Executive Center Director, Neuro Translational Ops

Stanford University School of Medicine; Palo Alto (CA); On-site; USD 150,000 - 190,000; Full time

Job summary

The Stanford University School of Medicine seeks an Executive Center Director (Academic Operations Manager 2) to provide leadership for administrative and operations-related functions within a major translational center. The role partners with faculty leadership to advance research and teaching missions.

The position manages staff, coordinates HR, develops business plans, and oversees multi-year financial planning, grants, contracts, and external partnerships with hospitals and industry.

Qualifications

• 5–10 years of experience running a center or translational/academic program.
• Proven ability in strategic planning, multi-year budgeting, staffing leadership, and operations management.
• PhD or graduate degree in Neuroscience preferred; MPH or MBA strongly preferred.
• Clinical translation experience with regulatory workflows (IRB, GCP, FDA).
• Strong budget, fundraising, grants/contracts management and donor engagement.

Responsibilities

• Direct staff and provide leadership to achieve goals and day-to-day operations.
• Guide faculty supervisors in interpreting HR policies and programs.
• Develop business plans and infrastructure to support research and teaching; review multi-year plans.
• Interpret and ensure compliance with university policies within the unit.
• Oversee finances across all sources for the annual budget cycle; analyze and forecast.
• Manage and coordinate grants and contracts; ensure compliance with requirements.
• Represent the unit's business and academic operations internally and externally.

Skills

Strategic planning

Budgeting

Staff leadership

Stakeholder engagement

Cross-disciplinary collaboration

Communication

Donor engagement

Operations management

Regulatory awareness

Problem solving

Education

Bachelor's degree

PhD or graduate degree preferred

Job description

The Stanford University School of Medicine seeks an Executive Center Director (Academic Operations Manager 2) to provide leadership for administrative and operations-related functions within a major translational center. The role partners with faculty leadership to advance research and teaching missions.

The position manages staff, coordinates HR, develops business plans, and oversees multi-year financial planning, grants, contracts, and external partnerships with hospitals and industry.