Clinical Section Administrator

University of Chicago; Chicago (IL); On-site; USD 110,000 - 155,000; Full time

Job summary

The University of Chicago Psychiatry and Behavioral Neuroscience Department seeks a Clinical Section Administrator to lead administrative, financial, and operational functions across clinical sections. This role partners with Section Chiefs and leadership to ensure efficient day-to-day operations while supporting long-term strategic objectives and accreditation standards.

Responsibilities include budgeting, performance monitoring, process improvements, and staff supervision.

Qualifications

• Minimum requirements include a college or university degree in related field.
• Experience in healthcare administration and supervisory roles preferred.
• Strong budgeting, forecasting, and strategic planning skills required.

Responsibilities

• Oversees clinical operations for psychiatry sections and related programs.
• Partners with clinical leaders to optimize access, productivity and care delivery.
• Manages daily workflows, scheduling, space allocation, and resource planning.
• Develops dashboards and reports to monitor performance and drive improvements.
• Leads and mentors administrative staff; ensures compliance with policies and standards.
• Collaborates with research and education administration on cross-mission projects.

Skills

Leadership

Budgeting

Operations management

Education

Bachelor's degree in related field

Advanced degree in business or healthcare administration

Job description

About The Department

BSD PSY- Administration

About The Department

The Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Neuroscience at the University of Chicago has a longstanding commitment to excellence in clinical care, education, and research. Its faculty bring expertise across a broad range of psychiatric subspecialties and neuroscience, with a strong focus on advancing the understanding and treatment of mental illness.

Research within the Department is broad and multidisciplinary, spanning clinical, translational, and neuroscience research. Areas of expertise include anxiety and mood disorders, autism spectrum disorders, bipolar disorder and schizophrenia, dementia and cognitive disorders, eating disorders, obesity and related behavioral health conditions, substance use disorders, and impulse control and related disorders. Faculty also examine developmental and other factors that influence mental health and treatment response, utilizing contemporary approaches such as neuroimaging, genetics and genomics, behavioral research, and clinical investigation.

Together, these efforts support the Department’s mission to advance psychiatric knowledge, educate the next generation of clinicians and scientists, and improve outcomes for individuals affected by mental illness.

Job Summary

The Clinical Section Administrator provides comprehensive leadership and oversight for the administrative, financial, and operational functions of the clinical sections within the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Neuroscience, advancing the Department's clinical, research, and educational missions. This role is responsible for ensuring the effective coordination of day-to-day operations while supporting long-term strategic objectives, fostering operational excellence, and promoting a collaborative environment across multiple clinical programs.

Working in close partnership with Section Chiefs, faculty, departmental leadership, and institutional stakeholders, the Clinical Section Administrator leads operational planning, financial management, resource allocation, compliance oversight, and the implementation of strategic initiatives. The position is accountable for developing and monitoring budgets, analyzing financial and operational performance metrics, identifying opportunities for process improvement, and ensuring adherence to institutional policies, regulatory requirements, and accreditation standards.

The Clinical Section Administrator provides leadership, supervision, mentoring, and professional development for both exempt and non-exempt administrative staff, cultivating a high-performing team dedicated to exceptional service and operational efficiency. The role oversees administrative support for ambulatory and hospital-based psychiatric clinical programs, ensuring seamless coordination of clinical operations, effective utilization of resources, and the delivery of high-quality patient care. Additionally, the incumbent serves as a key liaison between clinical sections and departmental, hospital, and university leadership, facilitating communication, driving cross-functional initiatives, and supporting organizational growth and continuous improvement.

Responsibilities

• Oversees clinical operations for assigned Psychiatry sections, including ambulatory clinics, inpatient/consultation-liaison services at Ingalls and Hyde Park, specialty programs, multidisciplinary behavioral health services, and other patient care initiatives to ensure efficient, high-quality care delivery.
• Partners with Section Chiefs, clinical leaders, and healthcare administrators to develop and implement operational strategies that improve patient access, provider productivity, clinical workflows, care coordination, and overall practice performance.
• Manages daily clinical practice operations, including clinic workflows, scheduling processes, resource allocation, clinical space room assignments, operational escalations, and coordination across clinical and administrative teams.
• Analyzes operational challenges and develops solutions to address evolving clinical demands, capacity constraints, access goals, staffing needs, and changes within the healthcare environment.
• Provides operational guidance and support to faculty, clinicians, and administrative teams related to clinical processes, workflows, systems, policies, and best practices.
• Monitors key clinical performance indicators, including patient access, visit volume, provider productivity, utilization, referral patterns, documentation compliance, and revenue cycle performance.
• Develops and utilizes operational dashboards and reports to evaluate clinical performance, identify trends, and implement opportunities for process improvement.
• Collaborates with revenue cycle, finance, access, quality improvement, and hospital operational partners to optimize clinical performance, enhance patient experience, and support sustainable practice operations.
• Supports clinical program growth by evaluating operational needs, developing workflows, coordinating resources, and implementing processes that support new and expanded services.
• Partners with Section Chiefs and departmental leadership to execute strategic initiatives aligned with Psychiatry’s clinical care mission, quality goals, and institutional priorities.
• Provides leadership, oversight and direct supervision to clinical operations staff and administrative teams supporting Psychiatry patient care services and other missions.
• Partner with research and education administration to execute any projects across all three missions and assist with leadership and backup coverage for those areas as needed.
• Leads continuous improvement efforts focused on operational efficiency, patient access, care delivery models, and standardization of clinical processes across Psychiatry programs.
• Develops, implements, and maintains clinical operations procedures, workflows, and standard operating practices to support consistent and effective patient care delivery.
• Ensures compliance with University of Chicago Medicine, Biological Sciences Division, departmental, and regulatory requirements through monitoring, education, process reviews, and operational improvements.
• Coordinates with hospital and ambulatory partners to support integrated psychiatric care delivery across University of Chicago Medicine locations.
• Recommends department priorities, allocates resources and executes strategic plans.
• Manages a team(s) including those within hospital functions.
• Performs other related work as needed.

Education

Minimum requirements include a college or university degree in related field.

Work Experience

Minimum requirements include knowledge and skills developed through 7+ years of work experience in a related job discipline.

Preferred Qualifications

Education

• Advanced degree in business, health care administration or related field.

Experience

• Healthcare and/or academic medical experience.
• Supervisory experience.
• Demonstrated budgeting and forecasting experience strongly preferred.
• Previous coding and charge capture experience, as well as thorough working knowledge of ICD-10CM and CPT-4 coding systems strongly preferred.
• Previous experience with charge capture management and gross revenue management.
• Experience in Epic revenue cycle and/or clinical applications.
• Prior experience in a hospital finance setting (i.e. reimbursement, chargemaster, patient financial services, hospital operations, etc.).

Working Conditions

• Must be able to manage multiple tasks under time constraints, model strong service orientation, and promote team cooperation.
• Strong written and oral skills.
• Ability to sit or stand for 4 hours or more.
• Ability to use computers extensively for 4 hours or more.
• Scheduled work hours may change depending on clinic needs. While primarily open during regular business hours, some evening and weekend hours.
• Work may be performed in varied locations inside/outside of the clinical setting, including other campus and off-site locations.

Application Documents

• Resume (required)
• Cover Letter (required)

The University of Chicago uses AI-assisted tools to streamline and augment some recruitment processes; however, AI is not used to make hiring decisions.

Job Family

Administration & Management

Role Impact

People Manager

Scheduled Weekly Hours

40

Drug Test Required

Yes

Health Screen Required

No

Motor Vehicle Record Inquiry Required

No

Pay Rate Type

Salary

FLSA Status

Exempt

Pay Range

$110,000.00 - $155,000.00

The included pay rate or range represents the University’s good faith estimate of the possible compensation offer for this role at the time of posting.

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.

In addition to the base pay posted above, this position may be eligible for n/a

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.

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.