Director, Administrative Support

Job Description

The College of Arts and Sciences is one of the largest academic units at the University of Washington Seattle campus. It includes thirty-eight academic departments as well as a number of non-academic units and is organized into four Divisions (Arts Humanities Natural Sciences & Social Sciences). The College is seeking to hire a Director of Administrative Support to support our vibrant teaching research and outreach missions.

In collaboration with the Dean of the College the Divisional Deans the Associate Dean for Finance and Administration department chairs and administrative support staff the Director develops and implements strategies for the modernization of administrative support services across the College of Arts and Sciences.

Specifically the Director is responsible for establishing evaluating promoting and supporting two key aspects of administrative support in the College of Arts and Sciences: (1) on-site administrative support associated with departmental cohorts and (2) the Administrative Support Team (AST) the Colleges shared services center specializing in transactional work associated with procurement accounting HR and payroll foreign national visas and help desk activities.

The Director reports to and supports the Associate Dean for Finance and Administration performing strategic reporting and process improvement duties within the Colleges multi-faceted administrative restructuring this capacity the Director (40%):

• Assists the Associate Dean for Finance and Administration with strategic planning change management escalations and special projects

• Articulates and promotes the cohort models and ASTs vision and goals among college departments and other campus offices

• Prepares regular status reports for and consults with executive staff regarding pertinent policies and processes

• Establishes standard operational guardrails and performance standards/metrics

• Evaluates issues and trends and works with staff to modify operational workflows and documentation as appropriate

Other duties are particular to the planning and management needs of either AST or cohort administrative support.

For the cohort administrative support the Director (30%):

• Liaises with department chairs prior to the launch of new cohorts to identify and assess non-standard administrative support needs and modify job descriptions appropriately

• Recruits onboards trains and supervises the Administrative Assistant Supervisors to whom departmental support staff (Administrative Assistant 3s) report

• Collaborates with and supports Administrative Assistant Supervisors in developing standardized training systems and workflows as well as policies and procedures for managing AA3 workload and assignments

• Attends cohort administrative support huddles to assess operations and offer support and encouragement

• Attends periodic administrative support workshops with Administrative Assistant Supervisors and Administrative Assistant 3s to motivate and/or facilitate process improvement initiatives

• Manages emergent issues escalated from Administrative Assistant Supervisors

For the Administrative Support Team the Director (30%):

• Creates and sustains an innovative shared-services culture and sense of common purpose among all AST staff members (current count: 27)

• Represents ASTs unique transactional expertise within the broader College discussion of administrative process improvement

• Represents AST in central offices discussions of shared services specifically and institutional change more generally

• Recruits onboards supervises and mentors Assistant and/or Associate Directors for each AST group:

• • HR/Payroll including foreign national visas

  • Payments/Procurement and Accounting/Grant Close

  • Help Team including I-9 compliance student data base entry reporting and communication

• Assists Assistant/Associate Directors with the recruitment hire onboarding and mentoring of group managers

• Approves the recruitment and hire of each groups Shared Services Specialists and Shared Services Analysts

• Assists Managers and Assistant/Associate Directors with performance management needs

• In collaboration with Assistant/Associate Directors analyzes performance and customer satisfaction data and prioritizes process improvement sprints

• Manages emergent issues escalated from Assistant/Associate Directors

Minimum Requirements

• Bachelors Degree in Public Administration Business Administration or other related field

• Eight Years experience managing complex teams with multi-faceted portfolios

Additional Requirements

• Demonstrated experience hiring training and managing teams

• Demonstrated excellent communication skills with direct reports leadership and stakeholders

• Demonstrated experience with business process design and process improvement

Desired Qualifications:

• Experience with centralized services in higher education

Cover Letter Requirement:

• An introduction

• State the specific position for which they are applying

• A summary of how your qualifications skills and experiences align with the key responsibilities and requirements of the position.

Compensation Benefits and Position Details

Pay Range Minimum:

Pay Range Maximum:

Other Compensation:

Benefits:

Temporary or Regular

FTE (Full-Time Equivalent):

Union/Bargaining Unit:

About the UW

Working at the University of Washington provides a unique opportunity to change lives on our campuses in our state and around the world.

UW employees bring their boundless energy creative problem-solving skills and dedication to building stronger minds and a healthier return they enjoy outstanding benefits opportunities for professional growth and the chance to work in an environment known for its diversity intellectual excitement artistic pursuits and natural beauty.

Our Commitment

The University of Washington is committed to fostering an inclusive respectful and welcoming community for all. As an equal opportunity employer the University considers applicants for employment without regard to race color creed religion national origin citizenship sex pregnancy age marital status sexual orientation gender identity or expression genetic information disability or veteran status consistent with UW Executive Order No. 81.

To request disability accommodation in the application process contact the Disability Services Office at or .

Applicants considered for this position will be required to disclose if they are the subject of any substantiated findings or current investigations related to sexual misconduct at their current employment and past employment. Disclosure is required under Washington state law.