Career Center

Department: MED-NU-CATS Institute
Salary/Grade: EXS/10

Job Summary:

The Northwestern University Clinical and Translational Sciences (NUCATS) Institute is part of the Feinberg School of Medicine. NUCATS’ mission is to accelerate innovative and inclusive clinical research discoveries to improve human health for all, and for all communities. Our dynamic team is composed of faculty and staff colleagues with expertise in a wide variety of domains, including: clinical research infrastructure (e.g., regulatory, budget/finance), bioinformatics & data science, biostatistics, community-engaged research, education & career development, team science, etc.

This position – Managing Director of the Center for Clinical Research (CCR) – is a senior administrative position in NUCATS. The Managing Director is responsible for overseeing the dynamic and robust Center for Clinical Research. CCR is composed of six service teams, including regulatory support, budget/finance support, ClinicalTrials.gov compliance support, the ambulatory and inpatient Clinical Research Units at Northwestern Memorial Hospital and Lurie Children’s Hospital, and a planned Clinical Research Coordinator support team.

In collaboration with the CCR faculty director or co-directors, this position oversees the effective, compliant, and efficient daily management of all operational, financial, human resources, management, and business functions in support of CCR’s mission & in coordination with administrative offices such as HR, Budget, Facilities, IT, and FSM Dean’s Office. 

This position works with faculty and staff in the Feinberg School of Medicine (FSM), Northwestern Medicine and associated clinical affiliates (NMHC), Ann and Robert H. Lurie Children’s Hospital (LCH), and Shirley Ryan AbilityLab to coordinate operations for all programs within CCR.  The Managing Director oversees all business/service areas within CCR, including collaborative oversight of the Clinical Research Units at Northwestern Memorial Hospital and the Ann and Robert H. Lurie Children’s Hospital.  The CCR Managing Director also collaborates with CTSA consortium and local colleagues, sharing best practices as well as helping establish Standard Operating Procedures for best practice throughout FSM and NM. 

This is a hybrid on-campus/remote position in order to best support the growing research enterprise at Northwestern University.

The NUCATS Institute is committed to maintaining a culture that values and prioritizes professional growth and work-life balance and to sustaining a diverse, inclusive, and welcoming environment for all team members.

Specific Responsibilities:

Areas of Responsibility:

• Management of the following:
  • Budget & Financial        
  • Human Resources
  • Regulatory Compliance
  • Strategic Planning

Budget & Financial:

• Plans & manages complex budget(s) to fund strategic mission, including financial sustainability & enhancement models. 
• Plans & implements annual budget including fiscal resource allocation of appropriated, discretionary, endowment &/or gift revenues. 
• Payroll, purchasing, travel & entertainment (T&E) transactions & serves as Level II NU Financials approver. 
• Oversees routine budget reconciliation & analyzes budget position.
• Approves funds reallocation within budget as necessary & appropriate. 
• Responsible to stop an expense that is inappropriate or against deficit chart string.
• Knowledgeable in NU Financials; oversees staff training in same.
• Negotiates with vendors for purchases & leases.
• Develops, implements, and maintains a cost recovery model for the CRU, optimizing recovery potential in line with Northwestern Medicine goals and billing compliance regulations.
• Oversees staff hiring decisions, recharge models, and recharge billing for accuracy and timeliness.

Human Resources:

• Determines & implements organizational structures to align with strategic mission.
• Manages implementation of human resource programs, policies, procedures & talent management lifecycle & related mentoring & training. 
• Oversees recruitment & selection process; Performance Excellence plan for each employee; & merit increase process.
• Manages & provides consultation regarding complex performance problems & issues; administers leaves; approves timesheets.
• Interprets HR policy to maximize effectiveness of HR administration to meet strategic plan objectives. 

Regulatory Compliance:

• Oversees development & implementation of processes & procedures for all safety, security & compliance programs & ensures compliance with all applicable federal, state, local & NU laws, regulations, policies & procedures. 
• Oversees creation &/or implementation of associated training.
• Oversees the development of SOPs for clinical operations of the office. Responsible for continuously reviewing and monitoring the clinical and affiliate operations of the office and for developing new, or modifying existing, policy documents, SOPs, and training materials as required.

Strategic Planning:

• Creates, implements, & manages, in conjunction with NUCATS and CCR leadership, strategic plans to best utilize revenue for program development, and research expansion, space planning. etc. 
• Evaluates & prepares plans to maximize opportunities & minimize threats. 
• Reviews & proposes strategic alliances, joint ventures & key collaborations with internal & external organizations.
• Identifies opportunities for alternative staffing, sharing resources, and space needs.
• Provides leadership for CCR process improvement initiatives, resulting in metric-driven, sustainable, and high impact change.
• Utilizes Lean Processes to improve efficiency, quality, and decrease expenses.
• Supports, contributes to, and/or leads strategic planning and deliverables tracking efforts associated with the CTSA grant.

Supervisory:

• Supervises CCR staff &/or provide work direction to others. 
• Provides direction to or coordinates administrative effort of staff within or outside of immediate dept or division.

Miscellaneous

• Performs other duties as assigned.

Minimum Qualifications:

• Successful completion of a full 4-year course of study at an accredited college or university leading to a bachelor's or higher degree in a major such as business, accounting or related; OR appropriate combination of education and experience.
• 7 years of administrative experience, including experience with clinical research, budgets, finance, facilities, &/or human resources; or other relevant experience.
• At least 3 years of management experience.
• Must complete Northwestern's CITI training before interacting with any participants & must re-certify every 3 years.

Minimum Competencies: (Skills, knowledge, and abilities.)

• Strong ability to collaborate across groups.
• Must work well in a team-oriented environment and collaborate closely with others.
• Well-organized with ability to handle multiple projects simultaneously.
• Ability to interact well with program participants: investigators, administrators, faculty, and research stakeholders.

Preferred Qualifications:

• Masters degree in business administration, health administration, research administration, or other related field.
• Experience in clinical research, hospital administration, public health administration or academic administration settings.

Preferred Competencies: (Skills, knowledge, and abilities)

• Experience with process improvement frameworks.

Benefits:
At Northwestern, we are proud to provide meaningful, competitive, high-quality health care plans, retirement benefits, tuition discounts and more! Visit us at https://www.northwestern.edu/hr/benefits/index.html to learn more.

Work-Life and Wellness:
Northwestern offers comprehensive programs and services to help you and your family navigate life’s challenges and opportunities, and adopt and maintain healthy lifestyles.
We support flexible work arrangements where possible and programs to help you locate and pay for quality, affordable childcare and senior/adult care. Visit us at https://www.northwestern.edu/hr/benefits/work-life/index.html to learn more.

Professional Growth & Development:
Northwestern supports employee career development in all circumstances whether your workspace is on campus or at home. If you’re interested in developing your professional potential or continuing your formal education, we offer a variety of tools and resources. Visit us at https://www.northwestern.edu/hr/learning/index.html to Create a Job Alert for Similar Jobs