Support Services Manager

UVA Health • Charlottesville, VA

2d • $70,000 - $86,066 • Onsite

About The Position

The Department of Arts & Science is seeking an Academic Operations Manager. This person will join an exciting new effort to reimagine how meeting and event operational support works across the College and Graduate School of Arts & Sciences. This role is central to realizing the vision of a cohesive, proactive, and scalable academic operations model. The Manager will help make this vision come to life in practice first by focusing on delivering exceptional meeting and event service, executing efficiently and enthusiastically. This is a high-visibility operational role for someone who wants to do the work, not just direct it, and wants to make a real and lasting impact on how a complex, intellectually rich academic environment functions. Over time, and as a foundation of exceptional service and trust is established, this role will help identify, shape, and scale additional central services offered to departments.

Requirements

• Bachelor’s degree
• 3+ years of relevant professional experience required
• Experience in meeting or event planning
• Superb customer service instincts and a proactive approach to problem-solving
• Exceptional organizational skills and attention to detail, with the ability to manage multiple priorities without losing the thread on any of them
• Clear, proactive communication and follow through
• Comfort operating in some ambiguity
• An eye for continuous improvement and a willingness to adapt
• The ability to work independently and thrive in a matrixed environment with multiple stakeholders

Nice To Haves

• Experience in higher education operations or administration

Responsibilities

• Own the meeting support infrastructure serving multiple academic departments, serving as the primary point of accountability for quality, consistency, and continuous improvement
• Identify systemic gaps, inefficiencies, and needs and develop practical, scalable solutions in partnership with the Divisional Resource Director and departmental leadership.
• Build trusted partnerships with departmental and Dean's Office staff, developing a nuanced understanding of each unit's needs, rhythms, and priorities.
• Communicate proactively and clearly managing expectations, surfacing issues early, and following through consistently
• Lead end-to-end planning and execution of departmental meetings/events across multiple departments including academic lectures, colloquia, workshops, symposia, and receptions.
• Oversee logistics including space reservations, catering, AV coordination, speaker and guest travel.
• Serve as the operational lead on-site, setting the standard for seamless execution and coordinating any support staff or student workers
• Hire, onboard, and supervise student workers supporting operations across the division — setting clear expectations, providing meaningful feedback, and creating a work experience that develops real skills
• Support the Dean's Office on ad hoc strategic initiatives, special projects, and cross-departmental coordination efforts

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Mid Level