Job Description:

DIVISION: Academic Division

SCHOOL: Egan School of Nursing & Health Studies

GENERAL DESCRIPTION: The Strategic Manager serves as principal strategic deputy to the Dean, managing the flow of executive priorities, decisions, and follow-through across the Egan School. Reporting to the Dean, the primary responsibilities of the position include ownership of the School’s strategic tracking instruments and governance cascade, coordination of cross-functional initiatives spanning the academic departments and the Division of Student Success, preparation of executive and advisory board materials, and liaison between the Office of the Dean and central University offices across the Fairfield and Austin locations. The position requires a high degree of independent judgment and discretion in handling confidential matters.

KNOWLEDGE & SKILLS NEEDED:

The Strategic Manager must:

• Have a bachelor’s degree in business, higher education administration, or a related field; master’s degree preferred.

• Have a minimum of seven years of progressively responsible administrative, operational, or project-management experience, including direct support to senior leadership.

• Demonstrate skill in executive writing and editing, data management, governance and meeting management, and project tracking.

• Have proficiency with integrated enterprise systems (Workday or equivalent) and data-reporting tools Tableau or equivalent).

• Exercise discretion, confidentiality, and sound independent judgment, with strong interpersonal, communication, organizational, and analytical skills.

STRATEGIC MANAGER RESPONSIBILITIES:

The Strategic Manager responsibilities include, but are not limited to:

• Serve as principal strategic deputy to the Dean, managing the flow of executive priorities, decisions, and follow-through across Egan.

• Own the strategic report and the dashboard, tracking action items and reporting progress against Egan’s strategic priorities.

• Maintain the decision queue for the Office of the Dean, ensuring commitments are recorded, assigned, and tracked to completion.

• Coordinate cross-functional initiatives that span units, including accreditation milestones, strategic partnerships, and program expansion, convening responsible parties and monitoring progress against deadlines.

• Draft the Egan annual report and related briefing materials for budget cycle presentations and executive meetings.

• Track sponsored-program and grant reporting deadlines and deliverables at the Dean’s Office level, coordinating with principal investigators and the Office of Grants and Research to ensure timely submission, without assuming financial administration of awards.

• Support advisory board and stakeholder communication for the Kanarek Center for Palliative Care

• Prepare briefing materials and background analysis to support the Dean’s decision-making and external representation.

• Draft and distribute Egan all-school updates to faculty and staff on behalf of the Egan leadership team.

• Coordinate the governance cascade for the School, preparing agendas, materials, and minutes for school-wide meetings, the Leadership Team, the Advisory Board, the Partnership Council, and University engagements.

• Collaborate with the Dean, Associate and Assistant Deans, Chairs, and Program Directors to support school-wide accreditation visits and related logistics (e.g., CCNE, COA).

• Coordinate with University Advancement on donor stewardship activities, endowment and gift reporting, and naming and recognition logistics relevant to the School (e.g., endowed funds and centers).

• Provide project-management for school-wide accreditation, including self-study timeline management, coordination of evidence and artifact collection, digital folder management, mock-visit logistics, and tracking of deliverables against standards, in support of the Dean, Associate and Assistant Deans, Chairs, and Program Directors.

• Maintain accurate, organized, and confidential records related to school-level operations, leadership decisions, and personnel matters.

• Develop and maintain operating procedures and continuity documentation for the Dean’s Office to support resilience and knowledge transfer.

• Coordinate faculty and leadership search processes and logistics.

• Track action items arising from governance bodies and drives follow-through with responsible leaders.

• Serve as liaison between the Office of the Dean and the academic departments, the Division of Student Success, the Kanarek Center for Palliative Care, and central University offices.

• Coordinate the Dean’s participation in University committees, external boards, and professional engagements.

• Draft and edit executive communications, external advisory board materials, and institutional reports on behalf of the Dean.

• Prepare presentations and supporting materials for internal and external audiences, ensuring accuracy, consistency, and alignment with School messaging.

• Manage correspondence for the Office of the Dean, exercising independent judgment in prioritizing and routing inquiries.

• Maintain official School documentation, including organizational charts, position descriptions, and policy records, with particular attention to documentation required for accreditation bodies.

• Manage the School’s executive calendar, aligning commitments with strategic priorities and protecting time for external meetings and academic leadership.

• Supervise and coordinates administrative support personnel for the Office of the Dean, including work study students, Graduate Assistants, and temporary positions.

• Coordinate logistics for School-wide events, leadership retreats, and partner visits.

• Provide back-up support to Egan administrative and operations staff, as requested.

• Assist with special projects, as requested by the Dean.

• Represent the Office of the Dean and the Egan School with professionalism, efficiency, and courtesy, consistent with the Jesuit mission of Fairfield University.

• Contribute to team effort by accomplishing related tasks, as needed.

The expected wage range for this position is $65,000-$70,000.

Category:

Academic - Admin

Performs such other duties, responsibilities, and activities as required by supervisor and as departmental/University needs indicate. 
 

*Disclaimer

The above information indicates the general nature and level of work performed by employees within this classification. It is not designed to contain and should not be interpreted as a comprehensive inventory of all duties, responsibilities, activities, and/or qualifications required or expected of employees assigned to this job. Duties, responsibilities, and activities may change and new ones may be assigned at any time, with or without notice.

All offers of employment are contingent upon a satisfactory background check.

Fairfield University provides equal employment opportunities to all employees and applicants for employment and prohibits discrimination and harassment of any type without regard to race, color, religion, age, sex, national origin, disability status, genetics, protected veteran status, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, or any other characteristic protected by federal, state or local laws. This policy applies to all terms and conditions of employment, including recruiting, hiring, placement, promotion, termination, layoff, recall, transfer, leaves of absence, compensation and training.

Eligible employees may receive health, dental, retirement, paid time off, tuition benefits, and other benefits according to institutional policy. Fairfield University Benefits

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