Job Details

Academic Services Director

Position Number: 6221968
Location: Boulder, CO
Position Type: Academic Advising

Academic Services Director

Requisition Number: 63838
Location: Boulder Colorado
Employment Type: University Staff
Schedule: Full Time
Posting Close Date: 19-May-2025
Date Posted:

Job Summary

The Program for Writing and Rhetoric (PWR) at CU Boulder encourages applications for the Academic Services Director position! This role reports directly to the Director. This position will provide high-level budgetary, financial, policy, and operational support to the Program and is responsible for oversight and policy related to finance and human resource operations. The person in this position occupies a place among the Program's leadership. Working closely with the Faculty Director, this position designs and implements plans to deliver quality programming to students in the College and across campus, as well as university-wide engagement and collaboration in support of student success. The purpose of this position is not only to be responsible for the functioning of the unit, ensuring that goals are achieved within established university and college guidelines, but also to advise and assist the director in all administrative matters. The position serves as the central administrative hub, the communication and process conduit, for all program initiatives, bringing together the work of the various Associate Directors and Coordinators into one cohesive pursuit. The position ensures that the unit's academic services align with its goals and standards. The Academic Services Director works to anticipate challenges on the horizon, collaborating with the Faculty Director and Associate Directors to implement proactive strategic planning, creative problem solving, and analysis of policies and procedures. In this capacity, the person in this position will apply knowledge, and interpret principles, rules, regulations, policies, precedents, and other guidelines specific to the College of Arts and Sciences, the University of Colorado Boulder, and the State of Colorado to analyze needs, resolve problems, answer questions, and provide information.
Part campus common good and part academic unit, the PWR occupies a unique space on the CU Boulder campus and in the College of Arts and Sciences. Beyond classroom teaching, the PWR serves as a bridge to interdisciplinary endeavors, sponsoring events in the public humanities, partnering with like-minded academic units, and inviting participation in a community of scholars. The leadership, faculty, and staff of the PWR believe that rhetoric is architectonic; as a critical, creative, and persuasive practice, rhetoric contributes to the production, communication, and application of knowledge in all disciplinary domains. The PWR continues to promulgate such notions through a range of research projects, through its academic programming - including an interdisciplinary certificate program and a minor - and through numerous events that interrogate the issues of the day. Therefore, the person in this position must possess excellent communication and organizational skills and must have the ability to successfully manage multiple self-directed projects that may, at times, have contending priorities. Thus, the Academic Services Director will have a strong administrative background and excellent skills in business administration, fiscal, and personnel management. In addition, the position supervises the front office staff. CU is an Equal Opportunity Employer and complies with all applicable federal, state, and local laws governing nondiscrimination in employment. We are committed to creating a workplace where all individuals are treated with respect and dignity, and we encourage individuals from all backgrounds to apply, including protected veterans and individuals with disabilities.

Who We Are

The Program for Writing and Rhetoric is a community of scholars, teachers, and students committed to exploring how discourse, in all of its various modes of communication, impacts and enriches contemporary life. As researchers, we draw on rhetoric and a number of other critical theories to study how and to what effects bodies, texts, technologies, and practices interconnect with culture, place, and power. As teachers, we help students learn how to use a wide variety of genres, modes, and media to generate critical, creative, and persuasive content for multiple audiences in order to gain agency for themselves and others. And as a program dedicated to the applied public humanities at large, we work with multiple entities on and off campus through the WRITE Lab to explore how public-facing publications, projects, and pedagogies can be designed and delivered to engage and enhance contemporary life in personal, professional, and civic contexts.

What Your Key Responsibilities Will Be

Faculty Affairs Management:

Serve as the administrative manager responsible for, but not limited to, organizing and implementing faculty recruitment, faculty promotion, reappointment, tenure, and faculty merit. Serve as the primary point of contact for new faculty concerning university and departmental policies; general payroll questions; in-house travel and research grants; travel authorization and reimbursement; start-up funds; research accounts; faculty computer purchase program; and office space.
Responsible for and coordinates processes related to academic appointments, re-appointments, promotions, tenure, retention activities, and grievance procedures for department faculty
Document faculty votes on any number of issues put to the faculty via the polls module on our internal website: hiring, administrative positions, committee positions, and program rule changes. Ensures that all eligible members are informed of balloting procedures and due dates. Assure security and secrecy of the balloting process as appropriate.
Oversees the process by which faculty submit Faculty Report of Professional Activities and are reminded to submit reports; supervises the front office in providing relevant documents and other information as requested to the elective committees.
Serve as liaison for faculty to ensure they are provided the appropriate employment-related offices, including the College, Faculty Affairs, Graduate School, HR Service Center, and Employee Services
Keep current records of faculty eligibility for sabbatical, reappointment, tenure,and post-tenure review

Staff Personnel Management and Supervision:

Manage and supervise the unit's Program Manager, IT support staff, and other front office personnel, ensuring all operational needs are satisfied
Responsible for hiring decisions, training, leave approval, performance management, evaluations, and disciplinary actions involving staff employees.
Supervise the daily activities of the work unit by prioritizing and monitoring workflow.
Oversee and is aware of the status of projects/tasks that directly relate to the activities of the work unit.
Review work for accuracy as needed and ensure target dates are met.
Ensure operational needs are met by assessing the strengths and development needs of staff
Handle and delegate additional duties as needed to meet department needs.
Create an effective operation by promoting collaboration and cross-training among the staff, as needed.
Conduct regular staff meetings.
Mentor, coach, and ensure professional development opportunities.
Engage staff in collaborative problem solving.

Program Oversight:

Manage and implement all PWR programming, including, but not limited to:

Collaborating with the Faculty Director to develop and maintain, both academic and public-facing, programming, including interdisciplinary certificates, minors, public events, receptions, and workshops, both virtually and in person
Being responsible for the arrangements for special event programming, including budgeting, venue selection, event production, travel, etc.

Working with faculty admin to implement the undergraduate Certificate Program, including, but not limited to:

Declaring students for the Certificate
Running degree audits to verify compliance with the program and eligibility for the capstone class
Designating student completion of certificate requirements in alignment with graduation due dates

Financial Management:

Oversee the financial operations of the Program. Review and forecast budgets for all accounts. This includes maintaining and tracking the following accounts:

General fund accounts
Auxiliary accounts
Grant accounts
Sponsored Projects
Gift accounts

Evaluate and forecast Program accounts on an ongoing basis to monitor the resources available for operations, special projects, and programs. Analyze Program resources to align with Program goals and vision

Working with the director and associate directors to plan and forecast funding for instruction
Manage faculty startup accounts, ensuring that they are funded according to the terms of their agreements
Monitors gift funds and donor contact, analyzes and makes projections regarding endowment earnings/losses and spending practices. This position will decide if and when to turn off the reinvestment option and inform the director.
Exerting expenditure control and enforcing ethical standards for expenditure of funds, and making budgetary decisions in the director's absence.
Analyzes demand and prepares budget projections for the department's instructional fund and manages the related budget

Authorize expenditures with the Financial Service Center and HR Service Center to conduct financial transfers, purchase orders, payroll updates, and corrections
Support the Faculty Director in the preparation and submission of grant reports and track all grant spending to ensure it stays within budget
Determine actions to protect budgets, resolve deficits, track Program commitments, and provide for unexpected and unique expenses. Ensure compliance with approved budgets and policies, procedures, rules, and regulations
Ensure compliance with approved budgets and policies, procedures, rules, and regulations.
Decide when to open or close new or unused speed types (ST), decide what ST is most appropriate for unusual and unexpected expenses, and decide when to transfer budgets, revenues, and expenses to best support the needs of the department.

Calderwood Grant Oversight:

Partner with the Faculty Director and study-abroad faculty to organize outreach and marketing efforts to recruit participants for the PWR's study-abroad program and scholarship
As a member of the study-abroad committee, review applications and support the selection process for PWR's study abroad scholarships
Work with the Program Advisory Committee to allocate funding for the various Calderwood programming, including, by not limited to the Calderwood Travel Awards, the Calderwood Professional and Curriculum Development Award, and the Calderwood Publication Award

Grant Management and Support

Work with faculty to plan and forecast income and expenses for research grants and auxiliary operations, such as conferences
Track expenditure and provide status reports to Principal Investigators on all projects held by the individual investigator.
Synchronize logistics with the Events Coordinator when an event or activity is grant-sponsored.
Ensure grant-related events align with the terms of the grant and with CU policies.

Academic Resource Management:PWR offers ~160 sections of lower and upper division writing courses each semester in in-person, hybrid, and online modalities, plus an additional 25+ classes in the summer. While during the regular academic year rostered faculty teach 70% of these courses, 30% are taught by lecturers who teach 1-5 courses per semester. Every semester, for various reasons, the Academic Services Director has to perform last-minute searches for and hire lecturers to fill courses. With so many complexities to negotiate, scheduling is extremely stressful and demanding. Among others, this singular job duty demands the following:

Coordinate course offerings with RAPs and other units for whom WRTG courses fulfill a requirement or with whom we share faculty.
Hire adjunct faculty as needed and within university policy and budget constraints.
Work with PWR Associate Director of Professional Development and Curricular Oversight as well as PWR First-Year Associate Director, to onboard new lecturer faculty at the outset of each semester.
Complete and submit A&S /AHUM forms regarding teaching plans and instructional budget.
Work with faculty throughout the course proposal process, advising them on requirements and considerations as required by the catalog; work within CIM to enter new course proposals.
Ensure accurate and coherent presentation of PWR information in the catalog.

Administrative Management:

Advise the director on departmental procedures and provide background information to departmental administrators who report to the director.
Work with the Director to define, recruit, staff, and maintain Faculty Admin positions held by faculty to ensure program goals and visions are met.
With the Associate Director for Professional Development and Curricular Oversight, organize and implement new faculty orientation,
Meet with and advise the PWR elected committees, i.e., Annual Merit Review Committee, the Reappointment and Contracts Committee, the Academic Oversight Committee, and the Program Advisory (Executive) Committee, regarding college and university policies as well as program needs.
Help to design and facilitate All-Hands-on Meetings
In all meetings, contribute to discussions of program structure and operation as they relate to the position's policy purview.

In collaboration with the Director, ensure that PWR committees are staffed equitably, using faculty expertise and interest to accomplish Program goals.Collaborate with the Director to author reports, policies, and responses to issues that arise and affect the Program's trajectory.Oversee a collective procedural, policy, and judgment record/resource to provide department continuity.Analyze department resources to align with department goals and vision.Continually analyze processes, workflow, and operations to improve efficiency, compliance, and outcomes.Comment on and contribute to university-wide and campus policy as appropriate.Collaborate and coordinate with other administrative offices as needed to manage the implementation of new systems or ensure compliance with new policies.What You Should Know:

What You Should Know

This position is primarily on-site but has flexibility for some remote work.

What We Can Offer

The salary for this position is $71,438.

Benefits

The University of Colorado offers excellent benefits, including medical, dental, retirement, paid time off, tuition benefit and ECO Pass. The University of Colorado Boulder is one of the largest employers in Boulder County and offers an inspiring higher education environment. Learn more about the University of Colorado Boulder.

Be Statements

Be creative. Be impactful. Be Boulder.

What We Require

Bachelor's degree in any field from an accredited institution.
Two years of relevant professional-level experience.
An equivalent combination of education and experience may substitute.

What You Will Need

Knowledge of administrative, budgetary, and fiscal principles and practices in a higher education environment, including budgeting and fund accounting
Excellent written and verbal communication skills.
Ability to work both independently and as a member of a team.
Creative problem solver with strong critical thinking skills.

Special Instructions

To apply, please submit the following materials:

A current resume.
A cover letter that specifically tells us how your background and experience align with the requirements, qualifications, and responsibilities of the position.

We may request references at a later time.
Please apply by May 19, 2025 for consideration.
Note: Application materials will not be accepted via email. For consideration, please apply through CU Boulder Jobs.

In compliance with the Colorado Job Application Fairness Act, in any materials you submit, you may redact or remove age-identifying information such as age, date of birth, or dates of school attendance or graduation. You will not be penalized for redacting or removing this information.

To apply, visit https://jobs.colorado.edu/jobs/JobDetail/Academic-Services-Director/63838