Lead Administrator, Peabody Museum/YIBS

Position Focus :

Reporting to the Director of the Peabody Museum and a leader within Academic Business Operations, the Lead Administrator for the Peabody Museum and the Yale Institute for Biospheric Studies (YIBS) serves as a strategic administrative partner.

This position is a critical leadership and managerial role which provides a unique opportunity to provide financial and systems thought leadership in an organization dedicated to advancing teaching, research, learning, and practice.

The successful candidate will contribute to our mission through their expertise in financial stewardship, administrative excellence, and support of staff expertise, diverse collections, inclusive programs, and welcoming spaces.

This pivotal role encompasses being the chief financial steward and the leader of administrative support services responsible for directing, planning, and managing both the museum and institute’s comprehensive business affairs.

This includes oversight of internal human resources functions for 115 staff and postdoctoral positions, managing and analyzing departmental budgets, spearheading program development, enhancing information systems, facilitating staff training and development, and ensuring regulatory compliance.

The Lead Administrator will manage a team of staff within the business office. Additionally, the Lead Administrator manages annual operating budgets of approximately $18M, which includes $500k in grant and contract expenses.

At the Yale Peabody Museum we are working to confront our history of injustice, inequity, and racism. We are working on Diversity, Equity, Accessibility, and Inclusion institutional priorities so that we can learn to better serve our communities, amplify marginalized voices and perspectives, and create a welcoming and inclusive environment for all.

The ideal candidate will be ready to share their experience with and interest in contributing to this work. Please address in your cover letter how Diversity, Equity, Accessibility, and Inclusion relate to your professional experience and goals.

Essential Duties

1. Strategic Partner : Achievement of the organization’s mission and goals by working in close partnership with the organization leader, faculty, staff, students and service providers to develop and implement the organization’s strategy.

Understands and monitors external and internal factors influencing the organization’s mission and goals. Plans for financial and non-financial resources required for the organization to achieve its goals.

Supports organization and program leaders in conceptualizing, prioritizing, and planning new programs or program changes.

Supports, and when necessary drives, the organization’s process for strategic planning with key faculty and staff. 2. University Citizen : Connects the organization and the University through communication, alignment of priorities, implementation of initiatives, and active engagement in organization or University administrative priorities.

Effectively represents organization needs, challenges, and opportunities at the University level. Proactively shares knowledge and best practices with others.

3. Financial Analyst and Advisor : Provides comprehensive financial information, analysis and advice to optimize use of the organization’s financial resources.

Creates and updates long range financial plan(s), reflecting all critical issues. Identifies available financial resources (current and future), and advises and deploys efficiently to best support organization objectives.

Prepares all-funds budgets, analyzes financial activities and performance against budget, makes adjustments and take action as needed.

4. Risk Management Administrator : Implements and maintains strong internal controls to provide reasonable assurance of effective and appropriate resource use, accurate financial information, adherence to contractual obligations and agreements, policies, procedures, and external regulatory requirements.

Identifies, communicates, addresses and escalates risks in a timely and appropriate manner to protect the assets, resources, information and reputation of the organization and the University.

Ensures all faculty and staff understand the regulations and Yale requirements as they pertain to their scope of activity.

5. Talent Manager and Developer : Ensures the organization employs effective practices for retaining, attracting and developing talent in line with University guidelines and contractual agreements.

Ensures that all organization staff participate in the University’s performance management and career development processes.

Ensures the needs of the organization’s current and future talent are assessed periodically and that issues are addressed, facilitating the movement of talent where appropriate and developing Business Operations staff.

Cultivates a diversity of backgrounds and perspectives in the organization. Assures that the organization follows appropriate School and University policies and procedures related to Human Resources.

6. Administrative Services Leader : Ensures efficient and effective completion of all administrative and financial services provided to the organization.

Ensures high quality delivery of administrative services by providers outside the organization, including human resources, information technology, procurement, student services, post-doctoral affairs and faculty affairs.

Establishes, monitors, and meets or exceeds targets for operational excellence. Identifies and implements opportunities to achieve continuous improvement of processes.

Responsible for building and managing a team of high-performance administrative and financial professionals. 7. May perform other duties as assigned.

Required Education and Experience

Minimum of a bachelor's degree and seven years progressively responsible experience; or equivalent combination of education and experience.

Demonstrated fiscal responsibility and comprehensive knowledge of accounting, financial reporting and analysis. Demonstrated experience with complex strategic planning and resource allocation.

Demonstrated experience in managing relationships and influencing outcomes Demonstrated creativity and effectiveness in a complex organization.

Demonstrated success in developing people and organizations.

Required Skill / Ability 1 :

Creative, strategic, and results-driven with strong leadership skills and a proven track record of success in similar roles of progressively greater management and leadership responsibility in a similarly complex organization.

Required Skill / Ability 2 :

A robust administrative and finance background, excellent relationship-building capabilities, and impeccable verbal and written communication skills.

Required Skill / Ability 3 :

Good business judgment, an analytical mindset, great capacity for flexibility, diplomacy, service, and adaptability to shifting priorities or needs, and sound, influential decision-making abilities.

Required Skill / Ability 4 :

Demonstrated ability managing, motivating, and developing teams, and strong communication and presentation skills.

Required Skill / Ability 5 :

High-level strategic planning skills; visionary with ability to influence. Ability to generate a strategic vision and to influence people to achieve this vision.

Preferred Education, Experience and Skills :

Master’s degree in business administration and leadership experience in a university or museum environment preferred.

Drug Screen

Health Screening

Background Check Requirements

All candidates for employment will be subject to pre-employment background screening for this position, which may include motor vehicle, DOT certification, drug testing and credit checks based on the position description and job requirements.

All offers are contingent upon the successful completion of the background check. For additional information on the background check requirements and process visit "Learn about background checks" under the Applicant Support Resources section of Careers on the It's Your Yale website.

COVID-19 Vaccine Requirement

The University maintains policies pertaining to COVID-19. All faculty, staff, students, and trainees are required to comply with these policies, which may be found here :

Posting Disclaimer

The intent of this job description is to provide a representative summary of the essential functions that will be required of the position and should not be construed as a declaration of specific duties and responsibilities of the particular position.

Employees will be assigned specific job-related duties through their hiring departments.