Administrative Officer

The Administrative Officer [AO] is part of the Furman Hall Administrative Office at Vanderbilt University and is a leader responsible for overseeing the daily administrative, personnel and 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; and general business administration. Reporting directly to the Director of Administration and functionally to the Furman Hall Chairs and Directors, the Administrative Officer [AO] participates in strategic and operational decision making as a member of the department's leadership team.

The Administrative Officer [AO] is responsible for day-to-day operational management of the departments, including, but not limited to, implementation and management of personnel, payroll, purchasing, budgets, contracts/grants, and department operating policies and procedures. As the team leader of the business office, the AO is responsible for supervision and management of administrative support staff, as well as oversight of department HR activities. The Administrative Officer is responsible for preparation of annual departmental budget recommendations, grant operating and proposal budgets, and fiscal review processes, as well as other duties as assigned.

Key Functions and Expected Performance:

• Administration

  • Responsible for day-to-day operational management of the department including, but not limited to, implementation and management of personnel, payroll, purchasing, budgets, contracts/grants, and departmental operating policies and procedures.

  • Provides assistance and support to the Chairs and Directors of the department in problem solving, project planning and management, as well as development and execution of stated goals and objectives.

  • Serves as the primary point of administrative contact and liaison with other offices [including the Dean's office], individuals, and institutions on operational and programmatic matters concerning the department.

  • Provides assistance in the understanding and interpretation of university policies and procedures, as appropriate, and ensures that departmental operations are in compliance with policy provisions and standards.

  • Serves as departmental liaison to the Deans, VU schools, external departments, and funding agencies.

• Personnel and Payroll

  • Administrative support staff supervision and management; the AO oversees direct and indirect staff career support, management, evaluation, goal setting tasks through department team leaders.

  • Primary administrative point and oversight for human resource activities, as oversight of department Line Manager tasks.

  • Oversees submissions of job requisitions to Dean's office for posting and recruiting; ensures salary equity within department; works closely with Line Managers as well as direct report new hires to communicate procedures, policies and onboarding tasks.

  • Supervises the work of employees in supporting roles, including assigning workload and monitoring employee performance.

  • Provides administrative human resource/personnel support/guidance to Line Managers and occasionally directly to labs and coordinates with HR department as needed.

• Operational and Restricted Fiscal Administration.

  • Implements departmental budget in consultation with Chairs and Directors.

  • Reviews and approves operating budgets for awarded grants [federal and non-federal] and the establishment of costing strings for projects with Research Finance office.

  • Oversight of expenditure review and closeout processes performed by Administrative Manager and Grants Team, as well as the necessary expenditure correction procedures. Oversight of review process of project expenditures to ensure that charges meet federal cost accounting guidelines for allowance/applicability, budget monitoring and discrepancy resolutions.

  • Reviews and presents budget summary and activity reports to faculty, the Chair.

  • Responsible for final review and presentation of monthly departmental budget package to Chairs/Directors and Dean's Office, including department operating fund activity, as well as all project and faculty funds.

  • Serves as a resource, conjunction with the Grants team, to departmental faculty and staff regarding Vanderbilt's implementation of federal rules and regulations that apply to expenditures and effort allocation for federally funded projects.

  • Maintains knowledge and understanding of pre- and post-grant award and contract administration including policies and regulations [internal and external]; along with the Department Grants team, works closely with CAS Research.

• Additional Duties as Assigned
  

Supervisory Relationships :

This position does have supervisory responsibility: administrative and functional supervisor for the administrative core office team leads, as well as indirect administrative supervisor for all Departmental staff and student employees; this position reports administratively and functionally to the Director of Administration and functionally to the Department Chairs and Directors.

Education and Certifications:

• A Bachelor’s degree from an accredited institution of higher education, or the equivalent in experience, is necessary.
  

Experience and Skills :

• Three years of directly related experience is necessary.

• Evidence of strong personnel management experience is necessary.

• Proven strong interpersonal 4 communication [written/verbal] skills are necessary.

• Demonstrated skilled budgeting and financial management are necessary.

• Ability to use independent judgment and to manage and impart confidential information is necessary.

• Demonstrated ability to analyze and solve problems in a time-efficient manner is strongly preferred.

• Ability to plan, develop, and coordinate multiple projects is strongly preferred

• Demonstrated ability to lead and train administrative staff is necessary.

• Skills in the use of word processing, spreadsheet, and database software is necessary.

• Ability to foster cooperative work environment is necessary.

• Knowledge of general accounting principles is strongly preferred.

• Knowledge of human resource administration policies principles, practice is necessary.

• Familiarity with faculty cost share policies and procedures is preferred.

• Knowledge of Vanderbilt University policies and procedures is strongly preferred.

• Familiarity with Vanderbilt ERP [Oracle Cloud/SkyVU] as well as other VU systems is preferred.
  

Key Characteristics of a Successful Team Member in this Work Unit:

• Analytical and Detail-Oriented

• Autonomous

• Hard-Working

• Resilient

• Integrity