Associate Director of Research

University of Washington•Seattle, WA

13d•$100,008 - $138,540

About The Position

OVERVIEW: The University of Washington Department of Ophthalmology, a complex academic and clinical department in the School of Medicine, has an excellent opportunity for the newly created role of Associate Director of Research. The Department has an annual budget of approximately $46 million, including $24 million in research funding from numerous federal, industrial, and philanthropic sources. The Department of Ophthalmology is one of the 31 departments in the School of Medicine with approximately 50 faculty members, 35 trainees, and 75 staff. The mission of UW’s Department of Ophthalmology is to alleviate suffering from eye disease. We do this by providing state-of-the-art, compassionate care to our community, advancing the state-of-the-art through rigorous research, and sharing our knowledge with our trainees and the community. The Department of Ophthalmology shares UW’s commitment to creating and maintaining an environment striving toward healthcare equity for all our patients; maintaining an inclusive and safe learning environment; and fostering diversity in our faculty, staff, and trainees. The faculty provide care at eight major sites of practice: the UW Medicine Eye Institute at Harborview; the Harborview Medical Center 4W Clinic (which includes our consult and trauma services); the Eyes on James optical shop; UW Medical Center Eye Center; VA Puget Sound Health Care System (Seattle and American Lake); Seattle Children’s; the Roger and Angie Karalis Johnson Retina Center at South Lake Union, and the UW Medicine Primary Care Clinics. Last year, our faculty and trainees provided approximately 100,000 patient visits and performed over 5,000 surgeries. The Department serves as a major referral center, seeing patients from the five-state WWAMI (Washington, Wyoming, Alaska, Montana, Idaho) region. The Department continues to provide many services rare in the community, including managing eye cancer (ocular oncology), uveitis, and medical and hereditary retinal disease. The Department’s faculty remain highly committed to the educational mission of the Department. We currently train 20 residents, five fellows, and scores of medical students annually. Our residency training program remains one of the most competitive in the country. The Department’s vision scientists are committed to improving diagnosis, treatment, and ultimately finding cures for diseases of the eye and visual system. Collectively, the department published 175 papers during the 2024-2025 academic year. This past year our department rose to #3 in the nation in NIH funding among ophthalmology departments, and the University of Washington sits in the top 10 among universities in the US in funding from the National Eye Institute. POSITION PURPOSE: The Associate Director of Research oversees all financial and administrative functions related to research conducted within the Department of Ophthalmology. This position requires a broad scope of knowledge and experience in the following areas: academic research in medicine, conformance and compliance to policies and procedures at local, state and national levels. This position collaborates with a wide range of research faculty and staff in developing and implementing research processes and managing programs. This role is expected to exercise independent judgment in its oversight of daily operations, strategic planning, communications, pre- and post-award grants management, coordination of personnel, space, and other resources across multiple projects. This position maintains adherence to regulatory requirements for human subjects research and timely and meticulous record-keeping systems related to clinical research and clinical trials. This includes the responsibility to advise faculty investigators and staff of current institutional and agency policies and procedures, and to provide timely notification of policy changes.

Requirements

Bachelor’s Degree in Business, Sciences, or Health-related field.
Five (5) years of progressive experience including a combination of research administration, grants and contracts management, clinical research operations, regulatory and compliance support, and/or clinical research finance.
Equivalent education/experience will substitute for all minimum qualifications except when there are legal requirements, such as a license/certification/registration.
Experience with managing budgets and running projections.
Ability to communicate respectfully, effectively, and professionally in written and verbal formats; and the ability to explain, present, or distill complex information for various audiences.
Proven ability to effectively collaborate with diverse stakeholders and manage complex projects.
Experience in leading meetings and giving presentations.
Advanced analytical, problem-solving, and critical thinking skills.
Experience working independently and leading individuals or groups of faculty, administrators, and/or staff in a research setting.
In-depth knowledge of federal, state, and institutional regulations and ethical standards related to research.
Ability to work effectively in the face of ambiguity, maintain an openness to new ideas, and facilitate innovation within a distributed organization.
Ability to effectively manage up, including anticipating superiors' needs, providing timely updates, and proactively seeking guidance to ensure alignment with organizational goals and priorities.

Nice To Haves

Master’s or Doctoral Degree in a health sciences-related field.
Project or program management experience within an academic or medical environment involving complex and/or open-ended projects, development of project charters, setting program requirements, prioritizing program goals, and evaluating success criteria.

Responsibilities

Provide overall management of pre- and post-award grant and contract activities including the development, implementation, and administration of internal grant related policies and procedures, including financial management, record keeping, monitoring, and reporting.
Oversee and manage compliance with policies and procedures of the School, University, and external funding agencies.
Serve as contact for sponsors and central administrative offices on the substance of funded work and contractual arrangements.
Monitor policies, processes, and researcher relations for consistent application and to inform continual improvement.
Design, prepare, and interpret analytical reports on departmental research funding and expenditure trends and projections.
Participate in the clinical trial feasibility committee to shape departmental research priorities.
Design and implement consistent processes for clinical research and clinical trial infrastructure from the application stage through study startup to closeout and reporting.
Manage departmental space needs across vision science research labs, research faculty, and clinical trial locations including equipment and material requirements.
Maintain rhythm of business throughout research activities and ongoing trials with a focus on financial stability and forecasting departmental need.
Ensure timely reporting activities for research products, including philanthropy, state and federal sponsors (RPPR).
Direct grant managers on matters concerning research administration, grant submission, compliance, conflict of interest, pre- and post-award management.
Provide subject matter expertise and support to grant managers on research-related activities in Workday finance, such as award set-up request, cost share, and effort reporting.
Monitor grant funding trends to anticipate internal and external financial problems.
Ensure timely reporting activities for research products, including philanthropy, state and federal sponsors (RPPR).
Serve as backup for research grant and contract proposals including eGC1 submissions, development of budgets, subawards, IRB/IACUC concerns, and related research matters.
Ensure all departmental research activities comply with federal, state, and institutional regulations, as well as ethical standards and guidelines.
Ensure all departmental research activities are in compliance with UW EH&S, IRB, and IACUC guidelines.
Stay updated on changes in research administration and compliance, including new sponsor and university procedures and systems, and adjust document workflows accordingly.
Provide strategic oversight to researchers to ensure adherence to compliance requirements and mitigate risks associated with their research activities, this will include working collaboratively with UW offices that oversee various compliance areas for the University such as Intellectual Property (IP), Conflict of Interest (COI), Export Controls, Data Security, Significant Financial Interests (SFI), and others.
Oversee the day-to-day activities of the Research Operations Team, including recruitment and hiring processes, training oversight, performance management, and leave approval.
Advise research labs on hiring needs and best practices.
Offer consistent coaching and feedback to enhance employee performance; actively engage in performance management initiatives, including setting clear objectives, regular performance evaluations, and career development planning.
Foster a culture of continuous improvement by regularly assessing and updating policies and procedures.
Compose and disseminate routine communications regarding policy changes, compliance updates, sponsor requirements, and emerging research trends as necessary.
Represent the department at university and research meetings, acting as a strategic liaison.
Lead high-impact project management for emerging initiatives, strategically mobilizing resources, and directing efforts to ensure alignment with organizational goals and successful project outcomes.
Oversee the development and execution of high-profile events featuring distinguished guests, enhancing the department’s visibility and impact.