WCER CHIEF OPERATING OFFICER (COO)
- Employer
- University of Wisconsin-Madison
- Location
- Wisconsin, United States
- Salary
- Salary Not Specified
- Date posted
- Sep 21, 2022
View more
- Position Type
- Administrative, Business & Administrative Affairs, Other Business & Administrative Affairs, Executive, Executive Directors, Other Executive
- Employment Type
- Full Time
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Salary:
Negotiable
ANNUAL (12 months)
Job Summary:
Reporting to the Director of WCER, and working in tandem with the Center's Deputy Director, the COO will help shape the new role and contribute to the Center's organizational strategy. Drawing on a proven track record of leading and implementing organizational and culture change, as well as a core belief in the role of education to change the world, the COO will unite the various service units within WCER with a cohesive vision for providing consistently excellent service to the Center's project leaders. The COO will spearhead efforts to reimagine business processes and administrative functions to raise the standard of support and unlock the full potential of the Center's research.
THE POSITION
The new COO will join WCER at a time of vibrant change. There is increased enthusiasm among researchers and Center staff about opportunities for growth, improved efficiency, and enhanced service delivery to advance WCER's educational research mission. In this context, the COO will oversee daily operations and administration across the following units: communications services, technical services, financial services, client services, and human resources, for a total team of approximately 40 staff. The COO will have strategic and operational responsibility for WCER's growing staff, national and international programs, and execution of the Center's plans for continued growth. As a member of a tightly knit senior management team, the COO will serve as a trusted partner to WCER's Director and will exercise organizational leadership to fulfill the Center's ambitions. To be successful in this role, the COO will bring a steadfast commitment to WCER's values of Innovation and Excellence, Equitable Education, Affirming and Increasing Diversity, Healthy Workplace, and Partnering Across Differences.
OPPORTUNITIES AND CHALLENGES FOR THE CHIEF OPERATING OFFICER
The WCER COO will inherit an organization with a strong international reputation and a track record of success in attracting top scholars with innovative ideas. As the research funding landscape evolves, WCER will need to adapt to retain and enhance its preeminence in education research. To be successful in that endeavor, the new COO will be expected to address the following opportunities and challenges:
Articulate and implement a strategic vision
WCER has undertaken a process to reimagine all aspects of the Center's operations, including business processes, administrative procedures, and staff reporting lines. At the heart of this process is a commitment to integrating diversity, equity, and inclusion into the Center's daily operations. The Center has made a robust and thoughtful start to this work and the COO will lead efforts to create an infrastructure that sustains and operationalizes DEI in all aspects of WCER's work. The COO will lead the charge to communicate strategic plans to staff and other stakeholders and will also serve as a thought leader to identify opportunities for innovation and excellence in service delivery to Center stakeholders. With a commitment to equity, justice, and inclusion, the COO will advance the Center's ability to cultivate support from key funders, secure high value research grants, and foster an entrepreneurial approach to expanding its research and fee-for-service portfolios.
Redesign internal processes and procedures to achieve service efficiency, innovation, and excellence
With an expanding and increasingly complex portfolio of fee-for-service and grant projects, the COO will bring a systems approach to their work, ensuring that Center resources and staff are structured to maximize expertise and capacity. The COO will engage in this work through an equity-minded lens and will reimagine internal processes and procedures to not only support the Center's growth aspirations but also uphold the values that empower the work and people of WCER. The COO will design the business planning process in WCER service units, including supporting the development and implementation of best practices that promote collaboration, mutual respect, and transparency. Current processes are not well matched to the Center's ambitions, resulting in uneven service delivery to principal investigators and other project leaders. The COO will drive transformational process improvement and change management that enables WCER to achieve its short-term and long-term goals and advances its work to reverse imbalances and injustices in education.
Inspire a culture of outstanding service and support
The COO will inspire a service-oriented culture that enhances responsiveness to all stakeholders, rewards service alongside technical compliance, and recognizes the importance of diverse backgrounds and expertise as key factors to improving the quality of the Center's work. The COO will identify opportunities to differentiate transactional from transformative work. The COO will cultivate an environment that directs staff energy and creativity in support of research that advances equity in educational systems, improves educational outcomes for diverse student populations, and impacts education policy to enhance learning from a DEI perspective. Project PIs and research teams will have confidence in the Center's ability to provide them with comprehensive administrative and business operations support for the lifecycle of their grant, from application submission through project startup, staffing, research, reporting, results, closure, and award renewal.
Ensure the long-term financial health of the Center
Grant processes are complex, and the new COO will need to unify accounting and grants management systems to ensure an accurate and transparent financial picture of the projects housed at WCER. The COO will be data-oriented and will support researchers and project administrators in developing budgets and financial forecasts over the life of their projects. The COO will develop and monitor budgets for WCER and service units for which they are responsible. They will oversee the Center's overall financial health with an eye to achieving a funding balance that optimizes growth and enhances the financial position of WCER.
Cultivate collaborative relationships and an atmosphere of learning and continuous improvement
The new COO will be committed to organizational and individual learning that advances the Center's DEI commitments and fosters a culture of continuous improvement across the organization. The COO will lead and coach staff, providing frequent contact and feedback to promote high-performance and a shared understanding of best practices both within and across service units. The COO will facilitate opportunities for cross-training and professional learning, and will implement retention practices to promote belonging, job satisfaction, and future goal planning. The COO will also collect and use data to monitor progress against strategic planning goals.
Responsibilities:
Directs division business operations and is responsible for administrative, financial, and operations management.
Diversity is a source of strength, creativity, and innovation for UW-Madison. We value the contributions of each person and respect the profound ways their identity, culture, background, experience, status, abilities, and opinion enrich the university community. We commit ourselves to the pursuit of excellence in teaching, research, outreach, and diversity as inextricably linked goals.
The University of Wisconsin-Madison fulfills its public mission by creating a welcoming and inclusive community for people from every background - people who as students, faculty, and staff serve Wisconsin and the world.
For more information on diversity and inclusion on campus, please visit: Diversity and Inclusion
Education:
Required
Master's Degree
Preferred field of study would be education, business, management or related field.
Candidates with a terminal degree are encourgaged to apply.
Qualifications:
The ideal candidate will possess many of the following professional experiences and personal characteristics:
* Tested and proven track record of leadership experience, preferably in an educational services or research setting;
* A demonstrated record of advancing equity, diversity, and inclusion in the workplace;
* A deep commitment to the values and mission of WCER;
* Experience as a leader in a mission-driven organization charged with increasing both impact and scale;
* Excellence and resilience in change leadership and a seasoned capacity and inclination to coach and develop high-performing teams;
* Experience creating processes and teams to achieve revenue and grant goals;
* Demonstrated ability to delight clients, simultaneously tending to compliance;
* Excellent professional judgment managing change and conflict resolution;
* Experience in strategic planning, human resources, and finance;
* Awareness of technologies and systems that support efficient business operations;
* Knowledge of the research and development process, ideally in the social sciences;
* Understanding of the culture of higher education either through direct experience in a university or through partnerships;
* Superb communication and interpersonal skills.
COVID-19 Considerations:
UW-Madison continues to follow necessary health and safety protocols to protect our campus from COVID-19. All employees remain subject to the COVID-19 Workplace Safety Policy: https://policy.wisc.edu/library/UW-5086 . Please visit https://covidresponse.wisc.edu for the most up-to-date information.
Work Type:
Full Time: 100%
This position requires work be performed in-person, onsite, at a designated campus work location. This position includes workplace flexibility. A hybrid work schedule may be considered at some point in the future.
Appointment Type, Duration:
Ongoing/Renewable
Additional Information:
The Wisconsin Center for Education Research (WCER), a unit of the School of Education, is one of the largest, oldest and most respected education research centers in the world. WCER's mission is to improve educational outcomes for diverse student populations, impact education practice positively and foster collaborations among academic disciplines and practitioners. WCER generates approximately $80 million of revenue in awards and services annually and employs approximately 500 employees including academic staff, university staff, research associates, graduate assistants and undergraduates. Approximately 65 faculty from the School of Education and other units across campus are affiliated with WCER, acting as principal investigators or key personnel on grants and/or collaborating on other education initiatives in the center.
Building on its over 50-year history to improve teaching and learning, the Center is in the midst of an exciting and direction-setting transition to better align people, process, and purpose to advance its mission. Under the leadership of a dynamic Director who was appointed in July 2020, WCER has committed to amplifying its mission through an ambitious vision to grow its research funding footprint, expand its portfolio of products and services that support educators and learners, and enhance service delivery to the projects and researchers that call the Center home. At the core of this renewed and compelling vision is a commitment to affirming and integrating diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) throughout its work. WCER is dedicated to being a workplace in which colleagues of color can thrive and bring their true selves. WCER is also committed to operating as a learning organization, one that embeds a culture of learning and continuous improvement in all its operations. WCER relies on evidence and data to make decisions and establish equitable, transparent processes that advance its mission and uphold its values.
For a full description and more information, see the following:
WCER: https://wcer.wisc.edu/
School of Education: https://education.wisc.edu/
Complete job description: www.imsearch.com/8723
How to Apply:
Inquiries, nominations, and applications should be sent in strict confidence to:
Lisa Savereid, Partner
Afi Tettey-Fio, Senior Associate
Isaacson, Miller
www.imsearch.com/8723
Contact:
Amber Fournier
wilkefournie@wisc.edu
608-262-9173
Relay Access (WTRS): 7-1-1. See RELAY_SERVICE for further information.
Official Title:
Business Affairs Director(FN027)
Department(s):
A177500-SCHOOL OF EDUCATION/WCER
Employment Class:
Limited
Job Number:
266130-LI
The University of Wisconsin is an Equal Opportunity and Affirmative Action Employer. We promote excellence through diversity and encourage all qualified individuals to apply.
If you need to request an accommodation because of a disability, you can find information about how to make a request at the following website: https://employeedisabilities.wisc.edu/disability-accommodation-information-for-applicants/
Employment will require a criminal background check. It will also require you and your references to answer questions regarding sexual violence and sexual harassment.
The University of Wisconsin System will not reveal the identities of applicants who request confidentiality in writing, except that the identity of the successful candidate will be released. See Wis. Stat. sec. 19.36(7).
The Annual Security and Fire Safety Report contains current campus safety and disciplinary policies, crime statistics for the previous 3 calendar years, and on-campus student housing fire safety policies and fire statistics for the previous 3 calendar years. UW-Madison will provide a paper copy upon request; please contact the University of Wisconsin Police Department .
Advertised: 20 Sep 2022 Central Daylight Time
Applications close: 30 Nov 2022 Central Standard Time
Negotiable
ANNUAL (12 months)
Job Summary:
Reporting to the Director of WCER, and working in tandem with the Center's Deputy Director, the COO will help shape the new role and contribute to the Center's organizational strategy. Drawing on a proven track record of leading and implementing organizational and culture change, as well as a core belief in the role of education to change the world, the COO will unite the various service units within WCER with a cohesive vision for providing consistently excellent service to the Center's project leaders. The COO will spearhead efforts to reimagine business processes and administrative functions to raise the standard of support and unlock the full potential of the Center's research.
THE POSITION
The new COO will join WCER at a time of vibrant change. There is increased enthusiasm among researchers and Center staff about opportunities for growth, improved efficiency, and enhanced service delivery to advance WCER's educational research mission. In this context, the COO will oversee daily operations and administration across the following units: communications services, technical services, financial services, client services, and human resources, for a total team of approximately 40 staff. The COO will have strategic and operational responsibility for WCER's growing staff, national and international programs, and execution of the Center's plans for continued growth. As a member of a tightly knit senior management team, the COO will serve as a trusted partner to WCER's Director and will exercise organizational leadership to fulfill the Center's ambitions. To be successful in this role, the COO will bring a steadfast commitment to WCER's values of Innovation and Excellence, Equitable Education, Affirming and Increasing Diversity, Healthy Workplace, and Partnering Across Differences.
OPPORTUNITIES AND CHALLENGES FOR THE CHIEF OPERATING OFFICER
The WCER COO will inherit an organization with a strong international reputation and a track record of success in attracting top scholars with innovative ideas. As the research funding landscape evolves, WCER will need to adapt to retain and enhance its preeminence in education research. To be successful in that endeavor, the new COO will be expected to address the following opportunities and challenges:
Articulate and implement a strategic vision
WCER has undertaken a process to reimagine all aspects of the Center's operations, including business processes, administrative procedures, and staff reporting lines. At the heart of this process is a commitment to integrating diversity, equity, and inclusion into the Center's daily operations. The Center has made a robust and thoughtful start to this work and the COO will lead efforts to create an infrastructure that sustains and operationalizes DEI in all aspects of WCER's work. The COO will lead the charge to communicate strategic plans to staff and other stakeholders and will also serve as a thought leader to identify opportunities for innovation and excellence in service delivery to Center stakeholders. With a commitment to equity, justice, and inclusion, the COO will advance the Center's ability to cultivate support from key funders, secure high value research grants, and foster an entrepreneurial approach to expanding its research and fee-for-service portfolios.
Redesign internal processes and procedures to achieve service efficiency, innovation, and excellence
With an expanding and increasingly complex portfolio of fee-for-service and grant projects, the COO will bring a systems approach to their work, ensuring that Center resources and staff are structured to maximize expertise and capacity. The COO will engage in this work through an equity-minded lens and will reimagine internal processes and procedures to not only support the Center's growth aspirations but also uphold the values that empower the work and people of WCER. The COO will design the business planning process in WCER service units, including supporting the development and implementation of best practices that promote collaboration, mutual respect, and transparency. Current processes are not well matched to the Center's ambitions, resulting in uneven service delivery to principal investigators and other project leaders. The COO will drive transformational process improvement and change management that enables WCER to achieve its short-term and long-term goals and advances its work to reverse imbalances and injustices in education.
Inspire a culture of outstanding service and support
The COO will inspire a service-oriented culture that enhances responsiveness to all stakeholders, rewards service alongside technical compliance, and recognizes the importance of diverse backgrounds and expertise as key factors to improving the quality of the Center's work. The COO will identify opportunities to differentiate transactional from transformative work. The COO will cultivate an environment that directs staff energy and creativity in support of research that advances equity in educational systems, improves educational outcomes for diverse student populations, and impacts education policy to enhance learning from a DEI perspective. Project PIs and research teams will have confidence in the Center's ability to provide them with comprehensive administrative and business operations support for the lifecycle of their grant, from application submission through project startup, staffing, research, reporting, results, closure, and award renewal.
Ensure the long-term financial health of the Center
Grant processes are complex, and the new COO will need to unify accounting and grants management systems to ensure an accurate and transparent financial picture of the projects housed at WCER. The COO will be data-oriented and will support researchers and project administrators in developing budgets and financial forecasts over the life of their projects. The COO will develop and monitor budgets for WCER and service units for which they are responsible. They will oversee the Center's overall financial health with an eye to achieving a funding balance that optimizes growth and enhances the financial position of WCER.
Cultivate collaborative relationships and an atmosphere of learning and continuous improvement
The new COO will be committed to organizational and individual learning that advances the Center's DEI commitments and fosters a culture of continuous improvement across the organization. The COO will lead and coach staff, providing frequent contact and feedback to promote high-performance and a shared understanding of best practices both within and across service units. The COO will facilitate opportunities for cross-training and professional learning, and will implement retention practices to promote belonging, job satisfaction, and future goal planning. The COO will also collect and use data to monitor progress against strategic planning goals.
Responsibilities:
Directs division business operations and is responsible for administrative, financial, and operations management.
- 15% Serves as the primary business advisor, liaison, and partner to divisional leadership and key stakeholder groups
- 15% Oversees the implementation of all operational and administrative activities
- 15% Develops the division's financial strategy including planning, forecasts, budgets, and cash management that focus on attaining and sustaining long-term financial equilibrium in collaboration with university leadership
- 15% Works with senior administrative and academic leadership to design, establish, and maintain an administrative organizational structure to effectively and efficiently accomplish goals and objectives while appropriately defining duties and mitigating risk
- 15% Assesses processes, staffing, and systems to identify opportunities for improvement and streamlining on a regular basis
- 15% Serves as a major point of contact and catalyst for problem resolution. Provides insightful and diplomatic communications
- 10% Exercises supervisory authority, including hiring, transferring, suspending, promoting, managing conduct and performance, discharging, assigning, rewarding, disciplining, and/or approving hours worked of at least 2.0 full-time equivalent (FTE) employees
Diversity is a source of strength, creativity, and innovation for UW-Madison. We value the contributions of each person and respect the profound ways their identity, culture, background, experience, status, abilities, and opinion enrich the university community. We commit ourselves to the pursuit of excellence in teaching, research, outreach, and diversity as inextricably linked goals.
The University of Wisconsin-Madison fulfills its public mission by creating a welcoming and inclusive community for people from every background - people who as students, faculty, and staff serve Wisconsin and the world.
For more information on diversity and inclusion on campus, please visit: Diversity and Inclusion
Education:
Required
Master's Degree
Preferred field of study would be education, business, management or related field.
Candidates with a terminal degree are encourgaged to apply.
Qualifications:
The ideal candidate will possess many of the following professional experiences and personal characteristics:
* Tested and proven track record of leadership experience, preferably in an educational services or research setting;
* A demonstrated record of advancing equity, diversity, and inclusion in the workplace;
* A deep commitment to the values and mission of WCER;
* Experience as a leader in a mission-driven organization charged with increasing both impact and scale;
* Excellence and resilience in change leadership and a seasoned capacity and inclination to coach and develop high-performing teams;
* Experience creating processes and teams to achieve revenue and grant goals;
* Demonstrated ability to delight clients, simultaneously tending to compliance;
* Excellent professional judgment managing change and conflict resolution;
* Experience in strategic planning, human resources, and finance;
* Awareness of technologies and systems that support efficient business operations;
* Knowledge of the research and development process, ideally in the social sciences;
* Understanding of the culture of higher education either through direct experience in a university or through partnerships;
* Superb communication and interpersonal skills.
COVID-19 Considerations:
UW-Madison continues to follow necessary health and safety protocols to protect our campus from COVID-19. All employees remain subject to the COVID-19 Workplace Safety Policy: https://policy.wisc.edu/library/UW-5086 . Please visit https://covidresponse.wisc.edu for the most up-to-date information.
Work Type:
Full Time: 100%
This position requires work be performed in-person, onsite, at a designated campus work location. This position includes workplace flexibility. A hybrid work schedule may be considered at some point in the future.
Appointment Type, Duration:
Ongoing/Renewable
Additional Information:
The Wisconsin Center for Education Research (WCER), a unit of the School of Education, is one of the largest, oldest and most respected education research centers in the world. WCER's mission is to improve educational outcomes for diverse student populations, impact education practice positively and foster collaborations among academic disciplines and practitioners. WCER generates approximately $80 million of revenue in awards and services annually and employs approximately 500 employees including academic staff, university staff, research associates, graduate assistants and undergraduates. Approximately 65 faculty from the School of Education and other units across campus are affiliated with WCER, acting as principal investigators or key personnel on grants and/or collaborating on other education initiatives in the center.
Building on its over 50-year history to improve teaching and learning, the Center is in the midst of an exciting and direction-setting transition to better align people, process, and purpose to advance its mission. Under the leadership of a dynamic Director who was appointed in July 2020, WCER has committed to amplifying its mission through an ambitious vision to grow its research funding footprint, expand its portfolio of products and services that support educators and learners, and enhance service delivery to the projects and researchers that call the Center home. At the core of this renewed and compelling vision is a commitment to affirming and integrating diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) throughout its work. WCER is dedicated to being a workplace in which colleagues of color can thrive and bring their true selves. WCER is also committed to operating as a learning organization, one that embeds a culture of learning and continuous improvement in all its operations. WCER relies on evidence and data to make decisions and establish equitable, transparent processes that advance its mission and uphold its values.
For a full description and more information, see the following:
WCER: https://wcer.wisc.edu/
School of Education: https://education.wisc.edu/
Complete job description: www.imsearch.com/8723
How to Apply:
Inquiries, nominations, and applications should be sent in strict confidence to:
Lisa Savereid, Partner
Afi Tettey-Fio, Senior Associate
Isaacson, Miller
www.imsearch.com/8723
Contact:
Amber Fournier
wilkefournie@wisc.edu
608-262-9173
Relay Access (WTRS): 7-1-1. See RELAY_SERVICE for further information.
Official Title:
Business Affairs Director(FN027)
Department(s):
A177500-SCHOOL OF EDUCATION/WCER
Employment Class:
Limited
Job Number:
266130-LI
The University of Wisconsin is an Equal Opportunity and Affirmative Action Employer. We promote excellence through diversity and encourage all qualified individuals to apply.
If you need to request an accommodation because of a disability, you can find information about how to make a request at the following website: https://employeedisabilities.wisc.edu/disability-accommodation-information-for-applicants/
Employment will require a criminal background check. It will also require you and your references to answer questions regarding sexual violence and sexual harassment.
The University of Wisconsin System will not reveal the identities of applicants who request confidentiality in writing, except that the identity of the successful candidate will be released. See Wis. Stat. sec. 19.36(7).
The Annual Security and Fire Safety Report contains current campus safety and disciplinary policies, crime statistics for the previous 3 calendar years, and on-campus student housing fire safety policies and fire statistics for the previous 3 calendar years. UW-Madison will provide a paper copy upon request; please contact the University of Wisconsin Police Department .
Advertised: 20 Sep 2022 Central Daylight Time
Applications close: 30 Nov 2022 Central Standard Time
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