Job detail for Director, Operations Integration

Location

ST. LOUIS, MO 63105

Scheduled Hours

37.5

Position Summary

The Director Operations Integration is a senior administrative leader responsible for strengthening the effectiveness, integration, and accountability of the School’s administrative enterprise.

Reporting to the Associate Dean for Administration, the Director serves as a principal leadership partner in translating the Dean’s and School leadership’s priorities into coordinated administrative execution. The role provides School-level integration across administrative functions including human resources, finance, information technology, facilities, operation and other University-supported functions. It connects and align work across School units and coordinates with University partners to ensure consistent, integrated administrative support.

As Washington University continues to evolve toward increasingly centralized and shared administrative services, the director plays a critical role at the interface between the School and central University functions. The position does not duplicate the specialized expertise, transactional , or service-delivery functions of central administrative offices. Instead, the director ensures that those functions operate together effectively around the School’s priorities, that and decision rights are clear, and that complex matters crossing organizational boundaries receive appropriate coordination and resolution.

The Director helps build and sustain the administrative infrastructure of a growing School by strengthening governance, clarifying accountability, coordinating major administrative priorities, identifying systemic and institutional risks, monitoring performance, and ensuring that leadership decisions translate into sustained execution.

The position may represent the associate dean for administration in administrative matters and may exercise delegated authority within defined areas of responsibility.

Role in the Administrative Model

The School operates within an increasingly integrated University administrative environment in which specialized expertise and many transactional functions reside centrally, while strategic alignment, prioritization, coordination, local accountability, and institutional context remain essential at the School level.

Within this model:

• Routine transactions should move through established University systems and processes.

• Specialized matters should be addressed by the appropriate functional experts.

• Operational improvement work should be addressed through appropriate process-improvement and administrative teams.

• Complex, high-risk, or cross-functional matters require School-level integration, prioritization, and accountability.

The Director provides that integration.

Working closely with the associate dean for administration, the director ensures that administrative functions operate not as independent service channels but as an interconnected system supporting the School’s academic, research, practice, and institutional missions.

The Director provides leadership across the administrative portfolio, while functional leaders, central University partners, and operational excellence staff retain responsibility for their respective areas of expertise and execution.

Job Description

Primary Duties & :

• Strategic Implementation and Administrative Integration

• Partner with the Associate Dean for Administration to translate School priorities and leadership decisions into coordinated administrative plans, priorities, and outcomes.

• Lead integration across Finance, HR, IT, Facilities, Operation, and other University-supported functions.

• Identify dependencies, barriers, competing priorities, and cross-functional issues requiring School-level coordination.

• Ensure major administrative initiatives have clear ownership, accountability, milestones, and follow-through.

• Represent the Associate Dean for Administration in administrative matters and initiatives when delegated.

• Administrative Governance, Accountability and Performance

• Establish and reinforce clear roles, decision rights, approval pathways, escalation protocols, and accountability across the School’s administrative portfolio.

• Maintain visibility across major administrative commitments, service issues, risks, and cross-functional initiatives.

• Review administrative performance and identify matters requiring intervention, corrective action, or leadership decision.

• Hold responsible parties accountable for agreed-upon actions, deliverables, and timelines.

• Provide the Associate Dean for Administration with concise assessments, recommendations, and issues requiring leadership attention.

• Central University Partnership and Service Integration

• Serve as a senior connector between School priorities and central University administrative functions.

• Build effective partnerships with University leaders and functional experts to ensure services are integrated around School needs.

• Address recurring service gaps, unclear ownership, and issues that cross organizational boundaries.

• Escalate significant institutional issues when they cannot be resolved through established administrative channels.

• Help ensure centralized services strengthen the School’s administrative capacity and faculty/staff experience without unnecessary duplication at the School level.

• Organizational Effectiveness, Change and Operational Excellence Oversight

• Support the Associate Dean for Administration in developing and adapting the School’s administrative operating model as the School and University evolve.

• Identify and prioritize systemic opportunities for administrative improvement based on performance, risk, organizational growth, and faculty/staff experience.

• Provide strategic direction and sponsorship for major operational excellence and change initiatives, in partnership with the Continuous Improvement Unit and other key partners.

• Clarify organizational roles, , and handoffs between School-based and centralized functions.

• Oversee improvement priorities while appropriate operational staff lead detailed process analysis, workflow development, SOP creation, project management, and implementation.

• Administrative Risk, Controls and Institutional Continuity

• Identify significant administrative risks arising from unclear ownership, fragmented processes, inadequate controls, organizational transitions, or service gaps.

• Partner with functional leaders to strengthen controls and ensure identified risks have appropriate owners and mitigation plans.

• Monitor significant unresolved administrative and control issues and ensure appropriate escalation.

• Preserve institutional knowledge and continuity during organizational or personnel transitions.

• Anticipate emerging administrative risks and advise the Associate Dean for Administration on appropriate actions.

• Performs other duties as assigned.

Working Conditions:

Job Location/Working Conditions

• Normal office environment

Physical Effort

• Typically sitting at desk or table
• Repetitive wrist, hand or finger movement (PC Typing)
• Ability to travel to University locations

Equipment

• Office equipment

The above statements are intended to describe the general nature and level of work performed by people assigned to this classification. They are not intended to be construed as an exhaustive list of all job duties performed by the personnel so classified. Management reserves the right to revise or amend duties at any time.

Required Qualifications

Education:

Bachelor’s degree or combination of education and/or experience may substitute for minimum education.

Certifications /Professional Licenses :

No specific certification/professional license is required for this position.

Work Experience:

Relevant Experience (7 Years)

Skills:

Not Applicable

Driver's License:

A driver's license is not required for this position.

More About This Job

Required Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree and substantial progressively responsible experience in administration, operations, organizational effectiveness, higher education, healthcare, research administration, or another complex institutional environment. A combination of education and/or experience may substitute for minimum education.

• Demonstrated experience leading complex, cross-functional initiatives involving multiple stakeholders, functional areas, and organizational units.

• Experience operating at a senior administrative level with responsibility for organizational coordination, governance, implementation, or institutional accountability.

• Strong ability to translate strategy and executive decisions into structured implementation, clear accountability, and measurable outcomes.

• Demonstrated ability to establish priorities, clarify ownership, resolve ambiguity, and move complex work forward in a matrixed environment.

• Strong analytical judgment and ability to understand relationships among operational, financial, personnel, technology, organizational, and institutional issues.

• Demonstrated ability to distinguish transactional problems from systemic, structural, governance, or risk issues.

• Experience leading organizational change and working effectively across organizational boundaries where authority, responsibility, and expertise are distributed.

• Excellent written and verbal communication skills, including the ability to communicate complex administrative matters clearly and concisely to senior leaders, faculty, staff, and functional specialists.

• Demonstrated discretion, judgment, accountability, political acumen, and ability to manage sensitive institutional matters.

Preferred Qualifications

• Master’s degree in business administration, public administration, higher education administration, organizational leadership, public health, or a related field.

• Experience within a research-intensive university, academic health environment, professional school, or similarly complex organization.

• Experience working within shared-service or centralized administrative models.

• Experience with enterprise administrative systems such as Workday, ServiceNow, or comparable platforms.

• Knowledge of systems thinking, Lean, process improvement, project or program management, organizational design, governance, or change-management methodologies.

• Experience building or redesigning administrative structures during periods of organizational growth, transformation, or centralization.

• Experience partnering with senior institutional leaders and functional experts across organizational boundaries.

Preferred Qualifications

Education:

No additional education unless stated elsewhere in the job posting.

Certifications /Professional Licenses :

No additional certification/professional licenses unless stated elsewhere in the job posting.

Work Experience:

No additional work experience unless stated elsewhere in the job posting.

Skills:

Accountability, Business Collaboration, Change Management Methodologies, Department Administration, Leadership, Lean Thinking, Oral Communications, Organizational Design, Performance Management (PM), Policy Planning, Process Improvements, Project Management, Researching, Sensitive Information, Shared Services, Stakeholder Engagement, Strategic Thinking, Systems Thinking, Written Communication

Grade

G15

Salary Range

$84,200.00 - $148,500.00 / Annually

The salary range reflects base salaries paid for positions in a given job grade across the University. Individual rates within the range will be determined by factors including one's qualifications and performance, equity with others in the department, market rates for positions within the same grade and department budget.

Questions

For frequently asked questions about the application process, please refer to our External Applicant FAQ.

Accommodation

If you are unable to use our online application system and would like an accommodation, please email@wustl.eduor call the dedicated accommodation inquiry number at 314-935-1149 and leave a voicemail with the nature of your request.

All qualified individuals must be able to perform the essential functions of the position satisfactorily and, if requested, reasonable accommodations will be made to enable employees with disabilities to perform the essential functions of their job, absent undue hardship.

Pre-Employment Screening

All external candidates receiving an offer for employment will be required to submit to pre-employment screening for this position. The screenings will include criminal background check and, as applicable for the position, other background checks, drug screen, an employment and education or licensure/certification verification, physical examination, certain vaccinations and/or governmental registry checks. All offers are contingent upon successful completion of required screening.

Benefits Statement

Personal

• Up to 22 days of vacation, 10 recognized holidays, and sick time.

• Competitive health insurance packages with priority appointments and lower copays/coinsurance.

• Take advantage of our free Metro transit U-Pass for eligible employees.

• WashU provides eligible employees with a defined contribution (403(b)) Retirement Savings Plan, which combines employee contributions and university contributions starting at 7%.

Wellness

• Wellness challenges, annual health screenings, mental health resources, mindfulness programs and courses, employee assistance program (EAP), financial resources, access to dietitians, and more!

Family

• We offer 4 weeks of caregiver leave to bond with your new child. Family care resources are also available for your continued childcare needs. Need adult care? We’ve got you covered.

• WashU covers the cost of tuition for you and your family, including dependent undergraduate-level college tuition up to 100% at WashU and 40% elsewhere after seven years with us.

For policies, detailed benefits, and eligibility, please visit: https://hr.wustl.edu/benefits/

EEO Statement

Washington University in St. Louis is committed to the principles and practices of equal employment opportunity. It is the University’s policy to provide equal opportunity and access to persons in all job titles without regard to race, ethnicity, color, national origin, citizenship (where prohibited by federal law), age, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, disability, protected veteran status, or genetic information.