Chief Administrative Officer, Medical Physics

University of Wisconsin; Bowens Addition (WI); Hybrid; USD 126,000 - 154,000; Full time

Job summary

The Department of Medical Physics at University of Wisconsin–Madison seeks a Chief Administrative Officer to lead and oversee the department’s research, education, clinical support, and service missions. You will supervise six administrative staff, guide strategic planning, financial management, HR, and compliance across the department and its affiliated organizations.

Reporting to the Department Chair, you will drive organizational development, budget administration, and operational excellence

Qualifications

• Minimum of five years of administrative leadership experience with a record of significant accomplishments.
• Demonstrated experience managing complex budgets and multiple funding sources.
• Experience in higher education, academic medicine, or scientific research administration preferred.
• Strong written and oral communication; supervisory experience in a matrixed environment.

Responsibilities

• Provide leadership and administrative oversight of research programs, staffing, fiscal, IT, and facilities.
• Lead development and administration of departmental budgets and funds to ensure compliance with laws and bylaws.
• Develop and implement data analytics, reporting, and BI systems for operations and strategy.
• Oversee recruitment, evaluation, and professional development of faculty and staff.
• Manage office and research space on and off campus; oversee IT and network infrastructure.
• Coordinate communications, donor engagement, and departmental philanthropy efforts.
• Supervise at least 2.0 FTE; supervise performance, discipline, and hours.

Skills

Strategic leadership

Budget management

Staff supervision

Cross-functional collaboration

Financial analytics

Education

Bachelor's degree

Master's degree (preferred)

Job description

Current Employees: If you are currently employed at any of the Universities of Wisconsin, log in to Workday to apply through the internal application process.

Job Category:

Academic Staff

Employment Type:

Regular

Job Profile:

Department Administrator II

Job Summary:

The Department of Medical Physics is seeking a Chief Administrative Officer (CAO) to join its leadership team. The CAO provides executive leadership and operational oversight for the department's research, education, clinical support, and service missions, while directly supervising a dedicated team of six administrative staff. Reporting directly to the Department Chair, the CAO leads strategic planning, financial management, operational administration, and organizational development across all aspects of the department.

The Department of Medical Physics is internationally recognized for excellence in imaging science, radiation sciences, artificial intelligence, theranostics, and translational research. The department maintains a diverse portfolio of federally funded, industry-sponsored, and foundation-supported research programs; operates the nation's largest CAMPEP-accredited graduate program in medical physics; administers a CAMPEP-accredited Imaging Physics Residency Program; and manages multiple fee-for-service scientific and clinical support operations, including the Accredited Dosimetry and Calibration Laboratory (ADCL), Cyclotron Facility, and Radiological Physics Services.

The Department of Medical Physics collaborates extensively with clinical departments of the School of Medicine and Public Health, the University of Wisconsin Medical Foundation, the Wisconsin Alumni Research Foundation (WARF), external hospitals, industry sponsors, and government agencies. The CAO serves as a primary representative of the department in these relationships and helps coordinate activities across organizations with differing administrative structures, systems, regulations, and missions.

The CAO directs the department's financial planning and administration; oversees human resources, faculty affairs, sponsored research administration, facilities, information technology, communications, philanthropy, and administrative operations; ensures compliance with university, sponsor, and regulatory requirements; and maintains the operational infrastructure necessary to support the department's missions.

• This position may require some work to be performed in-person, onsite, at a designated campus work location. Some work may be performed remotely, at an offsite, non-campus work location.

Key Job Responsibilities:

• Provides leadership and administrative oversight of basic and translational research programs including staffing, compliance, fiscal, information technology (IT), and facility needs
• Provides leadership in developing and administering budgets. Oversees financial operations including grants, contract, and other funds to ensure adherence to prudent and generally accepted accounting practices, and compliance with Federal, State, university, and sponsor rules, regulations, laws and bylaws
• Provides leadership for the development and implementation of departmental data analytics, reporting, and business intelligence systems to support operational management, financial oversight, program assessment, and strategic decision-making.
• Provides leadership for faculty recruitment, evaluation, development, and promotion processes
• Provides oversight and management of office and research space on and off campus, department information systems, and regional network development
• Responsible for communication and marketing of department activities, accomplishments, and department philanthropic activities including meeting with and engaging potential donors
• Exercises supervisory authority, including hiring, transferring, suspending, promoting, managing conduct and performance, discharging, assigning, rewarding, disciplining, and/or approving hours worked of at least 2.0 full-time equivalent (FTE) employees
• Provides administrative leadership and coordination across multiple affiliated organizations, including the University of Wisconsin–Madison, School of Medicine and Public Health, UW Health, University of Wisconsin Medical Foundation, Wisconsin Alumni Research Foundation, and external partner organizations to support departmental research, education, service, and strategic objectives.
• Provides leadership and administrative oversight of departmental fee-for-service, core facility, and specialized service operations, including business planning, financial management, regulatory compliance, and operational support.
• Provides leadership for the strategic and short-term planning processes, as well as obtaining and validating data needed for strategic decision-making
• Provides leadership, guidance, and management of the department's research, teaching and service programs, and staff to ensure efficient and effective operations
• Provides leadership in the development, negotiation, implementation, and administration of contracts, affiliation agreements, memoranda of understanding, and other inter-organizational agreements supporting departmental research, educational, clinical support, and service activities.
• Provides leadership and oversight of training programs

Department:

School of Medicine and Public Health, Department of Medical Physics

Medical Physics was established as a specialty focus within the University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health, resulting in the nation's first and only standalone basic science Department of Medical Physics. Faculty in the department focus on discoveries and inventions in imaging and therapy that advance scientific knowledge and improve patient care. These innovations are translated into clinical trials, commercial products, and entrepreneurial ventures. The department comprises 29 core faculty, 54 affiliate faculty, and 13 emeritus faculty members, many of whom hold joint appointments in clinical departments such as Radiology and Radiation Medicine. Through extensive collaborations across SMPH and industry, the department advances scientific discovery, improves healthcare technology, and trains future leaders through the nation's largest CAMPEP-accredited graduate program and a CAMPEP-accredited Imaging Physics Residency Program.

Compensation:

The starting salary for the position is $140,000 annually; but is negotiable based on experience and qualifications.

Employees in this position can expect to receive benefits such as generous vacation, holidays, and sick leave; competitive insurances and savings accounts; retirement benefits.

For more information, refer to the campus benefits webpage.

SMPH Faculty /Academic Staff Benefits Flyer 2026

Required Qualifications:

• Minimum of five years of administrative leadership experience with a record of significant accomplishments.
• Demonstrated experience managing complex budgets and multiple funding sources.
• Demonstrated experience working within higher education, academic medicine, or scientific research administration.
• Demonstrated leadership and supervisory experience, including staff development, organizational management, and change leadership.
• Strong analytical, financial, operational, organizational, negotiation, and problem-solving skills.
• Excellent written and oral communication skills.
• Demonstrated success working in complex, matrixed organizations with diverse stakeholder groups.

Preferred Qualifications:

• Experience managing within an academic medical center, integrated academic health system, or clinical department, including collaboration with clinical departments.
• Experience supporting research-intensive academic departments, centers, institutes, or sponsored research programs.
• Experience managing complex financial operations involving federal grants, sponsored research, fee-for-service operations, gifts, and endowments.

Education:

Bachelor’s degree required. Master's degree in Business Administration, Health Administration, Public Administration, Higher Education Administration, or a closely related field is preferred.

Institutional Statement on Diversity:

Diversity is a source of strength, creativity, and innovation for UW-Madison. We value the contributions of each person and respect the profound ways their identity, culture, background, experience, status, abilities, and opinion enrich the university community. We commit ourselves to the pursuit of excellence in teaching, research, outreach, and diversity as inextricably linked goals.

The University of Wisconsin-Madison fulfills its public mission by creating a welcoming and inclusive community for people from every background - people who as students, faculty, and staff serve Wisconsin and the world.

The University of Wisconsin-Madison is an Equal OpportunityEmployer.

Qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to, including but not limited to, race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, national origin, age, pregnancy, disability, or status as a protected veteran and other bases as defined by federal regulations and UW System policies. We promote excellence by acknowledging skills and expertise from all backgroundsand encourage all qualified individuals to apply. For more information regarding applicant and employee rights and to view federal and state required postings, visit the Human Resources Workplace Poster website.

To request a disability or pregnancy-related accommodation for any step in the hiring process (e.g., application, interview, pre-employment testing, etc.), please contact the Divisional Disability Representative (DDR)in the division you are applying to. Please make your request as soon as possible to help the university respond most effectively to you.

Employment may require a criminal background check. It may also require your references to answer questions regarding misconduct, including sexual violence and sexual harassment.

The University of Wisconsin System will not reveal the identities of applicants who request confidentiality in writing, except that the identity of the successful candidate will be released. See Wis. Stat. sec. 19.36(7).

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