PAY GRADE: 31E

CONTEXT OF THE JOB:

The College of Arts and Sciences (CAS) at the University of Delaware is nationally recognized for its exceptional educational experiences and for integrating instruction, research, and public engagement. With 24 academic departments in the arts, humanities, social sciences, and natural sciences, more than 25 centers, programs, and institutes, and featuring outstanding research and teaching facilities, CAS serves over 7,500 students, is supported by approximately 400 staff, and maintains annual operating expenditures of over $121M. The College's 600 faculty members emphasize the enduring value of an arts and sciences education and a deep commitment to excellence in scholarship and all forms of creative and intellectual expression, with sponsored research expenditures totaling more than $38.6M per fiscal year.

The Department of Communication is housed within the College of Arts and Sciences and offers nationally recognized graduate and undergraduate programs. The Department currently consists of 18 tenure track, continuing track, and temporary faculty, 4 administrative staff, approximately 725 undergraduate students, 35 in-person graduate students, 115 graduate students in the online Master of Arts in Strategic Communication program, and 1 postdoctoral researcher. Annual departmental research expenditures total approximately $1M per year, with a total department budget of over $7M per year. The Department services many undergraduate students, with over 5,750 students taught each year in approximately 80 class sections per semester. In addition, the Department is home to the Center for Health Communication (CHC), and supports the Center for Political Communication (CPC) and the Journalism minor. Under the limited direction of the CAS Sr. Business Administrator (Sr. BA) and in coordination with the Chairperson of the Department of Communication, the Director of the Strategic Communication (STRAT-COMM) program, the Director of the CHC, and the Director of the CPC, the Business Administrator II is responsible for the direction of the overall administrative operation of the Department, STRAT-COMM program, and the CHC/CPC, and supports the mission and goals of the Department, College, and University. The position will also serve as a liaison between the department and Wiley University Services to financially and departmentally support the STRAT-COMM program. The Business Administrator II interacts and serves as liaison with faculty, students, College and University administrators, vendors, other educational institutions, alumni, and government agencies to exchange information and/or solve problems and other issues, and to advance departmental teaching, service, and research objectives.

MAJOR RESPONSIBILITIES:

• Manages the resources and operations of the Departments, including the Strategic Communication online Master's program as well as centers and programs, ensuring compliance with College and University policies and procedures.
• Related centers and programs include the Center for Political Communication, the Center for Health Communication, and the Journalism minor.
• Partners with the Department Chairperson, the Strategic Communication Director, the Center for Political Communication Director, the Center for Health Communication Director, and the Sr. Business Administrator to implement strategic operational objectives. 
• Interprets and provides guidance regarding University policies and procedures for the Chair, STRAT-COMM/CHC/CPC Directors, the faculty, and departmental staff. 
• Oversees operating and discretionary budgets in coordination with College Financial Operations staff. Assists with forecasting, provides variance commentary on budget/forecast vs. actuals, interprets financial reports, and manages internal documentation to assist the Chair, the STRAT-COMM/CHC/CPC Directors and faculty in fiscal matters related to departmental operations and discretionary funds as well as research and academic programs.
• Manages and facilitates a positive undergraduate and graduate university experience for students. Oversees and directs UDSIS scheduling for all Department classes for five terms per year. Ensures scheduling updates and changes related to classes, courses, rooms, times, space, instructors, and enrollments.
• Oversees the implementation of student registration requests, changes, and overrides in UDSIS for each term.
• Assists with and records graduate student Teaching Assistant assignments.
• Prepares numerous reports related to the department programs. 
• Coordinates financial aspects of the Department's graduate and undergraduate program and works with College Financial Analysts to ensure proper contract and payment processing, including graduate academic and summer contracts and payments, tuition allocation, tuition discount pricing, and supplemental contracts for teaching.
• Works with the Department Chair, STRAT-COMM Director, faculty, and College on undergraduate and graduate recruitment and enrollment initiatives and events, new student orientation, and convocation. 
• Works with the College Faculty Administration Manager to ensure the accuracy of department faculty life cycle tracking to include Promotion and Tenure, Sabbaticals, Peer Reviews, and Performance Appraisals.
• Maintains academic faculty workload distributions for Promotion and Tenure reviews and Faculty Performance appraisals.¿
• Manages daily operations of the Department including: 
  • Oversees tasks related to procurement, budget and planning, human resources, sponsored activity, communications and events, facilities and IT issues with the Sr. BA and College functional teams.
  • Ensures adherence to academic and administrative deadlines. 
  • Resolves complex organizational or procedural issues in a timely manner. 
  • Directly supervises all departmental administrative staff, ensuring that performance and contributions result in the efficient operation of the Department. Actively partners with College HR to support departmental research staff.
  • Oversees the maintenance of the Labor Allocation Module (LAM) for faculty workload and effort commitment on research accounts and for staff and graduate students paid from research accounts, in coordination with College Sponsored Programs staff.
  • Coordinates non-sponsored research summer payments for faculty.
  • Prepares employment renewal letters and tracks time of term in the Department in coordination with the Faculty Administration Manager.
  • Monitors and reviews monthly time sheets for all departmental non-exempt employees.
  • Reviews all department charges and applies appropriate measures to correct any errors. Participates in audits of departmental operating and discretionary budgets as needed.
  • Onboards new student workers, miscellaneous wage employees, and adjunct faculty members. Coordinates with College HR on new hire paperwork, Criminal Background Check requests, and separation paperwork. Orients the new employee to the Department and College and manages and records arrival dates in conjunction with the College Sponsored Programs staff. 
  • Works with College Facilities staff to resolve minor building issues, such as key requests and Fix Its.
  • Coordinates with College IT staff to ensure that departmental computing needs are met for faculty and staff
•  Represents the Department with vendors, other educational institutions, alumni and government agencies.
• Presents information on strategic planning, budget and financial forecasting, staffing needs and other departmental initiatives to the Department Chair and faculty. 
• Participates in the development and implementation of special initiatives and projects. 
• Attends department faculty meetings and College business administration meetings.
• Performs other job-related duties as assigned.

QUALIFICATIONS:

• Bachelor's degree in Business Administration or a related discipline and five years of job-related work experience, or an equivalent combination of education and experience. 
• Knowledge and experience of financial reporting, administrative policies and procedures, contract and grant administration and human resources management. 
• Thrives in a fast-paced environment and is excited to advance and share in the success of highly successful programs.
• Experience leading complex organizations and managing complex tasks.
• Demonstrated experience in leading teams, maximizing employee engagement and developing competencies of individual staff members.
• Experience using management systems, relational databases, spreadsheets and word-processing software programs. 
• Effective organizational skills are essential. 
• Ability to interpret, adapt and apply guidelines and procedures. 
• Ability to plan, organize, implement, evaluate and modify administrative support needs. 
• Ability to gather and analyze statistical and financial data and generate ad-hoc reports.
• Ability to develop, plan, and implement new strategies and procedures, and be part of the College's continuous improvement plan and effectively share any new ideas with peers in other departments and College leadership. 
• Ability to communicate effectively and interact well with people of all ages and diverse backgrounds. 
• Demonstrates an understanding and consideration of the differing needs and concerns of individuals with varying identities, cultures and backgrounds.
• Committed to fostering a workplace culture of belonging, where diversity is celebrated and equity is a core value.