Chief Operating Officer

Chief Operating Officer

The Chief Operating Officer (COO) is a senior executive leader responsible for overseeing the university's administrative, operational, and compliance functions. Reporting directly to the Executive Vice President, the COO ensures that the institution's infrastructure, technology, workforce, and compliance systems are robust, efficient, and future-ready and operate strategically, and in alignment with the university's mission and long-term goals. The COO catalyzes Mines strategy by proactively shaping and executing operational plans that advance the university's mission and long-term objectives. In this capacity, the COO provides strategic leadership to the Chief Information Officer, Chief Human Resources Officer, Associate Vice President for Infrastructure and Operations, and Executive Director of Compliance, ensuring their initiatives are synergistically aligned to support university priorities. Additionally, the COO oversees the outsourced internal audit program, leveraging insights to strengthen enterprise risk management, drive operational excellence, and foster a culture of continuous improvement across all administrative functions.

Key Responsibilities

Executive Leadership

• Act as the chief architect of university operations, championing excellence and innovation in administrative, operational and support services to advance university objectives.

• Design and propose forward-thinking operational strategies that proactively align with the university's mission and long-term goals.

• Cultivate relationships with the State legislature, State agencies, local municipalities, peer institutions, and others as appropriate to advance the university operations initiatives.

Technology & Information Strategy

• Provide visionary oversight to ensure IT initiatives are innovative, future-ready, and centered on delivering exceptional customer experiences to campus.

• Strategically guide technology planning to support and elevate academic, research, and administrative excellence, anticipating emerging needs and opportunities.

• Work with the university CISO to ensure that a comprehensive, risk-based approach combining technology, governance, and user training to proactively manage risks.

Workforce for today and the future

• Along with the CHRO, strategically lead the design of a dynamic, future-ready workforce strategy that not only anticipates and adapts to emerging trends and university needs.

• Ensure that a comprehensive talent strategy is in place that proactively positions Mines to attract, hire, and retain top-tier talent, aligning with the university's mission, long-term objectives, and evolving workforce needs.

Compliance & Risk Management

• Champion enterprise-wide risk management by proactively identifying and mitigating regulatory, ethical, and operational risks, thus safeguarding and advancing the university's mission and strategic priorities.

Physical asset development and optimization

• Ensure a resilient, safe, and financially sustainable campus environment that strategically supports the university's academic, research, and student success initiatives both now and for the future.

Financial Acumen & Fiscal Responsibility

• Apply strategic financial acumen to evaluate budgets, resource allocation, and operational efficiency, ensuring that all functions are managed with a focus on long-term institutional priorities and fiscal sustainability.

• Demonstrate deep expertise in university-wide financial oversight, integrating financial stewardship into strategic decision-making processes.

Operational excellence

• Drive organizational transformation by embedding a culture of operational excellence, service innovation, customer-centricity, outcome orientation, and performance. Ensure that strategic partnerships are leveraged for inclusiveness, and communications are transparent and effective.

Strategic Planning & Collaboration

• Build strategic collaborations with deans, faculty, and student leaders to ensure that operational support is tailored to amplify teaching, research, and student life, aligning with institutional goals.

• Foster a campus-wide culture of partnership, ensuring that the university community is served efficiently and effectively through high-impact initiatives.

Minimum Qualifications

• At least 15 years of progressive leadership experience, including executive leadership in higher education or similarly complex organizations leading multi-functional groups with differing operational frameworks.

• At minimum, a master's degree in business administration, higher education administration, public administration, or a related field.

• Additional related experience may be substituted for the advanced degree requirement on a year-for-year basis.

• Documented experience at an executive level in organizational and operational leadership, in at least one of the following areas: risk management and compliance, human resources, finance and/or technology leadership.

• Significant experience or expertise in university (or other complex organization) financial oversight and management.

• Proven ability to lead multi-functional teams and foster collaboration across the organizational structure.

• Demonstrated track record leading large-scale strategic planning and organizational change efforts

Preferred Qualifications

• Prior experience in research organizations, R 1 research setting preferred

• Experience working in grant-based funding models

• Previous experience collaborating with state, local and Federal partners highly desired

Competencies

• Visionary leadership with the ability to drive institutional change

• Deep understanding of higher education operations and governance

• Strong financial, analytical, decision-making, and problem-solving skills

• Ability to balance strategic priorities with day-to-day operational demands

• Demonstrated experience effectively communicating mission, vision and strategy at all organizational levels

Total Rewards

Salary: Rate of $270,000.00 - $325,000 annually

Mines takes into consideration a combination of candidate's education, training and experience as well as the position's scope and complexity, the discretion and latitude required in the role, work location, and external market and internal value when determining a salary level for potential new employees.

Benefits: Colorado School of Mines offers a robust portfolio of benefits for all employees. For this role, that includes:

• Flexible health and dental care options

• Generous sick/vacation time: 13 paid holidays per year – including a week-long winter break for the entire campus.

• Fully vested retirement plan on first day of employment, with generous employer contribution

• Tuition benefits (6 credits per year for employees, 50 percent discount for dependents)

• Free RTD Ecopass

All Mines employees also have access to discount programs through the State of Colorado and free tickets for Mines Athletics home games, as well as access to the state-of-the-art Recreation Center (fitness classes and training, swimming pool and more) and equipment rentals through the Outdoor Rec Center. We are proud to have recently opened an on-campus daycare center. For more details about benefits at Mines, visit mines.edu/human-resources/benefits.