Director, Admin/Ops, School of Science, Engineering & Technology
About The Position
The Director, Admin/Ops supports the School of Science, Engineering & Technology (SET), providing operational leadership, administrative oversight, and strategic planning. The Director reports to the Academic Dean, works closely with the Provost’s Office, and serves as a liaison to central university offices, including Human Resources, Capital Projects, Finance, Information Technology Services, Space Planning, Research, Graduate Affairs, Undergraduate Affairs, Academic Affairs, and Communications. The role supervises administrative staff, leads special projects, and collaborates with stakeholders across academic and administrative units to ensure the smooth operation of the school. In coordination with the Provost’s Office, the Director also supports alignment and consistency across the university. The position directly and indirectly manages an organization of approximately 25–30 employees across academic administration, business administration, graduate academic administration, communications and events, and scientific computing, including applications. Research-facility staff are also supported by the SET Dean and Director.
Requirements
- Bachelor’s degree required, preferably in a science or engineering field.
- At least 8 years of progressively responsible administrative experience in a complex organization.
- At least 5 years of supervisory or management experience.
- Demonstrated ability to lead administrative teams and implement systems that improve operations.
- Strong leadership and interpersonal skills, including the ability to build trust and collaborate across departments and schools.
- Experience with HR processes, recruitment, and performance management.
- Experience with research administration.
- Strong organizational and communication skills, and the ability to manage multiple priorities.
- Proficiency with Microsoft Office, Excel, and administrative systems.
Nice To Haves
- Master’s or doctoral degree in higher education, public administration, a science field, or a related field.
- At least 10 years of progressively responsible administrative experience.
- Experience in higher education, nonprofit management, scientific operations, or academic operations.
- Experience with Workday or similar administrative platforms.
- Experience with space management or capital project coordination.
Responsibilities
- Oversee daily administrative operations, including research and academic administration, budgets and finance, space and facilities coordination, and workflow efficiency.
- Supervise and mentor school-level administrative staff and coordinators, and liaise with cross-functional units.
- Develop structures, business policies, and processes in collaboration with the Academic Dean and in alignment with university policies and processes.
- Consult with the Provost’s Office and central HR on staff recruitment requests; serve as the school’s primary liaison to central HR Compensation on compensation and job-description requests.
- Ensure university staff hiring policies and processes are followed, and coordinate interviewing and onboarding with HR and the Provost’s Office.
- Coordinate staff performance-review and salary-planning logistics in partnership with the Associate Dean.
- Foster an inclusive, high-performing administrative staff culture and serve on committees as needed.
- Support administrative planning, operational decision-making, and resource prioritization in collaboration with the Academic Dean.
- Lead process improvements, administrative realignments, and change-management strategies.
- Represent the school on institutional committees and project teams, including Workday governance and HR process design.
- Manage administrative budgets and report to the Dean; manage grant, gift, and endowment funds and reporting systems that enable faculty to track budgets and spending.
- Oversee core-facility budgets in partnership with faculty and facility directors, and collaborate with the Provost Finance Team throughout the fiscal year.
- Collaborate with the Provost’s Office and other school Directors to implement university policies across schools.
- Act as a high-level staff liaison with Chairs.
- Coordinate capital planning and space needs with the Provost’s Office.
- Partner with faculty and Academic Affairs on faculty hiring and curricular planning as needed.
- Manage academic support functions such as awards and Commencement activities.
- Manage research support functions, including cost sharing and institutional support letters, in collaboration with the Academic Dean and Provost’s Office.
- Work with the Vice Provost of Research to ensure compliance with state and federal regulations.
- Lead school-level initiatives and projects assigned by the Academic Dean.
- Provide operational support for research, academic programs, and student affairs, including oversight of support for undergraduate research.
- Maintain communication with school staff, academic chairs, and central university offices; disseminate operational updates, policy changes, and process improvements in a timely manner.
- Coordinate with the Provost’s Office on opportunities for university-wide communication and engagement.
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What This Job Offers
Job Type
Full-time
Career Level
Director
