Department Manager

Department Academic Administration Sr

Lead the operations that keep Plant & Soil Sciences moving forward. The University of Kentucky is seeking a Department Academic Administration Sr to join the Martin-Gatton College of Agriculture, Food and Environment Department of Plant & Soil Sciences. This position manages daily administrative operations and provides high-level support to departmental leadership across teaching, research, extension, and academic programming.

What You'll Do

• Manage daily departmental workflow and administrative operations, streamline processes, and provide high-level support to the Department Chair, Director of Graduate Studies, and Director of Undergraduate Studies.
• Coordinate approval and administrative processes involving Concur expenditures and travel, purchases, Personal Vehicle Authorizations, e-IAFs, time requests, departmental reporting, mail, supplies, the department website, and listservs.
• Maintain departmental data and support reporting using Tableau, Excel, SAP, myUK, the Effort Planning System, eBARS, and related University systems.
• Facilitate workflow with College and University partners, including the Dean's Office, Business Center, Communications, Facilities Management, Philanthropy, International Center, and other centralized units.
• Coordinate faculty processes, including assembling tenure and promotion materials, supporting faculty appointments, completing and monitoring distribution of effort calculations, and managing required adjustments.
• Oversee Teaching Assistant scheduling and compliance, including orientations, evaluations, course coverage, Graduate School requirements, and resolution of system warnings.
• Coordinate the department's annual capital inventory process across campus and off-site research and extension locations throughout Kentucky, while providing ongoing oversight of equipment inventory information.
• Serve as the primary departmental contact for international visa processes for visiting students, scholars, and faculty, coordinating documentation and offer letters with faculty and University partners.
• Manage Plant Science Building operational needs, including maintenance, room usage, keys, event space, facilities billing assessments, and protocols and documentation related to workplace incidents and property claims.
• Collaborate with College philanthropy, advancement, and alumni relations staff and the Department Chair to support donor and alumni engagement aligned with departmental priorities.
• Oversee departmental events, space reservations, the annual faculty retreat, alumni activities, graduate seminar support, special projects, and related communications.
• Supervise administrative support personnel through work assignments, coaching, performance feedback, annual evaluations, regular staff meetings, and continuous improvement initiatives.
• Interpret and apply University policies and departmental procedures while promoting strong customer service, effective communication, and consistent, accurate work.

What You'll Bring

• Strong organizational, time management, and attention-to-detail skills, with an emphasis on accuracy and timely completion of work.
• Excellent written, oral, interpersonal, and customer service communication skills.
• Leadership, decision-making, coaching, performance management, and team-building abilities.
• Ability to coordinate complex administrative workflows and collaborate effectively with faculty, staff, students, College and University partners, visitors, alumni, and donors.
• Experience working with administrative and reporting systems; knowledge of University reporting systems, SAP, and the UK portal is essential for the role.
• Ability to interpret procedures and policies, manage competing priorities, identify opportunities for improvement, and maintain consistent standards of service and quality.

Minimum Requirements

• Bachelor's degree
• 3 years of related experience

What's In It for You

• Hybrid work eligibility with approval.
• Opportunities for professional development through training, classes, seminars, the College's formal mentoring program, and staff professional development fund.
• The opportunity to support a department whose work spans teaching, research, extension, crop science, environmental science, plant molecular biology, and soil science.
• UK's exceptional benefits.

Why Now?

Plant & Soil Sciences supports complex teaching, research, extension, academic, facilities, and administrative activities across campus and locations throughout Kentucky. Effective coordination…