"Associate Director of Administrative Operations"

Job Description Summary

The Associate Director of Administrative Operations reports directly to the Vice Provost for Undergraduate Education and Student Success (VPUESS) and provides overall leadership, direction, and management of the VPUESS office’s financial, human resources, and administrative operations to provide maximum customer service to faculty, staff, and students. The Associate Director assists the VPUESS with ongoing operational and project-based priorities and activities related to current academic affairs. The position coordinates the work of the VPUESS office in support of institutional priorities and assists the VPUESS with a wide range of confidential, complex, and sensitive executive and administrative duties. The position also directly supervises administrative support staff within the VPUESS office.

Please note that this position is in person in Orange, CA, and will begin on November 1, 2025.

Responsibilities

• Executive-level assistance to the VPUESS: Keep the VPUESS apprised of significant issues, ensure various perspectives are presented accurately and objectively, and identify practical approaches to resolve issues. Support the Vice Provost in administrative operations and systems that facilitate divisional services and functions.
• Operational Management: Schedule, manage agendas, maintain records (including Canvas Dens) and minutes for the following groups: Undergraduate Assembly, Undergraduate Academic Council (UAC), and General Education Committee. Each semester, manage processes for syllabi database and missing grade submissions. Create, maintain, and distribute Academic Administrator’s Directory.
• Budget Management: Assist the VPUESS in setting the annual budget and overseeing financial policy and procedures for the following units: the Office of Academic Advising, the Center for Undergraduate Excellence, the General Education Program, the Tutoring and Learning Center, and the University Honors Program (manage annual budgets, including line transfers, reconciling accounts, and generating monthly and year-end-reports). Ensure fiscal responsibility for all units and compliance with university fiscal policies. Oversee and reconcile overall expenditures and non-compensation budget lines, including addressing variances, resolving budgetary issues, recommending funding sources, and preparing drafts for the annual enhancement process. Provide oversight of endowed funding from various sources. Assist with compensation resource management, specifically student labor and administrative/staff lines. Review, analyze, and approve purchasing, expenses, and internal funding in accordance with budget guidelines and fiscal policy. Manage and oversee fiscal close by ensuring adherence to fiscal policy, year-end deadlines, and procedures. Control and administer faculty, staff, and admin travel by setting budgetary limits, approving expenses, ensuring adherence to fiscal policy, and reconciling budgets. Manage processes for budget requests across office units.
• Staff Management: Serve as direct supervisor over administrative staff and student employees within the VPUESS office. Assess staffing needs and oversee human resource functions within the office including hiring, evaluations, promotions, salary increases, and terminations. Provide leadership, direction, and resources to ensure office goals and initiatives are met. Provide feedback, training, and professional growth opportunities. Manages necessary employee corrective action and discipline issues objectively, in consultation with HR. Provides leadership by managing staff meetings. In coordination with HR, support administrative personnel processes and maintain HR documentation related to policies, procedures, HR system access, employee performance, time reporting, benefit usage, FMLA, disability leave, etc. Other duties as assigned.

Required Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree with a minimum of 7 years’ experience providing administrative, operational, and financial support to senior management
• Ability to present information in a clear and concise manner both in writing and verbally.
• Knowledge of management principles
• Ability to direct, manage, implement, and evaluate office operations
• Ability to establish goals and objectives that support the strategic plan of the office
• Ability to effectively plan, delegate, and/or supervise the work of others
• Ability to lead, motivate, develop, and train others
• Proven interpersonal skills with peers throughout the organization; service orientation; critical thinking; attention to detail; ability to multi‐task in a high‐volume environment, organizational skills
• Ability to maintain confidentiality at all times
• Demonstrated supervisory skill to hire, train, direct, and motivate staff to meet stated goals and objectives and the ability to monitor and evaluate performance
• Experience performing analytical studies related to departmental resources across the departments/programs
• Knowledge of and experience in applying budgeting and financial management policies and best practices and developing related internal controls
• Skill in evaluating and analyzing data and information to identify patterns, trends, and relationships, and applying the concepts to formulate logical conclusions or recommendations
• Ability to adapt to changing priorities
• Strong communication and interpersonal skills to convey accurate information in a professional manner and ability to interact with a diverse group of individuals at all organizational levels, both inside and outside the university
• Ability to handle complex situations and multiple responsibilities simultaneously assisting with long‐term projects with the urgency of immediate demands
• Organizational and time management skills, with the ability to prioritize duties when faced with interruptions, distractions, and fluctuating workload and carry them out in a timely manner to meet deadlines
• Ability to use Microsoft Office suite including Word, Excel, and Outlook, as well as Canvas learning management system

Desired Qualifications

• Master’s degree
• Experience working in higher education
• Technical skills to learn and use enterprise systems and applications needed for the position (Modern Campus web editing system; Acalog; Curriculog)