The University of Massachusetts last Wednesday appointed Bernice E. Bradin, director of the Harvard Office of Budgets, to the position of vice president for Management.

As the youngest vice president in UMass history, Bradin will fill the post of chief management and financial officer for the three-campus UMass system.

"The new appointment means broader responsibilities, and I'm very excited about it," Bradin said yesterday.

After graduating from the Business School in 1973, Bradin joined the Harvard administration, and became director of the Office of Budgets in 1977. In that post she reviewed all University budgets and presented them to the Corporation for approval.

The Office of Budgets is searching for a replacement for Bradin, who has promised to remain at Harvard to help find a successor and assist in the transition period.

"I'm staying around because the budget season begins in February and it's important to have someone at the beginning of the period," Bradin said.

Thomas F. O'Brien, financial vice president, said yesterday, "We've known all along how good she is and hate to see her go," he added, "but this is a terrific move for her."

Bradin's UMass predecessor, Jay Janis, resigned in 1976 to join the Carter Administration as undersecretary of Housing and Urban Development.