Department: WCAS Administration
Salary/Grade: EXS/15

The Weinberg College of Arts and Sciences is reimagining traditional arts and sciences education in ways that prepare our students for success in an ever-changing, complex world. The College is the most comprehensive of Northwestern’s 12 schools, offering 47 majors to approximately 4,300 undergraduate students. Our goal is to develop in students a Northwestern Mindset – a flexible, adaptable view of the world that seeks to understand the pressing issues of today and transform them into the promising new opportunities of tomorrow.  Staff who work in the College think creatively, work collaboratively, and are dedicated to building a strong community.  
The hallmark of our distinctive educational model is diversity in all of its manifestations. We are committed to maintaining and enhancing the breadth and depth of our course offerings and to ensuring the intellectual and experiential diversity of our faculty and students. In short, we believe that diversity is an essential value that lies at the heart of our community and one that needs to be actively encouraged and pursued. 

Job Summary:

As a member of the Dean’s senior leadership team, the Associate Dean is primarily responsible for the financial strategy and management, and business operations for Weinberg College. The Associate Dean oversees the alignment of administrative operations including Finance, Human Resources, and Information Technology with the strategic initiatives of the College. The Associate Dean is responsible for developing and implementing current best practice policies and systems in finance and operations to support the growth and impact of the College, partnering closely with senior leadership in the College on operations such as faculty recruitment and retention, facilities and equipment, and research support and personnel. Collaborates regularly with the other schools at Northwestern, Office for Research, Office of the Provost, and senior members of the Office of Business and Finance, including Human Resources, Financial Operations, Budget and Planning, Risk and Compliance, and Information Technology. Weinberg College is committed to furthering diversity, equity and inclusion, and all members of our office contribute in their respective roles. The Associate Dean promotes diversity, equity, and inclusion in the College in all aspects of this portfolio.

Specific Responsibilities: 
Finance

• With Director of Financial Analysis, oversees, plans and provides analysis for all financial and accounting operations in Weinberg College, including budgets, reconciliations, and projections
• Prepares detailed statistical reports, models, presentations and financial studies of key variables in Weinberg College’s financial model.  Develops and utilizes forward-looking, predictive models and financial analyses
• Uses Enterprise systems to gather and analyze institutional data to inform strategic decisions in resource allocation, as well as policy development and implementation to meet the College’s strategic and operational goals
• Ensures all financial processes are run efficiently and are aligned with University systems and best practices
• Serves as the liaison to different units within Northwestern related to finance and operations, including dean’s office colleagues, departments and programs, other schools and administrative or academic units at Northwestern, and the Central Administration
• Maintains continuous lines of communication, keeping all stakeholders informed of all critical issues

Human Resources and Business Operations

• With Director of Administration, leads strategic efforts to provide talent development and a positive work environment for the College's 300+ staff, promoting a culture of continuous improvement that values learning and a commitment to quality and efficiency 
• Determines and implements organizational structures to align with strategic mission and promotes continuous improvement of processes by ensuring efficiency, transparency, and operational excellence at all levels 
• Directs and oversees the work of the HR, finance and operations teams
• Determine the optimal utilization of the staff budget to best support the College's faculty and students, as well as the Dean's strategic initiatives
• Interprets and administers policy and related operational matters
• Contributes to the annual compensation plan for faculty members

Information Technology 

• With Director of Information Technology, guides Information Technology Services at Weinberg College, ensuring a strategic financial commitment to technological support of the teaching, research, and business missions, and ensuring the school is optimally leveraging new and emerging technology
• Ensure information technology systems support organizational excellence, decision analysis, and strategic initiatives of the College
• Develop strategy for IT resource allocation and oversee implementation of IT plans
• Advance Weinberg College’s academic technology capabilities, including support for students and faculty in the use of educational and research software, multimedia services, course management systems, web products, institutional repository assets, and other tools
• Oversee the development of a strategy for the build and maintenance of school-wide IT applications
• Effectively advocate on behalf of the College to the Central Administration and NUIT 
• Partner in managing negotiation and escalations with faculty and departments
• Other duties as assigned by the Dean

Minimum Qualifications: 

• An MBA, MS, PhD or other advanced degree, or equivalent experience. 
• At least five years of management-level experience in higher education administration or a related field.  Strong understanding of universities, including administration of teaching, research, and faculty/student services. 
• Substantial experience in financial management and budget planning.

Minimum Competencies: (Skills, knowledge, and abilities.)

• Excellent interpersonal and collaboration skills, including ability to gather a wide variety of input from diverse constituencies and to communicate difficult decisions in ways that contribute to a strong community. 
• Experience effectively articulating the business needs of the unit in development and implementation of enterprise systems.  
• Highly developed analytical and data analysis skills, strong computer software skills, and ability to drive effective use of data throughout the Dean’s Office and departments/programs. 
• Proven experience developing and communicating a strategic vision for an Operations team.
• Superior management and leadership skills, with the ability to positively influence direct and indirect reports.
• Substantial experience with change management, organizational structuring, and position design. 

Northwestern University is an Equal Opportunity, Affirmative Action Employer of all protected classes, including veterans and individuals with disabilities. Women, racial and ethnic minorities, individuals with disabilities, and veterans are encouraged to apply. Hiring is contingent upon eligibility to work in the United States.