Senior Director, Operations & Strategy

The University of Texas at Austin; Austin (TX); On-site; USD 172,681 - 211,054; Full time

Job summary

The University of Texas at Austin is seeking a Senior Director, Operations & Strategy to lead operations for an AI-focused academic health system. This position involves collaborating with executive leadership to shape long-term strategy and developing scalable operational models.

The ideal candidate will have extensive experience in healthcare administration, financial management, and strategic planning. A Bachelor's and an advanced degree in a related field are required, along with a minimum of 10 years of leadership experience.

This role offers a unique opportunity to contribute to transformative healthcare initiatives at one of the nation's leading academic institutions.

Qualifications

• Minimum of 10 years of progressive executive leadership experience in academic medicine or healthcare administration.
• Demonstrated success leading large, complex administrative organizations.
• Ability to transform strategic vision into operational execution.

Responsibilities

• Serve as chief administrative advisor to the Department Chair.
• Develop and execute departmental strategic plans.
• Manage financial planning and budget forecasting.

Skills

Healthcare Administration

Financial Management

Strategic Planning

Organizational Leadership

Executive Communication

Education

Bachelor's degree in Healthcare Administration or related field

Advanced degree

Job description

Senior Director, Operations & Strategy

The University of Texas at Austin is undertaking a once-in-a-generation transformation to build the nation's first AI-native academic health system. Anchored by UT Dell Medicine and the rapidly expanding UT Medicine clinical enterprise, this bold initiative is redefining how academic medicine delivers care, accelerates discovery, and prepares the next generation of healthcare leaders. As UT Medicine advances plans for a future state-of-the-art specialty hospital, expands its research enterprise, and invests in artificial intelligence, digital health, and precision medicine, the organization is creating one of the country's most innovative integrated academic health systems.

Job Posting Title:

Senior Director, Operations & Strategy

Hiring Department:

Dell Medical School

Position Open To:

All Applicants

Weekly Scheduled Hours:

40

FLSA Status:

Exempt from FLSA

Earliest Start Date:

Immediately

Position Duration:

Expected to Continue

Location:

AUSTIN, TX

Job Details:

Senior Director, Operations & Strategy

The University of Texas at Austin is undertaking a once-in-a-generation transformation to build the nation's first AI-native academic health system. Anchored by UT Dell Medicine and the rapidly expanding UT Medicine clinical enterprise, this bold initiative is redefining how academic medicine delivers care, accelerates discovery, and prepares the next generation of healthcare leaders. As UT Medicine advances plans for a future state-of-the-art specialty hospital, expands its research enterprise, and invests in artificial intelligence, digital health, and precision medicine, the organization is creating one of the country's most innovative integrated academic health systems.

Why Join Us

At UT Dell Medicine, you won't simply lead departmental operations—you will help build one of the nation's premier academic departments focused on artificial intelligence, biomedical informatics, systems health sciences, and computational medicine.

Reporting directly to internationally recognized AI leader Hongfang Liu, Ph.D., inaugural Chair of the Department of Quantitative & Systems Health Sciences and Chief Translational AI & Informatics Officer, this role offers the rare opportunity to help establish the operational foundation for a department that will influence the future of medicine through data science, artificial intelligence, translational research, and digital innovation.

As Senior Director, Operations & Strategy, you will have the opportunity to:

• Build the administrative infrastructure for one of the newest academic departments in the country.
• Partner directly with executive leadership to shape long-term departmental strategy.
• Develop scalable operational models supporting research, education, faculty affairs, and innovation.
• Build financial and organizational infrastructure supporting rapid institutional growth.
• Lead enterprise initiatives spanning artificial intelligence, digital health, biomedical informatics, and translational science.
• Create data-driven operational dashboards, governance structures, and performance metrics.
• Recruit, develop, and mentor high-performing administrative teams.
• Help shape the future operational model supporting the nation's first AI-native academic health system.
  
  
  

What You'll Do

• Serve as the chief administrative and strategic advisor to the Department Chair across all operational functions.
• Develop and execute departmental strategic plans aligned with Dell Medical School and UT Medicine priorities.
• Lead financial planning, budgeting, forecasting, resource allocation, and long-range operational planning.
• Oversee research administration, sponsored programs, faculty affairs, academic operations, human resources, communications, and administrative services.
• Build scalable governance structures, operating models, and organizational processes supporting continued departmental growth.
• Develop executive dashboards, key performance indicators, and operational analytics to support informed decision making.
• Partner across Dell Medical School, UT Medicine, UT Austin, UT System, and external collaborators to advance enterprise initiatives.
• Coordinate complex interdisciplinary programs spanning research, education, AI, digital health, computational science, and clinical innovation.
• Recruit, mentor, and develop high-performing administrative leaders while fostering a culture of collaboration, accountability, and continuous improvement.
• Ensure compliance with university, sponsor, state, and federal regulations governing academic, research, and operational activities.
• Support organizational readiness for continued growth, new research initiatives, faculty recruitment, and enterprise expansion.
  
  
  

Who You Are

The ideal candidate is an accomplished academic healthcare administrator and strategic operator who thrives in complex, rapidly evolving organizations. You possess exceptional operational and financial leadership skills while serving as a trusted advisor to executive leadership. You understand how to transform ambitious strategic vision into sustainable operational execution and enjoy building organizations from the ground up.

You are equally comfortable discussing long-term organizational strategy with executive leadership as you are solving operational challenges alongside faculty and administrative teams. You build trust through collaboration, transparency, and thoughtful leadership while using data to drive decision making and continuous improvement.

You bring experience leading complex academic, healthcare, research, or scientific organizations and understand the unique balance among education, research, clinical operations, and innovation. Most importantly, you are energized by building something transformational and helping create an organization positioned for national leadership.

Required Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Healthcare Administration, Business Administration, Public Administration, Science Administration, Engineering Management, or related field.
• Advanced degree combined with a technical or scientific undergraduate degree is also highly desirable.
• Minimum of 10 years of progressive executive leadership experience in academic medicine, healthcare administration, research administration, scientific operations, or related fields.
• Demonstrated success leading large, complex administrative organizations.
• Strong financial management, strategic planning, and organizational leadership experience.
• Exceptional executive communication and stakeholder engagement skills.
  
  
  

Preferred Qualifications

• Master's degree (MBA, MHA, MPH, MPA, MS, or related discipline).
• Fifteen or more years of progressively responsible leadership experience.
• Experience supporting AI, biomedical informatics, computational science, engineering, or research-intensive academic departments.
• Experience managing significant federally funded research portfolios.
• Experience leading organizations through periods of rapid growth or transformation.
• Professional certifications such as FACHE, PMP, CRA, or equivalent.
  
  
  

Salary

$191,868+ depending on qualifications

Working Environment

• Standard office equipment
• 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
  
  
  

Important for applicants who are NOT current university employees or contingent workers: You will be prompted to submit your resume the first time you apply, then you will be provided an option to upload a new Resume for subsequent applications. Any additional Required Materials (letter of interest, references, etc.) will be uploaded in the Application Questions section; you will be able to multi-select additional files. Before submitting your online job application, ensure that ALL Required Materials have been uploaded. Once your job application has been submitted, you cannot make changes.

Important for Current university employees and contingent workers: As a current university employee or contingent worker, you MUST apply within Workday by searching for Find UT Jobs. If you are a current University employee, log-in to Workday, navigate to your Worker Profile, click the Career link in the left hand navigation menu and then update the sections in your Professional Profile before you apply. This information will be pulled in to your application. The application is one page and you will be prompted to upload your resume. In addition, you must respond to the application questions presented to upload any additional Required Materials (letter of interest, references, etc.) that were noted above.

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]

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.