden's highest priorities.
Anticipate challenges and opportunities, using scenario planning and data analysis to inform decision-making.
Represent Darden to University leadership and external stakeholders on financial and operational matters.
Advise the Dean on all relevant financial matters with a bias toward proactive planning and analysis.
Provide executive leadership to the Finance team on financial management issues, including budgeting, forecasting, risk management, reporting, and compliance.
Provide leadership for Financial Aid resources and services that expand access, support affordability, and ensure transparency and equity in funding opportunities.
Partner with the Finance team and the Darden Foundation to support alignment, operational efficiencies, and effective stewardship of resources, including the strategic use of endowment funds and management of gift agreements.
Monitor financial performance, identify trends, and recommend strategies to align financial resources with the school’s long-term goals.
Ensure robust systems, processes, and controls are in place to safeguard assets and support accurate reporting.
Provide strategic guidance to the leaders of Facilities, Information Technology, Human Resources and Compliance to develop goals that align each unit’s work with the School’s mission and strategic priorities, and partner with them to achieve measurable outcomes.
Ensure resourcing for capital projects, renovations, maintenance, and space planning to create exceptional learning and working environments.
Collaborate strategically with the Chief Digital Officer to support the adoption of technologies that advance the School’s strategic priorities, operational improvements, and data practices to enhance efficiency and service quality.
In conjunction with technology leadership, evaluate and champion the implementation of artificial intelligence and emerging digital tools that improve administrative efficiency, strengthen analytics capabilities, and support scalable operations.
Promote secure, reliable, and user-centric technology services for faculty, staff, and students.
As Darden’s senior administrative leader for people management, partner with the Dean, School leaders, and UVA HR to shape and advance Darden's people strategy, providing executive leadership on employee relations, organizational development, performance management and feedback, merit and promotion processes and policy implementation in support of the School's strategic priorities.
Shape and advance talent strategies that attract, retain, and develop top talent, partnering closely with Darden’s HR Business Partner and Darden’s Senior Director of Strategic Talent Initiatives.
Lead a high-performance culture in partnership with leaders and managers across the enterprise, providing mentorship, guidance, and opportunities that empower staff growth and enhance operational effectiveness.
Anticipate and address workforce needs and challenges, ensuring a productive, engaged, and resilient team across operational units.