Chief Strategy and Operations Officer

University of Chicago; United States; On-site; USD 200,000 - 250,000; Full time

Job summary

The University of Chicago is seeking a strategic executive leader for the Office of AI, Precision Medicine, and Data Analytics. This role partners with the Vice Dean and Senior VP to drive enterprise strategy, unify informatics across BSD and UChicago Medicine, and manage funding, partnerships, and staffing to advance AI-powered precision medicine.

Reporting to senior leadership, the role requires 10+ years of related experience, strong leadership, and a track record of managing complex,

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in related field required.
• 10+ years of related work experience required.
• Experience in university administration preferred.

Responsibilities

• Lead the unified enterprise structure for informatics and precision medicine capabilities.
• Manage budgets, staffing, and enterprise-wide funding allocations.
• Partner with external institutions and donors to advance research and funding.
• Oversee day-to-day department operations and research programs.
• Coordinate cross-functional faculty searches and recruitment.

Skills

Strategic thinking

Stakeholder management

Leadership

Communication skills

Education

MBA

Advanced degree in sciences

Job description

Department BSD MED - General Internal Medicine

About the Department

The newly established office of AI, Precision Medicine, and Data Analytics brings together academic research and clinical operational leadership across the Biological Sciences Division (BSD) and UChicago Medicine (UCMC). This office serves as a unified authority over clinical informatics, research informatics, omics, AI, and precision medicine. Our mission is to bridge discovery and operations to position UChicago Medicine as a national leader in clinical-first, AI-powered precision medicine. By consolidating distributed informatics capabilities, translational data science initiatives, and institutional biobanking, this enterprise unifies personnel, operations, and strategic investments to drive preeminence and scalable growth. The department is actively building a world-class team of faculty, researchers, and operational experts across clinical and computational phenomics, informatics, and AI to support enterprise organization & governance, develop a unified data platform, make usable real-world data for research and to enhance clinical outcomes, and to develop external data partnerships.

Job Summary

This role serves as the strategic and operational executive leader partnering directly with the Vice Dean and Senior Vice President for AI, Precision Medicine, and Data Analytics. Operating across both the Biological Sciences Division (BSD) and UChicago Medicine (UCMC), the position oversees the execution of a multi-year enterprise strategy to unify clinical informatics, research informatics, omics, AI, and precision medicine. The role bridges academic research and clinical operations, directing resource allocation, cross-functional governance, large-scale infrastructural growth, and institutional partnerships, including integration with external and university institutions such as Argonne National Labs, Booth, and Polsky. The role will ensure the development and execution of research initiatives, scientific programs and event planning, funding opportunities and grants, external partnerships, and donor-facing activities in coordination with faculty and University leadership. The role supports the recruitment and hiring of talent to develop the organizational capacity to execute at scale including overseeing a multi-year investment plan and supervising staff, and serves as a senior problem‑solver and primary point of contact for internal and external constituencies. This position demands visionary leadership, sophisticated stakeholder influence, and the ability to translate scientific opportunity into institutional and industry impact.

Responsibilities

• Lead the coordination, consolidation, and operationalization of UChicago’s distributed informatics, AI, and precision medicine capabilities into a unified enterprise structure.
• Manage consolidated budgets, personnel strategies, and enterprise-wide funding allocations to support core strategic priorities across the biomedical enterprise.
• Support the development of a democratized clinical‑research data platform integrating the electronic health record (EHR), multiomics, imaging, digital pathology, and participant‑mediated data in close partnership with UCMC IT and leadership.
• Support the integration of real‑time and participant‑mediated data including wearables, remote monitoring, patient‑reported outcomes, and sociomic data elements into the core platform architecture.
• Help direct and establish adoption of the strategy, scaling, and execution of precision medicine efforts, including from research to clinical implementation and translation efforts.
• Conduct internal and community engagement, managing internal and external advisory boards to position UChicago as a national leader in clinical biobanking.
• Drive internal collaboration across university powerhouses, including Argonne National Labs, the Harris School of Public Policy, the Booth School of Business, the Physical Sciences Division, the Pritzker School of Molecular Engineering, and the Polsky Center.
• Cultivate and manage external affiliate partnerships, including UChicago Medicine AdventHealth collaborative hospitals, regional health systems, and industry leaders in sequencing, proteomics, digital pathology, AI, and multimodal analytics.
• Partner with academic and clinical leadership to execute division‑wide strategic faculty searches in areas such as artificial intelligence in biomedicine, clinical/computational phenomics, and pharmacogenomics.
• Oversee the strategic deployment of multi‑year enterprise investment plans and start‑up packages to build a world‑class team of researchers, clinician‑scientists, and operational experts.
• Partner with University Development to drive philanthropic engagement, external grant opportunities and writing, industry co‑investments, and commercialization strategies to ensure long‑term financial sustainability.
• Oversee day‑to‑day department operations, directly supervise staff, and establish organizational capacity to execute goals at scale.
• Serve as senior problem‑solver and primary operational point of contact for internal and external constituencies across BSD and UCMC.
• Manages multiple related teams.
• Establishes department priorities, is responsible for the management of the center budget, allocates resources and executes strategic plans.
• Works closely with faculty, students and other leaders across campus to foster experimentation and multi-disciplinary inquiry and teaching by coordinating and developing Center programming. This may include workshops.
• Conferences, colloquia, training programs, community outreach, etc.
• Performs other related work as needed.

Minimum Qualifications

• Education: Minimum requirements include a college or university degree in related field.
• Work Experience: Minimum requirements include knowledge and skills developed through 10+ years of work experience in a related job discipline.
• Certifications: ---

Preferred Qualifications

• Education: MBA and/or advanced degree in the sciences.
• Experience: Background in biomedical research and university administration.
• Proven track record as a strong strategic thinker with a results orientation, who approaches any challenge with thoughtfulness, drive, data usage, and appropriate urgency.

Preferred Competencies

• Demonstrated ability to translate complex ideas into clear, compelling, and thoughtful messaging.
• Cultivating relationships and working with multiple stakeholders to build successful partnerships.
• Leading a data‑driven team towards meeting organizational goals and objectives.
• Ability to work in an academic unit and/or complex research university environment.
• Strong executive functioning skills, directing a complex and many‑faced project with diverse partners.
• Problem‑solving skills.
• Self‑motivated.
• Ability to work independently.
• Attention to detail.
• Organizational skills.
• Ability to prioritize multiple competing priorities.
• Ability to work independently and as part of a team.
• Ability to train and supervise others, including students, volunteers and other support staff.
• Ability to exercise discretion regarding confidential project matters and maintain patient confidentiality.
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills.

Job Family Administration & Management Role Impact People Manager

• Scheduled Weekly Hours: 40
• Drug Test Required: No
• Health Screen Required: No
• Motor Vehicle Record Inquiry Required: No
• Pay Rate Type: Salary
• FLSA Status: Exempt
• Pay Range: $200,000.00 - $250,000.00

Benefits

Benefits Eligible: Yes. The University of Chicago offers a wide range of benefits programs and resources for eligible employees, including health, retirement, and paid time off. Information about the benefit offerings can be found in the Benefits Guidebook.

Posting Statement

The University of Chicago is an equal opportunity employer and does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender, gender identity, or expression, national or ethnic origin, shared ancestry, age, status as an individual with a disability, military or veteran status, genetic information, or other protected classes under the law. For additional information please see the University's Notice of Nondiscrimination. Job seekers in need of a reasonable accommodation to complete the application process should call 773‑702‑5800 or submit a request via Applicant Inquiry Form. All offers of employment are contingent upon a background check that includes a review of conviction history. A conviction does not automatically preclude University employment. Rather, the University considers conviction information on a case‑by‑case basis and assesses the nature of the offense, the circumstances surrounding it, the proximity in time of the conviction, and its relevance to the position.

Additional Information

The University of Chicago's Annual Security & Fire Safety Report (Report) provides information about University offices and programs that provide safety support, crime and fire statistics, emergency response and communications plans, and other policies and information. The Report can be accessed online at: http://securityreport.uchicago.edu. Paper copies of the Report are available, upon request, from the University of Chicago Police Department, 850 E. 61st Street, Chicago, IL 60637.

The University of Chicago is an urban research university that has driven new ways of thinking since 1890. Our commitment to free and open inquiry draws inspired scholars to our global campuses, where ideas are born that challenge and change the world. We empower individuals to challenge conventional thinking in pursuit of original ideas. Students in the College develop critical, analytic, and writing skills in our rigorous, interdisciplinary core curriculum. Through graduate programs, students test their ideas with UChicago scholars, and become the next generation of leaders in academia, industry, nonprofits, and government.