Department Business Officer, CMM - 142008

UC San Diego Health Sciences is a top ranking, future oriented organization. The Health Sciences academic enterprise is comprised of the School of Medicine, Skaggs School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences, and the Wertheim School of Public Health.Within the UC San Diego School of Medicine, there are approximately 20 departments, 1,700+ faculty, 600 students, and 1,000 residents and fellows. We offer challenging career opportunities in a fast-paced and innovative environment. We are looking for top talent that possess the personal characteristics of integrity, strategic thinking, intellectual curiosity, collaboration and teamwork. The Office of the Dean embraces and follows a progressive philosophy of career-path development for its employees.

The Department of Cellular and Molecular Medicine (CMM) is a basic science department and one of the nation's flagship research departments in academic medicine. CMM pursues research into the cellular and molecular mechanisms of human disease, including stem cell therapies, the human epigenome, cancer, RNA biology and aging, and pairs AI with deep biological expertise through its Intelligence Amplified initiative. More than 40 faculty, including ten members of the National Academy of Sciences, lead a community of more than 200 postdoctoral fellows, graduate students and research staff, with an annual budget of approximately $33 million, predominantly extramural research funding. The department houses the Center for Epigenomics, the Institute for Network Medicine, the Nikon Imaging Center and the Electron Microscopy Core, and its faculty lead NIH-funded training programs.

The Department Business Officer (DBO)* is the senior administrative leader of the Department of Cellular and Molecular Medicine. The position reports directly to the Department Chair, with a secondary reporting line to the Associate Dean for Business Affairs in the School of Medicine Dean's Office. The Department Business Officer provides strategic, operational, and financial leadership in support of the department's research, education, and service missions.As the Chair's principal administrative partner and advisor, the incumbent helps shape departmental strategy, guides organizational growth and ensures sound stewardship of resources. The incumbent is responsible and accountable for the overall administrative, financial and operational performance of the department, turning strategic priorities into effective plans, processes and results.

Working with department leadership, faculty and functional managers, the incumbent directs the full range of departmental operations: financial management and budget, academic personnel and human resources, sponsored research administration, space and facilities, information technology, and regulatory compliance, and the business operations of the department's centers, cores and training programs. The incumbent represents the Chair and serves as liaison to Health Sciences, School of Medicine and campus leadership, sponsors, government agencies and other external partners.

The incumbent oversees one or more large, complex units with multiple functional areas through subordinate managers, formulates and administers policies and programs, and functions with a high degree of autonomy.

Department-specific scope: The DBO serves as the fiduciary for all department resources, including state, extramural, gift and endowment, recharge, royalty and discretionary funds, and is expected to know the department's numbers in detail, review them personally and raise problems with the Chair early. The DBO has delegated authority to act on the Chair's behalf on business matters and to approve transactions on department-controlled funds, and manages financial relationships with the department's centers, cores, Organized Research Units and affiliates, including the Howard Hughes Medical Institute.

• Bachelor's degree in business, health administration, or a related area, and/or equivalent experience and training.

• Eight (8) or more years of relevant experience, including management of administrative and financial operations in a complex academic, research or health organization.

• Experience leading and an academic research department, center or institute with a large federally funded research portfolio, including at least five years supervising managers or professional staff.

• Excellent skills to work collaboratively and act persuasively in sensitive situations; skills in conflict management techniques.

• Excellent interpersonal skills to effectively lead, motivate and influence others and to develop and maintain high standards of customer service. Demonstrated ability to coach faculty and supervisors to ensure fair treatment of staff and compliance with policy.

• Excellent project management skills, including the capability of managing space-related projects.

• Very strong ability to quickly evaluate complex issues and identify multiple options for resolution.

• Advanced knowledge of financial analysis and reporting, accounting principles, forecasting, budgeting, audit and internal control systems, including operating and capital budget development.

• Advanced negotiation skills and demonstrated ability to negotiate and mediate complex or sensitive issues to conclusion. Skill in conflict management.

• Highly advanced analytical, organizational, problem-solving and decision-making skills. Ability to analyze large amounts of financial, space and workload data and develop sound recommendations.

• Highly advanced skills in strategy development, systems planning and change management. Ability to see planning and operational issues as a whole, including long-term consequences.

• Advanced ability to set and use performance metrics that inform business planning, measure effectiveness and drive continuous improvement. Skill in setting service standards and measurable department and employee goals.

• Demonstrated experience with faculty and staff human resources administration, including personnel management, workforce and succession planning, incentive programs and policy implementation.

• Thorough knowledge of federal guidelines for sponsored research and of sponsored research administration and research operations.

• Demonstrated record of fiscal stewardship: preventing and resolving deficits, maintaining clean audits and protecting institutional assets.

• Exceptional attention to detail and accuracy. Ability to review large volumes of financial data, find errors and inconsistencies, and trace them to their source.

• Sound judgment and the confidence to give the Chair candid, independent advice.

• Master's degree (MBA, MPA, MHA, or accounting/finance related) preferred.

• Thorough knowledge of UC and campus policies and procedures for academic personnel, human resources, contracts and grants, accounting and cost accounting standards. Proven ability to interpret, implement and enforce regulations accurately.

• Strong knowledge of organization-specific and common computer applications and management information systems.

• Prior experience in a basic science department in a school of medicine.

• Experience with recharge center rate development, Organized Research Units, shared research cores, and industry-sponsored research and royalty administration.

• Knowledge of policies and procedures of University affiliates and external sponsors, including the Howard Hughes Medical Institute.

• Knowledge of UC San Diego systems, including Oracle Financials Cloud, UCPath and campus research administration and reporting tools.

• Must be able to work various hours and locations based on business needs.

• Employment is subject to a criminal background check.