Associate Director of Rural and Regional Affairs

University of Washington Medical Center•Seattle, WA

18d•$92,364 - $105,000

About The Position

The Associate Director for Rural and Regional Affairs (Associate Director) provides leadership and administrative oversight for programs that advance the School of Medicine’s (SoM) mission in rural and regional education. This position exists to ensure effective operations, strategic alignment, and fiscal stewardship across a multi-state network supporting WWAMI (Washington, Wyoming, Alaska, Montana, Idaho) faculty, staff, and learners. Reporting to the Director of Academic, Rural and Regional Affairs (Director) and the Vice Dean for Rural and Regional Affairs (Vice Dean), the Associate Director serves as a key advisor and administrative partner in developing and implementing strategic plans, managing budgets, and maintaining organizational effectiveness. The role encompasses broad responsibilities in financial management, human resources, and operational leadership. It directs and supports staff across seven regional offices in five states, oversees fiscal operations for budgets exceeding $11 million annually, and ensures compliance with institutional policies. The Associate Director also oversees faculty appointments, educational program support, and grant administration, contributing to the success of distributed regional medical education and rural health initiatives. This position is critical to sustaining high-quality programs, fostering collaboration, and advancing the School’s commitment to serving rural and regional communities. This position requires a high degree of independent decision-making, diplomacy, and problem-solving in a complex, multi-state environment. The Associate Director must prioritize numerous competing demands from regional deans, faculty, staff, and students while maintaining confidentiality and professionalism. Decisions often involve interpreting nuanced policies and understanding regional political dynamics, requiring sound judgment and the ability to anticipate long-term implications. The role demands developing and implementing new approaches for managing human resources and operational systems across a distributed network. Remote supervision adds complexity, requiring innovative strategies to foster engagement, accountability, and cohesion among staff and faculty working in different time zones and institutional cultures. The position must also adapt processes to evolving accreditation standards, regulatory requirements, and organizational goals, often under tight deadlines and with incomplete information. The Associate Director must balance strategic planning with day-to-day operational needs, demonstrating flexibility, multitasking ability, and strong change management skills in a dynamic environment. The Associate Director plays a critical role in shaping the quality and reach of the School of Medicine’s medical education programs for more than 1,400 enrolled students across the WWAMI region. The role has significant financial and operational impact, overseeing an annual operating budget of over $11 million and managing additional endowment, gift, and self-sustaining funds exceeding $750,000. It influences faculty engagement, educational program delivery, and compliance with accreditation standards across five states. By providing leadership in fiscal management, HR operations, and strategic planning, the Associate Director strengthens the University’s core mission of education and community service.

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree in any field and at least five years of administrative experience in related field.
Excellent interpersonal skills with a highly collaborative and communicative style
Outstanding communication, customer service, and teamwork skills
Ability to work in a highly professional manner with all people, including prospective and current students, faculty, staff, executive leadership, external partners, and guests
Skilled in project management, organizing resources, independent decision-making, and establishing priorities with excellent attention to detail and accuracy
Evidence of ability to be innovative in the workplace
Ability to multi-task and work in an environment with frequent deadlines.
Ability to work in large, highly complex organizations and across multiple levels of an organization to achieve results
Ability to exercise judgment, initiative, and maintain strict confidentiality
Equivalent education and/or experience may substitute for minimum qualifications.

Nice To Haves

Master’s degree and five years of administrative experience in related field
Experience in medical education
Experience and knowledge of WWAMI

Responsibilities

Implement fiscal policies, procedures and operations across a unit consisting of seven regional offices in five states.
Oversee financial planning and forecasting for operating budget in excess of $11M annually.
Partner with Advancement to provide reporting and oversight of endowments, self-sustaining and gift budgets in excess of $750,000 annually.
Analyze budgets for WWAMI state programs, regional, national and international conferences, and grants.
Track Rural and Regional Affairs commitments, monitor department expenses and review current balances in Workday.
Implement operational controls for the department's fiscal area and develop internal departmental financial/fiscal policies.
Identify, develop and evaluate financial alternatives and oversee implementation.
Monthly budget reporting to Assistant Deans, Vice Dean for Rural and Regional Affairs and Director.
Problem-solve financial questions and make recommendations to Assistant Deans, Vice Dean for Rural and Regional Affairs and Director for improving financial controls and adjusting budgets to meet year-end financial projection expectations.
Submit fiscal reports to the Director.
Manage HR operations for Rural and Regional Affairs staff and faculty in collaboration with the Director and Vice Dean, ensuring alignment with UW and SoM policies.
Oversee onboarding and offboarding processes for faculty and staff, including presenting WWAMI 101 to new hires and maintaining toolkits to support recruitment and hiring.
Contribute to a collaborative, service-oriented environment by developing and improving HR systems and tools; participate in campus-wide HR meetings.
Supervise 7 professional staff.
Manage hiring, training, assign work, performance reviews, disciplinary actions, layoffs and resolution of problems in partnership with their assistant clinical deans and the Vice Dean.
Administer and interpret University of Washington human resources policies and procedures for the rural and regional affairs unit and 9 regional deans.
Lead recruitment efforts with a focus on increasing team diversity; maintain hiring resources and explore new outreach strategies.
Supervise WWAMI administrative staff, including hiring, performance evaluations, and layoff procedures in accordance with UW guidelines.
Plan and manage FTE allocation, funding, and effort for assistant deans, administrators, and staff across seven distributed offices in five states.
Partner annually with Academic Appointments and Compensation and other UWSoM departments to distribute rural and regional paid FTEs.
Provide guidance to faculty on changes in responsibilities and salary structures; serve as a resource on appointment types (affiliate, clinical, courtesy, etc.).
Prepare and coordinate faculty reappointment and promotion materials for review by voting faculty.
Maintain accurate HR records and ensure compliance with retention policies using task management systems and databases.
Serve as the primary liaison between Rural and Regional Affairs and UW HR offices, including the SoM Dean’s Office.
Contribute to a collaborative, service-oriented environment by developing and improving HR systems and tools.
Manage day-to-day and cyclical operations to ensure programmatic activities are planned, resourced, and monitored effectively.
Prepare reports, coordinate agendas, and facilitate monthly meetings.
Integrate University and SoM operational requirements into departmental planning, policies, and procedures.
Apply change management strategies to adapt processes to evolving institutional and regulatory requirements.
Utilize project management techniques and tools to track timetables, action items, deliverables, and contingency plans for initiatives and special assignments.
Provide high-level administrative and organizational support for workgroups and search committees overseen by the Vice Dean or Director, including meeting logistics, documentation, and communication of outcomes.
Support faculty in managing educational programs, including supervision of educational support staff and allocation of resources.
Ensure compliance with accreditation standards and professional guidelines; coordinate program reviews and respond to inquiries from prospective students and the public.
Provide proctoring for exams as needed
Perform other duties as assigned.
Work with a Principal Investigator’s (PI) home department grant manager and fiscal specialist to oversee post-award management of Rural and Regional Affairs grants and contracts.
Coordinate the development of budgets for grant proposals, contracts or other funding requests.
Collect and submit cost share reports for the program office and sub-contractors to the University of Washington Office of Grants and Contracts.
Oversee the preparation of appropriate forms for contracts and agreements.
Serve as an advisor to faculty and staff on allowable costs on budgets from multiple sources including federal sponsors.
Maintain a comprehensive understanding of policies and procedures, independently interpreting and implementing state and federal administrative policies and procedures.
Oversee maintenance of personnel, correspondence, supporting documentation, and all other related grant and contract materials.
Participate in writing progress reports and meet federal reporting requirement deadlines.