Business & Operations Manager

About the Opportunity

Operating under the direction of the Department Chair, the Business & Operations Manager serves as the lead administrator within their academic department, ensuring efficient and strategic management of departmental operations.

This role oversees budgets, administrative personnel, academic administration, assists with front-line space and lab management, and reviews financial processes and related requests with an impact on their department. Working in close concert with the Chair, the Business Manager acts as a vital resource for faculty and a key liaison with the College of Science’s Deans Office. The Business & Operations Manager, alongside the Department Chair, is responsible for cultivating a high-performing administrative team, supporting faculty, staff, and students while driving operational excellence within their academic department.

Responsibilities:

Finance and Budget Oversight:

• Work with faculty leaders and other decision makers in department to understand all spending plans for year, mapping them out and updating forecasts appropriately.

• Work with Chair and other faculty leaders to translate plans and needs into terms of financial and other resource obligations, reflecting such plans in forecasting and budgeting documents

• Review and reconcile expenses and other transactions against department-managed accounts. Use updated information to forecast and plan appropriately.

• Review and approve or manage completed requests on behalf of department: purchases, accounting changes, expense reports, etc. Holds responsibility for transaction approvals, carrying out thorough reviews and flagging inconsistent or noncompliant transactions

• Maintain comprehensive awareness of all employees within departmental budgets, including interdisciplinary personnel. Ensure accurate tracking and allocation of funds, proactively assess budget implications related to staffing, and provide data-driven recommendations to departmental leadership

• Advise the Department Chair and leadership on fund availability, recommending budget adjustments to align with institutional goals.

• Prepare reports, develop budgets, and analyze spending activities of department budgets to ensure responsible and compliant fiscal practices; prepare projections and collaborate with Dean’s Office finance team; supply reports and required fiscal analysis

• Assist Principal Investigators (PIs) with grant-funded staffing and support new faculty with budget allocations and capital equipment procurement.

• Support new faculty with building budgets and forecasts for various designated and discretionary funds, including re-budget requests and tracking assistance for start-up accounts.

• Track and maintain commitments for new faculty, oversee all startup accounts

• Monitor the purchasing of equipment and supplies for the department and its labs

• Establish and enforce fiscal policies that maintain compliance and internal control standards.

Academic and Personnel Administration:

• Work with Department Chair and other relevant faculty leadership to help ensure all classes are scheduled, assigned and staffed by appropriate faculty teaching assistants (TAs) or other appropriate individuals.  As part of class scheduling, maintain a clear scheduling system for key department resources including teaching labs to use space effectively and safely.

• With team, proactively review course offerings to ensure efficient use of teaching resources, using data to inform strategic decisions. Work with faculty leaders to monitor enrollments: opening up new sections as needed, or cancelling under-enrolled courses if enrollment drops below COS target levels

• Liaise with Dean’s Office to appropriately maintain all part-time lecturer/adjunct faculty assignments and overloads; submitting details within guidelines each semester

• Partner with Dean’s Office to provide all necessary information for all faculty, staff, student hires, and visitor requests

• Ensure all provisions within the part-time faculty Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA) or other applicable employment regulations are enforced

Departmental Administrative Management:

• Lead, train, and supervise administrative staff, fostering a collaborative and efficient work environment

• Effectively provide continuous performance feedback to maintain high standards in attention to team’s work quality and productivity

• Oversee department communications and marketing initiatives to ensure consistency and effectiveness

• Conduct workforce planning, improve operational workflows, and ensure administrative excellence

• Manage the planning and execution of departmental events

Space Planning and Management:

• Work with the Department Chair and the Dean's Office to coordinate the space planning and management processes for the Department.   

• Provide necessary space management plans to appropriate parties acting as an advocate and resource for department space needs, the safe use of space, and asset/inventory control, partnering with all appropriate parties to facilitate swift resolution to space-related concerns and issues

• Support faculty in setting up and maintaining lab spaces

Sponsored Research Support:

• Track departmental cost-sharing obligations and reconcile research fund impacts

• Work with principal investigators (PIs) and COS Post-Award team to monitor and reconcile all impacts to department funds, and track the status of all active grants in the department to avoid deficits in research funds

• Oversee the calculation and submission of summer salary workbooks and payments for eligible full-time faculty within department

Qualifications:

• Bachelor’s degree in accounting, business administration, finance, or related field required; Master’s degree preferred

• Minimum of six years’ experience in a professional administrative setting, with a preference for experience managing administrative staff within an academic setting

• Strong knowledge of budgeting, accounting, and fiscal policies

• Exceptional communication, both written and verbal, strong attention to detail, high organization, and sharp problem-solving abilities

• Demonstrated ability to efficiently manage multiple complex projects, balancing competing priorities and deadlines in a fast-paced environment

• Skilled in assessing urgency, resource allocation, and workflow optimization to ensure critical tasks are completed with accuracy and efficiency

• Adept at implementing structured processes and coordinating team efforts to drive productivity and achieve departmental goals

The College of Science maintains a strong culture of collaboration amongst our faculty and staff: successful candidates will demonstrate a respect for the work of their colleagues and a focus on achieving our shared goals in a highly collaborative manner.

Position Type

Additional Information

Northeastern University considers factors such as candidate work experience, education and skills when extending an offer.  

All qualified applicants are encouraged to apply and will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, religion, color, national origin, age, sex, sexual orientation, disability status, or any other characteristic protected by applicable law.

Compensation Grade/Pay Type:

Expected Hiring Range:

With the pay range(s) shown above, the starting salary will depend on several factors, which may include your education, experience, location, knowledge and expertise, and skills as well as a pay comparison to similarly-situated employees already in the role. Salary ranges are reviewed regularly and are subject to change.