Administrative Manager, Mathematics

The Administrative Manager [AM] is part of the Department Administrative Office at Vanderbilt University and is a leader responsible for overseeing the daily administrative, personnel & financial management activities for the department. This position provides specialist administrative services as appropriate in such areas as fiscal management; faculty, staff, or student affairs; & general business administration. Reporting directly to the Senior Administrative Officer [SAO] and functionally to the Department Chair, the Administrative Manager participates, with the Chair and the Associate Chair, in strategic & operational decision making as a member of the department's leadership team.

The Administrative Manager is responsible for transactional financial oversight in an operational capacity as Financial Unit Manager. The AM will review & approve financial transactions & processing. The AM will also serve as staff Line Manager for department research staff as well as the direct supervisor of department operational core staff.

The Department of Mathematics in the College of Arts & Science is a recognized world leader in mathematical research and education. The faculty is comprised of several International Congress of Mathematicians (ICM) speakers and about a third of the faculty are Fellows of the AMS. The department has leading research groups in several areas of mathematics including biomathematics, combinatorics, geometry and topology, group theory, PDE’s, universal algebra & logic, and harmonic analysis. The research achievements of Vanderbilt mathematics faculty have been recognized by invitations to speak at prestigious mathematics conferences such as the International Congress of Mathematicians and the AMS-MAA Mathematical Meetings.

Duties and Responsibilities

• DEPARTMENT LEAD ADMINISTRATION
  • Serve as department lead administrator, employing judgment, initiative, & resourcefulness to financially & administratively guide department
  • Work closely with Department Chair, providing financial & administrative recommendations, when appropriate, & implementation of plans
  • Participate in divisional lead administrator meetings
• BUDGETARY / FINANCIAL
  • Serve as Department Financial Unit Manager (FUM) approving all expense allocations, e.g. procurement, expense reports, CORES, intercompany, etc. to ensure charges are allowable, allocable, and reasonable
  • Frequently prepare ad hoc financial and budget reports
  • Closely monitor budgets and expenditures in projects for the unit/area/department
  • Report findings that occur as part of the analysis process and incidental discoveries to the Chair & or SAO
  • Work closely with and grant manager regarding expenditures on all grant centers
  • Overseeing spending compliance across sponsored & non-sponsored funds within the department, including budget recons & meeting with faculty & grants manager
  • Work with and Grant Manager on periodic financial reporting
  • Work closely with and Grant Manager in monitoring and tracking all direct and indirect costs and ensure they are in accordance with funding sources
  • Oversight of resolution of issues regarding POs, payments, etc. with procurement office and payment offices
• PERSONNEL MANAGEMENT
  • Serve as a direct supervisor, recruiting & managing department core operational staff
  • Provide information to others (oral or written) to explain/clarify problems or issues or requests; meet with other professional/technical personnel to determine causes of specific issues
  • Participate in periodic management meetings to keep top management informed of problems and concerns
  • Responsible for providing various reporting as assigned
  • Lead management meetings
• HUMAN RESOURCES / PAYROLL
  • Serves as Line Manager for department staff
  • Posting positions for recruiting
  • Review/approve direct time & time off
  • Enter staff changes (terminations, salary changes, etc.) via Oracle, PTO payout, collect keys, OneCards, etc.
  • Communicating, implementing, interpreting and policies and procedures as appropriate
• Other duties as assigned

Qualifications

• A Bachelor’s degree from an accredited institution of higher education, or the equivalent in experience, is necessary.
• Proven personnel & career management experience.
• Strong interpersonal and communication (written/verbal) skills are necessary.
• Demonstrated ability to use independent judgment and to manage and impart confidential information is necessary.
• Demonstrated initiative & ability to analyze and solve problems in a time-efficient manner, including planning developing & coordinating multiple projects, is necessary.
• Proven strong financial & restricted fund administration experience
• Evidentiary knowledge of human resources administration principles and practices is strongly preferred.
• Evidentiary knowledge of academic student policies, processes, and procedures is strongly preferred.
• Skills in the use of word processing, spreadsheet, & database software is necessary.
• Knowledge of Vanderbilt University policies & procedures is preferred.
• Familiarity with Vanderbilt ERP [Oracle Cloud/SkyVU] as well as other VU systems is preferred.

Commitment to Equity, Diversity, and InclusionAt Vanderbilt University, we are intentional about and assume accountability for fostering advancement and respect for equity, diversity, and inclusion for all students, faculty, and staff. Our commitment to diversity makes us who we are. We have created a community that celebrates differences and lets individuality thrive. As part of this commitment, we actively value diversity in our workplace and learning environments as we seek to take advantage of the rich backgrounds and abilities of everyone. The diverse voices of Vanderbilt represent an invaluable resource for the University in its efforts to fulfill its mission and strive to be an example of excellence in higher education. Vanderbilt University is an equal opportunity, affirmative action employer. Women, minorities, people with disabilities, and protected veterans are encouraged to apply. Please note, all candidates selected for an offer of employment are subject to pre-employment background checks, which may include but are not limited to, based on the role for which they have been selected: criminal history, education verification, social media review, motor vehicle records, credit history, and professional license verification.