Chief Administrative Officer

University of Texas at Austin; United States; On-site; USD 180,000 - 260,000; Full time

Job summary

University of Texas at Austin is seeking a Chief Administrative Officer to lead UT Dell Medical School’s administrative platform and growth. This executive role partners with the Dean and SVPMA to drive finance, HR, IT, facilities, development, and compliance while shaping enterprise strategy and transformative initiatives.

The CAO will oversee shared services, advance workforce modernization, and build capabilities to support a premier academic health system.

Qualifications

• Master’s degree in a relevant field is required or equivalent.
• At least 10 years of progressive senior-level healthcare administrative leadership experience.
• Proven success leading large teams and complex initiatives.
• Experience developing and executing strategic and operational plans in complex healthcare environments.
• Experience overseeing large admin functions, operations, and shared services.
• Proven ability to drive performance, growth, and operational excellence.
• Fifteen+ years of senior healthcare leadership (preferred).
• Experience supporting major expansion projects or development of new sites of care.
• Demonstrated use of AI and automation in healthcare operations.
• Experience in university-based academic medical centers or major academic health systems.
• Healthcare executive certification (CHE) or equivalent (preferred).

Responsibilities

• Provide strategic and operational direction for UT Dell Medical School and its growth as a destination academic medical center.
• Lead development and execution of enterprise strategic and operating plans.
• Design organizational structures and administrative capabilities to support expansion.
• Oversee administrative shared services: finance, HR, IT, marketing, development, facilities, compliance, legal, and more.
• Ensure alignment between enterprise priorities and administrative operations across departments.
• Deliver financial, operational, quality, and growth objectives.
• Foster strategic partnerships with external organizations.
• Ensure legal, regulatory, and policy compliance across administrative operations.
• Lead modernization via AI, automation, and workforce strategy.
• Develop workforce upskilling programs for the future of healthcare.
• Identify emerging technologies to improve performance.
• Serve on the senior leadership team and contribute to governance decisions.
• Create an environment that attracts, develops, and retains top talent.
• Build a high-performing culture aligned with Dell Medical School values.

Skills

Senior leadership experience

Strategic and operating planning

Large-scale admin functions

Organizational performance & growth

Forecasting/financial stewardship

AI-enabled transformation

Growth and expansion leadership

University health system experience

Executive certification (CHE etc.)

Site/campus development experience

Education

Master’s degree in Finance, Accounting, Business Administration, Healthcare Administration, or related field

Job description

Job Posting Title:

Chief Administrative Officer

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Hiring Department:

Dell Medical School

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Position Open To:

All Applicants

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Weekly Scheduled Hours:

40

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FLSA Status:

Exempt from FLSA

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Earliest Start Date:

Oct 01, 2026

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Position Duration:

Expected to Continue

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Location:

UT MAIN CAMPUS

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Job Details:

General Notes

The University of Texas at Austin is undertaking a once-in-a-generation transformation to build a world-class academic health system in Central Texas. Anchored by Dell Medical School and the growing UT Health Austin clinical enterprise, this bold initiative is redefining how academic medicine delivers care, accelerates discovery, educates future healthcare leaders, and improves health across the communities we serve.

As UT Dell Medical School continues its rapid growth and advances toward development of a new academic medical center and hospital, the organization is making foundational investments that will shape its future. Success will require modern infrastructure, scalable operations, innovative technologies, strong financial stewardship, and an administrative platform capable of supporting growth across clinical care, research, and education.

Within this environment, UT Dell Medical School seeks a Chief Administrative Officer (CAO) to serve as the administrative dyad partner to the Dean and Senior Vice President for Medical Affairs. Reporting directly to the Dean/SVPMA, the CAO provides strategic and operational leadership for administration, shared services, organizational development, and enterprise execution. The CAO helps translate institutional vision into operational reality while building the capabilities, systems, and culture required to support a premier academic health system.

This executive will oversee key administrative functions including finance, human resources, information technology, facilities, development, marketing and communications, compliance, legal affairs, and other shared services. As a member of the senior leadership team, the CAO will play a critical role in shaping organizational strategy, executing growth initiatives, driving operational excellence, and ensuring the long-term sustainability of the enterprise.

Why Join Us

At UT Dell Medical School and UT Health Austin, we are not simply growing an organization. We are creating the next generation of academic medicine in Central Texas.

This is an opportunity to join the organization during a defining period of expansion and help shape the future of an academic health system designed to transform health, education, research, and patient care.

Our mission and culture are grounded in:

• Excellence
• Innovation
• Impact
• Collaboration
• Compassion
• Humility
• Stewardship
• Altruism

As Chief Administrative Officer, you will have the opportunity to:

• Help build a destination academic medical center and integrated health system
• Serve as the primary administrative partner to the Dean and Senior Vice President for Medical Affairs
• Lead administration and shared services during a period of significant growth and transformation
• Develop the organizational structure, capabilities, and operating model needed to support future expansion
• Drive operational excellence while advancing education, clinical care, and research priorities
• Shape enterprise strategy, workforce modernization, and AI-enabled transformation initiatives
• Partner with executive leaders, faculty, physicians, researchers, and community stakeholders to advance organizational goals

What You’ll Do

Serve as strategic and operational dyad partner to the Dean and Senior Vice President for Medical Affairs .

• Provide overall strategic and operational direction for UT Dell Medical School and its future growth as a destination academic medical center.
• Lead development and execution of enterprise strategic and operating plans.
• Design and implement organizational structures, leadership models, and administrative capabilities that support continued expansion.
• Oversee administrative shared services, including finance, human resources, information technology, marketing and communications, development, facilities, compliance, legal affairs, and related functions.
• Ensure alignment between enterprise priorities and administrative operations across departments, institutes, and clinical programs.
• Deliver financial, operational, quality, and growth objectives across the organization.
• Foster and maintain strategic partnerships with external organizations that advance institutional goals.
• Ensure legal, regulatory, and policy compliance across administrative operations.
• Lead modernization efforts through adoption of artificial intelligence, automation, and innovative workforce strategies.
• Develop and oversee workforce upskilling programs that prepare employees for the future of healthcare.
• Identify and evaluate emerging technologies and operational innovations that improve organizational performance.
• Serve as a member of the senior leadership team and contribute to enterprise governance and decision making.
• Create an environment that attracts, develops, and retains exceptional talent.
• Build a high-performing culture aligned with Dell Medical School values and strategic priorities.

Who You Are

The ideal candidate is an accomplished healthcare executive who combines strategic vision with operational excellence. You have experience leading complex organizations through growth, change, and transformation while creating administrative infrastructure that enables long-term success.

You understand the unique dynamics of academic medicine and can effectively balance the priorities of clinical care, education, research, and financial performance. You bring strong business acumen, exceptional leadership skills, and the ability to build trust across diverse stakeholder groups.

You are equally comfortable developing strategy and executing against it. You thrive in evolving environments, embrace innovation, and have a demonstrated ability to build organizational capabilities that scale alongside growth.

You bring:

• Broad expertise in healthcare administration and large-scale organizational leadership
• Experience leading complex, matrixed healthcare organizations
• Strong financial management, operational, and strategic planning capabilities
• Success overseeing large administrative and shared service functions
• Experience supporting organizational growth, facility development, and expansion initiatives
• Demonstrated ability to drive innovation, workforce transformation, and operational modernization
• A collaborative leadership style that builds alignment across diverse constituencies
• Excellent communication, relationship-building, and executive influencing skills
• Experience operating within academic medicine, healthcare delivery organizations, or integrated health systems

Required Qualifications

• Master’s degree in Finance, Accounting, Business Administration, Healthcare Administration, or a related field.
• Minimum of 10 years of progressive senior-level healthcare administrative leadership experience.
• Demonstrated success leading large teams and complex organizational initiatives.
• Experience developing and executing strategic and operational plans within complex healthcare environments.
• Experience overseeing large-scale administrative functions, operations, and shared services.
• Proven ability to drive organizational performance, growth, and operational excellence.

Relevant education and experience may be substituted as appropriate.

Preferred Qualifications

• Fifteen or more years of senior healthcare leadership experience.
• Experience supporting development of new sites of care, major capital projects, hospital activation, or health system expansion.
• Demonstrated success applying artificial intelligence and automation within healthcare operations.
• Experience within a university-based academic medical center or major academic health system.
• Healthcare executive certification such as Certified Healthcare Executive (CHE) or equivalent.

Leadership Relationships

The Chief Administrative Officer reports directly to the Dean and Senior Vice President for Medical Affairs and serves as a key member of the senior leadership team. The CAO provides leadership and oversight for administrative and shared service functions across the organization and works closely with executive leaders, department chairs, faculty leaders, and operational teams to advance strategic priorities.

Salary Range

OPEN

Working Conditions

• Standard office environment
• Repetitive use of a keyboard

Required Materials

• Resume/CV
• 3 work references with their contact information; at least one reference should be from a supervisor
• Letter of interest

Employment Eligibility:

Regular staff who have been employed in their current position for the last six continuous months are eligible for openings being recruited for through University-Wide or Open Recruiting, to include both promotional opportunities and lateral transfers. Staff who are promotion/transfer eligible may apply for positions without supervisor approval.

Retirement Plan Eligibility:

The retirement plan for this position is Teacher Retirement System of Texas (TRS), subject to the position being at least 20 hours per week and at least 135 days in length. This position has the option to elect the Optional Retirement Program (ORP) instead of TRS, subject to the position being 40 hours per week and at least 135 days in length.

Background Checks:

A criminal history background check will be required for finalist(s) under consideration for this position.

Equal Opportunity Employer:

The University of Texas at Austin, as an equal opportunity/affirmative action employer, complies with all applicable federal and state laws regarding nondiscrimination and affirmative action. The University is committed to a policy of equal opportunity for all persons and does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, national origin, age, marital status, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, disability, religion, or veteran status in employment, educational programs and activities, and admissions.

Pay Transparency:

The University of Texas at Austin will not discharge or in any other manner discriminate against employees or applicants because they have inquired about, discussed, or disclosed their own pay or the pay of another employee or applicant. However, employees who have access to the compensation information of other employees or applicants as a part of their essential job functions cannot disclose the pay of other employees or applicants to individuals who do not otherwise have access to compensation information, unless the disclosure is (a) in response to a formal complaint or charge, (b) in furtherance of an investigation, proceeding, hearing, or action, including an investigation conducted by the employer, or (c) consistent with the contractor’s legal duty to furnish information.

Employment Eligibility Verification:

If hired, you will be required to complete the federal Employment Eligibility Verification I-9 form. You will be required to present acceptable and original documents to prove your identity and authorization to work in the United States. Documents need to be presented no later than the third day of employment. Failure to do so will result in loss of employment at the university.

E-Verify:

The University of Texas at Austin use E-Verify to check the work authorization of all new hires effective May 2015. The university’s company ID number for purposes of E-Verify is 854197. For more information about E-Verify, please see the following:

• E-Verify Poster (English and Spanish) [PDF]
• Right to Work Poster (English) [PDF]
• Right to Work Poster (Spanish) [PDF]

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Compliance:

Employees may be required to report violations of law under Title IX and the Jeanne Clery Disclosure of Campus Security Policy and Crime Statistics Act (Clery Act). If this position is identified a Campus Security Authority (Clery Act), you will be notified and provided resources for reporting. Responsible employees under Title IX are defined and outlined in HOP-3031.

The Clery Act requires all prospective employees be notified of the availability of the Annual Security and Fire Safety report. You may access the most recent report here or obtain a copy at University Compliance Services, 1616 Guadalupe Street, UTA 2.206, Austin, Texas 78701.