Department Administrator - Basic Health Sciences

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Virginia Commonwealth University is an equal opportunity, affirmative action university providing access to education and employment without regard to race, color, religion, national origin, age, sex, political affiliation, veteran status, genetic information, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, or disability.

Position Summary:

The Administrator is the chief administrative leader for all Basic Health Science departments assigned, reporting directly to the Chair(s).  The Administrator is responsible for providing finance and operational management for a team of business professionals managing the day to day of department operations which include:  budget control, fiscal processes, administration, human resources, operations, facilities, etc.  Administrators work closely with Chairs to support strategic planning, development and maintenance of departmental policy and procedures, and typically lead the communication and implementation of new department administrative programs or initiatives.  Administrators are ultimately responsible for oversight of department business operations and the management of administrative and fiscal staff.

Core Responsibilities: 

1.) Budget Control/Finance

• Responsible for ensuring effective and compliant financial management of all department fund sources; ensuring appropriate internal controls are maintained
• Supervise department fiscal staff; providing clear guidance and expectations, identifying training needs or opportunities for staff
• Provide guidance and support to Financial Manager/staff in development and maintenance of department fiscal processes and workflows to ensure efficiency and effectiveness
• Ensures fiscal team members are generating reporting and analytics that is effective in aiding the Chair(s) and Administrator in decision making
• Provide frequent departmental financial status updates to Chair(s); analyze financial reporting for trends, variances, issues; take lead in developing financial strategies and plans in conjunction with Chair(s) goals and strategic initiatives
• Works closely with Financial Manager/staff in annual budget development process.  Responsible for final review and approval of departmental budget and budget implementation plans
• Work closely with Chair(s) on faculty labor distribution and effort expectations to ensure activity and finances are aligned
• Represent the Department in financial meetings at school and university levels

2.) Human Resources

• Direct and serve as the primary point of contact for all human resource activities for the Department(s).To include but not limited to: Position control, hiring, performance management practices, onboarding, offboarding, etc.
• Collaborate with SOMHR and SOM Faculty Affairs on Faculty, Staff, Post Doc recruitments; position development, posting, hiring processes
• Performance Management of direct reports – Manage direct reports by setting clear expectations with clear communication and constructive feedback.  Ensure staff have access to training to support their job role and maintain the necessary skills and abilities to accomplish established goals
• Partner with Chair(s) on faculty recruitments and serve as administrative primary point of contact for all Faculty recruitments
• Work with employees, supervisors, SOMHR and/or SOM Faculty Affairs to address all employee relations or performance management issues
• Work with Faculty and Graduate Program Directors to help resolve student related issues as needed

3.) Strategic Planning / Project Management / Operations Management

• Serves as a strategic partner to the Chair(s).  Assist in development of departmental strategic plans and initiatives, with a focus on ensuring appropriate financial and administrative staff alignment to achieve goals
• Lead the implementation of Departmental initiatives or special projects as assigned
• Assist the Chair on planning and implementing School of Medicine Departmental Annual Team Roadmap (ATR) goals; provide/assess data, recommend goals, monitor progress towards goals, etc.
• Ensure Departmental financial and administrative management processes and procedures are effective, efficient, and well documented
• Actively participate in SOM Dean’s office meetings and initiatives which impact Department(s) managed.  Advocate for Department(s) needs
• Routinely assess and evaluate departmental business operations.  Proactively design and implement process improvement initiatives where needed

4.) Administrative Oversight

• Responsible for ensuring Department(s) administrative operations effectively support the needs of the Chair and department faculty, staff, post docs and students
• Supervise department staff providing support for administrative functions; providing clear guidance and expectations, identifying training needs or opportunities. Administrative functions include but are not limited to: Chair(s) scheduling/clerical support, travel, timekeeping, graduate program management, seminar support, event planning, website maintenance, department newsletters, etc.
• Responsible for space and facility management; working with staff to manage and address all space and facility issues
• Work with Chair(s) and SOM Dean’s office to effectively and equitably manage research space assignments to Faculty

Minimum Qualifications:

• Bachelor’s degree in business administration, public administration or related field preferred; or equivalent work experience and training
• Extensive experience in a financial and/or operations management role with a proven track record of increasing levels of responsibility and authority
• Demonstrated knowledge and ability to oversee and lead staff responsible for the management of grants, budgets, graduate student support and human resources
• Strong organizational, leadership, personnel management and communication skills. This position requires a high degree of self-direction; including ability to multi-task and meet multiple deadlines at short notice
• Demonstrated ability to set priorities and work with minimal supervision on multiple projects
• Ability to work collaboratively with Chair in developing strategic initiatives and in monitoring the Department’s progress towards meeting strategic goals
• Demonstrated leadership skills include vision, planning, organizing, delegation, motivation, communication, negotiation, integrity, etc.
• Extensive knowledge of financial management, fundamental accounting principles and practices, and fund accounting
• Demonstrated ability to monitor the use of multiple fund sources and experience managing/reconciling financial transactions in a timely manner
• Experience in budget development, budget management, and position control
• Extensive experience with the Banner Finance and Human Resource systems or other higher education enterprise resource package(s)
• Extensive experience with Research Administration with the expectation that the individual will complete the VCU Fundamentals of Research Administration course
• Demonstrated experience working in and fostering an environment of respect, professionalism and civility with a population of faculty, staff, and students from various backgrounds and experiences, or a commitment to do so as a staff member at VCU

Preferred Qualifications: 

• A proven track record of supervisory experience preferred
• Extensive experience in a Medical School Basic Health Science Department, State Agency, or Higher Education Institution highly preferred

Anticipated Start date of 7/1/2025 – Position will be expected to be working fully on campus for first 6-12 months, with possible hybrid arrangement after this period.

The School of Medicine continuously strives for our workplace and learning environment to reflect the demographic and social milieu of the communities we serve. All qualified applicants are encouraged to apply.

University Job Code: 18321-18323

ORP Eligible: YES

VCU is committed to hiring veterans! VCU will include a veteran's period(s) of military service in the calculation of their annual leave accrual rate. This may provide veterans with an increased leave accrual!

SOM HR