As a UW employee, you have a unique opportunity to change lives on our campuses, in our state and around the world. UW employees offer their boundless energy, creative problem-solving skills and dedication to build stronger minds and a healthier world.

UW faculty and staff also enjoy outstanding benefits, professional growth opportunities and unique resources in an environment noted for diversity, intellectual excitement, artistic pursuits and natural beauty.

The School of Medicine has an outstanding opportunity for a Director, Office of Research and Graduate Education to join their team.

The School of Medicine Office of Research and Graduate Education (RGE) provides strategic oversight and central support to the School of Medicine’s (SOM) large and complex research and graduate teaching missions. The Director of Research and Graduate Education is a leadership position reporting to the Vice Dean for Research and Graduate Education and holds primary responsibility for operationalization of research administration policies throughout SOM. The Director works independently of the Vice Dean in addressing a variety of university, federal, and funder requirements, and contributes to the planning and implementation of new research and PhD education initiatives led by the Vice Dean.

RGE operations include Associate Deans for Translational Health Sciences, the Harborview research site, Medical Technology Innovation (jointly appointed with the College of Engineering), and Clinical Research. RGE is comprised of the Grants Review Unit, Analytical Services, and the Administrative Services Unit. The Health Sciences-wide Institute for Translational Health Sciences is administratively housed in RGE as well.

The RGE Director oversees all internal operations and finance to assure strong performance. The Director works collaboratively within and beyond SOM to facilitate outstanding support for SOM’s research enterprise, with a focus on systems and initiatives impacting research administration. As a partner to other RGE leadership positions, the Director contributes to planning and operationalization of major new, SOM-wide initiatives, and ensures that faculty appointees to RGE leadership positions are integrated into and served by RGE operations. The position is responsible for monitoring and facilitating implementation of the non-academic policies affecting the employment and training of graduate students and postdoctoral scholars.

Position Complexities
SOM research programs include a wide array of basic science fields and a large volume of clinical trials as well as studies focused on international health, health services and health education. The elements of infrastructure required for basic science research and clinical research are largely distinct and do not overlap, requiring oversight and engagement in separate spheres of grants policy and administration.

The RGE Director operates in a heavily interdisciplinary context, often navigating across traditionally separate areas of policy and expertise. The director must partner effectively throughout the University, including central administrative offices, the Health Sciences schools, the College of Engineering, and Arts and Sciences. SOM faculty are highly collaborative in the regional, national and international spheres, working with all major biomedical research partners in Washington State, including the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, the Veterans Affairs Puget Sound Health Care System, Seattle Children’s and a large number of research institutes and biotech firms. RGE maintains active working relationships with all of these.

SOM research is housed at three major sites: on-campus in the Health Sciences complex, at the UW Medicine South Lake Union research site and at Harborview Medical Center. Additional, large-scale research programs are housed on upper campus in Molecular Engineering and the new Population Health Sciences building.

Position Dimensions and Impact
Operations under the Director are school-wide and facilitate more than half of all research funding at UW, with numerous faculty members involved in additional research funding administered by other UW schools and colleges. More than 50% of all research grant and contract proposals are generated by SOM, with award amounts having doubled in the past 12 years. Over $800M in annual extramural research funding is held in SOM’s 31 academic departments, supporting over 1,200 faculty investigators. Numerous large and complex centers and institutes operate within SOM. RGE is the primary office responsible for SOM’s active relationships with major and lesser research partners including the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, Seattle Children’s, the VA, Pacific Northwest National Lab, a number of Seattle-based biomedical research institutions, and partner institutions throughout the Washington, Wyoming, Alaska, Montana and Idaho (WWAMI) region.

RGE oversees PhD training for more than 650 PhD students across 13 degree programs and supports professional development opportunities for approximately 400 postdoctoral researchers.

Duties and Responsibilities
• Plan and execute major research administrative infrastructure developments. Partner with SOM faculty, administration, and key intra- and inter-institutional partners. Respond proactively to new priorities and developments in the school’s research enterprise, and in the national biomedical and academic research environment.
• Advise and assist the Vice Dean in planning and administration within RGE. Serve on executive leadership team within RGE with the Vice Dean and Associate Deans.
• Direct RGE service unit directors and managers in fiscal, administrative, operational, and strategic development matters.
• Direct graduate education policy initiatives and provide data and staff resources in support of School-wide graduate education objectives; with the Assistant Dean for RGE-Harborview, assure RGE staff support and partnerships supporting minority outreach for graduate education.
• Assure informational services, resources, and educational outreach for School faculty and staff on grants administration and graduate education. Facilitate collaborative solutions to training needs.
• Oversee fiscal and administrative development and management of major research organizational enhancements and initiatives. Monitor progress on operational issues and goals. Monitor development of interinstitutional relationships and infrastructure.
• Strategically develop organizational capacity, support unit heads in professional growth and training needs.
• Provide oversight to RGE fiscal staff in the areas of budget management, forecasting, internal review processes and commitments for venture capital and fellowships. Advise on fiscal planning for subsidiary units. Assure compliance with relevant fiscal policies.
• Liaison with the University of Washington Office of Research and its subsidiaries, Sponsored Program Finance, The Graduate School, and other University academic units on campus developments impacting research administration and graduate programs.
• Manage HR issues within RGE and affiliated units. Assure compliance with HR policies; advise academic leadership, and subsidiary directors and managers on HR policies and options. Represent the school on multiple Labor contract negotiations.

Required Qualifications
• Bachelor’s degree and at least seven years’ relevant experience in complex research administration, organizational development, policy administration, project management and strategic planning.

Equivalent education and/or experience may substitute for minimum requirements.

Additional requirements:
• Experience in pre- and post-award research administration spanning a wide range of funding agencies including federal, state, foundations, and for-profit organizations.
• Exceptional interpersonal skills to collaborate in the achievement of complex goals, including skills in reasoning, tact, consensus-building, advocacy, and coaching.
• Experience in leading teams of highly independent, diversely skilled workers.
• Ability to effectively prioritize one’s workload and those of RGE staff.
• Ability to successfully address multiple priorities and shift between tasks and topics throughout the day.
• Ability to write clearly and efficiently on complex organizational topics.
• Experience working in a complex, large-scale, academic research setting.

Desired Qualifications
• Master’s degree in business, public administration, or relevant field.
• Experience in the administration of graduate and postdoctoral education policies.
• Experience in administration of international research including foreign funders and field research.
• Knowledge of National Institutes of Health extramural research policies and grant submission procedures.
• Experience in University of Washington systems for proposal administration, finance, HR, and Labor contract negotiations and implementation.
• Ability to manage operational budgets supporting personnel and programs.

Working Environmental Conditions
This position demands a flexible schedule and the ability to work long hours due to workload and deadlines. Must be able to quickly commute to meetings at multiple locations, on and off campus, and with external stakeholders. Regional and national travel may be necessary. The individual in this position must have exceptional spoken, written, and interpersonal communication skills, and must tactfully manage ethical and political ramifications of decisions. The individual must be self-motivated, and able to work collaboratively as well as independently.

Application Process:
The application process for UW positions may include completion of a variety of online assessments to obtain additional information that will be used in the evaluation process. These assessments may include Work Authorization, Cover Letter and/or others. Any assessments that you need to complete will appear on your screen as soon as you select “Apply to this position”. Once you begin an assessment, it must be completed at that time; if you do not complete the assessment, you will be prompted to do so the next time you access your “My Jobs” page. If you select to take it later, it will appear on your "My Jobs" page to take when you are ready. Please note that your application will not be reviewed, and you will not be considered for this position until all required assessments have been completed.