Business Manager

King Abdullah University of Science and Technology; Saudi Arabia; On-site; SAR 280,000 - 460,000; Full time

Job summary

King Abdullah University of Science and Technology seeks a Business Manager to oversee faculty support services, HR processes, and divisional operations within the Biomedical Sciences Division. The role partners with senior leadership to ensure efficient service delivery and strategic resource management.

Responsibilities include leading a team of Business Coordinators, enabling budgeting, governance, and continuous improvement initiatives, with an emphasis on data-driven decision making and

Qualifications

• Experience in university or research environments preferred.
• Strong governance, budgeting and reporting skills.
• Experience leading cross-functional teams and process improvements.

Responsibilities

• Oversee faculty support services and administrative operations.
• Lead HR processes: recruitment, onboarding, renewals, offboarding.
• Drive business process improvements and automation.
• Develop dashboards and reporting for decision support.
• Manage divisional budgets and financial governance.

Skills

Higher education administration/ops

Faculty support

Analytical thinking

Stakeholder management

Project management

Education

Bachelor or Master in Business/Finance/IS

Tools

SAP

Power BI

Microsoft 365

Excel

Job description

Position Summary

Reporting to Senior Operations Manager, the Business Manager oversees faculty support services, administrative operations, business processes, and financial management support across the Biomedical Sciences Division. The role serves as a strategic partner to faculty and divisional leadership, ensuring efficient operations and high-quality service delivery. The Business Manager leads a team of Business Coordinators and collaborates with KAUST departments to drive operational excellence, process improvements, resource management, and compliance with institutional policies.

Major Responsibilities

Faculty Support - Administration of HR processes:

• Act as the primary divisional advisor on HR policies, administrative procedures, and employment processes.
• Lead recruitment, appointment, onboarding, contract renewal, and offboarding activities for faculty groups, including researchers, staff, and visitors.
• Maintain accurate personnel records and ensure compliance with university policies and budget allocations.
• Advise faculty and divisional management on employment-related matters, contract administration, workforce planning, and organizational requirements.
• Coordinate with HR and divisional leadership to ensure effective workforce planning and resource allocation.
• Produce workforce analytical reports to support management decisions.

Faculty Services and Operational Excellence:

• Lead the Faculty Support function to ensure efficient delivery of administrative services.
• Serve as a key liaison between faculty, BioMed Admin Team and other administrative departments.
• Review and facilitate purchasing requests, vendor invoices, travel requests, expense reimbursements, and related approvals.
• Coordinate divisional operational activities and resolve complex administrative issues.
• Develop and maintain standardized divisional operating procedures, templates, guidance documents, and service standards.
• Ensure effective knowledge management, filing structures, and administrative documentation.

Business Intelligence, Systems and Process Improvement:

• Lead initiatives to streamline and automate administrative and financial processes.
• Develop reporting tools, dashboards, and decision-support solutions using Power BI and other technologies.
• Collaborate with technology team(s) to improve business systems, workflow automation, and data management capabilities.
• Analyze business processes and identify opportunities to enhance efficiency and service delivery.
• Manage operational improvement projects from requirements gathering through implementation and adoption.
• Promote a culture of continuous improvement and innovation across the division.

Leadership and Team Management:

• Support on staff recruitment and contract renewals of the divisional staff, including job posting, interview coordination, and administrative processes.
• Act as a delegate of the Dean and Senior Operations Manager in reviewing and approving purchasing requests, vendor invoices, travel, expense claims, and security clearance.
• Prepare policy summaries, procedural checklists, and review notes for divisional leadership.
• Escalate critical issues to divisional management as needed, ensuring timely and professional resolution.

Support on Financial Management and Research Fund Administration

• Support management of faculty research portfolios, budget planning, forecasting, and financial reporting systems.
• Support management of divisional operating budgets, quarterly forecasts, and year-end close activities.
• Help with financial discrepancies investigation and corrective actions with relevant stakeholders.
• Support fiscal year-end processes and financial governance activities.
• Provide data-driven recommendations or financial analytical reports to support strategic and operational decision-making.

Competencies

• Strong knowledge of higher education administration, faculty support, and business operations.
• Strong financial management, budgeting, forecasting, and reporting expertise.
• Excellent understanding of HR administration and employment lifecycle processes.
• Demonstrated experience in business process improvement and digital transformation.
• Strong analytical and problem-solving capabilities with data visualization and reporting skills.
• Excellent stakeholder management and relationship-building skills.
• Ability to lead teams within a multicultural environment.
• Strong project management and organizational skills.
• High degree of professionalism, confidentiality, and sound judgment.
• Advanced proficiency in SAP, Power BI, Microsoft 365, Excel, and business systems.

Qualifications

• Bachelor or Master degree in Business Administration, Finance, Accounting, Information Systems, Computer Science, or a related discipline.
• Minimum 10 years of progressive experience in business operations, financial management, administration, business systems, and process improvement.
• Demonstrated experience supporting faculty, senior leadership, and research-focused organizations.
• Experience within a university, research institution, or higher education environment is preferred.
• Experience leading cross-functional teams and complex organizational initiatives.
• Strong experience in analytics, dashboard development, process automation, and business intelligence tools.
• Demonstrated ability to manage both operational and financial functions in a dynamic environment.
• Experience with SAP, Power BI, workflow automation solutions, and enterprise business systems.