Executive Director, Education Administration - Graduate School

Title: Executive Director, Education Administration - Graduate School

Location: Upper East Side

Org Unit: Graduate School

Work Days:

Weekly Hours: 35.00

Exemption Status: Exempt

Salary Range: $228,400.00 - $275,900.00

*As required under NYC Human Rights Law Int 1208-2018 - Salary range for this role when Hired for NYC Offices

Position Summary

Reporting to the Dean of the Graduate School, the Executive Director provides strategic leadership for the administrative activities and operations of the Office of the Weill Cornell Graduate School of Medical Sciences (WCGSMS), an academic partnership between Sloan Kettering Institute and Weill Cornell Medical College. The Executive Director ensures the efficient functioning of the core Graduate School operations, which include financial and grant management; student recruitment, admissions and enrollment; marketing and communication; PhD onboarding, orientation and retention, and student career services. The Executive Director provides leadership and supervision for the program coordinators supporting the Graduate School’s five PhD programs, ensuring consistent delivery of student, academic, and administrative services.. In addition, the Executive Director supports workflow coordination of convocation, commencement, student leaves and dismissals, faculty appointments and credentialing across various stakeholders (i.e. registrar, payroll, student accounts).

The Executive Director implements effective processes, maintains compliance with institutional policies and regulatory requirements, and delivers timely support to faculty, staff, and students. Strong financial, organizational, management, and communication skills are essential for managing the complex academic and financial operations of the Graduate School Office.

The Executive Director serves as a key administrative partner to Graduate School leadership and collaborates with leaders across Weill Cornell Medicine, including the Student Housing office, the HR Immigration office, Student Health, Human Resources, Office of Educational Technology; Events Services, External Affairs, the Alumni office, Registrar’s office, and the Student Accounting office.

Job Responsibilities

• Serves as primary point of contact for Graduate School Office operational issues, resolving challenges promptly and effectively.

• Leads the Graduate School Office of 15 employees with nine direct reports, ensuring effective communication, training, and performance management.

• Directs the administration and operational infrastructure of the Graduate School, overseeing admissions, enrollment, registration, degree completion, grants administration, and financial operations.

• Provides final review and oversight of Graduate School financial operations, budget monitoring, expense monitoring, and reporting.

• Leads and supervises staff responsible for monthly billing records, budget reports, invoices to affiliate institutions, purchases, reimbursements, internal transfers, and vendor contracts.

• Directs financial monitoring and reporting activities to support budget oversight, fiscal stewardship, regulatory compliance, and informed decision-making.

• Oversees career services, professional development, marketing, and communication activities in support of institutional objectives and student success.

• Establishes and reinforces clear expectations of superior performance and service through the development of a team-oriented and proactive office culture.

• Leads continuous improvement initiatives to optimize Graduate School operations, administrative processes, and service delivery.

• Develops, delivers, and maintains performance and financial metrics to support strategic planning, budget development, and resource allocation.

• Measures the success of Graduate School administration and the efforts of units within the Graduate School Office.

• Oversees, through a dotted-line reporting structure, activities within the Student Accounting Office and Registrar's Office.

• Establishes a close working partnership with Human Resources to support immigration services for international students.

• Implements and maintains initiatives sponsored by the Dean and the Associate and Assistant Deans.

• Provides leadership and project management for strategic initiatives, including website redesign and implementation of academic and student information platforms.

• Oversees administration, optimization, and ongoing management of platforms supporting admissions, enrollment, academic milestone tracking, student services, and institutional reporting.

• Coordinates activities and joint oversight of administrative staff supporting Master's of Science programs.

• Oversees the Education Program Manager responsible for administration, coordination, and operational support of the Graduate School's five PhD programs.

• Ensures effective supervision of program coordinators supporting the Graduate School's five PhD programs.

• Provides strategic, tactical, and operational support to the Associate Deans, Dean, and others as requested.

• Leads collaboration with Sloan Kettering Institute, Hospital for Special Surgery, Houston Methodist Academic Institute, and Cornell University Graduate School.

• Aligns academic policies, administrative processes, and graduate education operations across a complex multi-institutional academic environment.

• Coordinates and maintains records related to accreditation, including New York State Board of Education accreditation of PhD and master's programs.

• Coordinates and maintains records related to requirements of the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board.

• Ensures the development and filing of financial and other reports required by New York State.

Education

• Bachelor’s degree required

• Master’s of Business Administration (MBA) or related master’s degree highly preferred

Experience

• Approximately 7-10 years of related experience with increasing levels of responsibility and complexity in an academic or related non-profit administrative setting.

• Progressive leadership experience.

• Experience applying regulations and policies in a complex environment.

• Experience leading a high performing team and maintaining a collaborative, respectful working environment.

Preferred Experience

• Previous experience working with faculty and researchers in a scientific organization favored.

• Familiarity with higher education accreditation, academic policies and procedures highly preferred.

• Previous experience working with students in an academic setting a plus.

• Experience managing academic, student information, admissions, learning management, or other enterprise technology platforms in a higher education environment preferred.

Knowledge, Skills and Abilities

• Established leadership skills.

• Excellent interpersonal skills including ability to work with students, faculty, and staff

• Excellent organizational skills and ability to manage projects with external consultants and diverse internal stakeholders.

• Excellent written and oral communication.

• Demonstrated understanding of financial management, budget development, financial reporting, forecasting, and accounting principles.

• Ability to work independently with a high degree of initiative, establish and accomplish priorities, and handling multiple tasks simultaneously.

• Excellent judgment in dealing with time sensitive and complex issues.

• Ability to work collaboratively with a broad set of colleagues within the Graduate School and partnership institutions.

• Demonstrates customer service orientation. Strives to exceed internal and external stakeholder expectation.

• Enthusiasm for personnel management and team building.

• Demonstrated commitment to integrity and ethics, flexibility, teamwork, communication, continuous improvement and accountability.

• Understands and values the alignment between individual objectives, departmental priorities, and the organization’s overarching mission.

Licenses and Certifications

Working Conditions/Physical Demands

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Cornell University embraces diversity in its workforce and seeks job candidates who will contribute to a climate that supports students, faculty, and staff of all identities and backgrounds. We hire based on merit, and encourage people from historically underrepresented and/or marginalized identities to apply. Consistent with federal law, Cornell engages in affirmative action in employment for qualified protected veterans as defined in the Vietnam Era Veterans’ Readjustment Assistance Act (VEVRRA). We also recognize a lawful preference in employment practices for Native Americans living on or near Indian reservations in accordance with applicable law.