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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. All of which has allowed the UW to be nationally recognized as a “Great College to Work For” for six consecutive years.

The UW Department of Pharmacology is currently seeking a department Administrator.

The Department of Pharmacology is an independent unit within the School of Medicine and has achieved international standing in its field. The mission of the Department of Pharmacology is to advance our understanding of drug action in the context of human disease. These activities are fulfilled through the performance of cutting-edge research, the teaching and mentorship of medical and other professional students and outreach activities within the community. An overarching goal is to ensure a collaborative working environment based on integrity and trust. The Department’s central office is located on campus in the UW Health Sciences complex. 

The Department has an interdisciplinary faculty comprised of 16 primary faculty members, and approximately 15 postdoctoral scholars all of whom are actively engaged in research, teaching and liaison with other clinical and basic science departments within the University.  The Department has several core staff members and an annual operation budget of in excess $3.5 million.

Diversity, equity, and inclusion are key values in the Department of Pharmacology, and they are an integral part of student training, faculty professional development, and departmental life. In addition to being important and valuable in their own right, diversity and equity promote intellectual curiosity, creativity, and rigor.

The Administrator reports to the department Chair as well as the Director of Business and Operations Management of the School of Medicine and is the business manager/senior administrative support representative for the department. As such, the Administrator has a comprehensive range of responsibilities, including financial planning/management, budget development, supervision of the department's classified and professional staff, personnel, payroll, purchasing, special project support, academic appointments and other administrative functions. Additionally, as a key leader in the department, the Administrator will work in partnership with the Chair to advance healthcare equity as we strive to move the department to deliver on the commitment for UW Medicine to become an anti-racist institution.

As a UW SOM Department Administrator, the incumbent carries out duties prescribed by the directing, overseeing, or partnering institutions and organizations. The critical knowledge and skills are organized into the areas of: Financial Management and Development Activities, Human Resource Management, Operations Management, Information Management, Research Management, Compliance and Risk Management, Facilities Management, and Educational Program(s) Management. The Administrator acts in an advisory capacity to the Chair and various department committees, providing financial guidance, background information, management advice, and strategic insights. In addition, the Administrator is the department's primary working-level interface with the Dean's Office and other departments in the University regarding administrative issues.

RESPONSIBILITIES

Human Resource Management:
Manage the department’s human resources (HR). These include serving as the hiring manager and handling a variety of faculty and staff HR matters. All administration will be in accordance with UW and SOM policies and procedures.

Key competencies and responsibilities in HR management include:
• Identifying departmental staffing requirements. Outlining core competencies, and job responsibilities specific to staff positions and creating clear position descriptions and expectations. Collaborating, as needed, with PIs, managers, ABC Shared Services, and the Dean’s Office to achieve staffing goals.
• Supervising 4.0 FTE staff positions that include annual reviews, time management, and employee mentorship. Take corrective action as needed.
• Overseeing and providing consultation to PIs for new positions, corrective action, terminations, promotions, compensation changes, and other HR matters.
• Interpreting federal, state, UW, SOM, and other laws, policies, and contractual obligations. Implementing these requirements into the department’s policies and procedures. Work with PIs and lab managers to ensure compliance and risk mitigation.
• Developing new and/or utilizing existing HR metrics and reporting systems.
• Providing and welcoming feedback to improve staff performance and supporting faculty/staff supervisors in training and coaching their employees.
• Negotiating faculty/staff relations to represent viewpoints and positions fairly.
• Setting the standard and articulating appropriate workplace behavior. Identifying concerns as they arise and utilizing appropriate resources to resolve problems proactively whenever possible. Monitoring interpersonal dynamics and employee behavior to eliminate risks to personal safety and department property.
• Managing compensation practices against published trends/benchmarks and SOM policies/directives. Requesting permanent or temporary compensation changes, professional staff position reviews, and/or reclassifications for contract-classified staff as needed based on changes in responsibilities.
• Collaborating with ABC Shared Services and the Dean’s Office on the annual merit review process for faculty and professional staff.
• Developing and updating the department’s organizational chart.
• Guiding and/or supporting the faculty Appointments and Promotions (A&P) process.
• Working with the Chair to implement strategic plans for faculty recruitment and retention.

Financial Management and Advancement/Fundraising Activities:
Manage the department’s financial resources. These include federal and foundation grants, state budget allocations, and private gifts. Strategically manage these resources to ensure all practices meet ethical standards and reporting requirements. Direct, supervise, and review the work of departmental fiscal staff. Key competencies and responsibilities in financial management and fundraising include:
• Develop short- and long-term financial plans and budget models based on projected revenue and expenses. A thorough understanding of the department’s research and educational objectives and priorities is required. This includes advising the Chair, other faculty, and staff on the appropriate use of resources and, when necessary, prioritizing and reallocating resources.
• Appropriately utilizing funding from multiple sources, including state budget allocations, indirect cost recovery funds, federal grants, gifts, royalties and endowments, and sponsored project funds.
• Ensure departmental practices comply with UW and SOM policies and mandates established by federal and other research sponsors. Refine internal controls to achieve these ends and meet auditing requirements. This includes analyzing budget variances to identify errors, waste, and misuse.
• Providing regular and detailed financial reporting to department leadership, faculty, SOM and external stakeholders as appropriate. This requires (1) using UW systems and other software applications to run calculations and analyze metrics against budget models and benchmarks and (2) the ability to interpret financial reports/projections to guide decision-making and safeguard the department's financial viability.
• Identifying the need for potential sources of additional funding to advance the department’s mission and vision.
• Implementing and ensuring compliance with UW policies and procedures for payroll, procurement, travel expenses, and reimbursements.

Operations Management:
Manage operations effectively to meet day-to-day and cyclical requirements. Plan, allocate resources, and monitor program activities. Prepare reports on program outcomes and make recommendations regarding continuance/termination of programs. Plan or oversee marketing activities and publications. These include:
• Coordinating administrative activities necessary for the department’s day-to-day operations.
• Implementing change management processes that meet the requirements of funding entities while taking the department’s priorities and culture into account.
• Building relationships, partnerships, or coalitions to advance the department’s mission and vision.
• Overseeing data collection to evaluate current or proposed programs and activities.
• Communicating to leadership and faculty about emerging financial trends and constraints to proposed activities.
• Facilitating effective decision-making about departmental concerns.
• Planning and organizing faculty meetings and retreats, departmental committee meetings, and symposia and special events targeting external audiences.
• Managing and understanding the complexities of training programs, including fellowship, gratitude, and undergraduate programs.
• Understanding and managing training programs to include fellowship, undergraduate, and graduate.

Information Technology and Records Management:
Manage and oversee the department’s information technology (IT) operations, ensuring timely and reliable access to software, telecommunications, networks, and other platforms required to execute business, educational, and research activities. Utilize and/or expand upon existing IT architecture as needed. These include:
• Managing the department’s website and working with SOM strategic marketing and/or UW Creative Communications as needed to develop and improve content consistent with institutional branding standards. Ensuring the accuracy, currency, and completeness of all online content, including faculty biosketches; research activities and publication; and outreach, educational, and training programs.
• Ensuring reliable and secure IT architecture is in place to meet department needs; educating faculty/staff about IT concerns; and enforcing appropriate use of departmental software devices.
• Evaluating the department’s short- and long-term IT requirements, consulting with faculty, lab managers, and other staff to understand unit-specific needs. This includes: (1) researching/evaluating IT solutions and making recommendations about the procurement of new platforms; (2) deploying IT solutions without significant disruption of research, educational, and business activities; and (3) ensuring compliance with licensing agreements.
• Ensuring the secure and proper backup and storage of electronic (and paper) files and communications in compliance with department, SOM, and UW records retention policies.
• Ensuring maintenance of a secure IT environment and that software/hardware updates – including antivirus protections and security patches – are implemented expeditiously.
• Coordinating the proper disposal of surplus and outdated devices, hardware, and IT systems.

Research Management:
Oversee the management of departmental research resources. This includes acquisition of capital equipment, compliance with IRB and human subjects standards, enforcing lab safety requirements, and coordinating grant/contract processes. These include:
• Developing standard operating procedures for grant and contract administration.
• Understanding and maintaining UW cost accounting standards.
• Interpreting and enforcing compliance with federal, state, SOM, UW, and other policies, procedures, and regulations regarding research activities.
• Supporting pre-award activities. This includes assisting faculty in identifying research sponsors; reviewing and approving all department grant/contract applications; assisting with the grant/contract proposal submission process as needed; and representing the department in negotiations with funding entities as appropriate.
• Coordinating interactions with the Office of Sponsored Programs, Grant and Contract Accounting, and other units as appropriate.
• Managing funded projects. This includes requesting new budgets or extensions to existing budgets; following proper accounting procedures for sponsored funds; procuring research equipment and supplies; assisting in the preparation of periodic reports; responding to inquiries from sponsors; and coordinating site visits and the submission of competitive renewals.
• Managing the quarterly Faculty Effort Certification (FEC) process as required by the federal government or other funding entities.
• Maintaining up-to-date information on the department’s overall research program and producing, when necessary, reports on departmental research activities, innovations and publications, and funding totals.
• Accounting for facilities used in sponsored research through SIMS or other IT systems appropriate for this purpose.

Risk Management and Compliance:
Manage and mitigate risk and promote compliance in accordance with the requirements of UW, SOM, regulatory bodies, and funding entities. These include:
• Implementing policies relating to IT equipment, communications (email, phone, or otherwise), and the proper handling, disposal, or destruction of documents and information. This includes ensuring all faculty and staff have completed required training.
• Monitoring and provisioning access to information and physical space in accordance with accepted standards and research needs. This includes ensuring that appropriate security measures are in place to safeguard information, physical resources, and faculty, staff, students, and research subjects in all offices, labs, and other department-controlled spaces.
• Building and maintaining relationships with SOM legal and compliance officials and UW Risk Services staff to ensure the most appropriate response to sensitive administrative matters.
• Building and maintaining relationships with UWPD and Environmental Health & Safety (EH&S) when determining a course of action related to security, prevention or response to workplace violence, handling of suspicious packages, etc.
• Investigating or referring all claims of inappropriate behavior or actions.
• Conducting periodic risk assessments to identify operational, financial, reputational, and other potential risks to the department’s mission, faculty, staff, and students.
• Implementing a department-specific internal audit plan for activities that put employees at risk or require adherence to special compliance measures.
• Ensuring that all new employees receive information on health and personal safety in the workplace; emergency evacuation procedures and routes; and resources for reporting or obtaining additional information about health, safety, and related matters.
• Understanding the UW Medicine compliance infrastructure and serving as a department liaison to UW Medicine Compliance and related offices.
• Incorporating best practices regarding compliance into departmental operations.

Facilities Management:
Manage facilities to ensure effective, efficient, and safe operations and protection of resources. These include:
• Assisting the Chair in reviewing and assigning space to staff and faculty, including research lab areas and offices; and coordinating relocations of offices, labs, and personnel.
• Developing written material for long-range space planning including planning for and overseeing renovation projects; collaborating with the Chair to develop proposals for requests for additional space, working with the Dean’s Office when appropriate.
• Interpreting the requirements of federal, state, UW, and other laws and policies relating to safeguarding facilities and capital resources and incorporating best practices into department operations.
• Building and maintaining relationships with UW Medical Centers’ facilities staff to ensure timely maintenance and repairs and to ensure compliance with remodeling and facility modification guidelines.
• Directing facilities-related activities such as building/equipment inspections and upgrades.
• Ensuring compliance with fire and safety codes, including compliance related to hazardous materials and other controlled laboratory chemicals and materials. This requires building relationships with EH&S staff and working closely with EH&S to resolve critical safety matters.
• Overseeing the overall department management of the equipment inventory system including surplusing or returning capital equipment as necessary.

Educational Program(s) Management:
Support program administrator(s) and faculty in managing educational program(s). These include:
• Supporting faculty in managing educational programs. This may include direct supervision of educational support staff; identifying financial and other resources in support of educational programs; and responding effectively to difficult or non-routine challenges.
• Adjusting departmental policies to adhere to the guidelines of professional, educational, or research organizations.
• Supporting periodic program reviews for accreditation, certification, or training grant renewals and managing changes to program requirements as directed by the Graduate School and/or SOM.
• Responding to requests from current or potential graduate students and members of the general public about the department’s educational and research programs.

MINIMUM REQUIREMENTS
This position requires a Master’s degree in business administration, public administration, healthcare administration, or related field PLUS at least five years of relevant experience. A bachelor’s degree with 7 years of relevant experience may be substituted for the master’s degree requirement. Additional requirements include:
• Management-level administrative experience, preferably in a research institution environment or academic medical center.
• Demonstrated competence in financial operations, business planning, financial analysis, and strategic planning.
• Supervisory and office management experience.
• Demonstrated experience working with large, highly structured personnel systems.
• Proven leadership, communication, team building, and problem-solving skills.
• Demonstrated ability to address complex and sensitive administrative issues with diplomacy and effectiveness.
• Functional understanding of research grant administration.
• Proficiency in Excel with experience working with interactive Excel workbooks and proficient with formulas and data manipulation.
• Strong employee relations skills and experience working with diverse faculty and staff.
• Demonstrated ability to work independently, with a high level of initiative, and as part of a team.

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

DESIRED REQUIREMENTS
• Experience in a medical school, research institute, or university setting.
• Experience with Continuous Process Improvement.
• Knowledge and/or experience of all UW financial types of funding including state and research cost recovery (RCR) accounts.
• Experience with University of Washington academic policies and procedures, as well as budget, payroll/human resources, purchasing, and accounting systems; experience with state, federal and agency standards and regulations
• Experience with UW systems such as Workday, Interfolio, MyFinancial Desktop, ARIBA, PROCARD/PAYMENTNET, EDW, and SAGE.

CONDITIONS OF EMPLOYMENT
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.