Academic Administrator IV

Academic Administrator IV

University of California Los Angeles

Requisition Number: JPF11000

Job Title: Administrative Director, Shared Instrumentation Cores

Payroll title: Academic Administrator IV

Appointment: 100%

Effective date: 7/1/2026

UCLA's Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry invites applications for a position in the Academic Administrator Series to serve as the Administrative Director of the Shared Instrumentation Cores. The incumbent will serve as the principal administrative leader for the Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry's shared research instrumentation infrastructure including the Molecular Instrumentation Center (MIC), the Biochemistry Instrumentation Facility (BIF), and other shared instrumentation. The Administrative Director provides strategic, financial, personnel, and programmatic leadership for these campus-wide core facilities while maintaining the scientific expertise necessary to provide informed oversight of advanced instrumentation operations at least in one core areas of the facilities. The role works in close partnership with faculty leadership, facility scientific directors, instrumentation committees, and departmental administration to ensure that shared instrumentation resources are sustainable, compliant, accessible, and aligned with the Department's research and instructional mission.

Key Duties:

1. Serve as principal administrative leader for the Department's Shared Instrumentation Cores, including MIC, BIF, and other shared instrumentation facilities housed by the Chemistry and Biochemistry department.
2. Develop, implement, and deliver comprehensive training programs for students, postdoctoral researchers, staff, and faculty users, including onboarding, advanced instrument use, safety protocols, and best-practice workflows to support independent and effective operation of facility equipment.
3. Serve as the primary technical liaison between the shared facility core area and its user community, actively engaging with faculty and researchers to understand research needs, advise on experimental design and instrument capabilities, and ensure that facility resources are aligned with state-of-the-art research directions.
4. Coordinate and oversee interactions with external vendors and service providers, including instrument installations, maintenance contracts, service visits, upgrades, and evaluations of new technologies, in collaboration with departmental leadership and campus partners.
5. Provide responsive technical support and troubleshooting for users, fostering a collaborative, inclusive, and service-oriented environment that supports a diverse research community.
6. Establish and maintain standard operating procedures, documentation, and usage policies that promote equitable access, modern software solutions, data integrity, and efficient use of shared resources as guided by campus IT policies.

1. Oversee all administrative, financial, and personnel operations of shared instrumentation facilities, ensuring sustainable, compliant, and efficient core operations.
2. Provide scientifically informed administrative oversight of advanced research instrumentation in collaboration with MIC's Scientific Director, relevant faculty committees, and Department Leadership on strategic planning, instrumentation priorities, funding opportunities, and future acquisitions
3. Oversee all personnel management of staff engineers, technical directors, post-docs and student worker positions in the shared instrumentation cores including hiring, supervision, performance management, professional development, and workforce planning in collaboration with departmental leadership and HR.
4. Oversee financial management of shared instrumentation cores including budgets, grants, recharge revenue, departmental and gift funds, forecasting, reconciliation, and financial reporting in partnership with departmental leadership and the Business Office.
5. Work collaboratively with the relevant department committees, Department Chair, and Vice Chairs on governance, operations, strategic goals, resource management, outreach, and programmatic growth.
6. Serve as Instructor of Record for instrumentation related courses and supervise Teaching Assistants, Graduate Student Researchers, and instructional support personnel.
7. Support grant proposal development and reporting related to shared instrumentation in collaboration with faculty and scientific leadership.
8. Serve as a liaison with other campus shared facilities on developing a common strategic vision and prioritization of resource allocation.
9. Ensure compliance with all applicable UCLA, UC, state, and federal regulatory and safety requirements.

Qualifications:

1. A PhD in Chemistry, Biochemistry, or closely related STEM field.
2. Demonstrated experience in managing complex research or academic operations within a university or comparable research environment.
3. Demonstrated ability to lead multidisciplinary teams and manage personnel.
4. Strong financial, organizational, and strategic planning skills.
5. Experience with shared instrumentation facilities, core laboratories, and grant funded instrumentation.
6. Excellent interpersonal, written, and verbal communication skills, with the ability to work effectively with faculty, staff, students, and external stakeholders.

To apply, please visit: https://recruit.apo.ucla.edu/JPF11000