Administrative Business Manager/S

Position Summary

The Department of Plant, Soil, and Microbial Sciences (PSM) at Michigan State University is seeking a dynamic, team-oriented leader with creative energy to help foster a culture rooted in community, inclusion, excellence, and strategic growth. The ideal candidate will bring demonstrated expertise in academic business operations and strong communication skills, with the ability to engage effectively across a diverse range of individuals, including students, administrative professionals, faculty, and external partners. This individual will be open-minded, forward-thinking, and collaborative in addressing the evolving needs of a department that offers a large undergraduate major, three graduate programs, expanding online graduate and entrepreneurial certificate programs, and a robust externally funded research enterprise. As a key member of the department’s leadership team, the successful candidate will provide high-level administrative support and serve as the administrative staff team leader, directly supervising four staff members and working alongside a team of 12. This position oversees the operational activities of a moderately large and complex academic unit, with responsibility for both short- and long-term planning of fiscal and administrative procedures. The scope of work spans at least two of three core functional areas: human resources, finance, and general business operations.

Key Responsibilities:

General Business Operations

• Serve as a senior management team member, contributing to departmental goals, policies, and procedures.
• Plans, directs and manages budget processes, personnel activities and other administrative functions including exercising responsibility for the management authorization of expenditures and personnel transactions of the department.
• Oversees and coordinates with both human resource team and finance team for the unit.
• Supervise fiscal and human resources staff; conduct annual performance reviews.
• Develop and implement staffing plans; support onboarding and professional development for administrative team members.
• Coordinate workflow and task distribution among main office staff and student employees to ensure efficient operations.
• Meet regularly with administrative staff to assess support needs and recognize areas of excellence.
• Hire, coach, evaluate, and direct professional and support staff.

Finance Operations

• Lead a wide range of fiscal, administrative, and operational matters for the department.
• Serve as the unit Fiscal Officer and financial representative; attend college fiscal meetings and disseminate relevant information to faculty and staff.
• Administer annual budgets across General Fund, AgBioResearch, and MSU Extension funding lines.
• Direct the preparation of University and governmental budget and fiscal reports.
• Provide written reports and presentations on departmental financial health; support budget development and financial reporting needs.
• Collaborate with the college business office and other units to prepare financial and ad hoc reports and projections that meet Federal, State, University, and departmental requirements.
• Monitor and reconcile unit accounts; oversee post-award grant accounts and faculty start-up, royalty, Fee for Service, faculty search reimbursements, and Project GREEEN accounts.
• Act as a resource for financial information and guidance within the unit.
• Disseminate grant funding opportunities to faculty and academic staff, including federal, state, and commodity sources.
• Assist faculty in preparing pre-award budgets and grant application packages, including contracts and gifts.
• Coordinate with the Office of Sponsored Projects to submit proposals, amendments, and no-cost extensions.
• Oversee effort reporting, departmental infrastructure, and equipment requests.

Strategic Planning and Operational Support

• Administer allocations for teaching, research, and outreach activities.
• Serve as unit security administrator to manage access to University electronic systems.
• Coordinate maintenance and renovation of physical facilities.
• Provides guidance and recommendations on promotional activities for the department.
• Conduct case and pilot studies to evaluate business issues using cost-benefit analysis and data-driven decision-making

Policy Development and Data-Informed Decision Making

• Maintain advanced knowledge of ethics laws, standards, and emerging trends affecting organizational practices.
• Apply data, statistics, benchmarks, and HR/business metrics to inform strategic decisions.
• Develop and recommend policies and procedures a