Faculty Manager

A Faculty Manager manages the administrative and operational functions of a university faculty, coordinating academic schedules, budgets, staffing, and facility needs so departments run effectively. This role ensures smooth day-to-day operations, supports faculty members, and facilitates program delivery while adhering to institutional policies. Ensures the efficient and effective functioning of academic departments, directly supporting educational quality, faculty productivity, and student success by managing critical operational aspects.

A Faculty Manager earns a median of $95,000 per year in the US, typically ranging from $70,000 to $130,000.

To become a Faculty Manager, a bachelor’s degree in business administration, education, public administration, or a related field is typically required. A master's degree may be preferred for senior roles.

Faculty Manager roles tend to suit people who are highly conscientious — precise, organised and strong on follow-through (Conscientiousness 78/100) and outgoing — energised by people, visibility and quick social contact (Extraversion 68/100). The traits that matter most in the role are Organized, Influential, Supportive and Detail-oriented. Excels at structuring complex information, managing multiple projects, and maintaining clear records for efficient operations. On interests, Faculty Manager maps to a SEC Holland Code profile — people who enjoy leading teams, organizing complex operations, and providing support in an academic setting tend to thrive in this role.

A Faculty Manager role is usually a strong fit for these reasons. Strong Conventional and Enterprising alignment: the role demands high organizational skills and leadership in an administrative context. Offers significant opportunities to manage budgets, staff, and academic processes, appealing to those who enjoy structured problem-solving. High team interaction and stakeholder exposure suit individuals who thrive in collaborative and influential positions.

Faculty Manager roles come with trade-offs worth weighing up. Requires navigating complex university bureaucracy and managing diverse personalities. Can involve balancing competing priorities from different departments and stakeholders.

Work as a Faculty Manager is mostly office-based with onsite arrangements common, semi-structured — a mix of set processes and self-directed work, a moderate pace and high exposure to clients or stakeholders. Around 37% of the week is focused deep work.

Core skills for a Faculty Manager include Organizational Management, Budget Administration, Staff Supervision, Academic Planning, Policy Implementation and Stakeholder Communication.

Common entry routes into Faculty Manager roles include Administrative Assistant University, Department Coordinator and Academic Advisor.

From a Faculty Manager role, common next steps include Director of Academic Operations and Dean of Faculty; lateral moves include University Administrator and Program Director.

The outlook for Faculty Manager roles is currently rated stable. Demand is steady. This is an established role with consistent hiring across sectors.

Traitstack rates automation risk for Faculty Manager roles at 60 out of 100, which is moderate. Much administrative coordination and scheduling could be handled by AI, allowing human managers to prioritize complex staff issues and strategic departmental leadership. AI is most likely to take on coordinate academic program scheduling and course offerings, oversee departmental budgets and track expenditures and manage administrative staff record-keeping and onboarding. Resolving complex staff disputes and performance issues, developing and implementing operational policies for the faculty and liaising with university-wide offices on sensitive hr matters stay with people. From administrative coordinator to strategic faculty leader. That score measures how much of the work could change, not the likelihood the job disappears. It is Traitstack's current view, revisited as AI capability moves.