Assistant Dean of Administration & Operations

Title: Asst Dean Admin & Operations

Executive Area: Academic Affairs

College/School/MBU: College of Education

Department: Dean - College of Education

Work Location: Amherst

Schedule:Full time

Work Arrangement:Hybrid

Job Summary

The Assistant Dean of Administration and Operations provide senior-level leadership, direction, strategy, and direct oversight of the College of Education's administrative and operational functions. Reporting to the Dean, this non-unit professional position is responsible for ensuring effective day-to-day management, coordination, and continuous improvement of administrative services across the College and its departments.

The Assistant Dean supervises the College's Department Administrators and other assigned staff, establishing clear expectations, promoting consistency in business practices, and fostering a culture of accountability, collaboration, and service excellence. The role is responsible for building, implementing, and strengthening operational systems and shared processes that support academic departments, faculty, staff, and students.

The Assistant Dean oversees facilities operations and space management, serving as the College's primary point of coordination for building needs, renovations, maintenance, safety, and infrastructure planning. The position also provides oversight of events and communications operations to ensure well-coordinated programming, effective messaging, and high-quality execution of college-wide initiatives and public engagements.

Working closely with the Dean, Associate and Assistant Deans, Department Chairs, and campus partners, the Assistant Dean ensures that administrative and operational functions are efficient, compliant, responsive, and aligned with the College's mission and institutional priorities.

Essential Functions

Serves as a strategic partner to the Dean and College leadership team to define, support, and implement operational strategies that advance the College's academic, research, and social justice mission.

Directly supervises and provides leadership to the College's Communications Director, Department Administrators, and other assigned administrative staff; sets expectations, evaluates performance, supports professional development, and ensures consistent, high-quality service delivery across departments.

Oversees and coordinates the day-to-day administrative and operational functions of the College and its departments, ensuring effective, efficient, and compliant business operations.

Builds, implements, and continuously improves administrative systems, workflows, and shared processes to strengthen service delivery, consistency, and accountability across the College.

Promotes a culture of collaboration, service excellence, problem-solving, and continuous improvement throughout the College's administrative operations.

Ensures the effectiveness of college-wide administrative operations, identifying gaps, resolving operational challenges, and implementing practical solutions in partnership with academic and administrative leadership.

Oversees planning and execution of college-wide events in collaboration with communications and program staff, ensuring high-quality coordination, logistics, and operational support.

Provides oversight of the College's communications operations to ensure timely, accurate, and mission-aligned messaging across platforms and audiences.

Oversees facilities operations and space management for the College, including space allocation, building needs, renovations, maintenance coordination, safety considerations, and compliance with university, state, and federal requirements.

Serves as the primary liaison with campus facilities and related administrative offices to address operational issues, coordinate projects, and ensure timely resolution of building and infrastructure matters.

Acts as the primary liaison to key campus administrative offices (e.g., Chancellor's Office, Provost's Office, Human Resources, Information Technology) to drive operational initiatives, cross-functional projects, and institutional efficiencies.

Develops and maintains operational policies, procedures, and internal guidelines that promote consistency, transparency, and compliance.

Works closely with the Dean, Associate and Assistant Deans, Department Chairs, and Directors to support implementation of operational priorities and ensure administrative alignment with academic needs.

Ensures compliance with university policies, collective bargaining agreements, and applicable legal and regulatory standards within areas of responsibility.

Other Functions

Performs other duties as assigned.

Minimum Qualifications

Bachelor's degree with at least five (5) years of progressively responsible leadership experience in administrative or operational leadership within a complex institution. A Master's degree may substitute for two (2) years of required experience.

Demonstrated experience leading strategic planning and supervising professional staff, including performance management, coaching, and team development.

Experience managing day-to-day administrative operations, systems, or shared services planning across multiple units or departments.

Experience overseeing facilities operations, space planning, or comparable operational functions.

Demonstrated ability to identify operational inefficiencies and implement practical, sustainable improvements.

Strong organizational and problem-solving skills, with the ability to manage multiple priorities and operational demands simultaneously.

Excellent interpersonal skills and demonstrated ability to work collaboratively with senior leadership, faculty, staff, students, and external partners.

Strong written and verbal communication skills.

Strong negotiation skills.

Demonstrated commitment to creating a respectful, inclusive, and service-oriented workplace environment.

Ability to exercise sound judgment, maintain confidentiality, and handle sensitive information appropriately.

Proficiency in Microsoft Office and Google Workspace, and ability to learn enterprise systems relevant to administration and operations. relevant to administration and operational management, facilities, and communications.

Preferred Qualifications

Master's degree in higher education administration, public administration, organizational leadership, business administration, or a related field.

At least three (3) years of administrative leadership experience in higher education or a similarly complex, mission-driven environment.

Experience supervising department-level administrators or managing decentralized administrative teams.

Experience coordinating College-level facilities projects, renovations, or capital improvements in an academic or institutional setting.

Experience overseeing institutional events and operational communications functions.

Experience working in a unionized environment and familiarity with collective bargaining agreements.

Familiarity with university systems, shared governance structures, and institutional administrative policies.

Additional Details

The College of Education includes 3 departments and serves approximately 400 undergraduate students and 400 graduate students. At any one time, the College maintains approximately 240 employee appointments, including tenure system faculty, part-time and full-time lecturers, permanent and temporary staff members, post-doctoral research associates, graduate teaching assistants, and student employees.

This is a non-unit professional position.

Working Conditions

Work is performed in a standard office or indoor university environment and involves minimal physical exertion.

Work Schedule and Work Arrangement

Monday-Friday 8:30 am - 5:00 pm (40 hours per week)

Required to work occasional nights and weekends.

This position has the opportunity for a hybrid work schedule, which is defined by the University as an arrangement where an employee's work is regularly performed at a location other than the campus workspace for a portion of the week. As this position is non-unit, it is subject to the terms and conditions of the University of Massachusetts Board of Trustees Non-Unit (Professional/or Classified) Employee Personnel Policy.

Salary Information

UMass Amherst expects to pay within an approximate range between $105,000 and $125,000 for this position.

Special Instructions for Applicants

Along with the application, please submit a resume and a cover letter outlining their interest in the role. References will be checked at the finalist stage. Please be prepared to provide the contact information for three (3) professional references.

This position will remain open for the time period required by any applicable collective bargaining agreement and will continue until a suitable candidate pool is identified. Interested applicants are strongly encouraged to apply early.