Assistant Director, Academic Services & Administration

About the position

Reporting to the Director for Academic Services & Administration (ASA), and working closely with students, faculty, and staff of the Financial Mathematics program (FINM), this position supports daily program operations. The Academic Services and Administration Office coordinates curricular offerings, advises students in all aspects of their academic experience, manages the onboarding and support of course staff, partners with other University offices on administrative and strategic issues, and oversees prospective students' connection to the program. Together with all program staff, this position is committed to providing an enriching experience for FINM students. Through independent work and collaboration with the FINM team and broader University, the Assistant Director for ASA significantly contributes to a variety of student services and departmental activities to enhance the student and faculty experience.

Responsibilities

• Leads the student services portion of ASA, serving as chief consultant for students on issues related to course selection and registration, degree requirements, registrar and bursar holds, and general course concerns.
• Manages the matriculation and degree advising for new online student cohort, including planning the immersion weekends for the online cohorts, ensuring online student success and satisfaction, and creating virtual opportunities for these online students to connect with one another, their instructors, and program staff.
• Handles the matriculation of BXMS students once admitted to the program, ensuring their manual course registration, compliance with The College and PSD requirements of joint degree students, and course planning for degree completion.
• Oversees the approval of non-Financial Mathematics courses as requested by students and manages the database of these approved courses year-to-year, including communicating the timing and policies of each class to interested students; works closely with departments housing any approved course to ensure good partnership with both instructors and administrators.
• Serves as the point of contact for students on leave of absence, guaranteeing regular communication and easing re-matriculation for students returning from LOA.
• Manages enrollment records for the FINM seminar courses (Practicum, Project Lab, and Career Seminar) which includes ensuring correct enrollment of all students, overseeing required authorizations for participation in Practicum, and related record keeping for seminar courses.
• Collaborates with supervisor on data analysis and process improvement efforts for student services, faculty services, and program admissions. Researches, collects, and analyzes data in support of curriculum review, application review, admissions pipeline review, course staff evaluations and other special initiatives.
• Manages and supports event planning logistics for various FINM events and activities, including student orientation, graduation, and other events for alumni, current students, corporate partners, faculty and staff.
• Supports other administrative operations, including processing reimbursements, and scheduling graduate student meetings and activities.
• Works closely with all members of the FINM team plus other University departments including the Registrar, Office of International Affairs, Bursar, Dean of Students, and Enrollment Services.
• Solves problems in areas such as academic and administrative policy, student admissions, curriculum research and development, and budget development.
• Recommends process improvements for programs that relate to critical student-life improvement, including emergency management, accommodations for students with disabilities, and/or the administration of health care services and programs for students.
• Performs other related work as needed.

Requirements

• Minimum requirements include a college or university degree in related field.
• Minimum requirements include knowledge and skills developed through 2-5 years of work experience in a related job discipline.

Nice-to-haves

• Bachelor's degree in related field.
• Previous experience in Student Affairs, Academic Support, Event Coordination, or a related field.
• Proficient in MS Suite, Adobe Professional.

Benefits

• The University of Chicago offers a wide range of benefits programs and resources for eligible employees, including health, retirement, and paid time off.