Director of Operations, NSCORE

Columbia University; New York (NY); On-site; USD 120,000 - 130,000; Full time

Job summary

Columbia University in New York seeks a Director of Operations to lead the National Synthesis Center for Organismal Resilience (NSCORE). This role directs all administrative functions, including financial management, grant administration, HR, operations, governance, and partnerships, with a $2-5M annual budget and a focus on compliance and strategic impact.

The Director reports to the NSCORE Executive Director, supervises staff, manages complex programs, and coordinates with faculty, University

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree and 5-7 years of related experience.
• Experience managing staff and coordinating multiple projects in a matrixed organization.
• Strong interpersonal and written/oral communication skills.

Responsibilities

• Finance & Operations: manage a $2-5M annual operating budget and monitor subaward agreements.
• Staff & Project Management: supervise at least two staff; oversee seed funding and recruit researchers.
• Leadership Support: staff leadership meetings and coordinate reporting to faculty and partners.
• Communications, Events & Special Projects: manage internal/external communications and organize events.

Skills

Leadership

Communication skills

Project management

Education

Bachelor's degree

Graduate degree (engineering or sciences, data science, business admin, or public administration)

Job description

• Job Type: Officer of Administration
• Bargaining Unit:
• Regular/Temporary: Regular
• End Date if Temporary:
• Hours Per Week: 35
• Standard Work Schedule:
• Building:
• Salary Range: $120,000 - $130,000

The salary of the finalist selected for this role will be set based on a variety of factors, including but not limited to departmental budgets, qualifications, experience, education, licenses, specialty, and training. The above hiring range represents the University's good faith and reasonable estimate of the range of possible compensation at the time of posting.

Position Summary

Reporting to the Executive Director of the National Synthesis Center for Organismal Resilience (NSCORE), the Director of Operations provides strategic and operational leadership for a federally funded research center by directing all aspects of administration, including financial management, grant administration, human resources, operations, communications, academic governance, and institutional partnerships. Reporting to the Executive Director, the incumbent oversees a $2?5+ million annual operating budget, supervises administrative staff, ensures compliance with federal and University policies, supports executive leadership and governance activities, and leads special initiatives that advance the Center?s research, education, outreach, and broader impact objectives. The Director serves as the primary administrative liaison among faculty, University offices, funding agencies, and external partners, ensuring effective resource coordination, operational excellence, and successful execution of the Center?s strategic priorities.

Responsibilities

Finance & Operations

• Work with A&S and University-wide offices to manage and report on a $2-5M annual operating budget, including monitoring subaward agreements and tracking milestones for partner universities and partnering organizations.
• Develop individualized trackers, summaries, and other documents to help facilitate discussions and decision-making on the Center?s budget.
• Review and approve spending and funding requests; designate the appropriate funding source for spending and purchases; and oversee the budget officer's complex daily, monthly, and detailed annual tracking of these expenditures.
• Oversee annual budgeting and re-budgeting activities and report on financial affairs to the federal agency sponsor on an annual and as-needed basis and communicate sponsor requests and other updates to Executive Committee and University partners.
• Manager reporting on the project to NSF in coordination with the Sponsored Project Finance team and the Controller?s office

Staff & Project Management

• Supervise at least two staff members who support the Center?s financial management requirements and broader impact initiatives, including education, outreach, and knowledge transfer.
• Set performance tasks and objectives, motivate personnel to achieve desired results, review work products, meet regularly for one-on-one check-ins and all-hands staff meetings, and ensure necessary staff support of faculty efforts across research, education, broadening participation, and knowledge transfer.
• Administer the Center?s seed funding program, including overseeing the proposal review process and disbursement of funds to awardees.
• Facilitate the recruitment and supervision of postdoctoral, graduate, and undergraduate researchers, and work-study students.

Leadership Support

• Staff the Center?s monthly Leadership Team meetings, quarterly Advisory Board meetings, and staff all other advisory and subcommittee meetings.
• Ensure that Center faculty and leadership have the administrative support necessary to achieve excellence in intellectual activities, societal impact, and overall operations.
• Represent the Center Director?s and Leadership Team?s vision and serve as a liaison to faculty, schools, and administrative units of Columbia University, including senior University leadership, as well as to the partnering Universities.
• Coordinate the engagement, integration, and quality of reporting deliverables from all members of the Center?s team of faculty, trainees, non-academic institutional partners, and administrators.

Communications, Events & Special Projects

• Spearhead special projects as directed by the Center Director and Leadership Team, including but not limited to external communications, partnership development, event planning, new program design, and/or personnel recruitment.
• Manage the Center?s internal and external communications with the Educational/Outreach Coordinator, ensuring alignment with the Center Director and Leadership Team?s strategic priorities.
• Oversee Center-wide events, including the annual meeting, funding-agency site visits, workshops, and outreach, including industry partnership events.
• Other duties as assigned.

Minimum Qualifications

• Bachelor?s degree and 5-7 years of related experience.

Preferred Qualifications

• Graduate degree, preferably in engineering or sciences, data science, business administration, and/or public administration.

Other Requirements

• At least 5-7 years of management and organizational leadership and change management experience, including a strong commitment to supervising and developing staff combined with the ability to plan and manage multiple diverse projects, work collaboratively across functions, levels, and departments toward shared objectives, and integrate resources on a timely and organized basis.
• Experience within a complex and matrixed enterprise.
• Demonstrated operational and financial management experience, including formulating and executing a strategic plan in support of growing and scaling an organization in terms of staff, budget, activity, and impact.
• Experience or familiarity with the federal grantmaking landscape and government funding policies and guidelines.
• Demonstrated ability to think strategically, to anticipate future consequences and trends, and to incorporate them into organizational planning processes.
• Ability to effectively collaborate with diverse personnel and partners, notably those from academia, industry, non-profits, and the city and federal government, with the ability to convey a vision of the Center?s strategic future.
• Exceptional interpersonal, organizational, and oral and written communication skills.
• Ability to consider multiple points of view and to make sometimes difficult decisions.
• A working knowledge of the higher ed environment and academia.
• Track record of handling sensitive information with the highest level of professionalism and confidentiality.
• Strong personal interest in urban technologies.

Equal Opportunity Employer / Disability / Veteran

Columbia University is committed to the hiring of qualified local residents.