Assistant Dean for Business Operations

Assistant Dean for Business Operations

Posting Number: PG191385EP
Internal Recruitment: No

Anticipated Hiring Range: Commensurate with Experience
Work Schedule: Monday - Friday 8am - 5pm with overtime as needed
Job Location: Raleigh, NC


About the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences

The College of Agriculture and Life Sciences (CALS) at NC State leads partnership-driven discovery, learning, and engagement. As a land-grant university and the state's preeminent college of agriculture and life sciences, CALS serves North Carolina through academics, research, extension and international programs. The college prepares students for career paths, discovers and applies unbiased knowledge through advances in science and technology, and drives economic development to improve the quality of life for North Carolinians, our nation, and the world. The college fulfills the land-grant mission by embracing an interdisciplinary approach to achieve new scientific breakthroughs that translate into solutions to meet grand challenges involving food, farming, fiber, feed, families, health, energy, water, and the environment. The college comprises twelve academic departments, multiple research and extension units, and oversees eighteen research stations and four field labs across the state. CALS Administration includes the office of the Dean and the offices of Research, Extension, Academics, Human Resources, and Business Operations.

The Opportunity

The Assistant Dean of Business Operations provides a critical leadership role for the college and serves as an expert resource to the Dean and college administration for developing college policy and strategic priorities. The Assistant Dean leads the CALS Business Operations (CBO) units to deliver budget, accounting, contracts and grants, and other operational business support services to its stakeholders including Associate Deans, department heads, unit directors, faculty, students, and staff. The CBO oversees annual total college expenditures of $300 million across a range of state and federal appropriations, sponsored programs, foundation support, and other funding sources. The CBO provides "shared services" to enhance the college's business functions and improves compliance through consolidation of traditionally distributed business operations into a single unit. The goal of shared services is streamlining processes and procedures to reduce time and effort, associated costs, and yield higher operational and organizational effectiveness through consistency in the application of policies and processes.

The Position

Reporting to the Dean, the Assistant Dean of Business Operations provides overall leadership and managerial oversight of the CBO units of Business Services, Budgets & Planning, and Contracts & Grants, and the three Directors that oversee these units.
The first unit, Business Services, encompasses the accounts payable, accounts receivable, PCard and Travel areas and handles the processing of transactions and college level approvals for all CALS departments, centers, and extension units. The second unit, Budgets & Planning assists departments with budget projections and spending plans for their diverse budget portfolios which include: state and federal appropriations, distance education, sales and service, Education and Technology Fees (ETF), Facility and Administration (overhead) funds, restricted trust funds, discretionary funds, and endowment investment income. This unit also oversees the Federal Capacity (Hatch and Smith Lever) Formula funding received by CALS annually to support both its Research and Extension activities. This funding is in addition to the State Appropriated funding received by the College and requires a one-to-one cost match. The third unit, Contracts & Grants, consists of two groups: Pre-Award and Post Award. These groups work with CALS faculty, students, and staff on the Pre-Award submission of proposals and agreements, and the Post Award administration of contracts & grants awarded to NC State University's College of Agriculture and Life Sciences, including financial administration, effort reporting, and financial regulation compliance.

Through interaction with the three unit Directors, the Assistant Dean of Business Operations assists in the creation of strategies, formulates policies and coordinates processes and procedures to deliver services efficiently with high levels of customer service and adherence to University, UNC System Office and State and Federal policies and procedures. This includes oversight of the annual Pulse Check survey, and interpretation of the results, sent to the CALS Community to assess each of the CBO Units. When possible, this position also coordinates with Enterprise Application Services (EAS) and CALS Information Technology to optimize the use of technologies in service delivery.
The Assistant Dean serves as a leader and mentor to the three Directors in their management and oversight of their respective units within the CBO. This includes setting goals and performing the annual appraisal process for these Directors. This position supervises the CBO Administrative Programs Manager who is responsible to administer state- mandated projects, along with providing global oversight of office operations and HR functions in the CBO.
The Assistant Dean is responsible to lead the establishment, implementation, and evaluation of CBO Strategic Initiatives, which build upon previous CBO Strategic Initiatives and align with both the College and University Strategic Plans. Over the past few years, the CBO has developed Standard Operating Procedures (SOP) and associated trainings. This position oversees that process, at a high level, providing final approval of all SOP and dissemination to Department Heads, Center Directors and County Extension Directors. The Assistant Dean will instill accountability for timely, accurate delivery of services, and will collaborate with university stakeholders and CALS leadership to ensure compliance with rules, regulations, and guidelines governing CBO services. This includes acting as an advocate for the CBO Units and College when interacting with the Central University Offices. T he Assistant Dean serves on university committees to represent the College and peers in other Colleges.

The Assistant Dean serves as a senior member of the Dean's administrative team and advises fellow Deans on funding strategies, NC State Budget and other areas which impact the College. The Assistant Dean interacts directly with Department Heads to cultivate a culture of mutual professionalism and respect between the CBO and departmental faculty, staff, and students. The Assistant Dean serves a critical leadership role in achieving a culture of service and continuous improvement within CBO that will assure the College's continued success in focusing on its primary missions.

The Assistant Dean is also responsible for the following essential job duties:
• Provide strategic leadership and direction for the CBO;
• Lead a dynamic organization of fifty employees, including three Directors, across three units, in the delivery of
business services for the College;
• Serve as an expert resource and active member of the Dean's senior leadership team and consult with the Dean
and Administrative team on strategic resource priorities and allocations;
• Accountable for all financial affairs of the college including financial planning, accounting structures and controls,
pre and post award activities on sponsored research, budget development and management, ensuring appropriate
cash flows, ensuring the appropriate processing and allocations of all receipts and expenses;
• Serve as primary point of contact to all university offices, through collaboration and effective communication, for
financial matters of the college;
• Responsible for fostering a service-oriented culture throughout the CBO;
• Monitor and report on CBO performance through assessments, metrics, and feedback;
• Develop and implement customized training resources for internal and external CBO customers, including CBO
personnel;
• Assure financial compliance with all University, State and Federal requirements, policies, and procedures;
• Work with administrative team to develop future strategic operating objectives on a yearly basis that align with the
College & University's Strategic Plan/Goals;
• Responsible for completion of special projects as indicated by the Dean;
• Responsible for development and oversight of the CALS Budget Model;
• Supervise/Oversee the Directors of Business Services, Budgets & Planning and Contracts & Grants who
are responsible for the HR aspects of their respective units. Responsible for performance plans and annual
assessments of the Directors;
• Work with administration and faculty to develop efficient business processes to promote complex collaborative
initiatives across multiple independent units of the university, including the new Plant Sciences Initiative;
• Serve as a liaison between departments and CALS Administration to promote efficient business services and ad- herence to appropriate financial guidelines and policies; and
• Work with the Dean, Associate Deans, and Department Heads to inform and define future strategic plan objectives for the college.
Minimum Education in Experience
Requires a relevant post-Baccalaureate degree with a minimum of three (3) years or greater of related professional experience, or a relevant undergraduate degree and a minimum of five (5) years or greater of relevant experience may be substituted for the advanced degree.

The successful candidate shall possess the following skills:
• Strong and effective leadership;
• Ability to motivate, lead and manage a large, diverse, and dynamic team;
• Knowledge of complex financial systems and associated compliance issues;
• Strong team building skills, and ability to inspire confidence;
• Strong written and verbal communication skills;
• Understand tenets of high performing teams;
• Experience in formulation of efficient, effective processes;
• Knowledge of shared services and their implementation;
• Proven experience translating business requirements into reliable, repeatable processes for service delivery;
• Knowledge of and experience with budgets, accounting, and contracts and grants;
• Demonstrate the interpersonal, communication and strategic planning skills necessary to interact and facilitate
change with CALS administrators, faculty, and staff;
• Experience managing customer relationships, improving customer satisfaction, and resolving customer issues;
• Understanding of technologies and the benefits they can provide to service delivery;
• Project management, change management, and implementation skills;
• Strategic thinking with insight to understand and act on CBO needs; and
• Ability to work cross-functionally with teams to build team consensus, develop effective relationships, resolve
conflict, and influence others with the power of persuasion.

Preferred Qualifications

• At least 10 years of training or professional experience in complex business systems;
• Demonstrated supervision of a large team of employees and/or leadership of teams across a spectrum of business
activities;
• Experience in the development and implementation of strategic goals and policies; and
• Professional experience across a range of business processes and knowledge of compliance and policy issues
related to diverse public and private financial resources.

How to Apply:https://apptrkr.com/2694708

Confidential review of applications will begin on January 15, 2022, and will continue until the position is filled. Candidates should provide a resume or curriculum vitae, cover letter, and the names and contact information of three references. References will not be contacted without prior knowledge and approval of candidates. These materials may be submitted online at https://jobs.ncsu.edu/ (position #00060137). General inquiries and nominations can be sent directly to NC State Executive Search Services: Frank Barragan, at (919) 515-4365 or fbbarrag@ncsu.edu or Justin Lang, at (919) 513-1963 or jdlang2@ncsu.edu.


About NC State

At NC State, we create prosperity for North Carolina and the nation. We value diversity, equity, inclusion and justice. We began as a land-grant institution grounded in agriculture and engineering. Today, we're a pre-eminent research enterprise that excels across disciplines.
NC State is a powerhouse in science, technology, engineering and math. We lead in agriculture, education, textiles, business and natural resources management. We're at the forefront of teaching and research in design, the humanities and the social sciences. And we're home to one of the world's best colleges of veterinary medicine.

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