Director of Operations and Strategic Planning

About the role

The Director of Operations and Strategic Initiatives is the central hub for the Psychology Department. This position oversees daily operations, directs and mentors a multi-disciplinary administrative and fiscal staff with six direct reports. Key responsibilities include facilitating cross-functional communication, coordinating processes to support departmental academic and research goals, managing departmental laboratory facilities and assets, overseeing departmental organizational budgets, and providing strategic advising and planning.

Responsibilities

• Translates high-level leadership vision into actionable projects and monitors progress across all programs within the psychology department;
• Serves as the primary project manager for major initiatives, proactively identifying bottlenecks and resolving operational issues;
• Accountable for departmental laboratory facilities and assets, including a specialized laboratory classroom;
• Serve as the subject matter expert (SME) and point of contact (POC) for lab space allocation, equipment purchasing, and maintenance;
• Collaborates with Facilities and external vendors to coordinate all renovations, space moves, and construction phases through to final sign-off;
• Manages, mentors, and develops professional staff, providing and recommending targeted training and supervising their progress toward departmental goals;
• Directs annual and interim evaluations to establish and monitor SMART goals for direct reports, including the lab manager, business administrator, and finance team.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree or the equivalent combination of education and experience;
• Proven success managing, operating, and directing broad department operations in a fast-paced, shifting environment;
• Strong working knowledge of government grants, alongside direct experience developing, managing, and reconciling complex department budgets;
• Significant expertise in human resources leadership, including recruitment, workforce development, employee engagement, performance management, succession planning, and the effective leadership and development of staff;
• Mastery of departmental budgeting, forecasting, and comprehensive account reconciliation processes;
• Expertise in the administration, compliance, and budget tracking of government grants and other external funding sources;
• Thorough working knowledge of HR management, including recruiting, hiring, onboarding, and training protocols;
• Solid understanding of supervisory practices, performance management, employee motivation, and conflict resolution;
• Proficiency across multiple computer applications, with the ability to swiftly manage shifting priorities and multiple projects simultaneously;
• Exceptional written, verbal, and coaching abilities, with a history of effectively interfacing and collaborating with a wide range of internal and external constituencies;
• Demonstrated critical thinking skills with a record of identifying, troubleshooting, and resolving complex operational issues.