Stanford University is one of the world’s most renowned universities, located in the heart of the San Francisco Bay Area among some of the world’s most innovative organizations.
You will work with a leading-edge community of faculty and staff who are advancing health care through research, education, and clinical care. You will have the opportunity to contribute innovative ideas, influence change, and support work that makes a meaningful difference. Our culture is fast-paced, collaborative, and continually evolving.
We offer a variety of benefits beyond traditional medical, dental, retirement, and savings options:
- Events and programs for children, sports camps, and tuition options
- Learning and development classes, workshops, and on-site conferences featuring leading speakers and faculty
- Work-life and family-friendly policies and reimbursement programs
- Opportunities to participate in Stanford’s social responsibility and sustainability programs
- A vibrant university culture that values the uniqueness of each individual
We are seeking candidates who are forward-thinking, approach challenges as opportunities to develop solutions, and bring the leadership, energy, and commitment necessary to support Stanford’s mission.
About the Department of Pathology
The Department of Pathology is a founding department of the Stanford School of Medicine and one of the leading pathology departments in the United States. Our faculty include emerging leaders and highly accomplished physicians and scientists, including a Nobel laureate and members of the National Academy. Our mission is to improve the diagnosis, treatment, and understanding of human disease through discovery, education, and clinical care.
Comprised of exceptional faculty, staff, and trainees, the department works to improve the ability to diagnose, treat, and understand the origins and manifestations of human disease and to care for those who have, or are at risk of developing, disease. We accomplish this through clinical services across anatomic and clinical pathology, including molecular and genomic pathology, histocompatibility testing, and transfusion medicine. Our research spans basic, translational, and clinical investigation into the origins and manifestations of disease, including efforts to improve disease prediction and prevention and advance precision health. We also educate and develop future leaders in pathology and related fields.
Everything we do supports our goals of providing high-quality clinical services, advancing the understanding, diagnosis, monitoring, treatment, and prevention of disease, and offering outstanding education and career development opportunities to those who share these goals.
About the Position
The Stanford University Department of Pathology is seeking an Associate Director of Research Administration to provide strategic leadership and operational oversight for the department’s research administration function.
Reporting to the Director of Finance & Administration, the Associate Director will lead a large and complex research administration organization responsible for supporting the department’s sponsored research enterprise. The position will oversee research administration operations, staff management and development, workforce planning, financial stewardship, compliance, business continuity planning, and continuous process improvement.
The Associate Director will establish operational priorities, monitor research administration and financial activities, assess staffing and organizational needs, and promote the consistent application of sponsor, university, and School of Medicine requirements. The position will use operational and compliance data to identify trends, address workload or performance concerns, guide resource decisions, and strengthen research administration services.
Serving as a key advisor to departmental leadership, the Associate Director will collaborate closely with faculty, research administrators, School of Medicine partners, central university offices, and external stakeholders. The position will be expected to identify and resolve complex matters with broad departmental impact, build organizational capacity, develop research administration staff and leaders, and support the department’s stewardship of sponsored research resources.
The successful candidate will be an experienced research administration leader who demonstrates sound judgment, strong staff management and organizational leadership skills, and the ability to operate effectively in a complex and evolving research environment.
Core Duties
- Manage the work of other employees, make hiring decisions, provide coaching, training and mentoring, manage performance, determine staffing needs, develop and ensure succession planning within area of responsibility.
- Establish operational objectives and assignments, plan, direct and monitor all budgets for areas of responsibility, manage business operation and administration of several functional areas, may manage a team in providing post award sponsored research administration and services.
- Identify and resolve unique problems of substantial significance that affect the overall functional area, beyond the immediate unit.
- Manage organization’s financial activities and structure; develop system and procedure requirements to support the financial reporting for the organization.
- Contribute to designing, developing and delivering complex policies and procedures with both short and long term impact.
- Collaborate with other colleagues on school/ unit projects; design and execute an effective system of internal controls for areas of responsibility; establish operational objectives to support the university’s stewardship of resources.
- Engage in continuous critical analysis of existing systems and processes; identify need for new systems, and develop and present proposals.
- Lead complex, high-visibility process redesign and innovation projects; develop, implement, and participate in major initiatives.
- Represent the units/school within the functional units or school and to external constituencies.
Minimum Education and Experience
Master’s degree and six years relevant experience or combination of education and relevant experience.
Knowledge, Skills and Abilities
- User knowledge of Microsoft Office Suite
- Advanced knowledge of Oracle or other business financial systems
- Advanced understanding of financial principles.
- Advanced oral and written communication skills
- Ability to clearly and effectively present information to internal and external audiences, client groups and all levels of management.
- Strong analytical skills to review and analyze complex financial information.
- Strong leadership and management skills with previous experience managing people, delegating workload and providing direction/corrections as necessary.
- Knowledge of property management requirements related to Stanford or non-Stanford title of equipment and fabrications.
- Demonstrated competency in project management of a high volume of work, some of which is cyclical.
- If managing sponsored projects, ability to manage post and pre award administration for sponsored projects within his/her unit. Knowledge and fluency of governmental regulations and Cardinal Curriculum level I and II.
- Knowledge of procurement needs, including sole-sourcing, cost analyses, vendor requirements, and small business reporting.
- Experience working successfully with PIs, their administrative staff, the office of sponsored research and external sponsors.
- Demonstrated success in performing meticulous, high quality and compliant work.
- Ability to interpret complex research and fiscal policies, assimilate information from a wide range of resources and act like a mentor and resource to others.