Department Manager - Mechanical Engineering

The Opportunity

The Department Manager is a critical member of Mechanical Engineering (ME) Department reporting directly to the Department Head. ME is the largest academic department on campus, serving 1,379 students and 44 full-time faculty. As such they have an array of administrative management needs and this position represents the fiscal, business, and research administration support that the department requires to function smoothly.

Applicants will be asked to complete an online application (personal information, demographic information, references, veterans status) and upload a resume and cover letter (required). References will not be contacted until later in the selection process and you will be informed before that contact is made. Email Kathleen Feighny, HR, at kfeighny@mines.edu with any questions about this opportunity.

https://jobs.mines.edu/en-us/job/495499/department-manager-mechanical-engineering

Responsibilities

The Department Manager is primarily responsible for both fiscal and business management for ME. They will manage budgets in all types of fund accounts and create and maintain financial projection models. They must independently create ad-hoc analyses, scenario projections and a variety of financial reports that the Department Head will rely on for strategic decisions. This individual must be able to navigate between detailed information at the budget and a broader long-term financial perspective. They will serve as the primary contact for business in the Department and will provide fiscal management of all Department accounts, faculty and student contracts, payroll and HR administration, and coordination of class scheduling and rooming. They will manage business aspects of the office and supervise student employees. This position requires critical and strategic thinking, the ability to perform robust financial analyses, independent problem-solving abilities, effective and collaborative interpersonal skills, detail-orientation, initiative, a strong customer service focus, and the ability to manage simultaneous, high-profile projects. Fiscal Management and Analysis (60%) – Essential Function: This requires both routine and non-routine responsibilities requiring detailed knowledge of policies governing the various funds and analysis of current year activity to determine the substance and implementation of budget adjustments and accounting transactions. This position requires critical thinking skills to run ad hoc reports, determine various financial trends in operations, develop and verify assumptions, and strategically plan to fund the short and long-term objectives of the ME Department. This position will analyze and determine the impact of forecast adjustments on financial positions and long-term projections. Develop, manage and coordinate the Department budgets including revenues, expenses and general fund allocations. Coordinate the operating and capital request process. Develop an annual spending plan for ME and provide quarterly forecast updates. Develop long-term projections for ME using trend analysis, benchmarking data and financial assumptions. Provide accounting and reconciliation functions for ME. Preparation and oversight of processing financial and business transactions including purchasing, hiring, travel reimbursements, deposits, journal entry requests and budget entry requests. Review accounting data on a routine basis; detect and identify possible issues and then develop and implement solutions. Reconcile financial data; explain variances and identify appropriate adjustments. Act as Department liaison with AP and Travel to manage Department One-card transactions and expense re-allocation process for ME Department charges. Ensure fiscal year-end entries, including revenue deferrals and expense accruals, are recorded accurately and timely. Research grant account administration support for faculty. Examples include, but are not limited to: Provide financial reports at 90, 60 and 30 days to account close in order to manage the closing process and ensure funds are spent and properly allocated to established grant accounts. Assistance in reconciling account deficits. Work closely with ORA and Department research staff to manage research/grant finances. Proactively develop reports for analysis and projection on research accounts. Conduct end-of-year expense analysis to ensure proper allocation of expenses prior to year-end close. Independently develop various standard and ad-hoc financial reports for the ME Department and the Energy and Materials Portfolio (EMP). This requires understanding data sets, data locations and the best methods for extracting and/or uploading information. Examples include, but are not limited to: Monthly budget to actual financial reports. Various reconciliations reports, primarily within the Banner system. Ad-hoc reports for analysis and projection scenarios. Office Business Administration (40%) Essential Function. The Department Manager will administratively manage the business for the Department. They will provide oversight and coordination of business and administrative functions, create and implement Department policies and procedures, and make decisions on behalf of the Department with regards to purchasing, human resources, and other administrative departments on campus. They will coordinate facility and IT work orders, and represent the external face of the department to walk-in customers. They will supervise and manage the daily activities of Department administrative staff and student employees; HR, Payroll and Contracts: Manage workflow for all undergraduate and graduate student, faculty, adjunct, visiting scholar, and research faculty contracts. Manage workflow for faculty leave and sabbaticals, promotion and tenure, and annual faculty reviews (FDRs). Serve as Department point of contact for all Human Resources and payroll issues. Course and Rooming Scheduling: Coordinate directly with Registrar for all Department scheduling, room assignments, and common/final exam scheduling. Decision Scope:  Controls and distributes Departmental accounts. This position will have decision/signature authority to approve Department Operating accounts to initiate payment of expenses for Department activities including payments to faculty, staff, vendors, consultants, fund transfers, and preparation of HRS forms, while adhering strictly to proper accounting practices and Mines, State and Federal policies and regulations. In order to evaluate and analyze spending in multiple budgets from different sources, and make well-supported budgetary recommendations to the Department Head based on those analyses, the Department Manager must decide on which data is relevant to the decision, what projections of future expenses are most likely and decide on the content of the recommendations to the Department Head. Makes effective recommendations regarding policy and programming decisions based on research and program knowledge. Makes fiscal decisions regarding daily operating expenses, and use of discretionary accounts to support program development and faculty support. Determines operations and procedures in concurrence with the Department Head. Has the authority to make daily decisions regarding general business operations including research budgets, exercising professionalism and excellent communication skills, acting on behalf of the Department Head with multiple students, faculty, visitors, and industry sponsor representatives. This position acts as a liaison to Human Resources, ORA, Budget and Planning, EMP, and other administrative departments on campus and must implement the policies and procedures of these organizations. Communications:  The Department Manager must communicate effectively with internal and external customers to the Department, including students, post-docs, researchers, visiting scholars, staff and faculty in the ME Department as well with other Mines administrative departments.  The nature of the communications requires The Department Manager to negotiate, motivate, and convince others; this goes beyond the exchange of information and requires the job holder to understand and build effective communication strategies.

A bachelor’s degree in business, higher education, or related fields; years of experience may be substituted for degree on a 1:1 basis. Evidence of progressive administration experience related to project management and operational oversight. Experience developing, monitoring and managing budgets, resource management, and financial reporting. Advanced proficiency with Window-based software packages involving spreadsheets, databases, word processing and presentation applications. Excellent customer service and interpersonal skills. Teamwork experience, and relationship building experience. Must have excellent oral and written communication skills, strong attention to detail and the ability to prioritize tasks. Demonstrated ability for problem solving and financial analysis. Desired experience with Higher Education continuing education event planning, accounting or budgeting. Banner, Oracle-based or similar financial system experience.

Preferred Qualifications

Master’s degree in business, higher education administration, project management or related field. Significant experience with Banner, Cognos, Cayuse or other ERP system. Advanced MS Excel spreadsheet skills. Demonstrable commitment to promoting and enhancing diversity and inclusion. Experience supervising or managing students or teams. Experience in higher education.

$58,499 - $67,840