Director of Business Operations

Metropolitan State University of Denver•Denver, CO

1d•$125,000 - $140,000•Hybrid

About The Position

The Director of Business Operations provides strategic and functional leadership across the university’s portfolio of enterprise assets and operational services including but not limited to hotel operations, event operations, lease operations, facility use management and insurance management. A central priority for this position will be establishing and scaling a new university-wide event management framework, building out the necessary policies, procedures and resources to ensure long-term success. Reporting to the Chief Operating Officer, this role drives operational excellence, financial performance, and risk mitigation while serving as a key partner across administrative and academic units. Positioned at the intersection of enterprise management and risk management, the Director will bridge strategy with operational execution to maximize performance, align stakeholder interests, and oversee campus and asset use. This is a director-level individual contributor role that works collaboratively within the Administration Branch and across the University. As the Event Management framework is established and launched, the role will expand to include oversight of the event management resources.

Requirements

Bachelor’s Degree: In Management, Business or related operations field or the equivalent of combined education and work experience.
Minimum of 5 (five) years of progressively responsible experience in operations, administration or related field.
Demonstrated experience in operational oversight, project management, or organizational planning within a complex institution or comparable organization.
Proven success managing cross-functional initiatives, major institutional initiatives, or enterprise-level projects.
Resumes clearly demonstrate that their work experience describes how they meet ALL required qualifications.

Nice To Haves

Minimum of 5 years’ experience in higher education operations or administration
Minimum of 7 (seven) years of progressively responsible experience in operations, administration or related field.
Demonstrated ability to plan, organize, coordinate and complete multiple projects and activities with varied deadlines under limited direction.
Progressive leadership experience overseeing large-scale campus or enterprise event operations, facility user agreements, and venue logistics, with a proven track record of managing cross-functional initiatives and integrating risk management, safety, and compliance protocols.
Demonstrated experience analyzing managing budgets, with a strong understanding of financial principles and resource allocation.
Demonstrated ability to manage relationships across both administrative and academic units, balancing institutional priorities with operational needs.
Knowledge of risk assessment and mitigation strategies, including familiarity with risk management frameworks.

Responsibilities

Ensure the hotel supports both institutional and financial objectives, advancing the university’s mission, enhancing campus and community engagement, and meeting financial and operational goals.
Review budgets, forecasts, and performance reports; monitor revenue and expenses; and ensure responsible use of university resources for hotel operations.
Evaluate service quality, brand standards, and guest satisfaction for hotel operations.
Oversee the management agreement and vendor contracts for hotel operations to ensure compliance with terms, performance expectations, and institutional policies.
Serve as liaison among the university, asset manager, and hotel operator for hotel operations.
Ensure adherence to university policies, regulatory requirements, and risk management standards for hotel operations.
Support opportunities for student learning, internships, and academic collaboration within hotel operations.
Prepare regular reports for executive leadership outlining hotel performance and strategic opportunities.
Oversee all aspects of the university’s real estate leasing portfolio to ensure alignment with institutional priorities, financial objectives, and compliance standards.
Develop, recommend and implement leasing strategies that support the university’s mission, campus plan, and financial sustainability.
Manage the full lifecycle of university leases, including negotiation, execution, renewals, terminations, and rent escalations.
Monitor lease revenue and expenses, and ensure timely invoicing and payment of all lease terms.
Ensure adherence to lease terms, university policies, and applicable laws and regulations; coordinate resolution of lease disputes or compliance issues.
Serve as the central liaison among internal departments and external tenants, landlords, and partners for lease operations.
Evaluate lease performance and space utilization to maximize efficiency and support institutional growth.
Identify and mitigate operational and financial risks related to lease operations; maintain accurate records and ensure documentation aligns with audit and policy requirements.
Prepare regular reports for leadership outlining lease performance and strategic opportunities.
Build, launch and scale a university-wide framework for event management in university spaces for events that are not supported by the Office or University Events or the Auraria Campus Special Events organization.
Build, implement, and lead a centralized, campus-wide event management framework, establishing standardized workflows, intake portals, and operational standards from the ground up.
Formulate and enforce university-wide event policies, procedures, and guidelines.
Evaluate, select, and deploy an enterprise event scheduling and management system to centralize space requests, ticketing, invoicing, and logistics.
Assess operational needs to design the long-term organizational structure for event support; recruit, onboard, and manage a high-performing team of direct reports and vendor partners as the function grows.
Establish operational handoffs with key support units, including Facilities, Auraria Campus, IT/AV, etc. to ensure seamless execution of events.
Overhaul and administer Facility User Agreements (FUAs) to align with the new event framework, ensuring appropriate terms, liability coverage, and user compliance for internal and external facility use.
Partner with ERM, Legal, and Public Safety to integrate mandatory review protocols for alcohol permits, minor protection, ADA accessibility, and high-risk activity waivers for events.
Develop and maintain a transparent financial model for campus events, including space rates, labor chargebacks, equipment fees, damage chargebacks, and cancellation policies.
Serve as the primary change agent for centralized event management, delivering campus-wide training, user guides, and ongoing support to administrative and academic units.
Define key operational metrics to continuously refine processes and report performance to executive leadership for event management.
Manage the university’s insurance program, claims processing, and broker relationships, working closely with Enterprise Risk Management to establish clear policies and address institutional risk exposures.
Manage the day-to-day transactional insurance program for the university, serving as the primary operational liaison to third-party broker management administrator.
Direct the end-to-end processing of property, casualty, and liability claims—coordinating incident documentation, liaising with insurance broker provider to ensure maximum recovery for the institution.
Lead university-wide property valuation efforts in coordination with facilities and finance teams to ensure accurate asset reporting, proper coverage limits, and compliance with policy terms.
Oversee the review, issuance, and tracking of Certificates of Insurance (COIs) for university operations, vendor contracts, third-party facility rentals, and special events.
In close collaboration with the Enterprise Risk Management (ERM), analyze existing operational practices, identify coverage or policy gaps, and draft protocols to mitigate institutional exposure.
Lead the annual insurance renewal process by coordinating with broker management provider in collecting, auditing, and submitting complex institutional data across departments.
Manage the contractual partnership between MSU, campus partners and third parties along with the operational aspects of administering the agreements to safeguard MSU’s operational and financial interests for campus dining and overflow housing.
Act as the primary institutional liaison for all campus dining and overflow housing vendor partnerships, ensuring alignment with university goals, values, and strategic priorities.
In coordination with our finance, budget and residential life offices, evaluate the performance and outcomes of the programs and give twice-yearly executive briefings to evaluate student success, service quality, partner compliance, and financial outcomes.
Oversee execution, renegotiations, amendments, and renewals of agreements for campus dining and overflow housing.
Formulate proactive contingency strategies and transition frameworks to maintain uninterrupted service delivery and minimize institutional liability in the event of contract renegotiation, non-performance, or premature termination for campus dining and overflow housing.
Create and manage a centralized framework to govern the use of and managing the university’s fleet of motorized vehicles.
Establish and manage the university’s driver authorization framework, ensuring all faculty, staff, and student drivers clear required Motor Vehicle Record (MVR) checks and meet institutional eligibility standards prior to driving for university business.
Oversee mandatory driver safety education, ensuring prospective drivers complete appropriate safety courses before operating vehicles for university-related activities.
Direct post-accident reporting and follow-up protocols in coordination with Enterprise Risk Management, including tracking incident reports and enforcing required driver re-certification steps.
Serve as the functional point of contact for safe vehicle usage guidelines, clarifying insurance mechanics, rental vehicle risk protocols, and personal vehicle use policies across campus departments.
Lead, coordinate, monitor and evaluate special projects and initiatives as assigned by the COO.