Director, Administrative Services

University of Florida•Gainesville, FL

3d•Onsite

About The Position

This role serves as the senior financial administrator, responsible for the financial stewardship and long-term fiscal viability of the department. It involves developing and managing departmental budgets, financial plans, forecasts, and resource allocation strategies. The position provides financial analysis and recommendations to support strategic decision-making by the Chair and departmental leadership, monitors financial performance, and ensures compliance with various financial requirements. It also oversees purchasing, travel, payroll, effort management, financial reporting, and internal controls, while identifying opportunities to maximize resources and support departmental growth. Additionally, the role acts as the senior subject matter expert on sponsored research administration, advising on proposal development, sponsor requirements, compliance, and research operations. It provides leadership and oversight for pre-award and post-award research administration activities, ensuring compliance with regulations. The position also oversees proposal development, budget preparation, award management, effort reporting, cost sharing, and research financial administration, developing and implementing processes to promote efficiency and compliance. It partners with faculty investigators to support funding strategies and manages sponsored programs, serving as the primary departmental liaison with various research administration offices and external funding agencies. The role monitors changes in sponsor and regulatory requirements, provides guidance on best practices, and leads research administration staff. It also represents the department on relevant committees. Furthermore, the position serves as a strategic advisor to the Chair on organizational structure, workforce planning, operational effectiveness, and resource management, providing leadership and oversight for departmental administrative operations, policies, and procedures. It leads recruitment, retention, employee engagement, and staff development initiatives, offering guidance on compensation, position management, and organizational design. The role oversees personnel actions for faculty, staff, trainees, students, and visiting scholars, ensuring compliance, and supports faculty affairs activities. It develops and implements operational improvements and serves as the primary administrative liaison with College and University leadership. The role also provides leadership and direction for the administrative workforce through coaching, mentoring, professional development, succession planning, and talent management, building organizational capacity and cultivating a collaborative team culture. It establishes clear performance expectations and supports employee growth, identifying workforce strengths, gaps, and development opportunities. The position promotes employee engagement, retention, and professional growth, leading change management efforts. Finally, it provides oversight of administrative support functions for departmental educational programs, partnering with the College of Medicine Office of Graduate Education to support graduate education programs, student services, academic administration, and program operations. It oversees staff supporting these areas, ensures compliance with academic requirements, and assists in maintaining effective educational operations. The role also serves as the department's Information Security Administrator (ISA), overseeing space utilization, facilities planning, renovations, and operational infrastructure, ensuring compliance with safety, security, and regulatory requirements, and coordinating technology, equipment, and facility resources.

Requirements

Master’s degree in an appropriate area and six years of relevant experience; or a bachelor’s degree in an appropriate area and eight years of relevant experience.

Nice To Haves

Demonstrated expertise in sponsored research administration, including pre-award and post-award activities, sponsor regulations, compliance, and grant management.
Experience leading administrative operations within a complex academic, research, or healthcare environment.
Experience developing and managing complex budgets and financial resources.
Demonstrated success leading and developing high-performing teams.
Strong strategic planning, communication, problem-solving, and relationship management skills.
Knowledge of University of Florida, College of Medicine, and/or academic health center operations preferred.

Responsibilities

Serves as the department's senior financial administrator and is responsible for the financial stewardship and long-term fiscal viability of the department.
Develops and manages departmental budgets, financial plans, forecasts, and resource allocation strategies.
Provides financial analysis and recommendations to support strategic decision-making by the Chair and departmental leadership.
Monitors financial performance and implements corrective actions as necessary to ensure alignment with departmental goals and budget expectations.
Ensures compliance with University, College, State, Federal, and sponsor financial requirements.
Oversees purchasing, travel, payroll distributions, effort management, financial reporting, and internal controls.
Identifies opportunities to maximize resources and support departmental growth and sustainability.
Provides leadership and oversight of departmental fiscal operations and staff.
Serves as the department's senior subject matter expert on sponsored research administration and advises faculty and departmental leadership on proposal development, sponsor requirements, compliance, effort management, and research operations.
Provides leadership and oversight for all pre-award and post-award research administration activities, ensuring compliance with University, sponsor, state, and federal regulations.
Oversees proposal development, budget preparation, award management, effort reporting, cost sharing, and research financial administration.
Develops and implements processes, controls, and operational improvements to promote efficiency, compliance, and service excellence in research administration.
Partners with faculty investigators to support funding strategies, proposal competitiveness, and successful management of sponsored programs.
Serves as the primary departmental liaison with Sponsored Programs, Contracts and Grants, IRB, IACUC, research compliance offices, and external funding agencies.
Monitors changes in sponsor and regulatory requirements and provides guidance to faculty and staff regarding research administration best practices and compliance obligations.
Leads and develops research administration staff through coaching, training, succession planning, and performance management to ensure operational continuity and organizational effectiveness.
Identifies research administration risks and opportunities and recommends solutions to support the department's research mission and strategic priorities.
Represents the department on College and University committees, work groups, and initiatives related to research administration and sponsored programs.
Serves as a strategic advisor to the Chair on organizational structure, workforce planning, succession planning, operational effectiveness, and resource management.
Provides leadership and oversight for departmental administrative operations, policies, and procedures.
Leads recruitment, retention, employee engagement, and staff development initiatives.
Provides guidance regarding faculty and staff compensation, position management, organizational design, and workforce planning.
Oversees personnel actions for faculty, staff, trainees, students, and visiting scholars, ensuring compliance with applicable policies and regulations.
Supports faculty affairs activities, including recruitment, promotion and tenure, faculty evaluations, and professional development initiatives.
Develops and implements operational improvements that enhance efficiency, effectiveness, and customer service.
Serves as the primary administrative liaison with College and University leadership and represents the Chair on administrative and operational matters.
Provides leadership and direction for the department's administrative workforce through coaching, mentoring, professional development, succession planning, and talent management.
Builds organizational capacity by developing future leaders and ensuring continuity of critical administrative functions.
Cultivates a collaborative, engaged, and high-performing team culture that promotes accountability, continuous improvement, innovation, and operational excellence.
Establishes clear performance expectations and supports employee growth through ongoing feedback, development planning, and performance management.
Identifies workforce strengths, gaps, and development opportunities and implements strategies to enhance individual and team effectiveness.
Promotes employee engagement, retention, and professional growth while fostering an inclusive and supportive work environment.
Leads change management efforts and helps staff successfully navigate organizational, operational, and regulatory changes.
Provides oversight of administrative support functions for departmental educational programs.
Partners with the College of Medicine Office of Graduate Education and departmental leadership to support graduate education programs, student services, academic administration, and program operations.
Oversees staff supporting graduate education, student services, academic program administration, and faculty workload reporting.
Ensures compliance with University and College academic requirements and reporting obligations.
Assists departmental leadership in maintaining effective and efficient educational operations.
Supports continuous improvement initiatives related to educational programs and student services.
Serves as the department's Information Security Administrator (ISA).
Oversees departmental space utilization, facilities planning, renovations, and operational infrastructure.
Ensures compliance with applicable safety, security, and regulatory requirements.
Coordinates technology, equipment, and facility resources necessary to support departmental operations.
Promotes effective stewardship of departmental facilities, equipment, and physical resources.