Center Manager - Center for Brain and Health (Fixed term until 31 August 2027)

Job Number

2026-16016

Position Summary

Applications are welcome from all qualified candidates. In line with UAE regulations, Emirati candidates are encouraged to apply.

New York University Abu Dhabi (NYUAD) seeks to appoint a Center Manager reporting to the Director, Center for Brain and Health.

The Center Manager provides administrative and organizational support for the day-to-day running of NYUAD’s Abu Dhabi Center for Brain and Health (CBH), Precision Medicine Aspire Research Institute (ADPMARI), and Rokers Vision Lab. This role provides an optimal level of organization and management of Lab and Center operations, procedures, and reports that facilitates effectiveness and efficiency. In handling multiple projects simultaneously, by generating data-driven reports and presentations for the Faculty and Principal Investigators, and by meeting deadlines, this role ensures that numerous stakeholders receive comprehensive administrative support at the highest level; by demonstrating a comprehensive knowledge of University policies, procedures, and operations, and an understanding of NYU Abu Dhabi’s role within NYU and the field of international higher education.

The Manager is a key role responsible for overseeing and optimizing the operational and resource management functions within the organization. This position plays a crucial role in ensuring the seamless execution of day-to-day activities, financial management, strategic planning, and resource optimization. The ideal candidate will have a strong background in operations management, resource planning, and a proven track record of implementing effective processes to enhance organizational efficiency.

Job Responsibilities:

Project Management of NYUAD’s ADPMARI, CBH projects and Ad-hoc projects:

• Organize requirements gathering sessions with the stakeholders, establish project plan with information on the processes, deliverables, costs, risks, assumptions and dependencies
• Create project schedule with planned dates, sequences of the activities, and milestones
• Communication with the stakeholders from all the participating universities and industry partners
• Organize progress update meeting with the stakeholders, run review meetings, establish a dashboard highlighting progress update, circulate the dashboard with the stakeholders weekly or monthly and organize and maintain databases, files, documents, repositories
• Measure the project progression and performance to ensure that the milestones and deliverables are aligned with the project plan
• Responsible for regularly logging and reporting risks, issues schedule updates, project progress and status
• Track and update deliverables, schedules, risks and issue log

Resource Planning:

• Manage and facilitate internal strategy development efforts (managing stakeholders and aligning internal strategy); and support the development of reports, memoranda, and presentations
• Analyze data and metrics to make informed decisions and continuously improve processes
• Implement proactive measures to address potential challenges in operations and resource planning
• Lead the development and execution of resource planning processes to ensure optimal utilization of personnel, equipment, and other resources
• Monitor and analyze resource allocation and utilization, making recommendations for improvements as needed
• Develop and schedule activities in accordance with Center’s goals, objectives and funding limitations
• Collaborate with the Office of General Council and the Collaborations Team to develop MOU and research agreements with the collaborators
• Monitor Center activities for effectiveness to develop improved methods; devises evaluation methodology and implements
• Analyzes results and recommends and/or takes appropriate action
• Provide effective leadership to the operations team, fostering a collaborative and results-oriented work environment
• Develop and mentor team members, ensuring their professional growth and alignment with organizational goals

Strategic Operations and Administration Management:

• Establish and maintain a collaborative inter-institutional relationship with different collaborators
• Work closely with cross-functional teams to ensure seamless coordination and communication across departments
• Collaborate with key stakeholders to understand their resource needs and align operational strategies accordingly
• Identify opportunities for process improvement and operational efficiency, implementing best practices to enhance productivity
• Streamline workflows and procedures to minimize waste and reduce operational costs
• Manage the Centers external engagements including Advisory Board members, committee members, prospective sponsors / partners etc.
• Responsible for all Center outreach activities and reporting mechanisms including periodic reports, financial statements and Center progress reports for management or external stakeholders, Advisory board etc.
• Develop and implement comprehensive operational strategies to support the organization's overall objectives
• Collaborate with senior leadership to align operations with the company's long-term goals
• Manage short- and long-term center planning, administrative function to support and lead Center to success
• Manages day-to-day Center operations to ensure timely delivery of Center activities
• Uses effective methods to review and improve operations in coordination with the Research Institute and the Division of Science
• Identify and mitigate operational risks to ensure business continuity
• Stay informed about industry trends and advancements in operations management
• Manage interview process and participates in interviews for prospective Academic hires
• Communicates interview results with candidates
• Oversee hiring process for successful candidates
• Prepares, submits required paperwork to Academic hiring team for CID clearance and follow-up on hiring process
• Communicate HR matters with candidates where required
• Responsible for onboarding process for the Center’s academic hires, seating arrangement, access cards, IT onboarding and EPRO and Concur training etc.

Financial and Grants Management:

• Act as a delegate of authority (DOA) for the center budget, ensuring effective management and allocation of financial resources in alignment with organizational goals and priorities
• In control of the financial processes and reporting
• Tracking all budgets and managing sub-awards/external grants across all 3 funds (fund 72, fund 73 and fund 76)
• Reviews and approves all Center budget spending in E-pro, Concur reimbursements and travel
• Reviews, tracks and advises on faculty budget spend for Center PI and Co-PI
• Established budget control system for controlling expenditures in accordance with budget allocations to monitor spending on sub-projects and advises on fund availability for PI and each of the Co-PIs
• Responsible for ensuring financial best practices and policies are being followed by all PI’s and Researchers
• Advise PI and Co-PI's on all relevant budgetary needs making sure the Center is most effectively using funds
• Conduct analysis, projection, and forecasting of all expenses and provide justification for deviations in forecasting for the annual report
• Engage with Procurement, Finance, Pre-awards and Post-awards offices to resolve any budgetary discrepancies, re-budget between categories, closing PO’s, return to budget of canceled PO’s etc. and ensure best practice guidelines as well as accuracy in tracking, projecting and forecasting costs

Events and Communications Management:

• Oversee travel and visitor arrangements for Advisory Board members, invited speakers etc. in coordination with NYUAD travel team and travel exception committee
• Plan the financial aspects of an event such as securing sponsorships, negotiating prices with vendors, and planning budgets
• Maintain direct contact with personnel of various outside organizations and NYUAD departments to coordinate Center events, including accounting for expenses, generating chart fields for registration fees, and collecting payment from participants
• Write communication and promotional literature for distribution such as Center brochure, event flyers and web content and coordinates design, printing, distribution and dissemination
• Work with External Affairs teams on press releases and event promotion

Required Education

• Bachelor's Degree in a related field

Required Experience

• 3+ years experience in a comparable position in university or corporate, or a similar role
• Superior written and oral communications skills in English
• Ability to prioritize and to handle multiple projects on tight deadlines, organized work habits, consistent accuracy, and attentiveness to detail
• Professional maturity and judgment consistent with leadership-support responsibilities, including exceptional discretion, confident communications skills, and a capacity for resourceful initiative in a team context
• Advanced business computing and internet skills
• Expertise with Microsoft Office Suite,
• Motivate initiatives on team management and collaborations
• Experience in a setting requiring confidentiality and a high level of professional conduct
• Experience supporting multiple function and proven track record of successfully managing concurrent duties and assignments
• Ability to function autonomously and multitask effectively in an area still in "start-up" phase i.e. policies and processes require further development

Preferred Education

• Master's Degree