Assistant Director, Health AI Strategy & Operations (Hybrid Opportunity)

Stanford University's Division of Computational Medicine is seeking an accomplished strategic and operational leader to advance innovative health AI initiatives across research, clinical operations, and industry partnerships. This position offers a unique opportunity to work at the intersection of academic medicine, healthcare delivery, and artificial intelligence, helping translate emerging technologies and research into responsible, real-world clinical applications.

The Assistant Director, Health AI Strategy & Operations will serve as a trusted strategic and operational partner to senior leadership, providing oversight across a diverse portfolio of research, implementation, and partnership initiatives spanning the Stanford School of Medicine, Stanford Health Care, and external organizations.

This is a highly visible role requiring exceptional judgment, initiative, and the ability to operate independently in a complex, fast-paced environment. The successful candidate will anticipate challenges, identify opportunities, navigate competing priorities, and drive initiatives forward with minimal oversight. They will engage confidently with senior academic, clinical, technical, and industry leaders, exercise sound judgment within delegated authority, and elevate matters requiring executive, clinical, legal, or institutional approval.

The portfolio may include AI-Care, GUIDE-AI, Stanford Health Care's Technology and Data Science initiatives, and collaborations with frontier AI laboratories and organizations such as the Coalition for Health AI and PacificAI.

We are seeking a proactive, resourceful leader who combines strategic thinking with strong operational execution, thrives in ambiguity, and can translate complex challenges into actionable solutions.

Core Responsibilities

Strategic Leadership and Program Execution

• Independently lead complex, cross-functional initiatives, translating strategic priorities into actionable plans and measurable outcomes.
• Anticipate operational challenges, identify opportunities for improvement, and develop practical solutions that advance organizational priorities.
• Manage competing priorities, dependencies, and deliverables across multiple programs while ensuring accountability and timely execution.
• Exercise independent judgment to resolve issues, challenge assumptions, and elevate matters

Executive Partnership and Stakeholder Engagement

• Serve as a trusted strategic and operational partner to senior leadership, representing programs and leadership in internal and external engagements within delegated authority.
• Build and maintain productive relationships with senior faculty, healthcare executives, technical leaders, and external industry partners.
• Navigate complex organizational structures, reconcile competing priorities, and facilitate collaboration across institutional boundaries.
• Prepare concise executive briefings, strategic recommendations, and decision-oriented communications.

Research, Operations, and Partnership Management

• Coordinate research and operational initiatives involving regulatory requirements, data governance, institutional approvals, and clinical implementation.
• Support strategic partnerships with industry and technology organizations, facilitating negotiations, managing commitments, and coordinating with appropriate institutional stakeholders.
• Identify opportunities to streamline processes, improve collaboration, and strengthen program effectiveness.
• Partner with research administration and finance teams to monitor resources, budgets, funding commitments, and operational risks.

Portfolio Oversight and Organizational Effectiveness

• Establish effective governance, reporting, and accountability structures across multiple initiatives.
• Proactively identify gaps, overlapping activities, and potential risks, taking appropriate action to resolve issues before they escalass? (typo fixed) before they escalass? (typo fixed) before they escalass? (typo fixed) before they escalass? (typo fixed) before they escalass? (typo fixed) before they escalass? (typo fixed) before they escalass? (typo fixed) before they escalass? (typo fixed)