Director, Admin/Ops, School of Science, Engineering & Technology

Brandeis University•Waltham, MA

About The Position

The Director, Admin/Ops supports Brandeis University’s School of Science, Engineering & Technology (SET) by providing operational leadership, administrative oversight, and strategic planning. The Director reports to the Academic Dean of the school, 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 academic and administrative stakeholders to ensure effective school operations and alignment across the university. The Director 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. The role oversees daily operations such as research and academic administration, budgets and finance, space and facilities coordination, and workflow efficiency. It develops administrative structures, policies, and processes; supports hiring, onboarding, performance review, and salary planning; and fosters an inclusive, high-performing administrative staff culture. In partnership with the Academic Dean, the Director supports administrative planning, operational decisions, and resource prioritization; leads process improvements and change management; represents the school on committees and project teams; manages administrative budgets and grant, gift, endowment, and core-facility funds; and coordinates with university offices on finance, policy implementation, capital planning, space needs, faculty hiring, and curricular planning. The Director also manages academic support functions such as awards and Commencement, research support functions such as cost sharing and institutional support letters, and school-level projects. The role works with the Vice Provost of Research on regulatory compliance and provides operational support for research, academic programs, and student affairs, including undergraduate research. The Director maintains communication with school staff, academic chairs, and central offices and coordinates academy-wide communication and engagement with the Provost’s Office.

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree required.
At least 8 years of progressively responsible administrative experience in a complex organization required.
At least 5 years of supervisory or management experience required.
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 ability to manage multiple priorities.
Proficiency with Microsoft Office, Excel, and administrative systems.

Nice To Haves

Bachelor’s degree in a science or engineering field preferred.
Master’s or doctoral degree in higher education, public administration, a science field, or a related field preferred.
At least 10 years of administrative experience preferred.
Experience in higher education, nonprofit management, scientific operations, or academic operations preferred.
Experience with Workday or similar platforms preferred.
Experience with space management or capital project coordination helpful but not required.

Responsibilities

Oversee daily administrative operations, including research administration, academic administration, budgets and finance, space coordination, facilities coordination, and workflow efficiency.
Supervise and mentor school-level administrative staff and coordinators and liaise with cross-functional units.
Develop administrative structures, business policies, and processes in collaboration with the Academic Dean and consistent with university policies and processes.
Consult with the Provost’s Office and central Human Resources on staff recruitment requests; serve as the school’s primary liaison to central HR Compensation on compensation and job-description requests.
Ensure university hiring processes and policies are followed, and coordinate interviewing and onboarding with HR and the Provost’s Office.
Coordinate staff performance review and salary planning processes for the school in partnership with the Associate Dean.
Foster an inclusive and high-performing administrative staff culture and serve on committees as needed.
Support the Academic Dean in administrative planning, operational decision-making, and resource prioritization.
Lead process improvements, administrative realignments, and change-management strategies.
Represent the school on institutional committees and project teams, such as Workday governance and HR process design.
Manage administrative budgets and present reports to the Dean.
Manage grant, gift, and endowment funds and reporting systems that allow faculty to track budgets and spending.
Oversee core-facility budgets in collaboration with faculty and facility directors, and work closely 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 and 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, including awards and Commencement activities.
Manage research support functions, including cost sharing and institutional support letters, 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 undergraduate research support.
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.