Job Description

Involves managing or performing the administrative services or managing the full general operations of an academic or non-academic organization(s). Administrative services include activities in finance and human resources and may also include IT, facilities, or student services. General management activities include long and short-range strategic planning in determining the mission and directing all activities of multi-disciplinary departments through subordinate management staff.

The Department of Surgery, Division of Thoracic Surgery, seeks an experienced and adaptable Executive Projects Manager to lead administrative, financial, personnel, research, and event operations.

Working under the guidance of the Division Chief, Senior Directors, Administrative Directors & Operations Managers, the Executive Projects Manager will play a pivotal role in advancing the division's mission of excellence in education, research, and clinical care within the high-pressure and fast-paced environment of an academic medical center.

This role requires exceptional organizational, analytical, and leadership skills to meet the complex and evolving needs of the division, while maintaining the highest standards of professionalism and service. The Executive Projects Manager will work closely with faculty members, including surgeons with demanding schedules, to ensure operational efficiency and provide solutions that align with the division's priorities.

The Executive Projects Manager will oversee faculty practice operations, which include, procuring supplies, coordinating complex meetings, resolving scheduling conflicts, planning travel, processing reimbursements, editing biosketches, generating reports, and performing other administrative duties.

This position also involves optimizing faculty schedules to align with their clinical, research, and educational responsibilities. Other key responsibilities include coordinating faculty meetings, evaluations, reports, social media updates, website maintenance, on-call scheduling, vacation planning, and divisional communications.

Human resources and personnel management are vital aspects of this role. The Executive Projects Manager will serve as the division's primary HR liaison, addressing staff and faculty concerns in collaboration with the Administrative and Senior Directors.

Responsibilities include recruitment, onboarding/offboarding, payroll, timesheet management, training, performance evaluations, emergency planning, and space surveys. The incumbent will manage all hiring processes for faculty, staff, non-faculty academics, and lab personnel, as well as visitor initiatives, including volunteers, APM 430, observership, visiting physicians, and affiliates. Additionally, the Executive Projects Manager will organize major academic events, including symposiums, grand rounds, visiting professorships, events, and other programs to support education and training.

The Executive Projects Manager will actively support research operations, including grant submissions, post-award administration, expense reconciliation, lab relocations, and the development of new lab initiatives.

The incumbent will collaborate with Principal Investigators (PIs) to ensure compliance and operational efficiency, including student onboarding, monitoring regulatory adherence, and resolving research-related issues. Strong writing and editing skills are essential for assisting with manuscript preparation, academic posters, grant proposals, and post-award management.

Financial management is another critical responsibility of this position. The Executive Projects Manager will oversee budget planning, general ledger reconciliation, on-call revenue and billing, and grant funding administration.

The incumbent will ensure accurate financial transactions, strict compliance with UCSF policies, and efficient allocation of resources to support research and operations. This includes managing pre- and post-award grant processes, monitoring expenses, forecasting financial needs, and identifying cost-saving opportunities to improve efficiency.

The Executive Projects Manager will collaborate with PIs, faculty, and divisional leadership to optimize budgets, maintain compliance with funding regulations, and contribute to the division's overall financial health and strategic priorities.

This role requires fostering collaboration across multiple divisions and departments, working closely with faculty, staff, and external stakeholders to support shared initiatives and priorities. The incumbent will participate in cross-coverage training, workshops, and collaborative projects across teams, while providing support to managers in Vascular Surgery, Cardiac Surgery & Lung Transplantation, and the Department of Surgery. Responsibilities include contributing to interdivisional and interdepartmental initiatives, ensuring cross-coverage as needed, and serving as backup support for residency and fellowship programs.

The Executive Projects Manager must demonstrate the ability to work effectively with diverse teams and individuals, adapt to varying personalities and demands, and analyze issues to identify limitations, boundaries, and critical needs. This role requires making informed decisions, providing actionable recommendations, escalating issues when appropriate, and proactively addressing challenges to benefit the division, department, and institution.

To excel in this role, the Executive Projects Manager must possess a comprehensive understanding of UCSF's administrative policies, travel and entertainment guidelines, HR protocols, union agreements, CME regulations, ACGME and OGME requirements, grant management processes, medical center standards, campus policies, and event planning strategies. The incumbent should possess substantial experience in financial oversight, academic operations, educational management, program and project management, and research administration. The ability to execute high-level tasks independently, think critically, lead teams, and adapt effectively within a dynamic environment is essential. Exceptional organizational and interpersonal skills are required, along with a willingness to approach all responsibilities with flexibility and a hands-on attitude-no task is too small for this role.

The Executive Projects Manager must be highly responsive and flexible, able to return on-site three times a week and occasionally work evenings or weekends with limited notice to accommodate urgent operational needs. Other projects may be assigned as needed and are not limited to the responsibilities outlined in this post. This position offers an opportunity to make a significant contribution to the Division of Thoracic Surgery's mission while supporting the broader goals of the Department of Surgery and UCSF.

Responsibilities

of time

Essential Function (Yes/No)

Key Responsibilities

(To be completed by Supervisor)

10

Drive high-level strategic initiatives and project/program management for the Division Chief, Faculty, and Directors. Oversee sensitive and confidential matters while aligning executive priorities with organizational goals. Provide recommendations and solutions to ensure the successful and timely execution of key deliverables and initiatives.

The responsibilities include, but are not limited to, the following duties:

Faculty Recruitment, Onboarding, Offboarding, Compliance & Credentialing:
• Serve as a technical leader within our division and broader community which requires a high degree of expertise in the field, including recognized proficiency in specific areas.
• Tackling complex challenges that often lack precedent or established frameworks.
• Manage programs that include strategy formulation, policy development, process optimization, and resource administration.
• Serve as the primary contact for communications with leadership regarding faculty hires, personnel changes, call schedules, and division chief requests.
• Act as the primary liaison for compliance with UCSF Medical Staff Bylaws, credentialing, privileging, and risk management policies.
• Ensure annual issuance of certificates of insurance for outreach clinic activities and provide compliance reports to the Division Chief.
• Manage faculty recruitment logistics, onboarding/offboarding, merits, promotions, credentialing, and reappointments, with regular process reviews for improvement.
• Support faculty search committees, including applicant communication, meeting organization, and documentation for selected candidates.
• Facilitate faculty advancement, promotion processes, travel policy compliance, personnel allocation, and special projects.
• Adjust and analyze faculty schedules to address dynamic needs, including clinical responsibilities and holiday coverage, while troubleshooting schedule-related issues.
• Collaborate with clinical staff to provide updates and resolve scheduling conflicts efficiently.
• Manage the on-call master calendar for faculty across various services, ensuring accurate distribution and updates for UCSF and non-UCSF sites.
• Act as the lead reviewer and approver for Paid Time Off (PTO), payroll requests, and support on-call scheduling via AMION. Review Time Off / Create a leave request system for faculty. Prepare annual faculty time survey and educational effort reports.
• Coordinate high-level events, operational training, and ongoing development, ensuring assigned staff complete project logistics.
• Lead special projects, ensuring alignment with division goals and objectives.
• Facilitate logistics for divisional meetings and events, serving as the primary point of contact for vendors, facilities, and visitors.
• Collaborate with the Chief/Directors to identify and manage professional service contracts supporting faculty clinical relationships with non-UCSF medical facilities.
• Provide timely updates to directors on operational matters impacting faculty and staff.
• Facilitate meetings, performance improvement initiatives, and strategic project execution.
• Support strategic planning and process improvement initiatives for divisional operations.
• Collaborate with leadership to align divisional priorities and maintain operational efficiency.

10%

Manage, plan, and administer a full range of administrative operations in a small to medium academic department, or a small to medium non-academic department or program, where operations are significantly complex in terms of budgetary funding, number of faculty, staff and students, and / or are broad in scope due to focus of operations (e.g., computer or wet lab space and equipment, fundraising, grant writing, etc.).

Administrative operations include budgetary financial management and human resources and may include some of the following functions: IT, facilities, student services, recharge administration and / or contracts and grants.

Human Resources / Personnel Support
• Act as the Division's HR liaison to process HR appointments and door requests, escalate matters to leadership when needed.
• Working closely with Chiefs/Directors to facilitate recruitment, hiring, onboarding, and training for faculty, staff, and visitors.
• Work closely with directors to offer guidance/mentorship, address issues, provide training guides, memos, and ensure adherence to the division's expectations and project outcomes. Identify training needs, support staff's career development and improve knowledge gaps.
• Lead performance improvement initiatives through training programs, coaching sessions, onboarding plans, and career development opportunities.
• Oversee the staff engagement and development programs, incorporating feedback from tools like Gallup Poll results.
• Ensure support staff are fully trained to assist faculty effectively in professional activities (e.g., CV management, conference participation, visiting professorships).
• Oversee faculty advancement and promotion processes, including appraisals, personnel allocation, travel policy compliance, and account management.
• Conduct regular staff meetings to disseminate policy updates, align team goals, and ensure consistent communication.
• Provide cross-coverage training for staff to ensure operational continuity.

Administrative and Office Management
• Oversee day-to-day divisional operations across key areas.
• Train and cross-train academic support staff to ensure backup coverage and seamless operations.
• Manage divisional calendars, leave requests, coverage plans, email distribution lists, and administrative communication tools.
• Develop and maintain standard operating procedures (SOPs), training tutorials, and internal portals to streamline onboarding and compliance.

Oversee facilities management, including space planning, renovations, moves, inventory control, and cleaning services.
• Ensure the division's Emergency Evacuation Plan is up-to-date, oversee disaster preparedness training, and maintain accessible emergency supplies.
• Manage the purchase, maintenance, and training for division-issued cell phones, including analyzing invoices and optimizing international/domestic usage plans.
• Implement inventory control policies to ensure cost-effective purchasing and timely updates of stock levels and resources.
• Facilitate compliance activities, including accreditation, Continuing Medical Education (CME) initiatives, and documentation for site visits.
• Serve as the division's IT liaison, addressing issues and escalating complex matters to IT personnel.
• May serve as a safety coordinator/floor warden for emergencies

Communications and Branding
• Lead the development, maintenance, and updates of the division's website, ensuring alignment with UCSF digital policies and brand identity standards.
• Manage website content to highlight research outcomes, clinical work, and divisional activities, ensuring compliance with UCSF editorial guidelines.
• Collaborate with research labs, clinical research teams, and the fellowship manager/administrator for website updates and content creation.
• Write strategic communications to promote the division's clinical, research, and teaching programs.
• Oversee branding, marketing, and media initiatives, including newsletters, social media platforms, and printed materials.
• Ensure website consent is consistent in compliance with UCSF standards.

15%

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