Business Operations Manager

Business Operations Manager

The Master of Science in Science Education (MSSE) program is searching for an energetic and motivated individual to supervise and manage all administrative support activities of this program. The Business Operations Manager position is a part-time position which performs crucial fiscal and human resources functions, while providing critical assistance to the Director and staff in their missions to provide outstanding educational and support opportunities to the students at Montana State University.

Position Number : 4M1729

Department : MSSE MS Science Education

Division : College of Letters & Science

Appointment Type : Classified

Contract Term : Fiscal Year

Semester : If other, specify From date If other, specify End date

FLSA Non-Exempt

Union Affiliation : FOCUS-MFPE

FTE : 0.5

Benefits Eligible : Eligible

Salary : $24.04 per hour, commensurate with experience, education, and qualifications.

Contract Type : Classified

Salary : If other, please specify

Recruitment Type : Open

Position Details :

General Statement : The Business Operations Manager provides a high level of administrative and management support to the operation of the Master of Science in Science Education programs within the College of Letters and Science. This includes serving as the assistant for the Director; providing fiscal oversight and budget management for all program funds, including monitoring expenditures, payroll, managing purchasing card activity, performing analyses, providing budget projections, and reallocation of resources when necessary; processing employment paperwork with Human Resources; coordinating events; and administering the day-to-day operations of the programs.

Duties and Responsibilities

• Assistant to the Director
• Works closely with the Director to facilitate overall operations.
• Provides departmental and program data and implements decisions.
• Researches and prepares data on budgetary and academic issues, such as course offerings, enrollments, and course loads to provide supporting documentation to manage curricula.
• Fiscal Manager
• Manages accounting and budgeting operations for the department.
• Serves as account manager for purchasing card transactions, including monthly report compilation.
• Processes faculty travel and student scholarships.
• Serves as departmental liaison with College of Letters and Sciences Fiscal Services for the centralized accounting services.
• Conference and Event Organizer
• Supports faculty and staff to make arrangements for events, conferences, and lectures, including securing facilities, preparing schedules, promoting events, and, where appropriate, arranging for food, lodging, and transportation. This may include participating in events as on-site staff.
• HR Liaison
• Serves as the first contact person for hiring and payroll issues.
• Creates and processes various types of appointments for faculty (tenure track and non-tenure track), staff, graduate and undergraduate students.
• Processes tax forms and all required new employee forms, conducts pre-payroll audits, reconciles payroll, submits EPAF's, and approves timesheets.
• Operations Manager
• Oversees the daily functions, workloads, and services of the department.
• Provides support for curriculum assessment activities and for Promotion and Tenure processes.
• Oversees department property management for departmental offices, common spaces, teaching labs, conference rooms, and research lab property issues.
• Supervises office activities.

Required Qualifications Experience, Education, Knowledge & Skills

Bachelor's degree or progressively responsible administrative / office management experience or an equivalent combination of relevant education and experience.

Demonstrated experience organizing and prioritizing multiple work assignments, meeting deadlines and exercising adaptability with a high degree of accuracy and close attention to detail.

Demonstrated competence managing fiscal and budget records, generating multiple reports and communicating complex information effectively.

Demonstrated proficiency using personal computers and various databases, spreadsheets, and software such as Microsoft Office.

Preferred Qualifications Experience, Education, Knowledge & Skills

Demonstrated experience using human resources principles, practices, and techniques including hiring and payroll oversight.

Progressively responsible management experience.

The Successful Candidate Will

Possess strong decision-making and problem-solving skills.

Possess excellent written and verbal communication skills and the ability to articulate detailed information and policies and procedures, both verbally and in writing to a wide variety of constituents.

Have the ability to work independently with minimal supervision and as part of a team.

Have the ability to establish and maintain productive and positive working relations with coworkers, faculty, students, supervisors, and the public.

Represent the Master of Science in Science Education program, College of Letters and Science, and MSU to others in a professional and courteous manner.

Position Special Requirements / Additional Information :

This job description should not be construed as an exhaustive statement of duties, responsibilities or requirements, but a general description of the job. Nothing contained herein restricts Montana State University's rights to assign or reassign duties and responsibilities to this job at any time.

Physical Demands : To perform this job successfully, an individual must be able to perform each essential duty satisfactorily with or without reasonable accommodations. The requirements listed above are representative of the knowledge, skill, and / or ability required.

This position has supervisory duties? No

Posting Detail Information :

Number of Vacancies : 1

Desired Start Date : Upon completion of a successful search.

Position End Date (if temporary) : Open

Open Date : Close Date

Applications will be : Screening of applications will begin on September 24, 2025; however, applications will continue to be accepted until an adequate applicant pool has been established.

Special Instructions :

This position is not eligible for sponsorship.

EEO Statement : Montana State University is an equal opportunity employer. MSU does not discriminate against any applicant on the basis of race, color, religion, creed, political ideas, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, age, marital status, national origin, physical or mental disability, or any other protected class status in violation of any applicable law. In compliance with the Montana Veteran's Employment Preference Act, MSU provides preference in employment to veterans, disabled veterans, and certain eligible relatives of veterans. To claim veteran's preference, please complete the veteran's preference information located in the Demographics section of your profile.