Associate Director for Finance, Operations, and Administration

Job Description

Job Description

Overview

Shriners Children’s Research Institute (SCRI) is seeking a dynamic, mission-oriented Associate Director for Finance, Operations and Administration (AD) to lead facility operations and performance of a new stand-alone research facility. The AD reports to the Director of the SCRI and supports SCRI operations and related activities under the Director’s leadership, in coordination with the Office of the Vice President of Research and applicable Shriners Children’s central offices and shared services for research administration, financial management, operational, and governance-related matters.

The AD plays a pivotal role in shaping the institute’s future, ensuring that every aspect of performance is carefully managed to foster a culture of excellence. The successful candidate for this role will be both highly visible and accessible to team members. By prioritizing quality, compliance, and growth, the AD leads efforts to enable cutting edge research and drive translational science that impacts clinical care, positioning the institute to achieve Vision 2035 targets. Their responsibilities encompass not only the experience of research participants, employee engagement, safety, and financial stewardship, but also the ongoing development of strategies that enhance both operational efficiency and research standards.

The AD is accountable for institute-level budget planning, operational financial monitoring, forecasting, variance review, and expenditure tracking for budgets allocated to research investigators at the institute. This includes coordination related to federal, state, and/or foundation award expenditures in collaboration with the Office of Research Grants and Sponsored Programs, Finance and Accounting, and other applicable central offices, while supporting alignment with Shriners Children’s Vision 2035. By providing value-driven leadership and offering both guidance to senior leadership, management and partnering with research staff, the AD supports compliance with SHC/SCRI policies and procedures, applicable federal, state, and local regulations (e.g., Code of Federal Regulations, Food and Drug Administration regulatory guidance), sponsor requirements, and award terms and conditions, while coordinating with the Office of Research Grants and Sponsored Programs, Finance and Accounting, Legal, Compliance, and other applicable central offices to support appropriate reporting. They promote high standards in planning, program management, and accountability for program deliverables.

A key focus in this role is engaging others in the design, management, and organizational structure of this new institute, developing strong collaborative relationships across the institute, the Atlanta research ecosystem, and with Shriners Children’s administrative leadership and teams. The

AD must be able to develop action and tactics to create operational efficiencies and strategic alignment, whether through optimizing resources, centralizing functions, or implementing shared services models.

To advance Vision 2035, the AD champions continuous improvement initiatives, drawing on industry best practices and quality assessment tools to identify and meet customer needs, both internal and external. By elevating research standards and driving innovation, they position the Shriners Children’s Research Institute to accelerate innovation, drive translational research, fuel sustainable growth, and ensure that the institute is providing mission-driven research to transform pediatric care.

Responsibilities

• Provides assistance to the Director in planning, design, and construction of a new 150,000 – 200,000 square foot facility for scientific research, as well as the common and conference spaces.
• Builds and develops a high-performing administrative team; coordinates with the Director and scientific leadership to enable talent acquisition, engagement, development, and retention to sustain a mission and values-driven culture.
• Oversees site capital equipment and contracting processes in collaboration with the Shriners Executive Leadership; ensures requests and expenditures align with budget, strategy, follow established review processes, and deliver appropriate value.
• Provides property management and accountability and establishes and maintains service agreements as necessary.
• Coordinates actively with the Shriners Chief Information Officer to assist with hardware and software procurements, ensure information security, enable scientific applications and software deployment, maintains licenses and service agreements, and provides project and change management as needed. Ensures IT capabilities and operations are configured to support cutting edge artificial intelligence, machine learning, augmented reality, bioinformatics research, and microscopy. Enables systems to protect research data, including data from human participants.
• Maintains an active risk management capability and works with institute and headquarters leadership to address or mitigate identified risks.
• Provides strong financial stewardship, including operating and capital budgeting, variance management, and prudent use of resources consistent with organizational expectations. Works collaboratively with the Office of Research Grants and Sponsored Programs, Finance and Accounting, and other applicable central offices to support expenditure review, monitoring, and coordination related to federal, state, foundation or other sponsor terms and conditions.
• Ensures appropriate security, emergency response and continuity of operations planning, and safety-related services are in place for institute employees, visitors, research and facilities in collaboration with building management.
• Establishes scientific resources through shared services, agreements, or other approved methods to enable library services, occupational safety and health, radiation safety (if applicable), workplace safety education, and veterinary resources (if required).
• Manages disclosures and conflicts of interest, provides education and training in ethics and reporting.
• Leads facility-wide performance, ensuring exceptional quality, safety, compliance, study participant experience. Works collaboratively with the Director and scientific leadership to ensure regulatory compliance across federal, legal, and research requirements and with review protocols from appropriate accrediting or inspecting agencies.
• Sets strategy and operating plans; establishes performance metrics and accountability to deliver measurable results aligned with institute priorities.
• Champions an inclusive, collaborative environment; communicates with transparency and navigates complex, matrixed stakeholder relationships effectively.
• Leads change management and continuous improvement using best practices, benchmarking, and operational discipline to improve effectiveness and research integrity.
• Strengthens the institute’s reputation and stature by advancing research capabilities and maintaining strong partner/community relationships.
• Drives operational efficiencies through resource optimization and, where appropriate, centralization and shared-services models.

This is not an all-inclusive list of this job’s responsibilities. The incumbent may be required to perform other related duties and participate in special projects as assigned.

Qualifications

Required:

• 10 or more years of progressive leadership experience including 7 years of management responsibility within a scientific research organization of comparable complexity and scope, e.g., a research institute or organization
• Master’s Degree in Business Administration, Science, Public Health, or Engineering or equivalent

Preferred

• Greater than 7 years experience at the Associate Director, Associate Vice President, Executive Officer, or equivalent for research administration.
  
• Working knowledge of regulations and guidance related to scientific research (e.g., CFR, GCP, FDA regulations, IRB requirements)
  
• Experience supporting financial systems, personnel, facilities, infrastructure, information systems, operations, and property management in a scientific organization