Vice President for Administration and Finance

The University of Maryland Center for Environmental Science (UMCES) is seeking a Vice President for Administration and Finance (VPAF). Reporting directly to the President, the VPAF is the chief financial and operating officer, responsible for the development of operating and capital budgets, financial management and accountability, research administration and compliance with laws, regulations and policies of the State of Maryland, University System of Maryland, and UMCES. The VPAF works in collaboration with the other Vice Presidents and the UMCES’ unit directors in the execution of its mission in research, education, and service. The VPAF represents UMCES in financial and administrative matters within the University System of Maryland and with state and federal agencies.

Qualifications: The successful candidate should hold a degree in accounting, business, or finance with 10 years of progressively increasing responsibilities and at least five years at a senior administrative management level in a research-oriented higher educational setting or its equivalent. The candidate should have demonstrated leadership ability with exceptional interpersonal skills to effectively develop and manage teams and motivate others. This individual will also develop and promote goals and priorities to sustain, strengthen and improve overall administrative policies and processes.

UMCES is one of 12 academic institutions within the University System of Maryland, and is uniquely charged with maintaining a comprehensive program of environmental research, education and service (www.umces.edu). With a current annual operating and research budget of approximately $50 million – roughly half of which comes from the state – UMCES encompasses a network of six units across Maryland and includes the Appalachian Laboratory in western Maryland, the Chesapeake Biological Laboratory in southern Maryland, the Horn Point Laboratory on the Eastern Shore, the Institute of Marine and Environmental Technology in Baltimore, the Maryland Sea Grant College located in College Park, and the Integration and Application Network in Annapolis. UMCES is home to some 350 scientific and support staff, including 75 faculty members and nearly 100 graduate students who engage in cutting-edge research and science application within the Chesapeake Bay ecosystem and in locations around the world. UMCES awards M.S. and Ph.D. degrees, and aims to advance and expand its educational programming.

Our assets and strengths include:

• Global eminence and innovation: Outstanding research across diverse disciplines working at local, regional, national, and international levels with contemporary relevance to such issues as climate change, ocean and coastal health, and ecosystem management.
• Local relevance: Stature and credibility within Maryland, a state that has a longstanding commitment to higher education, that supports and values basic and applied research, and that is dedicated to the health and sustainability of the Chesapeake Bay and its ecosystems.
• Applied science: Nearly all of our faculty are engaged in research activities that have application, advisory, and policy elements.
• Commitment to an inclusive workplace: UMCES has an intimate organizational culture of collaboration, shared governance, and effective leadership, and is actively working to make the environmental sciences more diverse, equitable, and inclusive.
• Commitment to student mentorship: UMCES students work closely with their faculty advisors. UMCES graduates have gone on to environmental policy roles in Washington DC and serve in leadership roles in agencies, universities, NGOs and the private sector.

As a comparatively small, independent research and education university within a sizable, highly respected public higher education system, UMCES has both flexibility and strong institutional support to continue to play an outsized role in environmental research, education, and problem solving.

Qualified applicants are invited to submit a letter of interest, resume, and the names and contact information for at least three references to https://umces.peopleadmin.com/postings/1576. Application review will begin October 31, 2022, the position will remain open until filled.

UMCES is an affirmative action/equal opportunity employer. The University System of Maryland and UMCES value all forms of diversity. Women, members of minority groups, and individuals with disabilities are strongly encouraged to apply.