Director of Administration *Internal Only

Position OverviewReporting to the Executive Dean of the College (dean), the Director of Administration serves as the primary internal and external liaison to the dean. This position is responsible for overseeing the implementation of the dean's vision and priorities through strategic communications, prioritization and tracking of projects and initiatives, and coordination among staff and leadership team. The Director stays in close and regular contact with the dean to stay abreast of priorities and evolving concerns, enabling the Director to advise the dean and act and speak on the dean's behalf when directed.

The director develops and maintains close working relationships with counterparts in major university offices, including the Provost's Office, KU Alumni Association, KU IT, Office of Research, and KU Endowment to ensure open communication and progress on issues affecting the College.

The director supervises all office support staff and other professional staff at the direction of the dean. This position is full-time, in-office with occasional responsibilities that fall outside of the traditional work hours. This position requires a high level of confidentiality and attention to detail. Applications will remain confidential to the search committee until the final round of interviews.Job DescriptionExecutive Counsel and Strategy (35%)

• Serves as a top advisor to the dean and dean’s leadership team on matters ranging from long-range strategy to personnel, providing counsel on proactive responses to unanticipated issues or opportunities.
• Advances the strategic initiatives and agenda of the dean and the College from inception, planning and development, to management, execution, and assessment. Monitors progress and ensures alignment with the university’s goals.
• Acts as a point of contact between the Dean and senior management team, staff, students, and other stakeholders. Addresses concerns, facilitates communication, and contributes to building a positive and collaborative work environment.
• Handles routine responses and requests on behalf of the dean.
• Advises and supports dean on communications with chairs & directors, donors, and other key stakeholders through vehicles such as memos, letters, speech preparation, and talking points.
• Works with communications team to develop material to promote College plans and priorities.
• Works closely with the dean and executive associate to the Dean to ensure overall scheduling matches priorities and ensures the Executive Dean has preparatory materials for meetings and events.
  
  

Executive Support and Project Management (30%)

• Assumes responsibility for new projects, programs, or efforts assigned by the dean.
• Provides leadership on behalf of the dean in areas such as report writing, research and related data collection, or crisis management as they arise.
• Contributes to the development, implementation and modifications to policies and procedures as appropriate. Ensure alignment with the College and university’s values, goals and compliance requirements.
• Attends meetings on behalf of the dean or the College Office.
• Monitors progress on key initiatives.
• Active participation in the College’s strategic planning process
• Works closely with the Public Affairs and Communications team in the advancement of brand strategy and enhancement, ensuring consistency across all touchpoints and enhancing the KU brand. Coordinate all public relations initiatives, media relations and responses to manage the organizations and dean’s public image and reputation.
• Working with the Executive Associate, ensures that the dean is prepared for meetings and events by seeing that background material, agendas, or other critical details for relevant calendar items are provided.
  
  

Personnel Management and Development (15%)

• Supervises the Dean’s Office administrative staff, working with the dean and associate deans to establish goals, polices, and standards for support.
• Supervises the Director of Public Affairs and Communications for the College
• Ensures the Dean and Associate Deans have sufficient staff support.
• Facilitates communication, builds morale, and shares best practices to build and sustain a cohesive team.
• Coordinates the hiring, management, development and coaching of the dean’s office staff. Ensures that timely performance reviews are completed for Dean’s Office personnel.
• Reviews position descriptions for accuracy. Handles disciplinary and performance matters as needed.
• Collaborates with the Executive Associate on efforts to enhance staff professional development and other staff support throughout the College’s 50-plus departments, programs, and centers.
  
  

Advancement (15%)

• Manages the College’s Advisory Board, composed primarily of alumni. Includes planning meeting objectives and agendas, managing outgoing and incoming members, and tracking projects resulting from advisory board discussions.
• Manages the College’s Distinguished Alumni Award, from nomination to recognition.
• Partners with the College team at KU Endowment on major gift strategy, assisting with donor stewardship and acknowledgement.
• Aligns College's annual giving campaigns and strategy to KU Endowment annual giving calendar.
• Oversees administration of key awards in the College
  
  

Other Duties as Assigned (5%)

• Participates in professional development activities, staying informed of higher education trends, best practices, and relevant policies. Attends conferences and workshops to enhance professional knowledge and skills.
  
  

This position requires a formal degree in the cited discipline area(s) to ensure that candidates have advanced knowledge, analytical skills and professional competencies necessary to perform the duties of the position. The level of degree is commonly recognized as the standard qualification for similar roles in the public and private sector, ensuring that the university remains competitive with industry aligned practices, enhances collaboration with external partners, and supports the delivery of services and programs that meet professional and market-driven expectations.Preferred QualificationsAdditional Candidate InstructionsIn addition to the online application, the following documents are required to be considered for this position:Only complete applications will be considered.

• Required Qualifications
• Master's degree and 5 years of related experience OR Bachelor's degree and 7 years of related experience in executive support.
• Five years of progressive leadership responsibility as demonstrated through career progression history.
• One year's experience with project management and reporting.
• One year of supervisory experience.
• Excellent written and communication skills as evidenced in application materials.
• Experience in handling sensitive and confidential information with discretion and integrity as evidenced by past positions.
• Ph. D. or professional terminal degree.
• Proven experience in a leadership role in high education administration, as demonstrated in application materials.
• Proficiency in data interpretation and collection.
• Previous work experience that required exceptional strategic thinking and problem-solving skills, as evidenced in application materials.
• Work experience that required managing multiple priorities and tasks simultaneously, as demonstrated in application materials.
• Previous work experience that required strong interpersonal and communication skills, with the ability to influence and communicate effectively with all levels of the organization and stakeholders.
• Cover letter describing how you meet the required and preferred qualifications.
• Resume
• List of three (3) professional references.
  
  

Application review begins Tuesday, May 5, 2026. To ensure consideration, please apply by that date.Contact Information to ApplicantsLinda Luckey, Assistant Dean

College of Liberal Arts and Sciences

lluckey@ku.eduAdvertised Salary Range120,000.00Application Review BeginsTuesday May 5, 2026Anticipated Start DateMonday May 25, 2026Apply to Job