Department Manager

Department Summary

The mission of the UCLA Department of Chicana/o and Central American Studies is to train a new generation of scholars to research and analyze the life, history, and culture of Mexican-origin people within the U.S., as well as of other Latina/Latino and indigenous populations in the Americas. Addressing local, national, and transnational contexts, the Chicana/Chicano and Central American Studies curriculum at UCLA explores race, class, gender, and sexuality paradigms as they have shaped the history of the field, as well as new directions in the study of Chicanas/Chicanos and Latinas/Latinos, including (1) border and transnational studies, (2) expressive arts, (3) history, literature, and language of Americas, and (4) labor, law, and policy studies. Departmental faculty members, situated in one of the most diverse cities in the world, utilize Los Angeles as a laboratory for studying the social transformations taking place in California, the Southwest, and the U.S. The department provides students with the interdisciplinary research tools necessary to advance knowledge in the field, provide academic leadership, and serve community needs with academic resources.

Position Summary

The Department Manager manages and coordinates the academic and administrative functions of the Department of Chicana/o and Central American Studies. The Department Manager manages departmental staff and serves as the department's liaison to the Dean's Office for the College, as well as other pertinent university departments and units. The Department Manager manages an annual departmental operating budget consisting of state funds, faculty grants, awards, and private gifts. The Department Manager monitors expenditures, utilizing University systems (QDB, Bruinbuy, UCPath, etc.) to verify information. The Department Manager oversees the academic personnel process in conjunction with the Academic Personnel Coordinator, including but not limited to, recruitment, preparation of dossiers, and committee reports. The Department Manager manages departmental space and equipment inventory and oversees the department's course scheduling process. The Department Manager provides leadership in the planning of all special events, lectures, and conferences. The Department Manager plays a key role in strategic planning, prepares and presents annual operating budgets, undertakes analysis of organizational needs, and recommends changes to staffing and resource allocations as necessary. The Department Manager is responsible for all aspects of the department's teaching mission. This includes the admissions process for the PhD program, design and preparation of relevant materials, managing departmental funding student database, supervising processing of applications according to departmentally determined process, aiding and supporting the faculty admissions and funding committee. The Department Manager is also responsible for overseeing the student services functions of the department.

Qualifications

• Strong verbal and written communication skills. (Required)
• Ability to work collaboratively as part of a team (Required)
• Strong interpersonal and organizational skills. (Required)
• Ability to work with a high level of confidentiality (Required)
• Good oral, written, and interpersonal skills. (Required)
• Ability to work with sensitive information and maintain confidentiality. (Required)
• Demonstrated experience in supervising nonacademic personnel, including training, delegating responsibility, monitoring, and evaluating performance. (Required)
• Ability to prioritize workload and solve problems quickly and react to difficult situations appropriately. (Required)
• Skill in accounting to understand budgets and make necessary adjustments and projections. (Required)
• Ability to create and manage timelines and collaborate with other team members to complete project deliverables. (Required)
• Demonstrated working knowledge of University policies and procedures relating to academic personnel, accounting and finance, contracts and grants, student affairs, residency programs and visa processing. (Preferred)
• Demonstrated ability to take initiative and work with limited supervision. (Required)

Education, Licenses, Certifications & Personal Affiliations

• Bachelor's Degree in related area and/or equivalent experience/training (Required)