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Key Responsibilities and Required Skills for University Manager

💰 $65,000 - $110,000

Higher EducationAdministrationOperationsStudent Services

🎯 Role Definition

The University Manager is a senior operational and administrative leader who partners with academic leadership, faculty, and cross‑functional teams to plan, coordinate, and deliver high‑quality academic programs and student services. This role combines strategic planning, financial and personnel management, compliance and accreditation oversight, and stakeholder engagement to drive institutional goals such as enrollment growth, retention, student success, and sustainable operations. The University Manager ensures programmatic integrity, operational efficiency, and a student‑centered campus experience while translating institutional strategy into measurable outcomes.

📈 Career Progression

Typical Career Path

Entry Point From:

  • Associate Director of Academic Operations
  • Senior Student Services Coordinator
  • Program Manager or Academic Program Coordinator

Advancement To:

  • Director of School/College Operations
  • Associate Dean or Deputy Director of Academic Affairs
  • Chief Administrative Officer of a campus unit

Lateral Moves:

  • Director of Enrollment Management
  • Director of Institutional Effectiveness
  • Director of Continuing Education / Professional Programs

Core Responsibilities

Primary Functions

  • Lead the end‑to‑end operational management of one or more academic units, including planning, scheduling, delivery logistics, and continuous improvement to ensure programs meet institutional standards and student expectations.
  • Develop, manage and monitor annual budgets for programs and units; forecast resource needs, control expenditures, approve purchases, and report variances to senior leadership to ensure financial sustainability.
  • Serve as the primary liaison between academic leadership (deans, chairs, program directors) and central services (finance, HR, facilities, IT), coordinating cross‑functional resources to remove operational barriers and expedite decision‑making.
  • Drive enrollment and recruitment strategies in collaboration with admissions and marketing teams; analyze funnel data, implement targeted outreach campaigns, and refine conversion tactics to meet enrollment targets.
  • Oversee student services operations—advising, registration, retention initiatives, accommodations, and student conduct referrals—ensuring consistent, equitable, and timely support across the unit.
  • Manage faculty and staff administrative processes, including recruitment logistics, onboarding, workload allocation, performance reviews, professional development planning, and personnel action processing.
  • Lead accreditation, licensing, and compliance activities for assigned programs: prepare documentation, manage timelines for self‑studies and audits, coordinate with institutional research and accrediting bodies, and ensure corrective actions are implemented.
  • Establish, monitor, and report on key performance indicators (KPIs) such as enrollment trends, retention and graduation rates, student satisfaction, cost per student, and program profitability to drive data‑informed decisions.
  • Design and implement quality assurance processes for curriculum delivery, instructional technologies, assessment of learning outcomes, and continuous program evaluation in partnership with academic affairs and assessment teams.
  • Coordinate scheduling of courses, classrooms, labs, and learning technologies; optimize space utilization and lead space allocation planning to support academic delivery and campus events.
  • Lead grant administration and external funding efforts for the unit: prepare budgets, ensure compliance with sponsor terms, manage reporting, and coordinate with sponsored projects offices.
  • Oversee vendor and contract management for services such as learning technology platforms, proctoring, catering, and facilities services; negotiate terms, monitor performance, and manage renewal decisions.
  • Develop and execute retention and student success initiatives (early alert systems, mentoring, supplemental instruction) working collaboratively with advisors, faculty, and student affairs to improve outcomes.
  • Manage crisis response and operational continuity planning for the unit, including emergency communications, remote delivery contingencies, health and safety protocols, and post‑incident recovery actions.
  • Lead alumni, industry, and community engagement strategies for the school/unit; cultivate partnerships, internships, advisory boards, and fundraising relationships to enhance program relevance and resources.
  • Oversee marketing and communications for programs in coordination with central marketing teams: review program messaging, ensure brand compliance, support digital recruitment efforts, and track campaign effectiveness.
  • Implement data governance and reporting processes for program data; coordinate with institutional research to validate data, deliver regular operational dashboards, and support accreditation and regulatory reporting.
  • Manage IT and learning management system (LMS) adoption for the unit: coordinate LMS configurations, integrations, user training, and vendor escalations to support faculty and student needs.
  • Lead policy development and enforcement for unit‑level operations, creating clear procedural documentation, workflows, and manuals that align with university policy and legal requirements.
  • Drive diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives within operational processes and student services, ensuring programs are accessible, culturally responsive, and meet institutional DEI goals.
  • Coordinate academic scheduling and faculty assignment planning for each term to meet curricular needs while respecting full‑time equivalency (FTE) and budget constraints.
  • Conduct regular risk assessments related to finances, compliance, facilities, and program delivery; recommend mitigation strategies and present risk summaries to senior leadership.
  • Supervise program launches, expansions, and closures: lead feasibility analysis, resource planning, curriculum transitions, stakeholder communications, and post‑implementation evaluation.

Secondary Functions

  • Provide ad‑hoc operational analyses and business intelligence requests to support strategic initiatives and executive decision‑making.
  • Contribute to the university’s long‑term academic and operational strategy by participating in steering committees, accreditation task forces, and campus planning groups.
  • Support grant proposal development by preparing operational budgets, staffing plans, timeline estimates, and compliance narratives.
  • Offer training and coaching for faculty and staff on administrative systems, policies, and student service best practices to improve operational consistency.
  • Coordinate special events, convocations, open houses, and recruitment events, acting as the operational lead for logistics, vendor coordination, and on‑site staffing.
  • Maintain and continuously update a repository of policies, SOPs, templates, and checklists to ensure transferability and institutional memory across administrative teams.
  • Serve as back‑up decision authority for deans or director when required, making timely operational decisions to maintain continuity of service.

Required Skills & Competencies

Hard Skills (Technical)

  • Budgeting & Financial Management: experience building and managing multi‑line budgets, forecasting, variance analysis, and cost control in a higher education setting.
  • Enrollment Management & Recruitment Strategies: proven ability to design and operationalize recruitment funnels, conversion tactics, and segmentation for diverse student populations.
  • Accreditation & Regulatory Compliance: hands‑on experience preparing self‑studies, managing evidence, and responding to accreditor or regulator requests.
  • Learning Management Systems (Canvas, Blackboard, Moodle) and Academic Technologies configuration and support.
  • Customer Relationship Management (CRM) and student information systems (e.g., Slate, Ellucian Banner, PeopleSoft, Colleague) — configuration, reporting and operational workflows.
  • Data Analysis & Reporting: advanced Excel, dashboarding (Tableau, Power BI), basic SQL or familiarity with institutional research reporting tools.
  • Project Management & Process Improvement: formal methodology experience (Agile, Lean, PMP) to manage multi‑stakeholder projects and continuous improvement initiatives.
  • Grant and Sponsored Projects Administration: budgeting, compliance, reporting, and post‑award management.
  • HR Processes & Labor Relations: familiarity with personnel actions, hiring workflows, collective bargaining environments, and performance management.
  • Facilities & Space Management: space planning, scheduling systems, health and safety compliance, and vendor contract oversight.
  • Policy Development & Risk Management: drafting operational policies, SOPs, and conducting risk assessments.
  • Event Operations & Logistics: planning and executing large scale academic and recruitment events.
  • IT & Systems Integration: understanding of integrations between SIS, LMS, CRM, and third‑party vendors.

Soft Skills

  • Strategic leadership with the ability to translate institutional goals into operational plans and measurable outcomes.
  • Exceptional written and verbal communication tailored to diverse audiences including faculty, students, senior leadership, and external partners.
  • Strong stakeholder management and relationship building — able to negotiate, influence and align cross‑functional teams.
  • Problem solving and critical thinking under ambiguous or rapidly changing conditions.
  • Change management and the ability to lead teams through operational transformation.
  • High emotional intelligence, empathy, and commitment to student‑centered service delivery.
  • Time management, prioritization and the ability to manage multiple complex projects concurrently.
  • Coaching and staff development skills to build high‑performing teams.
  • Attention to detail and commitment to quality, compliance, and data integrity.
  • Cultural competency and commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion in program delivery and hiring.

Education & Experience

Educational Background

Minimum Education:

  • Bachelor’s degree in Higher Education Administration, Business Administration, Public Administration, Education Leadership, Finance, or a closely related field.

Preferred Education:

  • Master’s degree in Higher Education Administration, Educational Leadership, Business Administration (MBA), Public Administration (MPA), or related advanced degree preferred.

Relevant Fields of Study:

  • Higher Education Administration
  • Business Administration / Management
  • Public Administration
  • Educational Leadership
  • Finance / Accounting
  • Organizational Development

Experience Requirements

Typical Experience Range: 5–10 years of progressively responsible experience in higher education administration, academic operations, or program management.

Preferred:

  • 7+ years of leadership experience in a university or college environment with demonstrated success in budget management, enrollment operations, accreditation work, and cross‑functional project leadership.
  • Experience supervising professional staff and working with faculty governance structures, unions or collective bargaining units is highly desirable.
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