Director of Administration, SMFA at Tufts

The Director of Administration reports to the Executive Administrative Dean (EAD) and serves as the senior administrative leader for SMFA, with primary responsibility for financial strategy, budget ownership and management, in close partnership with the University Budget Center and A&S leadership, as well as oversight of human resources and facilities operations. The role partners closely with the EAD and the SMFA Dean to align resources with institutional and school-level priorities and serves as the primary operational leader for SMFA, ensuring effective integration of administrative functions across a small but complex academic environment. The Director leads the school's administrative operations, supports faculty and academic units, and ensures effective, scalable, and well-integrated processes that enable SMFA's academic and artistic mission.

Key responsibilities include:

• Lead and manage administrative operations: Provide hands-on oversight of finance, HR, and facilities, personally driving execution where needed in a lean, highly collaborative, and decentralized environment.
• Serve as the primary administrative liaison: Act as the central point of coordination between SMFA and university offices, ensuring clear communication, policy implementation, and resolution of complex administrative issues.
• Manage and develop a high-performing team: Recruit, mentor, and oversee the SMFA administrative team, aligning roles and responsibilities to support evolving organizational and academic needs.
• Lead financial strategy, planning, and budget stewardship: Own the development, management, and forecasting of the school's budget, partnering with the University Budget Center while managing budgets across multiple academic units and stakeholders. Serve as a key financial advisor to the Dean, driving decision-making, tradeoffs, and long-term planning.
• Drive financial and business innovation: Identify opportunities to improve financial performance, support revenue-generating initiatives (e.g., continuing education or program expansion), and introduce new approaches to resource allocation.
• Support strategic decision-making: Advise school leadership on financial planning, business strategies, and resource allocation to advance institutional priorities and support long-term planning.
• Provide HR leadership and guidance: Partner with Human Resources and school leadership on recruitment, workforce planning, employee relations, and faculty-related administrative processes.
• Direct facilities and space planning: Oversee day-to-day facility operations and lead space planning, capital projects, and renovations across SMFA, including coordination across campuses and with studio operations.
• Drive operational effectiveness: Lead administrative initiatives and process improvements to enhance efficiency, strengthen practices, and support evolving institutional needs.
• Contribute to senior leadership: Serve as a key member of the SMFA cabinet and partner with senior leadership to advance the school's academic and artistic mission.

This role requires a hands-on operator and strategic administrative leader with particular strength in financial management and budget oversight.

Application Instructions:
Please submit a resume and cover letter (one to two pages maximum). In your cover letter, please address the following prompts using specific examples from your experience:

We encourage concise, focused responses rather than general statements of interest.

Basic Requirements:
Knowledge and experience typically acquired through:

• Bachelor's degree
• 7-10 years of progressively responsible leadership experience, including complex administrative, financial, and operational oversight
• Experience managing or overseeing budgets in a complex organizational setting, ideally across multiple stakeholders or units

Key Skills and Capabilities:

• Deep financial and budget management expertise, including experience overseeing complex, multi-stakeholder budgets, financial planning, and forecasting
• Demonstrated ability to serve as a strategic financial partner to senior leadership, advising on tradeoffs, resource allocation, and long-term planning
• Strong operational leadership skills, with experience managing administrative functions such as finance, HR, and/or facilities in a complex, decentralized environment
• Ability to operate independently with sound judgment, including knowing when to resolve issues directly versus escalate
• Excellent communication and relationship management skills, with the ability to engage and influence a wide range of stakeholders
• Strong organizational, prioritization, and problem-solving skills, especially in environments with competing priorities and decentralized structures
• Highly proactive, adaptable, and able to work both independently and collaboratively in a fast-paced environment
• Professional presence with a strong service orientation

Preferred Qualifications:

• Master's degree
• Experience in a higher education environment strongly preferred
• Experience working in or supporting the arts or creative environments (interest and engagement encouraged but not required)