The Wheelock Institute for the Science of Education (WISE), is a major research institute at Boston University's Wheelock College of Education and Human Development (BU Wheelock). WISE forges partnerships with communities to craft customizable solutions that transform education, learning, and positive human development to enhance the well-being of children, families, and communities. WISE is home to several highly impactful centers and labs including the National Center on Improving Literacy, Lead for Literacy Center, the School Mental Health Research Lab, the Lab of Cognitive and AI Research in Education, and more.

BU Wheelock is one of the 17 schools and colleges that are part of Boston University, one of the leading private research and teaching institutions in the world today. With more than 37,000 students from all 50 states and 145+ countries, BU is among the largest independent universities in the United States. To learn more about Boston University, visit www.bu.edu.

Reporting to the Director of the Wheelock Institute for the Science of Education (WISE) and the Assistant Dean for Administration and Finance at BU Wheelock, the Associate Director of Administration and Finance will be joining WISE at an exciting time. After significant growth and output during its formative years at Boston University, WISE now seeks to professionalize its operation and create an administrative program that will allow the institute to scale while continuing to generate groundbreaking research and deliver high-quality results to funders.

Accordingly, WISE is seeking an Associate Director who is highly skilled in the areas of administration, finance and business operations. WISE seeks an incumbent who is detail-oriented, driven, and possessing the initiative to lead the development of processes, systems, and structures to support WISEs continued growth.

This is a full-time, at-will, remote, exempt staff position with access to Boston University's comprehensive benefits plan.

Essential Functions

• Business Operations:
  • Oversee business operations including payroll, accounts payable, accounts receivable, contract administration, and financial reporting.
  • Develop an institute-wide budget and multi-year forecast.
  • Work with faculty and staff to develop operating plans for new program offerings, new service lines and other new or enhanced revenue streams.
  • Create financial reports and conduct ad-hoc analyses including variance reviews, revenue analyses, utilization forecasts, and effort reports. 
•  Administration:
  • Develop and maintain standard operating procedures for key administrative tasks including travel requests, purchase reconciliation, invoicing, and more.
  • Create and maintain an annual business calendar, determining the timing and frequency of key processes including but not limited to fiscal year-end close, variance review, grant closure, account reconciliation, effort reports, and PAR reports.
  • Integrate college and University-wide policies and procedures into WISE operations.
  • Analyze university policy decisions to determine implications and implement within WISE.
  • Partner with Grants Administrators to ensure timely execution of key pre-award and post-award actions.
  • Develop processes and workflows to ensure the timely and accurate setup, implementation, and closeout of grants, contracts, and projects. 
•  Human Capital:
  • Onboard and offboard staff and student workers.
  • Approve student worker timesheets and serve as the supervisor of record for student workers and grad students.
  • Oversee effort reporting across the institute, ensuring that faculty and staff time is allocated to projects and funding sources in alignment with resources and budgets.
  • Maintain control over institute headcount and salary dollars.
  • Partner with Wheelock's Human Resources Administrator and HR Business Partner to manage complex personnel matters. 
•  Program Development
  • Build relationships with funders.
  • Represent the institute with university constituents and stakeholders including Development and Alumni Relations, General Counsel, and Office of Sponsored Programs.
  • Represent the WISE Director at business meetings with internal and external partners when assigned.
  • With the Director, maintain WISE's strategic plan and develop metrics to measure success in relation to the plan. 
• Other Duties as Assigned

Skills

Minimum Qualifications

• Education and Experience
  • Bachelor's Degree or equivalent professional experience.
  • Five years of experience in relevant roles, preferably within higher education.
•  Demonstrated Skills, Knowledge, and Abilities
  • Ability to lead administrative functions and implement institutional change.
  • Ability to business partner with faculty and staff, including communicating complex information to diverse audiences, and collaborating with faculty and staff to manage projects and resources.
  • Fluency with financial tools and software including ERPs (such as SAP, Workday, NetSuite), travel and expense platforms (such as Concur, Ramp, Navan), and Microsoft Office tools including Excel, Powerpoint, and PowerBI.
  • Ability to maintain a high level of confidentiality, and handle challenging situations with tact.
  • Ability to communicate clearly and impactfully both verbally and in writing, to negotiate to arrive at mutually agreeable solutions, to persuasively communicate with leadership and institute partners.

Work Modality: This is a remote position with a quarterly onsite meeting in Boston.

Confidential Data: All information (written, verbal, electronic, etc.) that an employee encounters while working at Boston University is considered confidential.

Employees must adhere to University and departmental policies, guidelines and procedures; and all applicable laws and regulations at all times.

Additional Requirements

• This role supports significant external deadlines that are not flexible.
• The incumbent must be able to work toward multiple short-term deadlines while also maintaining their regular responsibilities.

We are an equal opportunity employer, and all qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, natural or protective hairstyle, religion, sex, age, national origin, physical or mental disability, sexual orientation, gender identity, genetic information, military service, pregnancy or pregnancy-related condition, or because of marital, parental, or veteran status. We are a VEVRAA Federal Contractor.