Academic Assistant Jobs in Worcester, MA (NOW HIRING)

POSITION SUMMARY: 

Under the general direction of the Department Chair or designee, the Academic Administrator is responsible for planning and managing the administrative and business affairs of a department whose functions include primarily research (budget management, grants administration and hiring) and also education and service.

This is an open-rank posting (there are 3 levels of Academic Administrator) - candidates will be hired into the level commensurate with their experience.

The Department of Biochemistry & Molecular Biotechnology (BMB) at UMass Chan Medical School seeks applicants for an Academic Administrator position. The Administrator is responsible for planning and managing the business affairs of a large, vibrant fundamental science department. The Administrator also provides high-level administrative, budgetary, recruitment and organizational support to the Department Chair.

We are searching for a highly motivated and enthusiastic leader committed to a welcoming community, creativity, and collaboration, to join our team and to play an active role in the Department. The Department is home to 28 faculty members and over 120 employees, including lab personnel, administrative staff, postdoctoral associates, graduate students and interns. The Department is home to the Institute for Drug Resistance and the Program in Chemical Biology, a wide range of cores including cryoEM, small molecules screening facility, mass spectrometry, structure based drug design/ x-ray crystallography and macromolecular NMR. For more information about BMB please visit www.umassmed.edu/bmb

ESSENTIAL FUNCTIONS:

Academic Administrator II:

• Collaborate with the representatives of the School to define and prioritize departmental strategy and direction. Identify trends, appraise cause and effect, and evaluate and highlight opportunities to improve department performance
• Foster on-going improvements in operating efficiency/process
• Direct analytical studies of existing or proposed services and activities to provide the economic basis for management decisions to improve operational/financial performance and to realize productivity improvements
• Assist the chair in determining space needs for faculty and revenue operations in the Department
• Oversee facility needs for the department including renovations and day to day operations as it relates to the research and teaching mission of the department
• Advise the Chair on Human Resource issues such as the development and execution of organizational/staffing plans for faculty and non-faculty
• Responsible for the recruitment, compensation plans, and merit of faculty
• Advise the Chair, faculty and department personnel on employee relations issues
• Supervise all personal action activity related to hiring, termination, increases contracting and funding
• Serve as advisor to faculty for the pre and post award activity relating to grant management
• Assist with the negotiation of research and trust fund contracts with outside organizations
• Develop and manage the department's annual budget reporting significant variances and trends, recommending corrective action, and providing forecasts
• Review department needs and recommend priorities based on availability of funds
• Devise funding strategies where the sources represent multiple venues, internally and externally
• Manage all department funding sources by monitoring revenue and expenditure activity
• Adhere to University, State, and funding agency regulations
• Responsible for the division's indirect cost, time, and effort reporting
• Advise faculty in charge of revenue generation research trust funds assuring viable operations, revenue billing, and compliance to University and Federal guidelines
• Represent the department at administrative meetings within and outside of the Medical School
• Serve on Institutional committees established to improve school operations and system implementations
• Perform other duties as required

Academic Administrator III:

• Collaborate with the representatives of the School to define and prioritize departmental strategy and direction
• Oversee teaching and research facility needs for the department as it relates to the research and teaching
• Assist in determining space needs for the faculty and revenue (trust fund) operations relating to school activity
• Advise the Chair or Senior Administrator on development and execution of organizational/staffing plans for faculty and non-faculty school merit
• Advises faculty and school personnel on employee relations issues
• Supervise personal action activity related to hiring, termination, increases contract and funding for school employees and employees funded from school accounts
• Serve as advisor to faculty and division administrators for the pre and post award activity relating to grant management
• Assist with the negotiations of research and trust fund contracts with outside organizations
• Develop and manage the department's annual school budget reporting significant variances and trends, recommending corrective action, and providing forecasts
• Review departments educational and research needs and recommends priorities based on availability of funds
• Manage department funding sources by monitoring revenue and expenditure activity
• Adhere to University, State, and funding agency regulations
• Responsible for the Department's indirect cost time and effort reporting
• Advise faculty in charge of revenue generation research trust funds assuring viable operations, revenue billing, and compliance to University and Federal guidelines
• Represent the department at administrative meetings within and outside of the Medical School
• Serve on Institutional committees established to improve school operations and system implementations
• Perform other duties as required.

Academic Administrator IV:

• Collaborate with the representatives of the School to define and prioritize departmental strategy and direction
• Identify trends, appraise cause and effect, and evaluate and highlight opportunities to improve department performance
• Foster on-going improvements in operating efficiency/process
• Direct analytical studies of existing or proposed services and activities to provide the economic basis for management decisions to improve operational/financial performance and to realize productivity improvements
• Assist the chair in determining space needs for faculty and revenue operations in the Department
• Oversee facility needs for the department including renovations and day to day operations as it relates to the research and teaching mission of the department
• Advise the Chair on Human Resource issues such as development and execution of organizational/staffing plans for faculty and non-faculty, recruitment activities, faculty comp plans and merit
• Advise the Chair, faculty and department personnel on employee relations issues
• Supervise all personal action activity related to hiring, termination, increases, contracting and funding
• Serve as advisor to faculty and division administrators for the pre and post award activity relating to grant management
• Assist with the negotiations of research and trust fund contracts with outside organizations
• Develop and manage the department's annual school budget reporting significant variances and trends, recommending corrective action, and providing forecasts
• Review department needs and recommends priorities based on availability of funds
• Devise funding strategies where the sources represent multiple venues, internally and externally
• Manage department funding sources by monitoring revenue and expenditure activity
• Adhere to University, State, and funding agency regulations
• Responsible for the Department's indirect cost time and effort reporting
• Advise faculty in charge of revenue generation research trust funds assuring viable operations, revenue billing, and compliance to University and Federal guidelines
• Perform other duties as required.

REQUIRED QUALIFICATIONS:

Academic Administrator II:

• Bachelor’s degree in Administration or related field or equivalent experience
• 5 years of related experience
• Prior supervisory experience required

Academic Administrator III:

• Master’s degree in Business, Finance, Management, Public Administration, or equivalent experience.
• 5 years experience as an academic administrator, business office manager, or equivalent administrative position in higher education or a research institution, including 3 years of supervisory and fiscal management experience.
• 3 years of fiscal and NIH grant management (pre- and post-award) experience required. Preferably in research setting
• Analytical ability as evidenced by independent development of solutions and recommendations in the areas of grant/contract management, healthcare and higher education accounting techniques, cost/benefit comparisons, analysis of budget variance and staff resources forecasts.
• Excellent Communication skills both oral and written are essential
• Working knowledge of personal computers, including spreadsheet and word processing software
• Ability to lead diverse teams of people towards positive and shared outcomes
• Ability to travel to off-site locations

Academic Administrator IV:

• Master’s degree in Business, Finance, Management, Public Administration, or equivalent experience.
• 7 years’ experience as an academic administrator, business office manager, or equivalent administrative position in higher education or a research institution, including 3 years of supervisory and fiscal management experience.
• 4 years of fiscal and NIH grant management (pre- and post-award) experience required. Preferably in research setting.
• Analytical ability as evidenced by independent development of solutions and recommendations in the areas of grant/contract management, healthcare and higher education accounting techniques, cost/benefit comparisons, analysis of budget variance and staff resources forecasts.
• Excellent Communication skills both oral and written are essential
• Working knowledge of personal computers, including spreadsheet and word processing software
• Ability to lead diverse teams of people towards positive and shared outcomes
• Ability to travel to off-site locations

PREFFERED QAULIFICATIONS:

• Masters or PhD
• Knowledge of the functioning of research labs

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