Assistant Vice Chancellor, Academic Administration and Financial Services

General Summary: 

Reporting to the Provost and Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs, and working closely with the Vice Chancellor for Administration & Finance, the Assistant Vice Chancellor for Academic Administration and Financial Services, provides a wide range of complex leadership, managerial, organizational, administrative and professional duties including:  advancing the university vision, mission and strategic plan in relation to business and research support operations; providing key support and facilitation for implementing the university’s new activities-based budget model; identify and enable  administrative and financial process efficiencies for sustained cost-effective service delivery in coordination with Administration and Finance; coordinating new and continuing academic program fiscal planning, projects and period review; providing leadership for strategic initiatives, including working with the deans, vice provosts, associate provosts, institute directors, faculty and staff in complex, collaborative research planning and support; and serving as a primary financial liaison between Administration and Finance and the Division of Academic Affairs.  The incumbent plays a key leadership role in partnership with Administration and Finance in developing and implementing standardized and efficient policies, procedures, formats and reporting related to the business and financial management operations, including budget planning, development and modeling, human resources, purchasing, grants and contracts for Academic Affairs; and representing the Provost’s Office on multiple internal and external committees.    

The Assistant Vice Chancellor for Academic Administration and Financial Services has primary responsibility in coordination with Administration and Finance, Human Resources and other central offices for the delivery of administrative and financial services to academic affairs units that fully and effectively facilitate attainment of the university’s and individual college’s educational and research goals and objectives.  The incumbent provides training to academic budget managers and ensures university leadership, the Provost and senior academic administrators are well briefed and prepared concerning administrative and financial issues and HR and purchasing procedures. This position requires an exceptionally high degree of confidentiality and discretion; therefore, the incumbent is classified as a confidential employee as defined in M.G.L. Chapter 150E, Section 1.

Examples of Duties: 

• Act as the chief financial advisor to the Provost;
• Participate in the strategic planning, allocation of resources and formulation of procedures regarding the administration of Academic Affairs;
• In coordination with, and following protocols established by, the Office of Budget and Financial Planning, lead the development and implementation of standardized processes, procedures, format and reporting for consistent budget and spend plan development, execution and monitoring; and improved administrative functionality;
• Review and monitor all administrative and financial service needs and performance of each academic affairs unit implementing protocols to enable organizational agility to flex resources as needed to address fluctuating workloads;
• In partnership with the Office of Budget and Financial Planning and the Controller’s Office, provide review and oversight of state, trust and restricted fund budgets for Academic Affairs; assuring compliance with policies, procedures and allocation limitations, and oversight of procurement processes in units that report through the Provost;
• Serve as part of leadership team led by the Provost and the University’s VC for Finance and Administration to design, refine, and implement the university’s new activity-based budget model, the Beacon Budget Model (BBM).
• Serve on the provost’s office research strategy leadership team to identify and lead collaborative intra- and inter-institutional research initiatives that strengthen support of the academic program and grow the research enterprise; identify market opportunities (customers) and the need for academic and research support, and match those needs against current and future core facility capabilities; expand and continue to diversify a sustainable research portfolio; lead/orchestrate large matrixed teams to pursue significant research initiatives; and work with general counsel, faculty and staff to develop and negotiate contracts, memorandums of understanding, or other institutional partnership agreements in support of the research enterprise.
• Oversee and supervise the Central Business Unit (CBU) in the Provost’s Office.  Provide, in addition to the broader academic affairs administrative and financial support management and oversight, direct centralized administrative and financial supp