Senior Director, Operations & Strategy

University of Texas at Austin•Austin, TX

3d•Onsite

About The Position

The University of Texas at Austin is building the nation's first AI-native academic health system, anchored by UT Dell Medicine and the UT Medicine clinical enterprise. This initiative aims to redefine how academic medicine delivers care, accelerates discovery, and prepares future healthcare leaders. As UT Medicine expands its specialty hospital, research enterprise, and investments in AI, digital health, and precision medicine, it is creating an innovative integrated academic health system. This role offers the opportunity to help establish the operational foundation for a department focused on artificial intelligence, biomedical informatics, systems health sciences, and computational medicine, influencing the future of medicine through data science, AI, translational research, and digital innovation. The Senior Director will build the administrative infrastructure for a new academic department, partner with executive leadership on strategy, develop operational models for research, education, faculty affairs, and innovation, and build financial and organizational infrastructure for growth. The role will lead enterprise initiatives in AI, digital health, biomedical informatics, and translational science, create data-driven operational dashboards and governance structures, and recruit and mentor administrative teams.

Requirements

Bachelor's degree in Healthcare Administration, Business Administration, Public Administration, Science Administration, Engineering Management, or related field.
Minimum of 10 years of progressive executive leadership experience in academic medicine, healthcare administration, research administration, scientific operations, or related fields.
Demonstrated success leading large, complex administrative organizations.
Strong financial management, strategic planning, and organizational leadership experience.
Exceptional executive communication and stakeholder engagement skills.

Nice To Haves

Advanced degree combined with a technical or scientific undergraduate degree is also highly desirable.
Master's degree (MBA, MHA, MPH, MPA, MS, or related discipline).
Fifteen or more years of progressively responsible leadership experience.
Experience supporting AI, biomedical informatics, computational science, engineering, or research-intensive academic departments.
Experience managing significant federally funded research portfolios.
Experience leading organizations through periods of rapid growth or transformation.
Professional certifications such as FACHE, PMP, CRA, or equivalent.

Responsibilities

Serve as the chief administrative and strategic advisor to the Department Chair across all operational functions.
Develop and execute departmental strategic plans aligned with Dell Medical School and UT Medicine priorities.
Lead financial planning, budgeting, forecasting, resource allocation, and long-range operational planning.
Oversee research administration, sponsored programs, faculty affairs, academic operations, human resources, communications, and administrative services.
Build scalable governance structures, operating models, and organizational processes supporting continued departmental growth.
Develop executive dashboards, key performance indicators, and operational analytics to support informed decision making.
Partner across Dell Medical School, UT Medicine, UT Austin, UT System, and external collaborators to advance enterprise initiatives.
Coordinate complex interdisciplinary programs spanning research, education, AI, digital health, computational science, and clinical innovation.
Recruit, mentor, and develop high-performing administrative leaders while fostering a culture of collaboration, accountability, and continuous improvement.
Ensure compliance with university, sponsor, state, and federal regulations governing academic, research, and operational activities.
Support organizational readiness for continued growth, new research initiatives, faculty recruitment, and enterprise expansion.