Executive Director, Education Administration - Graduate School

Weill Cornell Medical College•New York, NY

7d•$228,400 - $275,900

About The Position

Reporting to the Dean of the Graduate School, the Executive Director provides strategic leadership for the administrative activities and operations of the Office of the Weill Cornell Graduate School of Medical Sciences (WCGSMS), an academic partnership between Sloan Kettering Institute and Weill Cornell Medical College. The role ensures the efficient functioning of core Graduate School operations, including financial and grant management; student recruitment, admissions, and enrollment; marketing and communication; PhD onboarding, orientation, and retention; and student career services. The Executive Director leads and supervises program coordinators supporting the Graduate School’s five PhD programs and helps coordinate convocation, commencement, student leaves and dismissals, faculty appointments, and credentialing with stakeholders such as the registrar, payroll, and student accounts. The Executive Director implements effective processes, maintains compliance with institutional policies and regulatory requirements, and provides timely support to faculty, staff, and students. The role is a key administrative partner to Graduate School leadership and collaborates with leaders and offices across Weill Cornell Medicine and partner institutions. It leads a 15-person Graduate School Office, with nine direct reports, and oversees operational, financial, academic, technology, accreditation, and reporting functions in a complex multi-institutional academic environment. The position requires a bachelor’s degree and approximately 7–10 years of related experience with increasing responsibility and complexity in an academic or related nonprofit administrative setting. An MBA or related master’s degree is highly preferred. The position is located on the Upper East Side, has a 35-hour work week, and is exempt. The listed salary range is $228,400–$275,900.

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree required.
Approximately 7–10 years of related experience with increasing levels of responsibility and complexity in an academic or related nonprofit administrative setting.
Progressive leadership experience.
Experience applying regulations and policies in a complex environment.
Experience leading a high-performing team and maintaining a collaborative, respectful working environment.
Established leadership skills.
Excellent interpersonal skills and ability to work with students, faculty, and staff.
Excellent organizational skills and ability to manage projects with external consultants and diverse internal stakeholders.
Excellent written and oral communication skills.
Demonstrated understanding of financial management, budget development, financial reporting, forecasting, and accounting principles.
Ability to work independently with initiative, establish and accomplish priorities, and handle multiple tasks simultaneously.
Excellent judgment in dealing with time-sensitive and complex issues.
Ability to collaborate with colleagues within the Graduate School and partnership institutions.
Customer-service orientation and commitment to exceeding stakeholder expectations.
Enthusiasm for personnel management and team building.
Demonstrated commitment to integrity and ethics, flexibility, teamwork, communication, continuous improvement, and accountability.
Understanding of the alignment between individual objectives, departmental priorities, and the organization’s mission.

Nice To Haves

Master of Business Administration (MBA) or related master’s degree is highly preferred.
Previous experience working with faculty and researchers in a scientific organization is favored.
Familiarity with higher education accreditation, academic policies, and procedures is highly preferred.
Previous experience working with students in an academic setting is a plus.
Experience managing academic, student information, admissions, learning management, or other enterprise technology platforms in a higher education environment is preferred.

Responsibilities

Serve as the primary point of contact for Graduate School Office operational issues and resolve challenges promptly and effectively.
Lead the Graduate School Office of 15 employees, including nine direct reports, with responsibility for communication, training, and performance management.
Direct Graduate School administration and operational infrastructure, including admissions, enrollment, registration, degree completion, grants administration, and financial operations.
Provide final review and oversight of financial operations, budget monitoring, expense monitoring, and reporting.
Lead and supervise staff responsible for monthly billing records, budget reports, affiliate-institution invoices, purchases, reimbursements, internal transfers, and vendor contracts.
Direct financial monitoring and reporting to support budget oversight, fiscal stewardship, regulatory compliance, and informed decision-making.
Oversee career services, professional development, marketing, and communication activities.
Establish expectations for performance and service and foster a team-oriented, proactive office culture.
Lead continuous improvement initiatives for Graduate School operations, administrative processes, and service delivery.
Develop, deliver, and maintain performance and financial metrics for strategic planning, budget development, and resource allocation.
Measure the success of Graduate School administration and the efforts of units within the Graduate School Office.
Oversee activities within the Student Accounting Office and Registrar’s Office through a dotted-line reporting structure.
Partner with Human Resources to support immigration services for international students.
Implement and maintain initiatives sponsored by the Dean and Associate and Assistant Deans.
Provide leadership and project management for strategic initiatives, including website redesign and implementation of academic and student information platforms.
Oversee administration, optimization, and ongoing management of platforms supporting admissions, enrollment, academic milestone tracking, student services, and institutional reporting.
Coordinate activities and joint oversight of administrative staff supporting Master of Science programs.
Oversee the Education Program Manager responsible for administration, coordination, and operational support of the Graduate School’s five PhD programs.
Ensure effective supervision of program coordinators supporting the five PhD programs.
Provide strategic, tactical, and operational support to the Associate Deans, Dean, and others as requested.
Lead collaboration with Sloan Kettering Institute, Hospital for Special Surgery, Houston Methodist Academic Institute, and Cornell University Graduate School.
Align academic policies, administrative processes, and graduate education operations across a multi-institutional academic environment.
Coordinate and maintain accreditation records, including records for New York State Board of Education accreditation of PhD and master’s programs.
Coordinate and maintain records related to Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board requirements.
Ensure development and filing of financial and other reports required by New York State.