Design Tech Department Manager

Overview

The Department Manager directs the day-to-day operations of the new multi-college Department of Design Tech, collaborating with the Department Chair to develop and implement management strategies for short- & long-range fiscal, operational, and human resource areas. The person in this role also works cooperatively with the AAP Associate Dean for Administration, other department managers, and resource stewards in the college and participating colleges to build and sustain a culture of collaboration and continuous process improvement.

Key responsibilities:

• Function as chief financial officer of the department, developing financial projections and strategies for discretionary and sponsored funding and collaborating on sponsored project administration and sponsored project proposal preparation. 
• Create and sustain partnerships with faculty and staff within AAP and across the departments and colleges that contribute to the Department of Design Tech.   
• Establish, implement, evaluate, and optimize departmental operational policies and procedures in conjunction with the Chair. 
• Supervise administrative support staff and manage overall support staff structure. 
• Collaborate with college partners to ensure effective management of human resources needs, research programs, educational programs, and facilities/building operations. 
• Collaborate with the Chair to implement policies and initiatives to support department faculty (based in Ithaca and NYC) and staff in building the culture of the department.

While position responsibilities vary, all people leaders are expected to foster a culture of belonging and a psychologically healthy work environment by being trustworthy, respecting all individuals, being flexible, supporting work/life integration as well as healthy boundaries, inviting new ideas, alternatives, and perspectives; speaking up and taking action if others are being excluded or treated inappropriately; and recognizing the contributions of others. 

No visa sponsorship and no relocation funds are available for this position.

Department Details

The new Department of Design Tech is a multi-college, transdisciplinary initiative pioneering innovation, research, and teaching on topics at the intersection of design and emerging technology that most greatly impact research, industry, and practice in a changing world.

Bridging expertise and catalyzing exploration, innovation, and collaboration in emerging areas, including design + interactions, design + materials, design + media, and design + environments, Design Tech is a generator of new modes, methods, and applications that redefine design practice and research.

About the College

The College of Architecture, Art, and Planning at Cornell University (Cornell AAP) is home to nearly 1,000 students, 120 faculty, and 65 staff members who come together from around the world to take up some of today's most urgent challenges and advance research, inquiry, and design to build a more just and sustainable future.

A vital college at one of the nation's foremost research universities, Cornell AAP bridges fields and faculty with five departments, 20 degree programs, 18 faculty-led labs, and the Cornell Mui Ho Center for Cities, a platform for building partnerships that make a positive impact in our cities and communities nationally and internationally.

Cornell AAP's departments include Architecture, Art, and Planning, as well as the new multicollege Paul Rubacha Department of Real Estate, jointly led by the S.C. Johnson College of Business, and the multicollege Department of Design Tech, administered by Cornell AAP in partnership with Cornell Bowers CIS, Cornell Engineering, the Cornell Human Ecology, and Cornell Tech. The college is housed across three locations (Ithaca, New York; New York City; and Rome, Italy), each offering world-class facilities and cutting-edge technologies.

Cornell AAP is about acts of transformation. We are committed to building a caring, inclusive, and rigorous community around our shared priorities — Creative + Critical Practices, Sustainability + Social Impact, Design + Emerging Technologies, and the Future of Cities + Development — that enable us to reimagine and reshape the world in radically new ways, every day.

Qualifications

Required Qualifications

Bachelor’s degree with 3-5 years of relevant experience or equivalent combination of education and experience.

The successful individual will be:

• a great communicator, with strong leadership, organizational, analytical, and creative problem-solving skills;
• experienced with budgeting, financial reporting, and resource management, and able to conceptualize and oversee the design of databases, data collection methods, and reporting tools, and demonstrated capacity to facilitate decision-making by analyzing and presenting data;
• equally adept at approaching conditions from “big-picture” and “detail-oriented” vantage points, and able to effectively navigate situations that are ambiguous, confidential, and/or with evolving priorities;
• able to set priorities for others and to provide guidance, training, support, and other resources as necessary;
• capable of working independently and in close collaboration with others; and
• technologically savvy and able to train and support others as they learn to use programs, tools, and information/audio-visual technology resources.

Additionally, this person will have:

• expertise with typical business software, including Microsoft Office Suite (Word and Excel especially), as well as database management and financial management tools, and/or the ability to gain fluency quickly;
• experience in and/or demonstrated commitment to supporting diversity, equity, access, inclusion, and wellbeing;
• demonstrated ability to sustain an open, inclusive, and collaborative environment where all perspectives are solicited and valued; and
• the capacity to advocate, build relationships, foster teamwork as well as opportunities for individual growth, and lead by example.
• Familiarity with Cornell-specific systems, policies, and procedures is a plus but not required – what will be necessary are the abilities to learn these quickly and to keep skills/knowledge up-to-date.

Preferred Qualifications

In addition to the above-mentioned technological competency, facility with any of the following would be a significant plus: Cornell-wide tools (e.g., Kuali Financial System and OBIEE, PeopleSoft, Workday, etc.) and/or tools used in AAP (e.g., Slab, Airtable), and/or other database, project management, or organizational software.

Experience in higher education, particularly in a research-intensive or highly complex environment.

Required Application Materials

Most positions at Cornell will require you to apply online and submit both a resume/CV and cover letter.  You can upload documents either by "dragging and dropping" them into the dropbox or by using the "upload" icon on the application page. For more detailed instructions on how to apply to a job at Cornell, visit How We Hire on the HR website.

Benefits

The pay range is $71,081 to $82,607 annually

Non-Union Positions
Noted pay ranges reflect the potential pay opportunity for each job profile. The hiring rate of pay for the successful candidate will be determined considering the following criteria:

• prior relevant work or industry experience.
• education level to the extent education is relevant to the position.
• unique applicable skills.
• academic Discipline (faculty pay ranges reflect 9-month annual salary).

To learn more about Cornell's non-union staff job titles and pay ranges, see Career Navigator.

Union Positions
The hiring rate of pay for the successful candidate will be determined in accordance with the rates in the respective collective bargaining agreement. To learn more about Cornell's union wages, see Union Pay Rates.

Questions and Additional Information

Melinda Stelick
(607) 255-4316
ms294@cornell.edu