Chief of Staff to EVP Finance and Administration

Chief of Staff to the EVP for Finance and Administration

The University of New Mexico seeks a collaborative, strategic, and accomplished administrator to serve as Chief of Staff to the Executive Vice President for Finance and Administration (EVPFA). As a senior deputy to the EVPFA, the Chief of Staff plays a central role in advancing institutional priorities, strengthening executive leadership, and ensuring coordinated execution across one of the University's largest and most complex portfolios.

UNM's Finance and Administration organization supports the University's administrative, financial, and infrastructure functions, encompassing a broad portfolio that includes financial services, budgeting, human resources, information technology, public safety, environmental health and safety, capital and space, institutional policy, and campus support services. The Chief of Staff plays a key role in ensuring that resources, systems, and operations are aligned with institutional priorities.

Reporting directly to the EVPFA, the Chief of Staff helps advance strategic priorities, coordinating complex cross functional initiatives, facilitating executive decision making, and ensuring organizational priorities remain aligned across the division. The Chief of Staff works closely with university leadership, the President's Office, the Board of Regents, faculty and staff leaders, and external partners on matters of strategic importance.

This is not only an advisory or coordinating role. The Chief of Staff carries delegated authority to decide, commit, and direct on behalf of the EVPFA within defined limits, and has supervisory responsibility for critical enterprise functions, including the University Policy Office, Crisis Management and Emergency Preparedness, and the EVPFA executive office.

The successful candidate must be comfortable moving between strategic advising and hands-on execution, counseling leadership on sensitive institutional issues, providing oversight to assigned departments, and developing high-quality work under tight deadlines. The Chief of Staff's portfolio may evolve over time as additional enterprise functions or institutional priorities are assigned to the office.

Key Responsibilities:

• Strategic Executive Partnership and Delegated Authority
• Oversight of Assigned Enterprise Functions
• Divisional Operating Leadership and Enterprise Initiatives
• Executive Communication

Measure of Success:

In the first 12 to 18 months, the Chief of Staff will have become a trusted deputy to the EVPFA and a collaborative partner across the Finance and Administration, helping divisional leaders navigate issues that cross organizational boundaries and ensuring the EVPFA has visibility into major institutional and divisional priorities. The Chief of Staff will have strengthened the effectiveness of the Finance and Administration leadership team, improved accountability and coordination across major initiatives, and increased the division's ability to anticipate and resolve significant issues without unnecessary escalation to the EVPFA.

At the same time, the Chief of Staff will provide effective oversight of the University Policy Office, Crisis Management and Emergency Preparedness, and the EVPFA executive office, establishing clear priorities, supporting and developing staff, and ensuring these functions operate effectively and continue to improve.

Success will ultimately be reflected in a Finance and Administration organization that operates with greater coordination, clarity, and accountability, and in an EVPFA who has greater capacity to focus on institutional strategy, executive leadership, external relationships, and the University's highest-priority issues.

Work Expectations:

This position requires consistent on-campus presence. The duties depend on constant engagement in divisional activity, direct leadership of assigned units, and readiness to respond to emergent matters. The role requires availability outside standard business hours and on short notice, such as during emergency activations, Regents' meetings, and legislative sessions.