Associate Dean, Finance & Administration

Associate Dean, Finance & Administration

Reporting to the Dean, the Associate Dean of Finance and Administration is a key member of the Dean's senior leadership team and serves as an advisor to the Dean on all fiscal, administrative, operational, strategic, and facilities matters. As the chief fiscal and operations officer, the Associate Dean is responsible for a range of financial functions, including resource management, financial modeling, budget planning, analysis and oversight, effective space planning and facilities management, and serving as the Law School's primary point of contact and liaison to the Office of Human Resources. The position works closely with the Dean on all matters pertaining to the business administration and financial operations of the school.

The role facilitates integration among all non-academic and operational activities for the Law School. It also supports the fiscal and administrative development and implementation of new academic programs and projects, serving as a strategical and operational partner.

The Associate Dean of Finance & Administration collaborates with senior leaders to effectuate appropriate resource allocation and address fiscal matters related to the JD, LLM, SJD, and MLS programs, including financial aid. In addition, this position is responsible for representing the Law School across the University on various administrative issues and is the lead liaison with HR, Facilities (including landscaping and grounds), Finance (including budget, controller, procurement), Auxiliary Services (including parking and transportation, dining, and the bookstore), BCPD, Space Planning, FMS, OSP, as well as a key role in working with other offices around campus such as the Provost Office, Corporations & Foundations, ITS, and Advancement.

Key responsibilities include but are not limited to:

• Works closely with the Dean, senior leadership, and the Office of the Provost to develop and implement financial strategies that support the Law School's mission and goals.
• Lead the development and implementation of the School's long-range financial plan
• Responsible for budget planning, forecasting, and monitoring across the Law School.
• Overseeing the operating, gift, endowment and grant budgets
• Overseeing the budgets for nine departments and close to 30 programs.
• Approve/review requisitions, POs, P-Card Reconciliations, and invoices
• Ensure appropriate fiscal stewardship of endowments, gifts, and grants
• Advise the dean and Law School partners on the fiscal and administrative components of new/potential academic programs and projects; support their administrative/fiscal implementation as needed.
• In partnership with procurement, negotiate and track all financial contracts
• Lead the Law School through the strategic request process at the University
• Build and maintain financial models to support Financial Planning & Analysis responsibilities
• Develop, communicate, and implement financial, operational, and administrative policies to ensure compliance with the University's policies.
• Monitor the school's current and anticipated future financial performance.
• Produce and present financial reports as requested by University Leadership.
• Prepare financial reports needed for program reviews, accreditation reports, rankings, and other ad-hoc requests.
• Oversee the financial viability of Centers and Initiatives funded with grants and endowments, such as the Rappaport Center and the ILH&PR
• Aid the faculty and staff in understanding their budgets and work with them to further the strategic aims of the Law School
• Work closely with the faculty and the C&F team at Advancement on the financial and administrative responsibilities related to any grants, such as:
• Helping to identify grant funding opportunities
• Support through the pre- and post- grant processes, including for the preparation of grant proposals and deliverables.
• In collaboration with the Student and Academic Services team, oversee the student organization budgets, including advising on how to best utilize resources when necessary.
• Oversee financial operations, ensuring strong internal controls and adherence to best practices. Especially ensuring appropriate controls over student accounts, financial aid, and other systems that overlap with the finances.
• Serve as Law School liaison to the Office of Human Resources and collaborate with senior administrators to support hiring of administrative staff and ensure performance improvement when necessary, across all departments, centers, and other units.
• Hire, develop, and manage the finance and administration team, maintaining a culture of high performance, continuous improvement, and ethical behavior.
• Coordinate with the Associate Dean of Academic Affairs and the Office of the Provost on the hiring and employment processes for part-time faculty and visiting faculty.
• Support the Dean during the faculty hiring and employment processes as requested.
• Support the Dean in the HR and finance component of the appointment of faculty Associate Deans, faculty directors of programs, and other term-limited faculty administrative appointments.
• Administer HR programs such as the performance management system merit raise program, and support the annual review process for all employees.
• In collaboration with the Dean and the school's senior leadership, facilitate organizational changes as needed to best support the priorities and effective operation of the School.
• Advise the Dean on space needs and on formulating a strategy to meet those needs.
• Gather input from various internal stakeholders and manage the fair and effective allocation of space.
• Partner with the Dean and the Office of IR&P to support the development of a Renovation/Capital Plan for the Law School as needed.
• Ensure Law School capital projects are requested, approved, and successful. This includes working with the Capital Project team to see them through to completion.
• Work with the University's facilities team to maintain appropriate building operations, facilities maintenance, and renovation/improvements.
• Coordinate with the University's grounds and landscaping team as needed on design needs and upkeep.
• Ensure that the allocated space is secure, aesthetically pleasing, and offers a functional working environment.
• Advocate for the Law School's space and capital needs and oversee all capital projects on behalf of the Law School
• Ensure the accurate reporting of data for accreditation and other external and internal reporting purposes.
• Oversee the data collection, storage, and modeling processes at the Law School.
• Have a strong understanding of how data is processed, flows, and is stored at the University across all financial, HR and student data systems.
• Ensure that the school's policies and procedures conform to accreditation standards.
• Ensure that the school's statistics are reported to outside organizations as needed in an accurate, timely, and effective manner.
• Serve as a member of the team advising the Dean on strategies to directly impact US News Rankings and other relevant rankings.
• Work with departmental personnel to identify ITS strategic needs and to develop the School's technology plan in conjunction with University resources.
• Make recommendations to enhance the efficiency and effectiveness of administrative processes through effective use of technology.
• Ensure that Law School programs are properly setup within the University's IT infrastructure. Such as Eagle Apps, IA and PeopleSoft Financials.
• Serve as the Law School's Data Security Officer
• Partner with ATR in managing the Law School's technology purchasing, accounting, allocation and support following established University procedures and guidelines.
• Ensure data security compliance.
• Provide oversight of technology systems and databases.
• Serve on various Law School and University committees.
• Collaborate with the Director, Faculty Services & Publications to ensure appropriate resource allocation across all faculty.
• Oversee various functions and projects as needed, such as faculty moves, hiring new vendors, and implementation of new policies
• Work with Admissions to build, maintain, and update a predictive data model that monitors the impact of admissions decisions on the finances of the Law School.
• Provide oversight of the application of financial aid to students' accounts to ensure accurate billing and financial aid allocation.
• Partner with the Admissions team to ensure tuition and financial aid budgets are met.
• In collaboration with the program directors and other deans, ensure successful integrations of financial and operational aspects of the MLS and SJD programs.
• Coordinate part-time faculty hiring with the Program Directors and the Associate Dean of Academic Affairs.
• Collaborate on various marketing and enrollment efforts for non-JD programs
• Oversee financial viability of programs and provide budget and FP&A support.
• Provide strategic, administrative and financial support to various programs, including the PILF summer stipend program and the Loan forgiveness program.
• Resolve various ad hoc facilities and financial issues as they arise with students, faculty,