Career Center

The Deputy Director of Operations is a key team member in the Graduate School responsible for implementing high-level, strategic projects across the breadth of the organization to help the Graduate School achieve superb operational effectiveness. Reporting to the Executive Director of Operations, this individual will plan, development, implement, and assess major initiatives and help facilitate the day-to-day administrative and operational activities of the Graduate School. The Deputy Director will be responsible for tracking the major milestones for the Graduate School through the effective utilization of project tracking software and will provide leadership with updated Gantt charts and status updates. The Deputy Director will oversee the cadence of stakeholder meetings to convene internal audiences, such as the Directors of Graduate Studies, Graduate Faculty Council, and Associate Deans for graduate education, including setting the agenda, maintaining minutes, and ensuring timely follow-up on all identified action items. The Deputy Director of Operations will also be responsible for the development and implementation of staff engagement initiatives, trainings, and professional development programs and policies. The Deputy Director of Operations will liaise closely with finance and human resources colleagues and serve on institutional committees and working groups.

The mission of the Graduate School at Vanderbilt University is to promote excellence in research and scholarship with the goal of training the next generation of leaders within and outside of the academy. The Graduate School recruits the most promising pre- and post-doctoral scholars from a diverse set of backgrounds, ensures the maintenance of the highest academic and professional standards, and supports departments, faculty, graduate students, and postdocs through programming, support services, and strategic initiatives.

Duties and Responsibilities
* Provides strategic, tactical, and professional leadership for high-level projects, programming, and initiatives.
* Develops detailed project plans and timelines and is responsible for identifying and implementing process improvements.
* Assesses program impacts to ensure achievement of goals.
* Conducts research and prepares reports and white papers for review.
* Creates effective presentations and talking points for high-level leaders, including the Vice Provost and Dean of the Graduate School.
* Drafts standards of procedure for the Graduate School.
* Develops staff engagement trainings and programming and oversees the Graduate School's Professional Development budget and standard of procedure.
* Serves on internal and external committees to advance the mission of the Graduate School and the institution.
* Employs budget-conscious decision-making and apply creative solutions to ensure cost-effectiveness across all administrative activities.
* Ensures spending is aligned with the budget and review monthly reports reconciling budget to actuals.
* Provides oversight of endowments, NSF GRFP awards, University fellowship awards, travel grants and other grant awards, scholarships and programs under the Graduate School umbrella.
* Manages shared resources with Vanderbilt University Medical Center (VUMC) via the employee service agreement (ESA) process.
* Develops and maintains positive and collaborative working relationships with campus partners.
* Other duties as assigned.

Qualifications

• A master's degree is required.
• A minimum of five years of experience and expertise in related project management.
• An appreciation for graduate and doctoral training and interest in supporting the mission of the Graduate School.
• Experience working with or for institutions of higher education.
• Experience in business process change and change management.
• Ability to think strategically to manage multiple projects and initiatives with changing priorities and strict deadlines.
• Excellent and proven project management skills.
• Experience with project management software tools.
• Ability to manage people and teams who may not have direct reporting relationships.
• Exceptional interpersonal skills and a positive attitude.
• Demonstrated ability to handle high-level, sensitive, and confidential information.
• Ability to work independently through role and system ambiguity.
• Proficient with Microsoft software (e.g., Microsoft Excel, Word, PowerPoint, Teams).

Commitment to Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion

At Vanderbilt University, we are intentional about and assume accountability for fostering advancement and respect for equity, diversity, and inclusion for all students, faculty, and staff. Our commitment to diversity makes us who we are. We have created a community that celebrates differences and lets individuality thrive. As part of this commitment, we actively value diversity in our workplace and learning environments as we seek to take advantage of the rich backgrounds and abilities of everyone. The diverse voices of Vanderbilt represent an invaluable resource for the University in its efforts to fulfill its mission and strive to be an example of excellence in higher education.

Vanderbilt University is an equal opportunity, affirmative action employer. Women, minorities, people with disabilities, and protected veterans are encouraged to apply.

Please note, all candidates selected for an offer of employment are subject to pre-employment background checks, which may include but are not limited to, based on the role for which they have been selected: criminal history, education verification, social media review, motor vehicle records, credit history, and professional license verification.