Associate Director, Research Support

About The Department

The University of Chicago Booth School of Business is the second-oldest business school in the U.S. and second to none when it comes to influencing business education and business practices. Since 1898, the school has produced ideas and leaders that shape the world of business. Their rigorous, discipline-based approach to business education transforms students into confident, effective, respected business leaders prepared to face the toughest challenges. Chicago Booth has the finest set of facilities of any business school in the world. Each of the four campuses (two in Chicago, one in London, and one in Hong Kong) reflects the architectural traditions of its environs while offering a state-of-the-art learning environment.

Job Summary

The Associate Director, Research Support will provide guidance, support, and programming to Booth non-Center research staff; directly support five Booth tenure-line faculty; assist in the planning and execution of the Expanding Discovery in Economics+ program, and deliver effective solutions to research staff, faculty, and the larger Booth community. This position is not eligible for employer-sponsored employment authorization.

Responsibilities

• Guides and supports faculty as they recruit, hire, and onboard research staff.
• Executes processes related to recruiting (information sessions), time management (Workday), ongoing management support (performance engagement), and programming.
• Works closely with faculty managing research staff to ensure they are managing staff effectively, and that their research needs have been met.
• Maintains existing content and creates new content for the Chicago Booth research staff websites.
• Designs and executes programming for research staff. Examples include faculty presentations to research staff, research staff workshops, orientation week sessions on operations related to research, mentorship programs, and professional development programming.
• Provides faculty with SSRN administrative support.
• Designs and executes retention and engagement programming for Expanding Discovery in Economics+ (EDE+) alumni, including matching alumni to academic advising and research opportunities. Integrates program alumni into new iterations of EDE+.
• Affords assistance in identifying, inviting, and securing instructors and speakers for EDE+.
• Affords assistance as needed with the program’s overall execution, including during its in-person weeks.
• Supports five faculty as described below. Faculty load may be temporarily increased for faculty coverage during staff transitions.
• Furthers the faculty mission of teaching through the creation and preparation of course materials and websites.
• Oversees and manages teaching assistants on behalf of faculty in a manner consistent with faculty requirements.
• Responds to students on a wide variety of concerns and course-related questions.
• Enters grades with delegated authority from faculty members, ensuring FERPA privacy guidelines are met.
• Furthers the faculty research mission by providing technical and administrative support for research. Work will vary by faculty member supported, but may include data ingestion and cleaning, manuscript editing, submitting papers to journals, RA time management, grant management, and literature reviews.
• Manages day-to-day operation of faculty group, primarily in the areas of financial and support services management.
• Ensures compliance with relevant Booth, University and other policies and guidelines.
• Oversight management of the day-to-day financial processes, payment of invoices, and processing of reimbursements. May develop financial reporting for grants.
• Plans, develops, analyzes and manages budget, including developing multi-year budget forecasts. May oversee the preparation and management of grant and contract proposals, ensuring compliance with all University, federal and private foundation guidelines and regulations.
• Develops financial reports and assists with seeking funding for grants.
• Performs other related work as needed.

Education

• Minimum Qualifications: College or university degree in related field.
• Experience: Prior experience in higher education or nonprofit setting.
• Technical Skills Or Knowledge: Demonstrated proficiency with MS Office (Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and Outlook).
• Preferred Qualifications: Bachelor’s degree, Master’s degree.

Preferred Competencies

• Understanding of academia and higher education in research and teaching environment.
• Understanding of student academic needs.
• Introductory experience with financial budgeting and management.
• Outstanding verbal, written, and presentation skills, as well as organizational skills.
• Work independently with little supervision; possess a self-motivated disposition; identify opportunities for improvement and recommend effective changes, all while achieving key objectives resulting in desired outcomes.
• Excellent management, analytical, and administrative skills.
• Handle multiple detailed tasks/projects simultaneously and meet strict deadlines with frequent interruptions.
• Demonstrated ability to work effectively and diplomatically with colleagues, as well as with students, faculty, and corporate contacts in a multitude of communication methods, including in person, email, and phone.
• Professional demeanor, including tact, discretion, and a customer service-oriented approach.