Department Operations Administrator for the Vice President of Student Affairs

Caltech is a world-renowned science and engineering institute that marshals some of the world's brightest minds and most innovative tools to address fundamental scientific questions. We thrive on finding and cultivating talented people who are passionate about what they do. Join us and be a part of the diverse Caltech community.

Job Summary

Student Affairs at Caltech complements and enhances the Institute's educational mission by ensuring a healthy and supportive environment that enables students to grow academically and personally in preparation for meeting current and future challenges. Independently and in collaboration with students, faculty, and staff, we serve our community by responding to the issues, ideas, and needs of all students. Utilizing diverse approaches, we provide programs and services of the highest quality.

Reporting jointly to the Vice President of Student Affairs (VPSA) and Business Operations Officer & Chief of Staff (BOO/CoS), the Operations and Special Projects Administrator provides seamless administrative coordination and works closely with the Vice President of Student Affairs as well as Student Affairs leadership to evaluate and implement solutions, projects or policies and procedures. The position plays a pivotal role in executing long-term strategic plans for the office. In the day-to-day, this role is actively involved in administration of the VPSA office and budget, as well as interacting with campus partners on behalf of the VPSA.

Strategic thinking, along with the ability to manage a wide variety of work and prioritize multiple projects is essential.

This is an Organizational Critical position. In the event of an emergency on campus, an employee designated as organizational critical is expected to report to Campus as soon as possible to assist in division/department response and recovery efforts.

Essential Job Duties

Special Projects (60%)

• Employing exceptional project management and collaboration skills, manages and guides various projects and initiatives involving Student Affairs leadership; provides timely updates and operational oversight from start to finish.
• Coordinates and manages ongoing initiatives on behalf of the VPSA.
• Takes the lead on projects within Student Affairs as requested.
• Provides advice to the VPSA and Chief of Staff on projects and processes based on an independent assessment of the elements involved.
• Makes weighted recommendations to the VPSA and Chief of Staff regarding the anticipation and balancing of priorities, special projects, and ongoing tasks.
• Independently handles sensitive and confidential matters for and on behalf of the VPSA.
• Gathers data and conducts research to support strategic initiatives identified as priorities for Student Affairs leadership.
• Establishes and maintains excellent working relationships with campus partners including the Office of the President, the Office of the Provost, the Office of General Counsel, and academic divisions.
• Maintains familiarity with institute policies and student affairs policies.
• Drafts materials for the VPSA as requested.

Operations (40%)

• Coordinates complex schedules and calendaring for the Vice President of Student Affairs’ office, including travel.
• Using tact and discretion, communicates professionally and courteously with all constituents interfacing with Student Affairs, including active employees, students, faculty, senior Institute administration, and Board of Trustees members.
• Exercises independent judgement and maintains a high level of confidentiality to field questions, concerns, and requests from campus partners on behalf of the VPSA.
• Oversees and administers purchasing activities including P-card and travel reconciliations.
• Manages logistics and budgets for department-wide events.
• Acts as a liaison for campus services including facilities, procurement, finance, and information management services and systems.
• Coordinates with campus partners regarding office maintenance and projects.
• Coordinates office space, equipment, and system access for new hires.
• Budgets for, requisitions, and allocates workplace resources such as computers, desk equipment and systems access.  
• May be asked to serve as part of the Student Affairs emergency on-call rotation.
• Other duties as assigned.

Basic Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree or equivalent.
• 5 years of related experience required, including project management experience.
• Excellent communications, interpersonal and presentation skills. Must be able to effectively interact with all levels including faculty, students, staff, trustees, and Institute administration.
• Independent judgment and initiative.
• Experience organizing and coordinating an office operation, anticipating needs, and developing solutions.
• Ability to manage and organize multiple projects with competing deadlines.
• Ability to handle sensitive and confidential situations and information with absolute discretion required.
• Proven ability to identify critical issues and to lead an idea or project to completion.
• Excellent technical skills including expertise in Office365, workflow and project management software (MS Project, Asana, or similar), and experience with website content management.
• Strong understanding of financial and general accounting principles with the ability to research and analyze data.
• Ability to identify opportunities and implement solutions for improved productivity and use of resources; takes initiative to improve work processes.
• Excellent writing skills.

Preferred Qualifications

• MBA or other master’s degree in related field.
• Experience with Oracle Business Intelligence (OBI) or other data warehouse tools.
• Previous experience working in higher education.
• Previous experience in a Student Affairs organization.
• Previous experience managing multiple calendars with competing priorities.

Required Documents

• Resume
• Cover Letter