Assistant Dean of Administration & Operations

Title: Asst Dean Admin & Operations

Executive Area: Academic Affairs

College/School/MBU: College of Education

Department: Dean - College of Education

Work Location: Amherst

Schedule: Full time

Work Arrangement: Hybrid

The Assistant Dean of Administration and Operations provides senior‑level leadership, direction, strategy, and direct oversight of the College of Education’s administrative and operational functions. Reporting to the Dean, this non‑unit professional position is responsible for ensuring effective day‑to‑day management, coordination, and continuous improvement of administrative services across the College and its departments. The Assistant Dean supervises the College’s Department Administrators and other assigned staff, establishes clear expectations, promotes consistency in business practices, and fosters a culture of accountability, collaboration, and service excellence.

The role builds, implements, and strengthens operational systems and shared processes that support academic departments, faculty, staff, and students. The Assistant Dean also oversees facilities operations and space management as the College’s primary point of coordination for building needs, renovations, maintenance, safety, and infrastructure planning, and provides oversight of events and communications operations to ensure well‑coordinated programming, effective messaging, and high‑quality execution of college‑wide initiatives and public engagements.

Working closely with the Dean, Associate and Assistant Deans, Department Chairs, and campus partners, the Assistant Dean ensures that administrative and operational functions are efficient, compliant, responsive, and aligned with the College’s mission and institutional priorities.

• Serves as a strategic partner to the Dean and College leadership team to define, support, and implement operational strategies that advance the College’s academic, research, and social justice mission.
• Directly supervises and provides leadership to the College’s Communications Director, Department Administrators, and other assigned administrative staff; sets expectations, evaluates performance, supports professional development, and ensures consistent, high‑quality service delivery across departments.
• Oversees and coordinates the day‑to‑day administrative and operational functions of the College and its departments, ensuring effective, efficient, and compliant business operations.
• Builds, implements, and continuously improves administrative systems, workflows, and shared processes to strengthen service delivery, consistency, and accountability across the College.
• Promotes a culture of collaboration, service excellence, problem‑solving, and continuous improvement throughout the College’s administrative operations.
• Ensures the effectiveness of college‑wide administrative operations, identifying gaps, resolving operational challenges, and implementing practical solutions in partnership with academic and administrative leadership.
• Oversees planning and execution of college‑wide events in collaboration with communications and program staff, ensuring high‑quality coordination, logistics, and operational support.
• Provides oversight of the College’s communications operations to ensure timely, accurate, and mission‑aligned messaging across platforms and audiences.
• Oversees facilities operations and space management for the College, including space allocation, building needs, renovations, maintenance coordination, safety considerations, and compliance with university, state, and federal requirements.
• Serves as the primary liaison with campus facilities and related administrative offices to address operational issues, coordinate projects, and ensure timely resolution of building and infrastructure matters.
• Acts as the primary liaison to key campus administrative offices (e.g., Chancellor’s Office, Provost’s Office, Human Resources, Information Technology) to drive operational initiatives, cross‑functional projects, and institutional efficiencies.
• Develops and maintains operational policies, procedures, and internal guidelines that promote consistency, transparency, and compliance.
• Wo…