Job Summary:

Northwestern University is committed to excellent teaching, innovative research and creative endeavors, and the personal and intellectual growth of its students in an exciting academic community. A major role of the Office of the Provost is to further this mission through supporting the work of the faculty, students, and staff comprising the University.

The Associate Provost for Administration, Finance, and Facilities (APAFF), reporting to the Vice Provost for Administration/Chief of Staff, is a senior leadership position within the Office of the Provost. The primary responsibilities of this role are to support and optimize the allocation and use of existing academic spaces, enhance academic operations, work processes, resource allocation processes, and space/facilities planning both within the Office of the Provost and across Northwestern University’s schools and college.

Specific Responsibilities:

Working with the Vice Provost for Administration to proactively develop and sustain operational and resource allocation, and engage in academic space/facilities planning, in support of the University’s academic missions
Working closely with Facilities, and with academic and administrative units to engage in the development of space/facilities plans that converge with institutional strategic priorities, and are integrated with other planning processes, including, but not limited to-
Academic planning
Campus master planning
Research space planning
Faculty hiring planning
Unit-level strategic planning
Addressing academic space/facilities budget, policy, programmatic, and governance issues that arise in support of the University’s academic mission, including new University construction, renovation, and allocation of space
Work closely with Facilities and the schools in addressing strategic space and related governance issues on the Evanston, Chicago, and Doha, Qatar campuses
Advise the Provost and Vice Provost for Administration on all major institutional issues involving academic space/facilities
Assess and recommend best utilization of academic space when competing and/or conflicting interests exist
Lead Provost Office engagement on operational and space/facilities initiatives that are conceptualized by the Provost, other University leaders, and the Vice Provost for Administration
Relative to academic spaces, participate in the University’s annual resource allocation process.
Work closely with colleagues in Facilities, the Office of Budget and Planning, and within the Office of the Provost to address the academic space needs are included in the annual resource planning process
Play an instrumental role in partnership with academic and administrative unit leaders during the resource planning process to ensure that the facility capital budgets that support unit strategic plans are integrated into the comprehensive University budget framework
Actively engage on the Capital Facilities Work Group and the Capital Facilities Executive Committee
Developing and executing a structure and plan for optimally supporting Office of the Provost’s operations across the full range of reporting units within the Office, including leading a centralized business support function within the Office that includes budget, facilities and human resource functions within the Office of the Provost
Leading and supervising a team of four staff
Representing the Office on the Provost on University committees related to operational and space/facilities initiatives/issues



Miscellaneous

Performs other duties as assigned.

Minimum Qualifications:

A master’s degree from an accredited college or university; or equivalent experience
8-10 years of significant administrative, budget governance, and operational experience in a large and complex organization; preferably at a college or university
Demonstrated achievements in successfully developing, executing, and measuring operational plans in a complex and fast-paced environment
Familiarity with space/facilities planning processes
Demonstrated skills in helping to facilitate organizational challenges to solutions



Minimum Competencies

Ability to effect change through influence and collaboration
Excellent interpersonal skills, including highly developed oral and written communications skills and the ability to work effectively as part of a team and with a wide range of stakeholders
The ability to think creatively in addressing operational and space/facilities issues while balancing institutional and stakeholder needs
The ability to understand and recognize evolving organizational contexts and work effectively in an environment of constant change
Strong analytical, critical thinking, and problem-solving skills
Ability to work effectively in a fast-paced and deadline driven environment
Ability to handle confidential material and information appropriately
Preferred Qualifications

Experience in engaging in space/facilities or operational planning at a college or university
Post-baccalaureate degree work in the field of higher education or a related field