Assistant Director of Strategy, Finance and Operations

WHY UT SOUTHWESTERN?
With over 75 years of excellence in Dallas-Fort Worth, Texas, UT Southwestern is committed to excellence, innovation, teamwork, and compassion. As a world-renowned medical and research center, we strive to provide the best possible care, resources, and benefits for our valued employees. Ranked as the number 1 hospital in Dallas-Fort Worth according to U.S. News & World Report, we invest in you with opportunities for career growth and development to align with your future goals. Our highly competitive benefits package offers healthcare, PTO and paid holidays, on-site childcare, wage, merit increases and so much more. We invite you to be a part of the UT Southwestern team where you'll discover a culture of teamwork, professionalism, and a rewarding career!

JOB SUMMARY
The Assistant Director of Strategy, Finance and Operations serves as a key member of the Center’s leadership team, responsible for translating strategic goals into actionable programs and scalable processes. This role blends operational excellence with strategic execution, overseeing core functions while leading programmatic growth, stakeholder engagement, and continuous improvement efforts. The Assistant Director will build and maintain a high-performance environment, foster cross-functional collaboration, and represent the Center internally and externally in alignment with its mission to translate evidence into practice through data and technology.  The Assistant Director of Strategy, Finance and Operations serves as a key member of the Center’s leadership team, responsible for translating strategic goals into actionable programs and scalable processes. This role blends operational excellence with strategic execution, overseeing core functions while leading programmatic growth, stakeholder engagement, and continuous improvement efforts. The Assistant Director will build and maintain a high-performance environment, foster cross-functional collaboration, and represent the Center internally and externally in alignment with its mission to translate evidence into practice through data and technology. 

BENEFITS
UT Southwestern is proud to offer a competitive and comprehensive benefits package to eligible employees. Our benefits are designed to support your overall wellbeing, and include:

• PPO medical plan, available day one at no cost for full-time employee-only coverage
• 100% coverage for preventive healthcare-no copay
• Paid Time Off, available day one
• Retirement Programs through the Teacher Retirement System of Texas (TRS)
• Paid Parental Leave Benefit
• Wellness programs
• Tuition Reimbursement
• Public Service Loan Forgiveness (PSLF) Qualified Employer
• Learn more about these and other UTSW employee benefits!

Essential Functions

Strategic Leadership and Execution 

• Leads execution of strategic initiatives in alignment with the Center’s mission and institutional priorities.
• Partners with the Director and other leaders to translate vision into actionable plans, timelines, and measurable outcomes.
• Develops and monitors performance dashboards to track progress on strategic priorities.

Program Development and Growth 

• Designs and implements new programs that accelerate research, education, or clinical impact.
• Leads strategic initiatives to grow the Center’s operational capabilities, reputation, and impact.
• Partners with faculty and collaborators to evaluate business proposals and shape resource allocation based on impact and alignment.

Operational Oversight

• Provides oversight for high-level operations, including budgeting, staffing, compliance, and resource optimization.
• Supervises operational staff and ensures alignment of operations with strategic goals.
• Oversees and standardizes processes for performance management, recruitment, procurement, and vendor relationships — delegating where appropriate to ensure focus on strategic priorities.

Stakeholder Engagement & Institutional Representation 

• Builds strong internal and external partnerships to support strategic goals.
• Represents the Center with institutional leaders, external partners, and national collaborators.
• Drives internal engagement efforts, ensuring team alignment and clear communication across stakeholders.

Culture, Performance, and Process Improvement 

• Cultivates a culture of service excellence, equity, and collaboration.
• Leads continuous improvement initiatives, including quality metrics, workflow optimization, and operational innovations.
• Supports staff development and high-performing team dynamics.

Other Duties

• Acts as a trusted advisor and proxy for the Director on operational and strategic matters.
• Serves on institutional committees and initiatives that align with the Center’s mission.

Education And Experience

Required

• EducationBachelor's Degree in business administration, healthcare administration, science or a related field
• Experience4 years of experience with logistics and operations, including at least 2 years in a managerial role

Preferred

·        Education

• Master's Degree with commensurate work experience.
• PhD or experience doing research or building learning health systems. 

·        Experience

• Minimum 5 years of experience in operations, program management, or strategic roles within healthcare, academic, or research environments.
• Proven track record of designing and executing cross-functional initiatives.
• Demonstrated success managing staff and leading teams toward complex goals.
• Experience working in translational research, informatics, or academic healthcare centers. 
• Familiarity with change management frameworks and organizational development. 

Knowledge, Skills and Abilities

• Systems thinking and process improvement
• Strategic planning and execution of strategic plans
• Program development
• Ability and enthusiasm for learning the field to be a true contributor to the strategic direction
• Model financial implications of key strategic decisions 
• Engagement and outreach both internally and externally to create a community 
• Bringing people together for the informatics mission 
• Proficient use of Microsoft Office Suite and ability to master use of other programs.
• Attention to detail.
• Excellent customer service skills.
• Team orientation.
• Commitment to confidentiality.
• Excellent attendance and timeliness.
• Ability to work independently.
• High level of professionalism.
• Strong communication skills.
• Strong understanding of applicable policies, procedures, laws, and regulations.
• Strong conflict resolution and negotiation skills.
• Strategic thinking skills.

Physical Demands/Working Conditions

• Working ConditionsOffice Setting

Pact Statement

• The following is the acronym, "PACT", and is fundamental to all non-clinical positions at UT Southwestern Medical Center:
• P-Problem Solving: Employees take ownership in solving problems effectively, efficiently, and to the satisfaction of customers, or managers. They show initiative in addressing areas of concern before they become problems.
• A-Ability, Attitude and Accountability: Employees exhibit ability to perform their job and conduct themselves in a professional and positive manner reflecting a professional environment readily assuming obligations in a dependable and reliable manner.
• C-Communication, Contribution, and Collaboration: Who are our Customers? Anyone who requests our help, needs our work product, or receives our services. Employees focus on customer service with creative solutions while improving the customer experience through clear, courteous, and timely delivery and communication. Sharing ideas with others helps expand our contribution to department goals.
• T-Teamwork: Employees work to contribute to the department's success by supporting co-workers, promoting excellence in work product and customer service, and in maintaining a satisfying, caring environment for each other.

Salary
Salary Negotiable

Security
This position is security-sensitive and subject to Texas Education Code 51.215, which authorizes UT Southwestern to obtain criminal history record information. To the extent this position requires the holder to research, work on, or have access to critical infrastructure as defined in Section 113.001(2) of the Texas Business and Commerce Code, the ability to maintain the security or integrity of the critical infrastructure is a minimum qualification to be hired and to continue to be employed in the position.

Eeo Statement

UT Southwestern Medical Center is committed to an educational and working environment that provides equal opportunity to all members of the University community. As an equal opportunity employer, UT Southwestern prohibits unlawful discrimination, including discrimination on the basis of race, color, religion, national origin, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, age, disability, genetic information, citizenship status, or veteran status.