Director, Administration and Finance

Position Overview

The Laboratory for Information and Decision Systems (LIDS) Director, Administration and Finance (DAF) provides a leadership role in setting financial, operation, and human resources strategy in the laboratory. Represents LIDS leadership on administrative matters. Provides counsel and support to laboratory director, faculty, principal investigators, students, and/ or staff on administration and policies. Ensures efficient management of resources, compliance with regulations, and alignment with the objectives of the lab are met and that the lab is staffed appropriately to achieve its goals and mission. Ensures staff are trained and have access to tools to carry out their work, and promotes a collaborative, inclusive, and respectful environment in which to work. Manages staff and ensures work is carried out in a way that meets deadlines and objectives. Performs other duties as assigned. 

Principle Duties and Responsibilities (Essential Functions**)

The candidate for this position will perform the following essential functions:

Operational Duties

• Leads operations for LIDS. Provides oversight for finance, human resources, student/faculty administration, educational technology, communications, facilities, space planning, event planning, special programs, industrial alliances, DEI, and other functions.
• Responsible for annual budget processes and allocation rate planning process (in coordination with MIT Research Administration Services); forecast future financial performance/research volume.
• Accountable for all aspects of both pre and post award administration of all sponsored and non-sponsored funds. Management and oversight of allocation, discretionary and General Institute Budget (GIB) funding in LIDS including:
  • Compliance with sponsor requirements and MIT fiscal policies.
  • Payroll process, including the salary certification process and salary distributions.
  • Oversee financial reporting, analysis and auditing processes.
• Supervise financial staff; report financial outcomes to Lab Director.
• Identify operational challenges and recommend solutions to the Lab Director.
• Advise and assist LIDS faculty, principal investigators, students, and staff in matters relating to accounting/finance, procurement, human resources, facilities management, and general administration.
• Oversees community building staff events.
• Act as primary liaison to central MIT departments/offices including: Electrical Engineering and Computer Science (EECS), Audit, Vice President for Research, Vice President for Finance, RAS, Schwarzman College of Computing (SCC), and HR; facilitate any requests originating from those departments and ensure compliance with all MIT policies
• Coordinate and integrate all personnel, financial, and other functions of LIDS.
• As a member of the LIDS Leadership team, participate in planning for the future of LIDS, including providing strategic financial, HR, IT, and space insights for decision-making purposes.
• Implement and improve operational policies and procedures to enhance efficiency.
• Ensure adherence to all relevant regulations, standards, and best practices.
• Identify and mitigate financial risks to safeguard the lab’s funds.

Human Resources

• Responsible for overseeing HR operations and personnel issues, including: administrative and research staff searches and hire actions; affiliate and visitor appointment processes; support staff hiring and onboarding; visa issuance/liaison with International Scholars Office (ISchO) and International Students Office (ISO); compensation issues; and promotions.  
• Act as primary liaison to HRO, SCC Dean’s Office, and compensation staff to ensure compliance with MIT policy, processes, and external requirements (i.e., affirmative action regulations, equal pay act, etc.).
• Manage the annual salary review processes for all LIDS employees. Oversee and advise on the annual performance evaluation process; ensure that term employees are reviewed frequently and that appointments do not expire without consideration; communicate regularly with PIs, employees, and other stakeholders to ensure that plans and expectations are clear.
• Work closely with Senior Financial Officer’s to understand cash flows that affect ‘soft money’ employees; work closely with the LIDS Director and HRO to discuss potential layoffs or layoff extensions; ensure that MIT layoff policies are appropriately followed and that communications regarding any reduction of effort or layoff are clear and archived.
• Manage the Outside Professional Activities and Conflict of Interest reporting processes; draft reports from the Lab Director.
• Advise PIs and faculty on hiring plans, write job descriptions, act as hiring manager and Equal Employment Opportunity Officer (EEOO) for searches, and manage disciplinary actions and other termination activity. Process all HR actions in MIT systems; write search reports and ensure that offers are made with SCC Dean’s office approval.
• Support internal promotion cases, including research promotions to PRS or Senior Research Scientist (SRS).
• Recommend salary adjustments, promotions, performance issues, and terminations in collaboration with Human Resources Offices at MIT, the Lab Director, and the SCC Dean’s Office.
• Mentor staff and promote career development opportunities.
• Maintain clear and regular internal communications via team and individual meetings, emails, and memos.
• Supervise financial and administrative staff; evaluate and support activities that would expand or contract staff according to demand/budget; approve timesheets for support staff and UROPS

Communications

• Manage 3^rd party vendor relationships for website maintenance, video production, and writing projects.
• Send periodic newsletters.
• May make updates on the LIDS website and/or delegate to administrative assistant.
• Proactively reach out to research groups to solicit content for website and newsletters.

Space & IT Resources

• In coordination with LIDS Director, evaluate space utilization and plan for growth/contraction; lead changes to the space (furniture, build-outs, etc.) as needed
• Ensure safety and cleanliness of space by working with support staff and facilities to respond to needs
• Oversee space management system (SMS):  Manage and maintain accurate records of space allocation within LIDS ensuring optimal utilization of space and compliance with departmental and Institute guidelines.
• Evaluate needs and contracts for IT support to ensure ongoing operations.
• Ensure server and Dropboxaccess for staff; responsible for ongoing maintenance of required documentation, including paper as required, for responding to audits.
• Manage short and long-range plans for LIDS IT and communications and websites.

Supervision Received

The DAF is supervised by LIDS Director.

Supervision Received

Will directly supervise LIDS administrative and support staff and other stakeholder units as needed

Qualifications & Skills

Required: Bachelor’s degree in finance, accounting, business administration, or related field; MBA or advanced degree preferred; a minimum of five years of administrative experience in a university environment is required. The successful candidate will have outstanding interpersonal skills, demonstrated organizational skills, effective oral and written communication ability and discretion. Strong knowledge of financial regulations, grant management, and compliance requirements. Must have proven leadership skills and managerial experience with the ability to build and mentor a strong management team. Experience in the management of complex change and conflicting priorities is required. Must be able to handle deadlines, prioritize work, and maintain attention to details while keeping an eye on overall objectives. Strong communication and interpersonal skills are essential, along  with proficiency in use of Microsoft Office applications. 
 
Preferred: Master’s degree in business, health care, administration, or related field; experience with Kuali Coeus, SAP, Atlas, and databases; HR experience, especially at MIT, preferred.

_{** To comply with regulations by the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), the principal duties in job descriptions must be essential to the job. To identify essential functions, focus on the purpose and the result of the duties rather than the manner in which they are performed. The following definition applies: a job function is essential if removal of that function would fundamentally change the job.}