The Senior Director of Strategic Operations, College of Liberal Arts and Sciences (CLAS) has principal responsibilities for overall CLAS operations to ensure that critical tasks and projects stay on track in support of overall goal achievement and success. The Senior Director of Strategic Operations works in partnership with the Executive Dean, CLAS leaders, as well as University critical enablers to ensure that CLAS initiatives, projects and deliverables are tracked, meet their milestones and deliverables and comply with overall university policies, procedures and work priorities.
Reporting to the Executive Dean of the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, work in partnership with the Vice President of Finance, Vice President of Enrollment and Marketing, and Special Assistant to the President for Transformational Partnerships. This is a full-time, hybrid role with a minimum of two days required per week at Excelsior's home office in Albany, NY, with the remainder of the days worked from home.
Duties and Responsibilities
Finance and Budget
Oversee fiscal resources for the CLAS as a whole. Serve as the CLAS contact to the Fiscal unit for budget-related questions.
Develop new procedures and practices to increase the overall effectiveness of departmental financial operations.
Working with Fiscal and ADS, compile and provide regular consolidated financial, enrollment and other appropriate program and student-related reporting, analyses and forecasts that serve to ensure the desired performance and success of the CLAS.
Manage financial and operational risks through the development and implementation of a comprehensive system of internal controls and associated measures.
Liaise with appropriate university offices to ensure CLAS financial and business-related policies and practices are compliant with university goals and regulations.
Enrollment Management and Student Success
Monitor student enrollments to ensure that CLAS is meeting its targets; ensure that appropriate action is taken when targets are not being met.
Support student enrollment activities, such as brainstorming ideas for increasing enrollment, retention, and persistence, as needed.
Plan and provide a superior, caring environment that increases student engagement and overall educational experience through effective student-centered activities.
Work as a liaison to Enrollment Management units and functions to ensure seamless and effective student support.
Monitor and respond to student issues that arise in order to ensure appropriate resolution and use sound judgment to escalate issues as appropriate.
Ensure that all School activities and operations are carried out in compliance with all statutory and other permanent regulations.
Review systems, tools, policies, and procedures on a regular basis to identify necessary changes and oversee updates and revisions.
Monitor student satisfaction and other key metrics to ensure that the College is delivering on its commitment to both its learning and student experience goals.
Transformational Partnerships, Collaboration, and Community Building
Liaise with the President’s Office and Office of Strategic Initiatives to ensure CLAS/University strategic goal alignment.
Build and maintain a roster of clinical and partner institutions with which an affiliation, or similar partnership/operating relationship potentially exists utilizing agreed-upon criteria.
Clinical partnerships: collaborate with CLAS academic and academic operations unit and University strategic partnership team to identify, nurture and develop clinical and partnership opportunities. Accurately predict and scale number and nature of clinical sections/discipline.
Ensure that the clinical-related needs of CLAS are met and coordinated.
Project Planning, Implementation and Facilities Management
Liaise with Offices of VP for Enrollment Management and Marketing and Chief of Staff to coordinate and align on University Strategic Goals.
Serve as primary liaison to all critical enablers that impact the operations of CLAS, with particular attention to coordination of activities with the Office of Project Management in order to ensure that key stakeholders are informed and consulted regarding projects that involve their areas of responsibility and that projects proceed in a way that ensures that key milestones and deliverables are met. Proactively work with partners to ensure the achievement of project and College goals.
Ensure that CLAS programs are developed and supported in support of the College’s goals and the students’ needs.
Coordinate internal administrative functions to ensure high quality and efficient operations.
Provide data and supporting documentation for projects and initiatives as needed.
Collaborate with key units to prepare meaningful, accurate data and supporting documentation to guide the evidence-based decision making and reporting needs of the College.
Contribute to the development of business practices and organizational change to improve processes and workflow.
Oversee practices and procedures affecting the operation and support of CLAS buildings and related facilities services.
Manage professional staff with front-line responsibility for CLAS capital projects and other transformational partnership activities.
QUALIFICATIONS
To perform this job successfully, an individual must be able to perform each essential duty satisfactorily. The requirements listed below are representative of the knowledge, skill, and/or ability required. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.
Bachelor’s degree required; Master’s/MBA in a field related to business or adult higher education or equivalent level of experience strongly preferred.
Expertise in the operations of higher education. Experience in higher education systems can be particularly useful, and broad experience in university operations is preferred.
A minimum of five years of higher education-related, administration or business management experience is required; additional experience, including leadership preferred.
Candidate must demonstrate exceptional organizational and decision-making skills; strong empirical, analytical, and problem-solving skills, excellent oral and written communication skills.
Experience utilizing database software, technology, project management and various learning management systems is essential. Additionally, the candidate must be able to manage multiple priorities, meet deadlines, and prepare accurate and detailed reports.
The hiring salary range for this position is $120,000.00 - $130,000.00. The hiring salary range above represents the University's good faith estimate at the time of posting.
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