Director Of Operations Jobs

The Director of Operations works in the Wond’ry, Vanderbilt University’s Innovation Center. The ideal candidate embodies a demonstrated commitment to, and interest in innovation and, alongside the Wond’ry’s Executive Director and Deputy Director, leading operations that contribute to the development of a robust innovation ecosystem and position Vanderbilt as an innovation leader. The Director of Operations manages short- and long-term operations; plans, develops, and coordinates key initiatives and special projects; and represents the interests and priorities of the Executive Director’s office through effective communication, coordination, and integration of objectives. This position requires balancing and influencing multiple competing priorities. The Director of Operations has ongoing oversight for strategic and administration projects supporting the Executive Director’s agenda to ensure that all are effectively moving according to plan objectives and established milestones. This position is also responsible overseeing the day-to-day administrative and operational activities. The Director oversees administrative services and actions; local human capital needs, including staffing and talent development and performance management; budget planning and compliance; and oversight of endowments and grant awards. Working closely with the Executive Director, Deputy Director, and practice area leaders, the Director of Operations also focuses on operational effectiveness and cohesion across the Wond’ry’s practice areas and helps analyze and evaluate Wond’ry programming, using data to track outcomes and ensure the maintenance of excellence in programming.

The Wond’ry is the university’s center for innovation and design. We are an outwardly facing, customer service-oriented unit that serves the entire Vanderbilt community of faculty, staff, and students from all colleges and schools, while also working to build up the innovation ecosystem in Nashville and beyond. We provide a variety of programming, resources, and funding opportunities to help our constituents express and test their ideas, to develop design and systems thinking skills and an innovation mindset, as well as facilitate interdisciplinary and immersive learning experiences. Because we assist with the development of innovations and collaborations across all disciplines, we look for dynamic, curious individuals with a variety of background experiences they can leverage to help people along their innovation journey.

Duties and Responsibilities
The Director of Operations performs a variety of complex duties, ensuring the success of the Wond’ry.

• Facilitate the ability of the Executive Director to manage executive functions by providing advice on key constituencies, offering context and background information on issues, and coordinating research, projects, meetings, and initiatives.
• Develop and implement procedures pertinent to effective and efficient operations.
• Collaborate on the reporting of feedback from key stakeholders on projects.
• Serve as a senior advisor to the Executive Director and Deputy Director, assisting them Executive Director on special projects, management, and organizational issues, providing critical oversight of strategic projects.
• Work with Practice Area Directors to identify, recruit, and train new team members.
• Employ budget-conscious decision making and apply creative solutions to ensure cost-effectiveness across all administrative activities.
• Develop and work with the Wond’ry’s Administrative Officer to monitor the internal operating budget and grant/contract budgets, and report to the Executive Director and Deputy Director on a regular basis.
• Collaborate with internal and external stakeholders on key initiatives, overseeing project development, completion, and implementation.
• Oversee the day-to-day administrative and business operations of the Wond’ry.
• Represent the Executive Director and/or Deputy Director at special project meetings when they are unavailable; attend selected meetings with the Executive Director or Deputy Director and ensure that action items arising from these meetings are executed in a timely fashion.
• Advance excellent working relationships with key stakeholders, including the Center for Technology Transfer and Commercialization (CTTC), the Office of the Vice Provost for Research and Innovation, and other key university administrative offices.
• Oversee shared services functions and operations across all the Wond’ry’s programs.
• Assist the Executive Director and Deputy Director with organizational culture development that promotes transparency, diversity, creativity, collaboration, and maintains an environment built on trust and mutual respect.
• Collaborate on the tracking and maintenance of program data, metrics and outcomes and assesses program impact to ensure achievement of goals.
• Coordinate professional development and training opportunities for current team members.
• Serve as Wond’ry representative on various University committees and working groups as assigned.
• Coordinate and execute the Executive Director’s agenda and initiatives. Monitor and follow progress and ensure that appropriate follow up actions are taken and to ensure timely and successful completion.
• Present issues to the Executive Director and ensure that appropriate actions are taken, and the results communicated throughout the organization as appropriate and in a timely manner.
• Develop project overviews and guidelines and manages project administration and timelines.
• Identifies and implements process improvements for projects and programs.

Supervisory Relationships
This position supervises a team of operational and support services staff as assigned by providing clear performance expectations and regular feedback. This position reports administratively and functionally to the Executive Director of the Wond’ry.

Qualifications

• High level of emotional intelligence, ability to work across different populations and be a champion for inclusion.
• At least five (5) years of prior experience in a management role in higher education administration and a demonstrated track record of success is required. Knowledge of innovation and entrepreneurship and the Vanderbilt landscape is preferred.
• Ability to analyze information and to draw conclusions, perform complex tasks and to prioritize multiple projects, make administrative/procedural decisions and judgments is necessary.
• Excellent management and administrative problem solving and human relation skills; ability to exhibit maturity, leadership, sensitivity to issues and teamwork is necessary.
• Ability to work within deadlines and as a team-player with the leaders of the organization is necessary. Rely on extensive experience and judgment to plan and accomplish goals.
• Ability to proactively identify administrative and financial issues of importance and adjust rapidly and effectively in a constantly changing work environment to resolve these issues is necessary.
• Energetic, flexible, collaborative, and proactive – positively and productively impacting both strategic and tactical initiatives.
• Leadership experience, organizational skills, and ability to lead organizational structure, workflow and operating protocols are required.
• A Bachelor’s degree from an accredited institution of higher education is required. A Master’s degree is preferred.
• Strong interpersonal skills, management ability, and capability to supervise professional staff effectively is required.
• Ability to communicate effectively with a wide range of stakeholders and lead in a manner that fosters understanding, employee engagement and commitment to results is necessary.

Commitment to Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion

At Vanderbilt University, we are intentional about and assume accountability for fostering advancement and respect for equity, diversity, and inclusion for all students, faculty, and staff. Our commitment to diversity makes us who we are. We have created a community that celebrates differences and lets individuality thrive. As part of this commitment, we actively value diversity in our workplace and learning environments as we seek to take advantage of the rich backgrounds and abilities of everyone. The diverse voices of Vanderbilt represent an invaluable resource for the University in its efforts to fulfill its mission and strive to be an example of excellence in higher education.

Vanderbilt University is an equal-opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability, or status as a protected veteran, or any other characteristic protected by law.

Please note, all candidates selected for an offer of employment are subject to pre-employment background checks, which may include but are not limited to, based on the role for which they have been selected: criminal history, education verification, social media review, motor vehicle records, credit history, and professional license verification.