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Position Details

Position Information

Announcement Number STAFF - VA - 25336

For questions regarding this position, please contact:

Laura Wilson

[email protected]

406-994-3683

Classification Title Admin Assoc IV

Working Title Business Operations Manager

Brief Position Overview

The Business Operations Manager provides high level administrative and operational support to the office of the Vice President, Dean of the College of Agriculture, and the Director of the Montana Agricultural Experiment Station ( MAES ). Working with a great team, this position performs a variety of administrative and business support, event planning, and customer service duties.

The Dean’s Office Business Operations Manager ( BOM ) provides a high level of administrative support for the operation of the College of Agriculture/ MAES . This includes providing fiscal oversight and budget management for the Dean’s office in coordination with the Budget and Fiscal Director, administering the day-to-day operations of the Dean’s office in coordination with the Assistant to the Vice President, Dean, and Director; and supporting the execution of events.

Position Number 4M0496

Department Dean of Agriculture

Division College of Agriculture/MAES

Appointment Type Classified

Contract Term Fiscal Year

Semester

If other, specify From date

If other, specify End date

FLSA Non-Exempt

Union Affiliation FOCUS-MFPE

FTE 1.0

Benefits Eligible Eligible

Salary $20.49 - $25.61 per hour, commensurate with experience, education, and qualifications

Contract Type Classified Salary

If other, please specify

Recruitment Type Open

Position Details

General Statement

The College of Agriculture/Montana Agricultural Experiment Station ( MAES ) seeks a highly motivated and experienced individual to provide a high level of administrative support for the Office of the Vice President, Dean, and Director of the College of Agriculture/ MAES .

Duties and Responsibilities

Office Management and Executive Administrative Support:

+ Provide exceptional customer service and office reception to faculty, students, staff, and clients in coordination with the Program Coordinator II.

+ Represent the College of Agriculture and MAES in a knowledgeable and professional manner, answering questions, providing guidance, and solving problems as needed.

+ Provide high level administrative support to the Associate Dean of Academic Programs, the Associate Director of MAES and Research Development, the Assistant to the Vice President, and the Budget/Fiscal Director.

+ Maintain an open and accessible Vice President’s/Dean’s/Director’s office, in accordance with State of Montana business hour expectations, opening and closing the office in collaboration with the Program Coordinator II.

+ Schedule complex meetings and events requiring the coordination of multiple, executive-level calendars and securing various logistics including catering, locations, web connections, and preparation of meeting materials.

+ Contribute to special projects as assigned and serve on committees as appropriate.

Fiscal:

+ In coordination with the Budget/Finance Director, serve as account manager for the Vice President’s/Dean’s/Director’s office and program indexes, Foundation accounts, grants, ChromeRiver (purchasing card transactions), AP/AR, ensure documentation and compliance of transactions, biweekly pre- and post-payroll audit.

+ Serve as Vice President’s/Dean’s/Director’s office liaison with Fiscal Shared Services.

+ Receive and deposit funds from on- and off-campus entities.

+ Manage Dean’s office procurement processes.

HR Liaison:

+ Serve as the first contact for hiring and payroll issues for the Vice President’s/Dean’s/Director’s office.

+ Serve as departmental liaison with HR Service Center to perform centralized personnel actions and processing functions for the College of Agriculture and MAES related to hiring, payroll, and separation.

+ Support College job searches, including communication with candidates and coordinating selection and hiring logistics. Initiate and coordinate onboarding of newly hired employees (security, system accounts, space, PC set-up, etc.).

+ Create and process various types of appointments for College staff and coordinate submission of EPAFs, new employee forms and departmental on-boarding and off-boarding processes.

Business Operations Support:

+ Work closely with and report to the Assistant to the Vice President to facilitate overall operations for the College of Agriculture/ MAES and select affiliated operations (for example, the Arthur H. Post Research Farm).

+ Research and resolve problems, gathers facts and data to make informed decisions or inform leadership as appropriate.

+ Coordinate travel: initiate travel pre-authorizations, make travel reservations (air, hotel, car, etc.), create itineraries, and assure timely processing of travel expense vouchers/reimbursement requests according to university policies.

+ Maintain a detailed inventory of all capital, minor and sensitive equipment in compliance with university and state policies and regulations.

+ Maintain delivery parking permits for use by VP/Dean/Director’s office staff.

+ Manage appropriate use and scheduling of the VP/Dean/Director’s conference room and provide tech support as needed.

+ Manage CoA/ MAES purchasing processes. Contact vendors, select options, determine cost and ordering process, and communicate with CoA/ MAES leadership.

+ Serve as Telephone Coordinator arranging for telephone services, repairs, and updating the MSU Directory information.

+ Manage procurement of supplies, office equipment and services. Negotiate and secure lease and maintenance contracts with vendors for office equipment (copiers, printers, shredder, etc.).

Required Qualifications – Experience, Education, Knowledge & Skills

+ Bachelor’s degree plus progressively responsible administrative work experience with an emphasis on customer service in a main office setting or an equivalent combination of relevant education and/or experience.

+ Demonstrated experience organizing and prioritizing multiple work assignments, meeting deadlines and exercising adaptability with a high degree of accuracy and close attention to detail, while maintaining a positive and professional demeanor.

+ Advanced proficiency in Microsoft Word and Excel, with experience formatting professional documents.

Preferred Qualifications – Experience, Education, Knowledge & Skills

+ Demonstrated experience using accounting and budgeting principles, practices, and techniques including accounts payable and receivable.

+ Administrative experience supporting or interfacing with executive-level personnel.

The Successful Candidate Will

+ Possess the ability to maintain confidentiality of records and information.

+ Possess excellent verbal and written communication skills to effectively and confidently communicate with employees, students and the public in person, over the phone and by email.

+ Possess demonstrated ability to exercise sound judgment in decision making and interpretation when applying organization policies and procedures.

+ Be able to work independently with minimal supervision as well as work effectively as a member of a team.

+ Use independent judgment, intellectual analysis and evaluation to solve complex operating problems.

+ Establish and maintain cooperative working relationships with co-workers and other departments and staff across campus.

+ Represent the Office of the Vice President and Dean of the College of Agriculture and the Montana Agricultural Experiment Station to others in a professional and courteous manner.

Position Special Requirements/Additional Information

This is a full-time (1.0 FTE ) position (40 hours per week). Occasional work on nights and weekends is required for onsite event management.

This job description should not be construed as an exhaustive statement of duties, responsibilities or requirements, but a general description of the job. Nothing contained herein restricts Montana State University’s rights to assign or reassign duties and responsibilities to this job at any time.

Physical Demands

To perform this job successfully, an individual must be able to perform each essential duty satisfactorily with or without reasonable accommodations. The requirements listed above are representative of the knowledge, skill, and/or ability required.

This position has supervisory duties? No

Posting Detail Information

Number of Vacancies 1

Desired Start Date Upon completion of a successful search

Position End Date (if temporary)

Open Date

Close Date

Applications will be:

Screening of applications will begin on April 24, 2025; however, applications will continue to be accepted until an adequate applicant pool has been established.

Special Instructions

EEO Statement

Montana State University is an equal opportunity employer. MSU does not discriminate against any applicant on the basis of race, color, religion, creed, political ideas, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, age, marital status, national origin, physical or mental disability, or any other protected class status in violation of any applicable law.

In compliance with the Montana Veteran’s Employment Preference Act, MSU provides preference in employment to veterans, disabled veterans, and certain eligible relatives of veterans. To claim veteran’s preference, please complete the veteran’s preference information located in the Demographics section of your profile.