Chief Of Staff And Strategy

Required Qualifications
Bachelor's degree and 10 years of experience in administrative and management positions. Demonstrate effective leadership and organizational, managerial, and conflict management skills. Experience must include prior oversight of administration and operations, strategic planning, and budget management. Demonstrated ability to maintain confidentiality and exercise sound judgment, initiative, and diplomacy. Demonstrated commitment to building a culture that respects and embraces diversity, inclusion, and equity; ability to work effectively with individuals from diverse communities and cultures. Excellent communications skills including verbal, written and listening; an ability to interact effectively and establish collaborative working relationships with people at all levels of the organization and external constituencies. Excellent computer skills including experience working with data and analysis (interpreting and providing consultation). Preferred Qualifications
Master's degree in public health, higher education administration, business, or a related field. Demonstrated experience developing and leading complex public policy agendas in a public, higher education, or health care environment. Knowledge of strategic management concepts, business practices, and principles. Familiarity with the University of Minnesota or comparable institution. Understanding of and appreciation for the mission, structure and complexity of academic public health and the vital importance of public health in the context of public higher education. The School of Public Health is seeking applications for a full-time Chief of Staff and Strategy (9341M3, Administrative Manager 3).


The School of Public Health (SPH) is committed to antiracism and anti-oppression and welcomes you to join us in our pursuit of building equity and driving justice. We particularly encourage applications from those who belong to groups that have been historically underrepresented in our School, including those who are American Indian, Black, Indigenous, and people of color, those with disabilities, veterans, and those from 2SLGBTQIA+ communities.


Starting Salary Range: $145,000-$185,000, dependent upon the selected candidate's relevant qualifications, experience, and internal equity.


Work Arrangements: The University of Minnesota endorses "Work. With Flexibility." and we offer a flexible work environment that meets the needs of our students, faculty, staff, and partners we serve. While this position is currently expected to work on campus 4 out of 5 days per week, flexible work arrangements may include additional flexibility in schedule and/or work location. The successful candidate will be provided University-configured equipment and supportive technology tools; however, they are expected to have access to a reliable internet connection for duties undertaken remotely. Work arrangements will be discussed during the interview.


Position Overview


The Chief of Staff and Strategy reports to the Dean and is a key member of the SPH senior leadership team. This position collaborates with the Dean and school leaders to oversee a wide range of strategic, executive, and project-based initiatives, ensuring that the dean's vision is communicated, and strategic directives and initiatives are implemented.


The Chief of Staff and Strategy serves as a strategic advisor to the dean, prioritizing issues requiring the Dean's attention, interfacing with key internal and external stakeholders, and ensuring timely execution on matters that advance the school's goals, objectives, and priorities. The Chief of Staff and Strategy provides leadership and oversight in the areas of strategic planning, communication, and operations. This position ensures that the operational capacity of the school's overall staff is structured and positioned to support the instructional, research, and engagement missions of SPH.


This position supervises 3.0 direct reports (and 6+ indirect) in major administrative areas of the school of Public Health: Executive Assistant to the Dean, Communications, and Diversity, Equity and Inclusion. The Chief of Staff and Strategy works closely with the Director of HR, Chief Financial Officer, Chief Advancement Officer and associate deans to ensure implementation of strategic initiatives and operations.


Position Responsibilities


Communications, Executive Support, and Counsel (40%)
Oversee the SPH Communications Office and create executive-level and crisis communications including talks, speeches, reports, and presentations that appropriately reflect the dean's voice, tone, and goals. Serve as senior advisor to the Dean, particularly on the development and execution of strategic priorities to advance the goals and objectives of the school. Serve as a liaison with academic and administrative leaders throughout the University, and ensure the dean is well-informed about general School of Public Health and University issues, providing accurate and objective information, perspectives, and recommendations to the dean. Direct the Dean's executive assistant in managing and organizing the Dean's schedule and priorities efficiently. Coordinate and finalize arrangements for the Dean's speaking engagements. Oversee the development of special reports, briefings, letters, presentations, remarks and other communication materials for internal and external engagement as needed and in collaboration with the Communications team. Support and sustain a culture of service, professionalism, and continuous improvement in the Office of the Dean. Connect the school with the broader University through communication, implementation of initiatives, alignment and active engagement in University priorities. Effectively represent organizational needs, challenges, and opportunities at the University level as needed. Oversee internal and external communication plans. Strategic Planning (30%)
Lead and advance a broad set of strategic initiatives, partnerships, and projects of the dean and the school from inception, planning and development, to management, execution, and assessment. Monitor progress and ensure alignment with the university's goals. Partner with other senior leaders to establish the scope, schedule, and resources for strategic initiatives. Build and manage project teams to actively drive projects to completion, including a diverse array of stakeholders from a variety of offices. Ensure team members understand their responsibilities and meet deadlines and competing priorities are managed effectively. Create standards, cadence, and controls for project documentation and workflow. Act as a point of contact between the Dean and other members of the senior leadership team, staff, students, and other stakeholders related to strategic initiatives. Address concerns, facilitate communication, and contribute to building a positive and collaborative work environment. Drive change initiatives to embed principles of DEI and antiracism into operations workflows and practices. Ensure that operational objectives support and contribute to the overall DEI vision of the organization. Operational Leadership (20%)
Identify new opportunities to improve effectiveness in SPH operations, in areas such as administrative staffing structures, communication and marketing strategies, enrollment management, continuing education, and other strategic priorities and administrative functions. Set operational business strategies. Advise the Dean on strategies that optimize operational capabilities in support of their vision for academic, research, public health practice, and community engagement. Lead the development and implementation of projects and initiatives with a forward-thinking and capacity-building approach. Meet routinely with the School's Chief Financial Officer (CFO) to review budget development. Coordinate regular budget planning meetings with the Dean and CFO to enhance strategy and effectiveness-building with regards to resource management, allocations, and investment in accordance with the school's strategic plan, enrollment patterns, and opportunities for growth. Work with the CFO and Dean on the fiscal strategies in the annual Compact process. Manage the annual assessment, analysis, and submission of SPH's metrics to the University's Strategic Planning process. Meet regularly with and convene operational leaders in the school to enhance communication and coordination of shared activities and increase operational effectiveness.
Working with CFO: Work with finance to allocate budget and resources for DEI initiatives within operations. Advocate for resources in training, development that support DEI goals and priorities Working with DEI office: Collaborate on setting priorities, defining objectives, and designing action plans to promote diversity, equity, and inclusion People Management and Development (10%)
Serve as Chief of Staff and Strategy, coordinating all aspects of SPH operations and management. Provide leadership for Dean's Office staff and foster a professional, positive, inclusive, team-oriented working environment. Anticipate, plan, and manage the daily and strategic administrative operations of the Dean's Office; investigate and resolve administrative problems. Build and nurture relationships to serve as a resource and point of contact for the university administrators, faculty, staff, students, and other key constituents to resolve complex issues and help move forward strategic priorities. Manage all aspects of daily unit operations, including policy and procedure development and implementation. Determine and allocate resources by monitoring staff duties and adjusting workloads as needed. Develop an annual calendar, set deadlines and priorities. Initiate, identify and manage projects. The School of Public Health (SPH) improves the health and well-being of populations and communities worldwide by bringing innovative research, learning, and concrete actions to today's biggest health challenges. SPH includes four academic divisions and 23 internationally recognized centers and is home to roughly 1,025 students, 130 tenured/tenure-track and contract faculty, and 450 staff.
SPH is a research powerhouse:
First in research funding per capita at UMN Second most extensive research portfolio at the UMN Second most NIH funding among UMN schools and colleges $137.6M in research grants and contracts in fiscal year 2022 $1.1M average grant funding per faculty member Ranked sixth for public schools of public health by the U.S. News & World Report SPH offers over 20 leading master's, doctoral, and certificate programs. U.S. News & World Report ranks its Master of Healthcare Administration (MHA) program second and its Biostatistics program ninth.
Applicants must submit a cover letter and resume. To ensure full consideration, submit your complete set of materials by May 28, 2024.
Additional documents may be attached after application by accessing your "My Job Applications" page and uploading documents in the "My Cover Letters and Attachments" section.
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The University recognizes and values the importance of diversity and inclusion in enriching the employment experience of its employees and in supporting the academic mission. The University is committed to attracting and retaining employees with varying identities and backgrounds.
The University of Minnesota provides equal access to and opportunity in its programs, facilities, and employment without regard to race, color, creed, religion, national origin, gender, age, marital status, disability, public assistance status, veteran status, sexual orientation, gender identity, or gender expression. To learn more about diversity at the U:
Any offer of employment is contingent upon the successful completion of a background check. Our presumption is that prospective employees are eligible to work here. Criminal convictions do not automatically disqualify finalists from employment.
The University of Minnesota, Twin Cities (UMTC)
The University of Minnesota, Twin Cities (UMTC), is among the largest public research universities in the country, offering undergraduate, graduate, and professional students a multitude of opportunities for study and research. Located at the heart of one of the nation's most vibrant, diverse metropolitan communities, students on the campuses in Minneapolis and St. Paul benefit from extensive partnerships with world-renowned health centers, international corporations, government agencies, and arts, nonprofit, and public service organizations.
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