The School of Media and Public Affairs (SMPA) is a leader in media, journalism, and political communication instruction and research. As part of the Columbian College of Arts and Sciences (CCAS), we have built our international reputation on the strength of a liberal arts education. We bring Washington into the classroom with a focus on how the media inform and influence policy and politics in a democracy. Students engage with the world around them through internships and access to decision-makers, community leaders, and power brokers.

This Senior Academic Department Administrator position provides enhanced administrative support to the School of Media & Public Affairs and reports to the Director of Special Projects and Administration.

The core responsibilities of this position are managing and supporting the daily operation of an academic department within a school or college, primarily in the areas of hiring, compliance and financial management, representing the department on business affairs and/or faculty affairs to the institution community, developing and preparing budgets and financial reports for grants, general appropriations, endowments, and other funds, and coordinating and participating in a variety of human resources activities such as coordinating and initiating recruitment efforts. Additional responsibilities include providing input into non-technical portions of grant and contract proposals and assisting with research recruitment efforts, managing the hiring process for all faculty (full time, adjunct and visiting scholars), and students, including on-boarding to the department, supporting and addressing faculty classroom needs, including acquisition of textbooks and compiling course materials, and liaising with and assisting faculty with academic and administrative matters such as administrative aspects of course and curricula preparation. This role exercises authority to make decisions related to academic support and serves as the administrative subject matter expert for the department.

Budget and Fiscal Responsibilities
Manages and tracks SMPA fiscal year budget; runs, reconciles and presents all budget reports on monthly meetings with the Director and Director of Special Projects and Administration
Processes procurement activities, vendor registration and setup, contracts or scope of work review; processes invoice payments and purchases; submits purchases orders as needed
Oversees, reviews and approves all departmental PCard expense reports under the SMPA home org
Processes all honorarium and stipend payments for lecturers and student awards; and coordinate with award committee and GW Student Accounts for scholarship credit information
Coordinates with Director and Supervisor in preparing fiscal year budget for submission to CCAS Finance (annual)
Familiarity with GW related policies and procedures

Personnel
Processes and posts faculty recruitment positions in coordination with director, CCAS Vice Dean for Faculty Affairs office, post advertising, coordinate with search committee, coordinates schedules and travel booking for selected applicants, then process and finalize recruitment
Processes hiring and consulting or salary payments of fellows s and setup in the system for GWID; email account and office spaces
Processes all adjunct faculty hires each semester
Reviews and reconciles biweekly employee time cards; coordinates with projects and institutes supervisor to assure accuracy and timeliness of time card approvals for payroll processing
Processes Faculty Supplemental Compensation
Processes staff hiring, RAs for grant funded projects;
Processes affiliate status (visiting scholars) and coordinates with the scholar for Visa requirements

Academic Class Scheduling
Coordinates with Associate Director on class scheduling;
Runs reports from scheduling system Coordinates and works with all faculty, full time and part time on course offerings each semester; Works with associate director in revising and updating course information on bulletin

Grants and Contracts Departmental Research Coordinator
Works and coordinates with principal investigator, sponsored research administrators both pre-award, and post award activities
Reviews and approves grant expenses Attends sponsored research meetings involving grants under the SMPA organization

Administrative responsibilities
Manages departmental spaces and classrooms – Assist faculty, staff and other departmental staff with reserving SMPA dedicated rooms
Coordinates with Facilities – moves, transportation, repairs etc; submit Fixit requests when needed
Liaises between departments and offices within SMPA, CCAS and GW

Performs other related duties as assigned. The omission of specific duties does not preclude the supervisor from assigning duties that are logically related to the position.

Targeting an April 1, 2025 Start for this position.
Minimum Qualifications:
Qualified candidates will hold a Bachelor’s degree in an appropriate area of specialization. Degree must be conferred by the start date of the position. Degree requirements may be substituted with an equivalent combination of education, training and experience.

Additional Required Licenses/Certifications/Posting Specific Minimum Qualifications:
Preferred Qualifications:
Demonstrated experience in managing departmental budgets, including preparing and presenting budget reports, tracking expenses, and processing procurement activities. The ability to oversee fiscal activities, such as procurement, payments, and reconciliation of budget reports for various funds, including grants, appropriations, and endowments is preferred.
Proven ability to manage the full lifecycle of faculty and staff recruitment, including posting positions, coordinating interviews, and processing hiring paperwork. Experience with payroll administration, faculty supplemental compensation, and working with faculty and staff on HR-related matters, such as timecards, stipends, and visa coordination for international scholars desired.
Experience in coordinating academic operations, including class scheduling, course materials, and curriculum preparation in collaboration with faculty and staff. Strong organizational skills in managing departmental spaces, liaising between various internal departments, and supporting faculty with administrative needs to ensure smooth academic operations and compliance desired.