Chief Administrative Officer   Email     Print   PDF

Reporting to the President and Director, plans, develops and establishes policies and practices in accordance with Institutional objectives.  Heads multi-functional administrative departments, including  Human Resources, Management Information Services, Facilities and Distribution Services, Environmental Health and Safety, and has oversight of insurance, risk management, and legal functions.

Confers with executive staff to plan business objectives, to develop organizational polices and to coordinate functions to meet objectives and support the Institution’s mission.  Directs and has overall supervisory responsibility for administrative functions of the Institution.

• Collaborates with the Vice Presidents and Department Chairs to devise and formulate policies to ensure integration, consistency and transparency among administrative departments
• Anticipates organizational needs and provides strategic recommendations to the President and Director, Board of Trustees, and senior leadership team on administrative analysis, projects, and cost identification and allocation
• Counsels management on strategic planning and organizational direction
• Oversees production of management reports that analyze the scale, scope, complexity, productivity and quality of Institution administrative activities; presents materials and assessment to senior leadership team and Board of Trustees
• Establishes Institution-wide administrative standards, taxonomies, and protocols
• Researches, analyzes and recommends sustainable improvement to administrative processes, products and systems while ensuring consistency with Institutional strategy
• Works with groups to identify and deploy enhanced technology solutions in support of best in class administrative programs and practices
• Works closely with general counsel and assists the Institution and Board of Trustees in legal matters
• Directs the Institution’s insurance programs; proactively identifies areas of risk, determining a response strategy and establishing policies, processes, and practices to effectively manage risk and opportunities
• Works closely with Finance, actuaries, brokers, and consultants to help assess, forecast, and plan for various Institutional issues that may have a financial impact; acts as a collaborative partner in forming strategic responses and solutions
• Performs other duties as the President and Director may deem necessary.

• College degree with 8+ years of relevant progressive administrative experience; in-depth experience and demonstrated knowledge of federal and state regulations highly desirable
• Comprehensive knowledge of broad-based administrative functions in addition to financial acumen
• Analytical skills and legal acumen necessary to identify and disseminate regulatory compliance requirements to staff
• Understanding of research/academic environment desirable
• Advanced computer proficiency; experience with relational databases, spreadsheets, and word processing
• Strong oral and written communications
• Demonstrated leadership, teamwork, and personal initiative; ability to perform, prioritize, and delegate multiple tasks and deliver timely results with the right balance of decisiveness and diplomacy
• Demonstrated ability to interact, communicate, and build consensus with a very diverse constituency towards the development and improvement of a broad range of administrative services
• Ability to develop a working environment within administrative groups that promotes personal responsibility and creativity in order to enhance efficiency while maintaining high levels of satisfaction with the services provided