The ISSD Lead Administrator provides leadership and direction for administrative operations across the Directorate and serves as the primary administrative resource to the ISSD Associate Laboratory Director (ALD). This position leads a distributed team of administrative professionals supporting ISSD's divisions and programs and is accountable for building a high-performing, collaborative administrative organization that effectively supports a diverse scientific and operational portfolio.
The successful candidate will be an experienced leader with demonstrated success directing administrative professionals in a complex organization. This role requires the ability to mentor staff, establish clear expectations and accountability, allocate resources across changing organizational priorities, develop consistent administrative practices, and build strong partnerships with division leadership and Laboratory organizations. The Lead Administrator will balance Directorate-wide priorities with the individual operational requirements of ISSD's divisions and programs.
Essential Duties and Responsibilities- Lead the ISSD administrative organization, including supervision, coaching, development, performance management, workload coordination, and accountability for administrative staff across the Directorate.
- Work with the ALD and Division leadership to anticipate organizational needs and effectively allocate administrative resources across changing priorities; identify staffing, capability, and coverage gaps and implement solutions.
- Establish and continuously improve consistent administrative practices, service standards, cross-training, knowledge sharing, and backup coverage across ISSD while accommodating differing divisional and programmatic requirements.
- Serve as the primary administrative resource to the ALD and Directorate Chief Operations Officer (DCOO), independently addressing complex and sensitive administrative and organizational matters with discretion and sound judgment.
- Lead resolution of complex issues involving personnel, procurement, finance, travel, facilities, records, and other business functions, ensuring compliance with Laboratory policies, internal controls, and DOE requirements.
- Analyze organizational information and develop reports, presentations, recommendations, and solutions supporting ISSD leadership, strategic planning, and special initiatives.
- Provide oversight of Directorate administrative activities, including authorized financial transactions, leadership travel, meetings and events, visitors, communications, SharePoint, and other shared functions.
- Build strong partnerships across ISSD and Laboratory organizations and foster a collaborative, responsive, customer-focused administrative culture.
Required Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities- Bachelor's degree in a related business field, or equivalent experience generally determined at a 2:1 ratio of experience to college education, plus seven years of related work experience showing progressively more complex responsibilities in substantive and relevant administrative or business operations roles, including demonstrated formal supervisory experience. Additional education in fields specifically related to the position requirements may offset qualifying experience.
- Demonstrated success managing multiple administrative professionals, including setting priorities, balancing work, coaching and developing employees, managing performance, and building effective teams.
- Demonstrated ability to lead administrative operations supporting a diverse portfolio of organizations, programs, or activities with differing requirements and priorities.
- Strong leadership and interpersonal skills, including the ability to influence, manage change, resolve conflict, and build productive relationships across organizational boundaries.
- Demonstrated strategic thinking and ability to translate organizational priorities into staffing, resource, process, and operational decisions.
- Extensive knowledge of administrative and business practices across multiple functional areas and demonstrated ability to independently resolve complex operational issues.
- Excellent organizational, analytical, decision-making, written, and verbal communication skills, with sound judgment and discretion in handling sensitive information.
- Proficiency with Microsoft Office 365 applications, including Outlook, Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Teams, and SharePoint, with the ability to prepare reports, presentations, communications, and data-based administrative analyses.
- Experience using business and administrative systems for financial transactions, procurement, travel, records management, and/or workforce administration.
- Demonstrated commitment to working safely, acting ethically, and taking personal accountability for operational excellence
Preferred Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities- Experience leading a distributed administrative organization in a national laboratory, research institution, university, government, engineering/technology, or similarly complex environment.
- Demonstrated ability to leverage modern workplace technologies, including cloud-based collaboration, workflow, automation, and AI-enabled tools, to improve the efficiency, consistency, and quality of administrative operations.
- Knowledge of BNL administrative policies, DOE requirements, and financial, procurement, travel, personnel, and records-management processes.
- Experience supporting executive leadership and leading organizational improvement, change-management, or administrative process-improvement initiatives.
Additional Information:- This position is eligible for consideration of a flexible work arrangement (hybrid on-site/work-from-home: four days on-site and one day work-from-home per week)
- This position is not eligible for visa sponsorship
Brookhaven National Laboratory is committed to providing fair, equitable and competitive compensation. The full salary range for this position is $91600 - $125000 / year. Salary offers will be commensurate with the final candidate's qualification, education and experience and considered with the internal peer group.
Brookhaven National Laboratory is committed to employee success and we believe that a comprehensive employee benefits program is an important and meaningful part of the compensation employees receive. Review more information at BNL | Benefits Program
