Director of Strategy and Programs (Science)

Job Summary:

The Division of Sciences encompasses a wide range of departments, research enterprises, and operational demands that together create a dynamic and richly complex academic environment. The Director of Divisional Strategy and Programs serves as a senior partner to the Divisional Dean, helping to manage a broad portfolio of initiatives, ensuring that the division's most significant projects receive the sustained leadership they deserve, and translating strategic priorities into well-structured, executable plans. 

This is a role for someone with exceptional business acumen and a genuine talent for working across organizational boundaries. The Director will lead some initiatives directly and serve as the Dean's delegate on others, stepping into complex workstreams and providing the structure, coordination, and senior judgment needed to drive them forward. The ideal candidate is a skilled, collaborative operator who strengthens how the division works without adding unnecessary complexity. 

Job-Specific Responsibilities:

• Partner with the Dean to shape and advance the division's strategic priorities, translating long-range goals into actionable plans with clear owners, timelines, and measurable outcomes 

• Lead the annual and multi-year strategic planning process, translating priorities into a clear divisional roadmap with concrete goals, timelines, and accountabilities 

• Serve as the Dean's delegate on high-priority projects and workstreams, including organizational reviews of individual departments, major capital and facilities initiatives, and efforts with significant financial or operational implications 

• Assess departmental structures, workflows, and resource alignment, developing practical recommendations that strengthen organizational effectiveness across the division 

• Identify opportunities to improve cross-functional coordination and streamline how work flows across the division, without adding organizational layers or complexity 

• Partner with leaders across the division and FAS (finance, HR, operations, etc.) to ensure workstreams are well-integrated and the right expertise is engaged at the right time 

• Serve as a trusted advisor to the Dean, providing well-framed decision support on complex issues, emerging opportunities, and time-sensitive matters; frame options clearly, identify trade-offs, and drive toward alignment 

• Track and communicate progress against strategic priorities, surfacing risks early, recommending course corrections, and ensuring the Dean and key stakeholders have a clear and current picture of divisional initiatives 

 

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