The successful candidate will have a continuous improvement mindset; will be committed to fostering an environment of diversity, equity and inclusion in WCER; and must possess the ability to effectively interact and communicate strategically with employees, principal investigators, and administrative leadership. The position requires excellent organizational, interpersonal, and communications skills, and the ability to work under pressure to meet multiple demands while maintaining high service standards. All work is done in a collaborative team environment in support of WCER’s values and strategic goals.

• 15% Directs service-oriented training and outreach to communicate and implement policies and procedures pertaining to research administration operations within a unit
• 15% Authorizes activities related to proposal submission, contract negotiation, and/or award setup on behalf of the institution or unit
• 10% Approves processes or activities related to financial compliance, audit, or reporting on behalf of the institution or unit
• 10% Directs strategic planning initiatives and establishes project objectives to ensure appropriate use of financial, administrative, and/or staffing resources, and alignment with the strategic plan
• 10% Serves as the unit liaison to internal and external stakeholder groups providing organizational information and representing the interests of the unit
• 10% Develops and monitors the unit budget
• 15% Exercises supervisory authority, including hiring, transferring, suspending, promoting, managing conduct and performance, discharging, assigning, rewarding, disciplining, and/or approving hours worked of at least 2.0 full-time equivalent (FTE) employees
• 10% Directs the negotiation, prioritization, and logistics of procurement efforts, including Academic Support Services Orders an Agreements (ASSA) and contracts, across projects and within the unit
• 5% Assists in the strategic planning, development, implementation, and evaluation of innovative, creative, and sustainable education research fee-for-service projects and initiatives

The University of Wisconsin-Madison fulfills its public mission by creating a welcoming and inclusive community for people from every background – people who as students, faculty, and staff serve Wisconsin and the world.

For more information on diversity and inclusion on campus, please visit: Diversity and Inclusion

Preferred
Master’s Degree or advanced credentials preferred.

Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities Required
– Ability to strategically position the Wisconsin Center for Education Research for continued financial success and growth.
– Significant knowledge and ability to apply financial, administrative, and business theory, University policy and best practices to create a financial stable and sustainable environment for education research that supports the growth and development of faculty, staff, and students.
– Demonstrated knowledge of long-range financial planning, revenue generation and allocation of resources for the Wisconsin Center for Education Research.
– Robust understanding of sponsored funding and comprehensive knowledge of accounting, financial systems software and analytics.
– Knowledge of fiscal policies and experience advising on development of processes in support of efficiency and compliance.
– Excellent verbal and written communication skills.
– Ability to effectively manage several projects simultaneously.
– Excellent interpersonal skills and ability to contribute effectively to a workgroup.
– Positive, helpful, customer service-oriented approach to working with faculty, staff, students, job candidates, and other stakeholders across the school, the university, and outside the UW System.
– Demonstrated success as a supervisor able to motivate, support, and retain a team to create a positive work environment focused on customer service and excellence.
– Proactive and proficient ability to diagnose problems and identify appropriate solutions in a team environment.
– Ability to provide guidance and maintain confidentiality in sensitive, situations.
– Ability to provide leadership, collaborate on teams, and consult effectively and independently.
– Effectively share creative and innovative ideas to enhance the effectiveness and efficiency of services to our employees and projects in WCER.

Currently, employees at the Wisconsin Center for Education Research (WCER) work in a hybrid environment, partially onsite and partially remote. The balance of face-to-face and remote work schedule for this position will be discussed at the time of hire. This role has more face-to-face responsibilities than remote ones.

WCER’s mission is to improve educational outcomes for diverse student populations, impact education practice positively and foster collaborations among academic disciplines and practitioners. To this end, our center helps scholars and practitioners develop, submit, conduct, and share grant-funded education research.

At WCER, all employees share five fundamental organization values to guide the purpose and quality of our work and interactions within ourselves and our outside stakeholders. The values that the work and people of WCER strive to uphold are:

– Innovation and Excellence. Continuous improvement is a driver for excellence. We innovate and improve in our work to advance education through leading research and development.
– Equitable Education. Equitable education is essential to a healthy society. We aim to reverse imbalances and injustices in education through our work.
– Affirming and Increasing Diversity. Individual differences and group diversity inspire creative and equitable outcomes. We actively affirm and seek to increase such diversity in our center.
– Healthy Workplace. The well-being of our workplace enhances success for all. We commit to a workplace based on mutual respect and transparency.
– Partnering Across Differences. Diverse backgrounds and expertise improve the quality of our work. We collaborate across disciplines, methodologies, organizations, and communities to strengthen our research and development outcomes.

WCER’s Commitment to Diversity, Equity & Inclusion:
Diversity is a source of strength, creativity, and innovation for UW-Madison and The Wisconsin Center for Education Research (WCER). Individual differences and group diversity inspire creative and equitable outcomes. WCER actively affirms values and seeks to increase diversity in our everyday interactions, practices, and policies.

WCER’s Strategic Goals:
– Identify the knowledge, skills and awareness of positionality needed to integrate diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) into the center’s daily operations
– Improve and expand the center’s services equitably to students, academic and university staff, and faculty
– Use problem solving, experimentation, learning from diverse experiences, and efficient transfer of knowledge to achieve our mission
– Promote high-quality, community-connected local, state, national and international research on education
– Expand and diversify sources of funding for research

For more information and news about our center, please go to https://wcer.wisc.edu/