- Job Type: Officer of Administration
- Bargaining Unit:
- Regular/Temporary: Regular
- End Date if Temporary:
- Hours Per Week: 35
- Salary Range: $115,000 to $140,000
The salary of the finalist selected for this role will be set based on a variety of factors, including but not limited to departmental budgets, qualifications, experience, education, licenses, specialty, and training. The above hiring range represents the University’s good faith and reasonable estimate of the range of possible compensation at the time of posting.
Position Summary
We are seeking a highly motivated and experienced Managing Director to build and manage the administrative infrastructure of our federally-funded Artificial Intelligence (AI) Research Center. The ideal candidate will be responsible for implementing and developing financial and operational policies and procedures related to finance, grant management, information technology, facilities, human resources, communications, academic governance, non-academic partnerships, and workforce development.
The ideal candidate will have a Bachelor’s degree, preferably in engineering or sciences, data science, business administration, and/or public administration, and at least 8-10 years of management and organizational leadership experience, including a strong commitment to supervising and developing staff. A demonstrated experience of working within a complex and matrix enterprise is a must.
Other key qualifications include demonstrated operational and financial management experience, familiarity with federal grantmaking landscapes, and the ability to anticipate future consequences and trends in organizational planning processes. The candidate must have exceptional interpersonal, organizational, and communication skills, and the ability to work collaboratively with diverse personnel and partners.
In this role, you will have the opportunity to spearhead special projects, oversee center-wide events, and identify new initiatives to foster collaborative interdisciplinary programming. You will also represent the Center at meetings, conferences, symposia, and other events, and assist with broadening the Center’s impact among public partners.
Responsibilities
- (35%) Personnel & Project Management.
- Supervise two staff members who support the Center’s financial management requirements and broader impact initiatives, including education, diversity, equity and inclusion, and knowledge transfer.
- Set performance tasks and objectives, motivate personnel to achieve desired results, review work products, meet regularly for one-on-one check-ins and all-hands staff meetings, and ensure necessary staff support of faculty efforts across research, education, broadening participation, and knowledge transfer.
- Administer the Center’s seed funding program, including overseeing the proposal review process and disbursement of funds to awardees.
- Facilitate the recruitment and supervision of postdoctoral, graduate, and undergraduate researchers, and work-study students.
- Coordinate with the Administrative Assistant at the Columbia Engineering Innovation Hub on operational and office management tasks.
- (25%) Finance & Operations.
- Work with the Engineering School and other University-wide offices to manage and report on a $3-6M annual operating budget, including monitoring subaward agreements and the achievement milestones of partner universities and partnering organizations.
- Develop individualized trackers, summaries, and other documents to help facilitate discussions and decision-making on the Center’s budget.
- Review and approve spending and funding requests, designate the appropriate funding source for spending and purchases, and oversee complex daily, monthly, and detailed annual tracking of these expenditures by the budget officer.
- Oversee annual budgeting and re-budgeting activities and report on financial affairs to the federal agency sponsor on an annual and as-needed basis, and communicate sponsor requests and other updates to Executive Committee and University partners.
- (20%) Leadership Support.
- Staff the Center’s monthly Board of Directors and Diversity, Equity and Inclusivity Committee meetings, and delegate staffing duties for all other advisory and subcommittee meetings.
- Ensure that Center faculty and leadership have the administrative support necessary to achieve excellence in intellectual activities, societal impact, and overall operations.
- Represent the Center Director and Board of Directors’ goals and vision and serve as a liaison to faculty, schools, and administrative units of Columbia University, including senior University leadership, as well as to the partnering Universities.
- Coordinate the engagement, integration, and quality of reporting deliverable from all members of the Center’s 25+-person/multi-institutional team of faculty, trainees, non-academic institutional partners, and administrators.
- (20%) Communications, Events & Special Projects.
- Spearhead special projects as directed by the Center Director and Board of Directors, including but not limited to external communications, partnership development, event planning, new program design, and/or personnel recruitment.
- Manage the Center’s internal and external communications ensuring alignment with the Center Director and Board of Directors’ strategic priorities.
- Oversee Center-wide events, including the annual meeting, funding-agency site visits, workshops, and outreach including industry partnership events.
Minimum Qualifications
- Bachelor degree required, graduate degree preferred, preferably in engineering or sciences, data science, business administration and/or public administration.
- At least 8-10 years of management and organizational leadership and change management experience, including a strong commitment to supervising and developing staff combined with the ability to plan and manage multiple diverse projects, work collaboratively across functions, levels, and departments toward shared objectives, and integrate resources on a timely and organized basis. Experience within a complex and matrix enterprise is a must.
- Demonstrated operational and financial management experience, including formulating and executing a strategic plan in support of growing and scaling an organization in terms of staff, budget, activity, and impact.
- Experience or familiarity with the federal grantmaking landscape and government funding policies and guidelines.
- Demonstrated ability to think strategically, to anticipate future consequences and trends, and to incorporate them into organizational planning processes.
- Ability to effectively collaborate with diverse personnel and partners, notably those from academia, industry, non-profits, and the city and federal government, with the ability to convey a vision of the Center’s strategic future.
- Exceptional interpersonal, organizational, and oral and written communication skills.
- Ability to consider multiple points of view and to make sometimes difficult decisions.
- A working knowledge of the higher ed environment and academia is essential.
- Track record of handling sensitive information with the highest level of professionalism and confidentiality.
- Strong personal interest in natural and artificial intelligence
Equal Opportunity Employer / Disability / Veteran
Columbia University is committed to the hiring of qualified local residents.
Commitment to Diversity
Columbia University is dedicated to increasing diversity in its workforce, its student body, and its educational programs. Achieving continued academic excellence and creating a vibrant university community require nothing less. In fulfilling its mission to advance diversity at the University, Columbia seeks to hire, retain, and promote exceptionally talented individuals from diverse backgrounds.