Director of Laboratory Facilities and Research Operations

St. Jude Children's Research Hospital•Memphis, TN

About The Position

St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital’s Department of Imaging Sciences is a new academic department that is recruiting faculty-level scientists and engineers specializing in the development of novel quantitative imaging, measurement, and analytical technologies. Our goal is to drive technical innovation that will accelerate scientific discovery and improve clinical care. We are seeking an experienced Director of Laboratory Facilities and Research Operations to facilitate the operational setup and daily function of faculty-led laboratories and departmental research infrastructure. Position Overview: The new Director of Laboratory Facilities and Research Operations will be responsible for establishing and maintaining the operations infrastructure for the department, which at full capacity will include 11 full-time faculty and their research labs, spanning a wide range of different imaging methodologies. Immediate responsibilities will include working with faculty recruits to scope and oversee setting up eclectic technology-focused research laboratories, coordinating renovations, capital purchases, equipment moves and installations, including advanced computational resources, and assisting with establishing laboratory safety and compliance protocols. The role will also include supporting the ongoing operational needs of faculty-led research labs, including working with vendors for purchases or repairs, assisting with compliance, onboarding, and training, as well as contributing to the planning and strategic development of new initiatives and large projects. These projects will include assisting with the development of new shared resources for instrumentation and fabrication, technology productization and deployment, biomedical testing, and analytics support. This role demands excellent project management skills, prior exposure to biomedical technology-related infrastructure and equipment in research environments, exceptional communication skills, and the ability to drive and follow through on multiple complex projects in parallel. The Director will collaborate with both internal and external stakeholders to ensure smooth and efficient operations in support of the department’s research mission. Why Join Us? At St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, you'll have the opportunity to influence and support pioneering research that will shape the future of cutting-edge biomedical science and improvements in clinical care. You will work in a collaborative, innovative, and highly impactful environment. We offer competitive compensation and the chance to be part of a team that makes a real-world impact.

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree in relevant scientific discipline is required.
10+ years of experience in relevant technical field (industry or academia) is required.
Experience leading large-scale laboratory infrastructure-based projects/processes from scoping through to implementation.
Prior exposure to complex research environments, and experience collaborating with scientific colleagues at all levels.
Experience in establishing and respectfully managing skilled teams in a leadership capacity.
8+ years of experience in relevant technical field is required with a Master’s degree.
5+ years of experience in relevant technical field is required with a PHD.

Nice To Haves

Experience with laboratory operations management, core facilities management, budget planning, stakeholder and resource management preferred.
Prior exposure to / interest in biomedical or clinical imaging technology development, deployment, productization and commercialization preferred.
Prior experience in building internal and external connections with peers, emerging technology communities, and expert networks preferred.
Proven performance in earlier role/comparable role.

Responsibilities

Initiate and oversee large projects relating to renovating, moving or establishing new technology-focused, faculty-led research laboratories.
Maintain diligent communication, organizational and fiscal oversight and efficiency of multiple projects in parallel.
In collaboration with departmental leadership, establish scalable departmental operations infrastructure and procedures that will ensure that efficiency and productivity is maintained as the department grows.
Responsibly support all aspects of departmental research operations for faculty-led laboratories and departmental shared resources, including regular communication with faculty, researchers and trainees to understand current and future operational needs.
Establish excellent relationships between widely varying stake-holders.
Utilize critical thinking and problem-solving abilities to collaboratively overcome challenges and innovate solutions.
Collaborate with departmental leadership to support budgeting, projections, and financial tracking related to research operations.
Ensure alignment of projects and expenditures with strategic initiatives and project, departmental and institutional goals.
Propose and drive innovative improvements to procedures and operations to maximize efficiency and productivity.
Participate in personnel planning and recruitment to ensure that the department has the interdisciplinary support and expertise needed to succeed.
Collaborate with the Department leadership to manage team processes, including hiring, goal setting, performance evaluation, training and development, and engagement.
Collaborate closely and respectfully with St Jude personnel at all levels including cross-functional leadership, departmental/institutional shared resources, partner laboratories, and partner/vendor organizations, to optimize efficiency, productivity and foster innovation.
Foster a culture of collaboration and continuous improvement within the department and institution, ensuring that team members have the support and resources they need to succeed.