Business Manager

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Company: King Abdullah University of Science & Technology

Reporting to Senior Operations Manager, the Business Manager oversees faculty support services, administrative operations, business processes, and financial management support across the Biomedical Sciences Division.

The role serves as a strategic partner to faculty and divisional leadership, ensuring efficient operations and high-quality service delivery.

The Business Manager leads a team of Business Coordinators and collaborates with KAUST departments to drive operational excellence, process improvements, resource management, and compliance with institutional policies.

Faculty Support - Administration of HR processes:

Act as the primary divisional advisor on HR policies, administrative procedures, and employment processes.

Lead recruitment, appointment, onboarding, contract renewal, and offboarding activities for faculty groups, including researchers, staff, and visitors.

Maintain accurate personnel records and ensure compliance with university policies and budget allocations.

Advise faculty and divisional management on employment-related matters, contract administration, workforce planning, and organizational requirements.

Coordinate with HR and divisional leadership to ensure effective workforce planning and resource allocation.

Produce workforce analytical reports to support management decisions.

Lead the Faculty Support function to ensure efficient delivery of administrative services.

Serve as a key liaison between faculty, BioMed Admin Team and other administrative departments.

Review and facilitate purchasing requests, vendor invoices, travel requests, expense reimbursements, and related approvals.

Coordinate divisional operational activities and resolve complex administrative issues.

Develop and maintain standardized divisional operating procedures, templates, guidance documents, and service standards.

Ensure effective knowledge management, filing structures, and administrative documentation.

Lead initiatives to streamline and automate administrative and financial processes.

Develop reporting tools, dashboards, and decision-support solutions using Power BI and other technologies.

Collaborate with technology team(s) to improve business systems, workflow automation, and data management capabilities.

Analyze business processes and identify opportunities to enhance efficiency and service delivery.

Manage operational improvement projects from requirements gathering through implementation and adoption.

Promote a culture of continuous improvement and innovation across the division.

Support on staff recruitment and contract renewals of the divisional staff, including job posting, interview coordination, and administrative processes.

Act as a delegate of the Dean and Senior Operations Manager in reviewing and approving purchasing requests, vendor invoices, travel, expense claims, and security clearance.

Prepare policy summaries, procedural checklists, and review notes for divisional leadership.

Escalate critical issues to divisional management as needed, ensuring timely and professional resolution.

Support on Financial Management and Research Fund Administration

Support management of faculty research portfolios, budget planning, forecasting, and financial reporting systems.

Support management of divisional operating budgets, quarterly forecasts, and year-end close activities.

Help with financial discrepancies investigation and corrective actions with relevant stakeholders.

Support fiscal year-end processes and financial governance activities.

Provide data-driven recommendations or financial analytical reports to support strategic and operational decision-making.

Strong knowledge of higher education administration, faculty support, and business operations.

Strong financial management, budgeting, forecasting, and reporting expertise.

Excellent understanding of HR administration and employment lifecycle processes.

Demonstrated experience in business process improvement and digital transformation.

Strong analytical and problem-solving capabilities with data visualization and reporting skills.

Excellent stakeholder management and relationship-building skills.

Ability to lead teams within a multicultural environment.

Strong project management and organizational skills.

High degree of professionalism, confidentiality, and sound judgment.

Advanced proficiency in SAP, Power BI, Microsoft 365, Excel, and business systems.