Academic Operations Manager

About the Job

The Academic Operations Manager serves as the primary project manager for the college's academic cycle, ensuring the structural integrity of undergraduate and graduate curricula through the technical management of Course Dog and People Soft. Reporting to the Director of Academic Operations and Student Services, this role bridges high-level strategy and operational reality by leveraging enrollment analytics for capacity planning and developing streamlined workflows using integrated digital platforms such as Asana.

From synchronizing instructional logistics and faculty assignments to serving as the final gatekeeper for data accuracy, the operations manager ensures a seamless, reliable registration experience that meets all institutional deadlines.

Priority Deadline

Note:

The application review will begin on August 19, 2026.

This is a 100% time position. This position offers a flexible hybrid work arrangement. The University of Minnesota is committed to fostering local talent through employment opportunities. While this position utilizes a hybrid modality, prospective applicants must be located either in the state of Minnesota or near the Wisconsin border or otherwise open to relocation.

Please note, this position is not eligible for H-1B or Green Card sponsorship. This position does not offer a STEM OPT training program.

• Lead the execution of the academic scheduling cycle, ensuring undergraduate and graduate schedules are fully implemented, vetted, and published in alignment with University registration deadlines.
• Guarantee data integrity for all course attributes, requirement groups, and student groups within People Soft and Course Dog, ensuring students have access to accurate information for degree planning and registration.
• Orchestrate the student-ready environment by managing the technical synchronization between the academic catalog and the live schedule, ensuring all prerequisites and course details are accurate before registration opens.
• Maintain and optimize the Asana project management environment to bridge high-level institutional deadlines with team-level task execution, preventing delays in the course production lifecycle.
• Manage the technical transition of instructional spaces to ensure a seamless start-of-term experience for students and faculty.

• Design and execute data-driven enrollment projections by analyzing historical trends and real-time registration data to proactively advise on course capacity, section additions, modalities, or cancellations.
• Develop streamlined scheduling workflows that synchronize faculty availability with complex classroom constraints, utilizing optimal tech-forward solutions to facilitate entry in Schedule Builder.
• Provide timely operational intelligence during peak registration cycles, generating agile reports that translate raw enrollment data into actionable recommendations for capacity management.
• Lead the technical logistics of instructional delivery, including the strategic oversight of textbook/course material workflows and the management of high-stakes enrollment issues (e.g., permission number distribution and specialized student record adjustments).
• Evaluate and refine internal scheduling processes to reduce manual errors and increase the speed at which the schedule is adjusted in response to changing student demand.

• Lead the technical execution of the adjunct and overload payroll lifecycle, ensuring all appointment and offer letters are generated with 100% accuracy and in strict compliance with university policy and union contracts.
• Serve as the technical liaison for instructional workflows, streamlining the transition from faculty assignment to payroll processing to ensure timely and accurate compensation for instructional staff.

• BA/BA plus at least 5 years of related experience in academic administration, registrar operations, or data management, or master's degree plus at least 3 years of related experience.
• Demonstrated experience performing complex data entry and troubleshooting within a Student Information System (SIS), such as People Soft Campus Solutions.
• Proven ability to manage high-volume, deadline-driven workflows using project management software (e.g., Asana, Trello, or Smartsheet).
• Documented experience maintaining records with a high degree of precision, specifically regarding curriculum, course catalogs, or payroll tracking.

• Direct experience with University of Minnesota systems, including Course Dog, Schedule Builder, and the Canvas LMS.
• Ability to pull and synthesize real-time enrollment data to support capacity and budget decision-making.
• Familiarity with instructional budget tracking, including adjunct payroll processing.
• A track record of "bridging" technical system constraints with the practical needs of…