Operations & Finance Specialist to the Dean (Nursing)

Located in Boston’s historic Fenway area, Simmons University has a strong tradition of empowering women and challenging traditional gender roles. Simmons was founded for equality 125 years ago as one of the first higher education institutions dedicated to helping women become leaders. Today, our university continues to grow and evolve and now offers Boston’s only women’s undergraduate program and graduate programs open to all. 

You’re joining our community at an especially exciting time as we continue to innovate for the future. Simmons recently launched a six-school academic structure that leverages our expert faculty and longstanding expertise in professions that make our communities stronger. In addition, we continue to highlight our high-value education proposition that is delivering greater ROI to students and putting them on the fast track to career growth and success. You’ll find that people who work here truly believe in our mission of preparing students to become social justice-oriented leaders who excel in their professions and their communities. This commitment and pride make for a dynamic workplace.

As a university that values diversity, equity, and inclusion, Simmons encourages applications from all under-represented groups. Simmons is committed to creating, developing, promoting, and enhancing inclusive hiring practices–at all levels, for all positions–ensuring diverse talent pools and the delivery of a consistent positive candidate experience. Simmons is an equal opportunity employer and is committed to continuing to develop a more diverse faculty, staff, student body, and curriculum.

JOB SUMMARY 

The Operations & Finance Specialist to the Dean reports to the Director of Operations for the School of Nursing and Physical Therapy for operational responsibilities and directly to the Dean for administrative support responsibilities. As a key member of the School’s administrative and Operations team, this highly visible position provides dedicated support to the Dean while also handling operational, project coordination, data, financial, and administrative responsibilities that support the School's effective functioning. 

The position serves as a primary point of contact for the Dean and, as assigned, as a liaison with faculty, staff, students, University offices, external partners, visitors, and other constituents. The role manages the Dean's calendar and meeting priorities, coordinates the Dean’s communications and events, supports budget and purchasing processes, maintains operational data and records, and advances special projects and School-wide initiatives. This position is also the primary point of contact for finance and budget needs across the School. The position works closely and collaboratively with the Director of Operations and other members of the School's leadership and Operations teams. 

Success in this role requires exceptional organization, judgment, discretion, responsiveness, initiative, problem-solving, and the ability to anticipate needs and manage multiple priorities in a fast-paced academic environment. The Operations & Finance Specialist handles sensitive and confidential matters and is expected to model professionalism, collaboration, inclusion, and a strong service orientation. 

ESSENTIAL FUNCTIONS 

Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform these essential functions. 

Dean Support & Meeting Coordination 

• Manage the Dean's complex academic and individual calendars, using sound judgment to prioritize time for meetings, appointments, events, and travel based on the Dean's priorities and the School's needs.

• Proactively identify and resolve scheduling conflicts, anticipate preparation needs, and ensure the Dean has appropriate information and materials for meetings and commitments. 

• Schedule and coordinate meetings for the Dean with faculty, staff, students, leadership, and external partner groups, as assigned, including School-wide meetings. 

• Simmons University - School of Nursing and Physical Therapy

• Coordinate meeting logistics, including room reservations, virtual meeting links, catering, technology, and other arrangements. 

• Prepare and distribute agendas, presentations, briefing materials, and supporting documents; attend meetings and prepare minutes or track action items as needed. 

• Coordinate the Dean's travel arrangements, itineraries, registrations, reimbursements, and related documentation. 

• Assist with onboarding logistics and scheduling for new faculty and staff upon hire.

• Support the annual faculty review processes including tracking of deadlines, forms, signatures, and filing. 

School Operations & Project Coordination 

•  Provide day-to-day operational support for the Dean's Office and collaborate closely with the Director of Operations to support efficient School processes and priorities. 

• Coordinate and track special projects, initiatives, deadlines, deliverables, approvals, and follow-up on behalf of the Dean. 

• Assist with the School’s social media platforms, including coordinating and developing content that highlights School programs, faculty, students, events, accomplishments, and initiatives.

• Serve as the School’s primary point person for newsle ters, coordinating content development, submissions, review, and distribution in collaboration with the Dean, School leadership and University partners. 

• Coordinate events, programs, and related activities on behalf of the Dean in collaboration with faculty, staff, University partners, and external constituents. 

• Support the promotion and tenure processes for faculty on behalf of the Dean's Office in alignment with University policies and procedures. 

• Work collaboratively and liaise with University offices including the Provost's Office, Registrar, Finance, Purchasing, Accounting, Human Resources, Institutional Research, General Counsel, Advancement, and other partners. 

• Support accreditation, regulatory, and compliance-related documentation and data needs, including maintaining data integrity as well as organized and accessible records. 

• Budget, Purchasing & Financial Management 

• Help ensure the School is using its fiscal resources effectively and in compliance with applicable policies.

• Support annual budget development and administration for the School’s capital and operating budgets in collaboration with the Dean, Director of Operations, and appropriate University offices.

• Process and track purchasing, invoices, expense reports, credit card documentation, reimbursements, honoraria, travel expenses, and other financial transactions in accordance with University policies.

• Assist with monitoring School, department, program, grant, donor, and professional development expenditures and maintain accurate supporting records and trackers. 

• Coordinate with external vendors and suppliers and support complex purchases and other financial or operational transactions as assigned. 

• Assist with budget-related reports, projections, grant or gift tracking, and other financial documentation as needed. 

• Regularly audit and reconcile expenses to ensure accuracy and confirm spending is in line with financial forecasts/budgeting. 

• Manage the approval process of vendor and other related contracts; ensuring contract financial obligations are met. 

• Serve as a resource throughout the School on finance-related policies and inquiries. Simmons University - School of Nursing and Physical Therapy 

Communications & Constituent Support 

• Serve as a primary point of contact for the Dean for internal and external constituencies, providing responsive, professional, and welcoming support. 

• Triage phone, email, in-person, and other inquiries using sound judgment, discretion, diplomacy, and an understanding of School and University priorities. 

• Coordinate communications from the Dean's Office to faculty, staff, students, University leadership, external partners, and other constituents, while demonstrating an effective knowledge of University- and School level listservs and mailing lists. 

• Draft, edit, proofread, format, and distribute emails, letters, reports, presentations, announcements, and other correspondence on behalf of the Dean, as requested. 

• Promote effective communication and collaboration across Nursing, Physical Therapy, the broader University, and external partners. 

OTHER DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES 

•  Help to hire and manage student workers, as needed. 

• Provide operational and administrative coverage and cross-training within the School's Operations team as needed. 

• Support School and University policy and process implementation and continuous improvement efforts.

• Assist with training or onboarding administrative and Operations staff as appropriate.

• Support special projects and additional administrative assignments as directed by the Dean or Director of Operations. 

• Perform other duties as assigned.  

REQUIRED QUALIFICATIONS 

• Bachelor's degree or equivalent combination of education and relevant work experience.

• Minimum of 3-5 years of progressively responsible experience in executive, administrative, operations, project coordination, or a related role. 

• Demonstrated experience managing complex calendars, meetings, communications, projects, records, and competing deadlines. 

• Experience with purchasing, expense processing, budget tracking, or other financial administrative responsibilities.

• Advanced proficiency with Microsoft Office and Google Workspace, including Gmail, Google Calendar, Google Drive, and related collaboration tools. 

• Strong working knowledge of Excel and/or Google Sheets, including formulas, pivot tables, charts, and data organization. 

• Exceptional planning, organizational, written and verbal communication, editing, and proofreading skills.

• Demonstrated ability to take initiative, anticipate needs, solve problems, exercise sound judgment, and independently move work forward. 

• Demonstrated ability to handle sensitive and confidential information with professionalism, discretion, diplomacy, and tact. 

• Ability to manage multiple priorities, adapt to changing needs, and meet deadlines in a fast-paced environment. 

• Ability to work effectively and respectfully with a range of populations and with stakeholders at all organizational levels, including senior leadership and external partners. 

PREFERRED QUALIFICATIONS 

• Prior experience in higher education academic administration or a similarly complex professional environment. 

• Experience supporting a dean, senior academic leader, executive, or leadership team.

• Experience with Workday or similar enterprise administrative system. 

• Experience with Adobe Acrobat/AdobeSign or other contract and document-management tools.

• Experience supporting grants and/or donor funds 

• Experience with social media 

• Experience with accreditation, compliance and/or academic data reporting 

COMPETENCIES 

• Communication 

• Professional Judgment 

• Organization and Time Management 

• Team Collaboration 

• Problem Solving and Initiative 

• Flexibility and Adaptability 

• Attention to Detail and Accuracy 

• Confidentiality and Discretion 

• Service Orientation 

• Stewardship 

WORK ENVIRONMENT & CONDITIONS / PHYSICAL DEMANDS 

• Full-time, benefits-eligible position; FLSA classification to be determined. 

• Standard work schedule of 40 hours per week; occasional evening or weekend work will be required to support School events, programs, or leadership needs. 

• A hybrid work arrangement may be available, subject to School and University policy, operational needs, and supervisor approval. 

• Work is performed primarily in an office and academic environment. 

• Essential physical requirements include sitting, standing, typing, and light lifting (up to 10 lbs).

In accordance with applicable pay transparency laws effective October 29, 2025, Simmons University is committed to pay equity, transparency and clear communication throughout the hiring process. The hourly or annual salary range for this position is:

This is a benefits-eligible position.

Actual compensation will be based on factors such as experience, education, skills, equity, and external market benchmarks that help guide compensation decisions. Our compensation philosophy is centered around a comprehensive package that includes pay, health benefits, and retirement savings offerings that can be seen here, as well as work-life balance initiatives such as flexible hours and remote work opportunities. We are committed to offering a package that empowers individuals to thrive in their roles, contribute meaningfully, and lead with confidence.

Instructions to Applicants: Please upload all applicable application materials (e.g. resume/cv, cover letter, writing sample, teaching philosophy, etc.) in the Application Materials box on page 2 ("My Experience") of this application. Documents can be uploaded individually or as a combined document (e.g. PDF).

Simmons University is committed to inclusive excellence in all aspects of an individual’s community experience. As a university committed to diversity, equity, and inclusion, Simmons encourages applications from all under-represented groups. Simmons is committed to creating, developing, promoting, and enhancing inclusive hiring practices–at all levels, for all positions–ensuring diverse talent pools and the delivery of a consistent positive candidate experience. Simmons is an equal opportunity employer and is committed to continuing to develop a more diverse faculty, staff, student body, and curriculum.