"Associate Director of Finance and Operations"

About Drexel University

Located in the heart of Philadelphia, Drexel University is a world‐class, comprehensive, R1 research institution and a global leader in experiential education. For more than 100 years, our renowned Cooperative Education (co-op) program has enabled students to gain professional work experience before they graduate, setting them apart from their peers.

Committed to becoming the nation’s most civically engaged university, Drexel supports engagement along three dimensions: research and academic programs that directly benefit communities, business practices that support equitable local and regional economic development, and public service by students, faculty, and staff. Our engagement is long‐term, multigenerational, and fundamental to the University’s mission, heritage, and future.

At Drexel, we are devoted to fostering an inclusive and welcoming environment that promotes healthy lifestyles and is based on integrity, trust, and respect. We center equity, inclusion and belonging, and incorporate an anti‐racism approach to our strategic plan, organizational systems, policies and structures.

Drexel offers its highly engaged faculty and professional staff a comprehensive and world‐class benefits package that includes generous vacation and paid time off as applicable (including civic engagement days), up to an 11% 403(b) Retirement Plan match with immediate vesting, and remote and flexible work options for many roles. Our exceptional medical plans include domestic partner and fertility assistance and our award‐winning A Healthier U wellness program. In addition, faculty and professional staff at Drexel enjoy free tuition for themselves and their dependents for Drexel degree programs, certification, and non‐certification programs. And as part of the tuition offering to employees, Drexel participates in a tuition exchange program for dependents with other higher education institutions. These are just a sample of our extensive benefit offerings. Please see this Benefits Brochure for more information.

Job Summary

The Associate Director of Finance and Operations provides guidance with financial, human resources and grant management activities for the Antoinette Westphal College of Media Arts & Design. Reporting jointly to the Executive Director of Finance & Business Operations and to the Associate Dean for Faculty Excellence & Research, the position will support human resource activities, budgeting and financial analysis functions of the college. Additionally, the position will provide administrative, project management and program support for the College's research, grants and contracts activities. Representing the interests of the Antoinette Westphal College of Media Arts & Design, the Associate Director will serve as a liaison to Central HR, Finance, Office of Research and Innovation, Department Heads, Program Directors and other campus organizations.

This is a Hybrid position working in-person several days a week.

Essential Functions

• Support human resources activities for the Westphal College of Media Arts & Design including recruitment of faculty and staff.
• Ensure timely and accurate appointments for all faculty and staff employees in the College.
• Assist with Adjunct hiring paperwork, follows up with HRIS on a regular basis to ensure appointments are processed in a timely manner.
• Direct student employment, temporary hiring and related employment issues; resolve payroll and payment issues.
• Serve as primary point of contact for part-time instructional hires regarding employment & salary.
• Write, review, revise, and enter job descriptions in the system.
• Oversee processing of adjunct faculty, guide Program Directors through hiring procedures.
• Ensure new full-time, adjunct faculty, and doctoral fellows are activated & assigned appropriately in the Banner system.
• Provide guidance with HR policies and procedures; assist faculty, department heads and department administrators with HR issues.
• Track and process faculty overload payments, course development payments, and COMAD co-op student timesheets.
• Assist in planning, implementing, monitoring and reporting college annual budgets.
• Monitor spending by individual program and department, ensuring full compliance with university policies and procedures; helps track and reconcile college-wide program expenses.
• Collaborate with Department Administrators, guiding them through processes and helping solve any issues that come up across the programs.
• Monitor and manage specific program budgets, assist departments with operating budget issues, spending rules and year-end fund balances.
• Prepare ad-hoc analysis for financial issues and respond to external requests.
• Manage pre-award, post-award, and all other administrative aspects of the College's research program.
• Provide pre-award and post-award grant and other funded research support/management to individual faculty members.
• Coordinate completion of data requests from Associate Dean for Faculty Excellence & Research.
• Provide administrative and program support to the Associate Dean for Faculty Excellence & Research, as needed.
• Monitor all phases of award and closing (review invoices/transactions/receipts for deficiencies, deficits, and accuracy).
• Serve as a representative, as requested, for university-wide committees related to research administration topics (ex: Drexel's Research Administration Advisory Committee (RAAC)).
• Provide detailed project briefings and status reports to Principal Investigators, Department Heads, Center Directors, and the Associate Dean for Faculty Excellence & Research quarterly.
• Monitor funds to ensure all transactions are accurate and deficits avoided.
• Provide current spending, forecasting, and budget projections to faculty to ensure appropriate spending of grant funds.
• Liaison with department and center administrative staff to ensure financial transactions related to grant personnel are processed correctly and according to schedule (PAFs, labor redistributions, etc.).
• Prepare, submit, and follow-up on all paperwork relative to budgetary procedures for extramural grants and some intramural funds (PAFs, transaction corrections, etc.).
• Coordinate with the Associate Dean for Faculty Excellence & Research and the Executive Director of Finance in issues that intersect both Research and Finance, such as projections, reporting, purchasing, hiring.
• Other duties as assigned.

Required Qualifications

• Minimum of a Bachelor's Degree, preferably in Business, Finance, Accounting or related concentration, or the equivalent combination of education and work experience.
• Minimum of 5 years of experience in business operations, human resources, and/or administration.
• Experience working in a higher education and/or arts administration setting.
• Strong analytical, problem-solving, attention to detail skills.
• Strong written and verbal communication skills.
• Ability to communicate with multiple audiences, including faculty, students, staff, and external audience.
• Ability to maintain confidentiality on sensitive matters.
• Strong ability to work in a fast-paced and quickly-changing environment.
• Experience using University systems including Banner, Concur, PageUp or similar.

Preferred Qualifications

• Knowledge of accounting systems, HR policies and procedures, business practices and compliance.
• Ability to interpret complex financial data.

Location

University City - Philadelphia, PA

Additional Information

This position is classified as Exempt, grade L. Compensation for this grade ranges from $62,630 - $93,950 per year. Please note that the offered rate for this position typically aligns with the minimum to midrange of this grade, but it can vary based on the successful candidate’s qualifications and experience, department budget, and an internal equity review.

Applicants are encouraged to explore the Professional Staff salary structure and Compensation Guidelines & Policies for more details on Drexel’s compensation framework. For information about benefits, please review Drexel’s Benefits Brochure.