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Director, Administration - Office of Risk Professional Programs

School of Professional Studies

Director, Administration - Office of Risk Professional Programs

  • 557000
  • New York
  • School of Professional Studies
  • Full Time
  • Opening on: May 1 2026
  • Grade 14
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  • Job Type: Officer of Administration
  • Bargaining Unit:
  • Regular/Temporary: Regular
  • End Date if Temporary:
  • Hours Per Week: 35
  • Standard Work Schedule:
  • Building:
  • Salary Range: $130,000 - $150,000
The salary of the finalist selected for this role will be set based on a variety of factors, including but not limited to departmental budgets, qualifications, experience, education, licenses, specialty, and training. The above hiring range represents the University's good faith and reasonable estimate of the range of possible compensation at the time of posting.
 

Position Summary

Reporting to the Executive Director of Administration, Office of Risk Professional Programs (ORPP), the Director of Administration is responsible for the planning and organization of all strategic and day to day administrative activities of the associated MS Programs, including student and faculty engagement, curriculum management, program budget management, operations, marketing, and events.

The Director supports a portfolio of programs including the MS in Enterprise Risk Management, MS in Actuarial Science, and MPS in Insurance Management and works closely with other administrative staff to ensure effective execution of program operations.


Responsibilities

  • Demonstrate day-to-day leadership and guidance to faculty by proactively managing and providing clear, timely, and University compliant solutions on a wide range of administrative and financial matters. Proactively coordinates with Faculty Affairs unit to provide policy and process information to the Programs as well as to resolve administrative issues related to faculty. Help to execute the faculty review process.
  • Liaise with Student Affairs and communicate opportunities for career and professional development, help coordinate student resources, problem solves, and identifies solutions for student issues; Provide guidance to students and faculty on administrative processes; lead efforts to coordinate services between internal and external units (University offices, Student Affairs, Academic Affairs, Faculty Affairs, Finance, HR, External Affairs) to ensure sufficient allocation of resources and support.
  • Accountable for the development of the Program calendars and deadlines to ensure Program activities can be completed within timeframes. Help to manage and submit the Course Planning and Scheduling (CPS) for the Program. Schedule classes and events and works closely in conjunction with other internal teams to ensure that Program activities meet established standards, timelines, and goals.
  • Work in collaboration with Faculty Affairs, supporting the onboarding and hiring of faculty for the Program. Lead efforts with University and SPS partners to drive greater efficiency through recommended process improvements. Help project student demand for courses for upcoming semesters. Assist in monitoring course/section registration and waitlists.
  • Collaborate with Recruitment and Admissions teams to assist with enrollment efforts. Maintain relationship with SPS Leadership to address new and unique issues affecting the program.
  • Responsible for data collection and other research needed to complete academic review submissions and other committee related activities. Provide strategic insights into the communication plan specific to all stages of the Program’s lifecycle. In close consultation with marketing, assist in validating the marketing approach and key activities for the Programs. Coordinate with the Program Advisors to disseminate program specific information to students about registration, workshops, jobs list, events, and student/alumni networking.
  • Provide leadership for all scheduling and communications for the Programs, including faculty, students, and industry contacts and other programmatic needs (e.g., submitting grades for reviews, obtaining books and materials, scheduling, room requests, events, etc.).
  • Support strategic financial planning and forecasting by capturing and analyzing data used to inform financial decisions. Advise and perform budgetary analysis and modeling to forecast future financial needs/resources.
  • Responsible for the Program’s administrative budget. In conjunction with the Program Directors and Executive Director of Administration, build and administer the Program budgets within SPS’s policy framework. Assume overall responsibility for Program related expenses and provide direct support in gathering, organizing, and processing expense related transactions and required documentation. Execute expenditure requests and expense reimbursement requests (TBER, honoraria etc.).
  • Responsible for managing and executing a schedule of social media posts and communications promoting the programs, including targeted emails (via Slate) to alumni, the CRM list maintained by SPS, posts on LinkedIn, and other social media. Manage the creation and distribution of the programs’ newsletters.
  • Responsible for updating the program website when courses are added, dropped or changed, when new faculty are hired or dismissed and for any other program-related content.
  • Manage the assignments of English-language interviews to support staff, where required. Also oversee additional unique program-specific processes (course material repositories, Top 5 Student competition, guest speaker database, approved student speaker database, faculty-student engagement fund requests, and mentorship program).
  • May supervise junior staff including regular officers, student workers and part-time administrative support. 

Perform related duties and responsibilities as assigned/requested 


Minimum Qualifications

  • Bachelor's degree required, advanced degree desirable
  • 5 years related experience
  • A resume and cover letter with salary requirements must be submitted for consideration 

Preferred Qualifications

  • Prior experience managing a large-scale academic program
  • Project management skills
  • Strategic thinker 

Other Requirements

  • Strong attention to detail and organizational skills
  • Strong customer service mentality
  • Ability to be flexible in a changing environment
  • Strong communication skills; ability to interface at all levels in the organization
  • Ability to problem solve, establish priorities, and work under pressure without supervision 

Equal Opportunity Employer / Disability / Veteran

Columbia University is committed to the hiring of qualified local residents.