Requisition Number:
65371
Location:
Boulder, Colorado
City
Boulder
State
Colorado
Employment Type:
University Staff
Schedule:
Full-Time
Posting Close Date:
06-Jul-2025
Date Posted:
18-Jun-2025

JOB SUMMARY

The Department of Chemistry is encouraging applications for the Director of Finance, Business, and Building Operations position! The Director of Finance, Business, and Building Operations reports directly to the Chair. In this capacity, the position will provide high-level budgetary, financial, policy, and administrative support to the Chair. This position is primarily responsible for department operations, including finance and accounting, grant administration, faculty affairs, human resources, facility and building oversight, and academic program administrative support. This position is responsible for ensuring that each of these components of operations is in line with the mission of the unit and successfully meets the goals of the unit. This position engages in long-term strategic projects, planning in consultation with the Chair and Associate Chairs, in addition to supervising staff responsible for operational transactions. This position has the authority to delegate to staff as necessary.
This position will apply knowledge and interpret principles, rules, regulations, policies, precedents, and other guidelines specific to the College of Arts and Sciences, the University of Colorado Boulder, and the State of Colorado to analyze needs, resolve problems, answer questions, and provide information. Advise on technical issues and ensure timely and effective delivery of department, college, and university services to faculty, staff, and student employees. Further, the person in this position must possess excellent communication and organizational skills and have the ability to successfully manage multiple self-directed projects that may, at times, have competing priorities. Thus, the individual in this position must have a strong administrative background and excellent skills in business administration, fiscal, and personnel management.
CU is an Equal Opportunity Employer and complies with all applicable federal, state, and local laws governing nondiscrimination in employment. We are committed to creating a workplace where all individuals are treated with respect and dignity, and we encourage individuals from all backgrounds to apply, including protected veterans and individuals with disabilities.

WHO WE ARE

The Department of Chemistry at the University of Colorado Boulder emphasizes knowledge of the basic principles of chemistry, including atomic and molecular theory, the states of matter, and reactivities and properties of chemical substances. Students study the basic subfields of chemistry, such as organic, physical, analytical, and inorganic chemistry, all while developing the mathematical skills to understand fundamental chemical relationships and to manipulate experimental data. Graduates also learn safe chemical practices, including handling waste, safety equipment, assembling chemical apparatus, and designing experiments.

WHAT YOU SHOULD KNOW

• This is a hybrid position requiring at least 2 days/week on campus.
• This can be subject to change based on the business needs of the department.
• Employees may be expected to be on campus up to 5 days a week during the initial training period.

Financial Management

Fiscal Oversight

• Is responsible for the Financial operations of the department and staff responsible for grant accounts and sponsored projects.
• Maintains and monitors the following accounts: general fund accounts, auxiliary accounts, gift accounts (including student scholarship funds)
• Collaborates and advises the Chair with monthly and yearly budget planning to align spending
• Provides ad hoc reports from PeopleSoft, Cognos, etc., when requested
• Evaluates and forecasts departmental accounts on an ongoing basis to monitor the resources available for operations and special projects
• Analyze business operations for programmatic and fiscal efficacy and implement changes.
• Yearly budget report to the executive committee and faculty.

Budget

• Ensure compliance with approved budgets and policies, procedures, rules, and regulations.

• Review and forecast budgets for all accounts to include:

• • Working with the chair and associate chairs to plan and forecast funding for instruction.
• Manage faculty startup accounts, ensuring that they are funded according to the terms of their agreements.
• Monitors gift funds and donor contact, analyzes and makes projections regarding endowment earnings/losses and spending practices. This position will decide if and when to turn off the reinvestment option and inform the chair.
• Exerting expenditure control and enforcing ethical standards for expenditure of funds, and advising the associate chair on budgetary decisions needed in the chair’s absence.
• Supervises Staff Responsible for:
• Working with faculty to plan and forecast income and expense for research grants and auxiliary operations such as conferences.
• Providing status reports to Principal Investigators on all projects held by the individual investigator.
• Maintaining maintenance contracts, lab services, work orders, insurance claims
• Maintaining service centers budget, operations and calculating rate sheets
• Analyzes demand and prepares budget projections for department instructional fund and manages the related budget.
• Determines actions to protect budgets, resolves deficits, and provide for unexpected or unique expenses. Ensure Department commitments are processed.
• Decides when to open or close new or unused departmental speed types (ST), decides what ST is most appropriate for unusual and unexpected expenses, decides when to transfer budgets, revenues and expenses to best support the needs of the department.
• Oversight of faculty PI speedtypes for accuracy and regulatory compliance.
• Maintain integrated purchasing and financial record-keeping systems that align with sponsored project regulations, university policies, and Department of Homeland Security chemical inventory requirements.

Expenditures

• Provides revenue and expense tracking, analysis, and makes recommendations for Undergraduate and Graduate Programs on a regular basis to monitor the resources available for ongoing operations and special projects.
• Provide oversight for all accounting, purchasing, and payroll functions to ensure compliance with approved budgets and policies, procedures, rules, and regulations.
• Reviews purchase contracts and recurring expenses to ensure utilization and financial efficiencies.
• Is responsible for the insurance loss claim process and ensures funds for expenses are reimbursed timely.
• Authorizes departmental expenditures and supervises staff responsible for purchasing, procurement, and buying and contracting. Maintains departmental budget files so that they are accessible and explicable in case of examination or audit by university officials.
• Initiates and/or supervises departmental payroll corrections, manages salary deficits, runs reports in HRMS and A&S portal as needed.

Relationship Management

• Liaise with related budget offices, including the College’s Budget Office, HR Service Center, Bursars, and the Office of Contract and Grants when necessary.
• Compile information requested by the campus budget office or others.
• Reviews monthly and year-end statements, authorizes accounts payable vouchers, purchase orders, and transfer of funds forms. Authorizes and conducts financial transfers between departmental accounts and into and out of the department. May be accomplished in conjunction with direct reports- CHEM finance and accounting team.
• Works with the Financial Service Center (FSC) on processing expense reimbursements, P-card reconciliations, and special projects as needed.
• Liaise with Risk Management on all departmental insurance claims to ensure policies are followed and repairs/purchases are approved/reimbursed.

Faculty Personnel Management

• Act as the administrative manager responsible for, but not limited to, organizing and implementing faculty orientation, faculty recruitment (to include management of the recruitment system), faculty promotion, reappointment, and tenure (to include cataloging and storing student letters regarding faculty teaching), post tenure review, and faculty merit.
• Serve as the primary point of contact for faculty with respect to university and departmental policies; general payroll questions; start-up funds; research accounts; faculty computer purchase program; and office space.
• Work with the Finance team to address issues with in-house travel, research grants, travel authorization, and reimbursements.
• Monitors Faculty Report of Professional Activities submission; reminds faculty to submit reports; provides reports and other databases, and information as requested to the Salary Committee.
• Initiates or facilitates the scheduling of meetings for the annual merit evaluation of faculty. Prepare evaluation spreadsheets for Merit meetings and assist the chair in documenting meeting discussions.
• Supervises and coordinates academic appointments, re-appointments, promotions, tenure, retention activities, and grievance procedures for department faculty.
• Compiles and organizes information for faculty and senior instructor reappointment, tenure, and promotion.
• Keeps current records of faculty eligibility for sabbatical, reappointment, tenure, and post-tenure review.
• Maintains and disseminates the current and accurate version of departmental faculty rules.
• Conducts faculty elections for reappointment/tenure promotion, hiring, administrative positions, committee positions, and departmental faculty rule changes. Ensures that all eligible faculty members are informed of balloting procedures and due dates. Ensures security and secrecy of the balloting process as appropriate.
• Serve as liaison for faculty to ensure they are provided the appropriate employment-related offices, including the College, Faculty Affairs, Graduate School, HR Service Center, and Employee Services

Staff Personnel Management and Supervision

• Manage and supervise the department’s Finance, Facilities, and Operations Managers, including indirect oversight of purchasing, finance, human resources, and program staff, ensuring all operational needs are satisfied.
• Responsible for hiring decisions, training, leave approval, performance management, evaluations, and disciplinary actions involving employees.
• Organizes the daily activities of the work unit by prioritizing and monitoring workflow.
• Oversees and is aware of the status of projects/tasks that directly relate to the activities of the work unit.
• Reviews work for accuracy as needed and ensures due dates are met.

Administrative & Operations Management

• Advises the chair on departmental procedures and provides background information to departmental administrators.
• Serves as a resource as needed for departmental committees that report to the chair.
• Be responsible for a collective procedural and policy resource to provide department continuity.
• Ensure operational needs are met by assessing the strengths and development needs of staff.
• Analyze department resources to align with department goals and vision.
• Continually analyze processes, workflow, and operations to improve efficiency, compliance, and outcomes.
• Oversee building security and assess for areas of improvement.
• Manage tenant relationships with regard to lease, space, communications, etc., to ensure we are meeting agreements and expectations.
• Develop and supervise operational procedures for retiring/leaving faculty, as well as new faculty and visitors.
• Serve on committees relating to new construction or renovation.
• Ensure that building operations and maintenance meet the needs of the department (custodial, contract services, environment, etc.)
• Create an effective operation by promoting collaboration and cross-training among the staff.
• Conducts regular staff meetings. Mentor, coach, and ensure professional development opportunities. Engage staff in collaborative problem solving.
• Manages and delegates additional duties as needed to meet department needs.
• Comment on and contribute to university-wide and campus policy as appropriate.
• Collaborate and coordinate with other administrative offices as needed to manage the implementation of new systems or ensure compliance with new policies.

Other

• Assist the Chair and Faculty with other duties as assigned.
• Initiates and or supervises support for and completion of annual or periodic reports to the university and external bodies such as the American Chemical Society.