Strategic Initiatives Director - Operations & Strategy

Stanford University School of Medicine; Palo Alto (CA); Hybrid; USD 182,000 - 231,000; Full time

Job summary

Stanford University School of Medicine seeks a Senior Director of Operational Initiatives to lead high-visibility programs across the organization. You will partner with senior leaders, define objectives, governance, and metrics, and drive cross-functional execution in a complex academic medical setting.

The role combines strategic planning, data-driven decision making, and change management to ensure programs deliver sustainable value while coordinating with Stanford Medicine and external

Qualifications

• Ten years of progressive leadership experience in strategy or program management within academic medicine or healthcare systems.
• Proven track record delivering complex cross-functional initiatives.
• Ability to influence at the executive level and lead without formal authority.
• Experience with governance, portfolio management, and multi-year initiatives.
• Strong analytical skills with budgeting/forecasting proficiency.
• Excellent written and verbal communication; adept at translating complex concepts.
• Familiarity with academic medicine operations.
• PM tools (MS Project, Smartsheet) and data visualization (Tableau, Power BI) proficiency.

Responsibilities

• Lead planning and execution of initiatives supporting Dean’s priorities and COO’s agenda.
• Define objectives, milestones, accountability, and success metrics.
• Design governance forums for decision-making and collaboration.
• Communicate strategy and progress to senior leaders and staff.
• Identify and manage risks; develop mitigation plans.
• Develop change management plans to ensure adoption and sustainability.
• Create strategic communications, executive briefings, and data-driven dashboards.
• Cultivate executive sponsorship and stakeholder buy-in to minimize disruption.
• Develop business cases, ROI analyses, and financial models; secure funding.
• Collect and utilize data to inform decisions and continuous improvement.
• Other duties as assigned.

Skills

Leadership

Strategy

Program management

Executive influence

Governance

Portfolio management

Budgeting & forecasting

Communication

Data visualization

Education

Bachelor’s degree and 10 years experience

Tools

MS Project

Smartsheet

Tableau

Power BI

Job description

Stanford University School of Medicine seeks a Senior Director of Operational Initiatives to lead high-visibility programs across the organization. You will partner with senior leaders, define objectives, governance, and metrics, and drive cross-functional execution in a complex academic medical setting.

The role combines strategic planning, data-driven decision making, and change management to ensure programs deliver sustainable value while coordinating with Stanford Medicine and external