Director, Academic Programs
The Department of Health Metrics Sciences (HMS) applies innovative, multidisciplinary, and comprehensive health metrics science to critical health problems and their drivers, and collaborates worldwide in pursuit of policy impact, change in practice, and dissemination of information to improve health for all people. HMS advances the field and the Academy through nurturing and training the next generation of diverse and high-potential scientists and leaders with mentorship by renowned faculty, and with access to top-tier data, resources, infrastructure, and networking strategies. Faculty, staff, and students within HMS collaborate extensively with the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation (IHME).
IHME is an independent research center at the University of Washington whose mission is to deliver to the world timely, relevant, and scientifically valid evidence to improve health policy and practice. IHME carries out its mission through a range of projects within different research areas including the Global Burden of Diseases, Injuries, and Risk Factors; Future Health Scenarios; Costs and Cost Effectiveness; Resource Tracking; and Impact Evaluations. Our vision is to provide policymakers, donors, and researchers with the highest-quality quantitative evidence base so all people live long lives in full health.
HMS and IHME are committed to providing the evidence base necessary to help solve the world’s most important health problems. This requires creativity and innovation, which are cultivated by an inclusive, diverse, and equitable environment that respects and appreciates differences, embraces collaboration, and invites the voices of the entire HMS and IHME communities.
We have an outstanding opportunity for a Director, Academic Programs to join the team. HMS was founded in July 2018 and is the world’s first academic department devoted to the science of health metrics. As a new department, we are looking to hire an individual who will provide vision and leadership to further grow the academic department by providing administrative leadership in the overall direction and management for HMS academic programs and department needs. Under the general supervision of the Associate Chair for Academic Programs, the Director, Academic Programs establishes and maintains program operations in all areas, including academic and student services, accreditation & reporting, advancement, recruiting, assessment, admission, budgeting, communication, curriculum development and management, enrollment management, policy development, strategy and collaboration, and records management. This position is contingent upon project funding availability.
RESPONSIBILITIES:
Academic program planning and management
• Provide overall oversight, leadership, and communication for the department’s academic programs by developing, implementing, and monitoring the strategic plan and goals for academic program growth.
• Develop, maintain, and understand policies and procedures relevant to the HMS department to comply with UW, state, and federal regulations.
• Develop relationships across campus to effectively execute departmental goals, to advocate for exceptions or flexibility where needed, and to keep the department apprised of issues impacting department and/or students.
• Manage efforts for program evaluation, including 5- and 10-year academic program review, and ongoing departmental self-evaluation.
• Oversee the department website, including all aspects of department functions: outreach activities, research enterprises, faculty bio-sketches and publications, and training programs.
• Direct curriculum planning management, administering curriculum change, course change/creation, and submission of proposals through relevant college and university approvals (CEP, Graduate School, FCAS, etc.).
• Provide leadership and oversight to ensure teaching faculty can run their courses successfully, for example, building and updating course websites and developing and organizing course materials.
• Coordinate HMS student and academic appointee hiring needs with IHME Academic Human Resources.
• Ensure a process is in place to comply with UW records management directives.
Business planning and management
• Lead HMS DEI committee collaborating closely with IHME’s Chief Diversity Officer to influence, develop, and measure success of DEI initiatives.
• Plan, research, secure commitment and resources for new academic programs, for example, self-sustaining, online, and or additional degree programs.
• Develop and/or identify, in collaboration with the Chief Philanthropy Officer and the Proposal Development team, opportunities to provide scholarship, fellowship, and other funding opportunities for students to underpin department finances and support the growth and diversity of student success. Liaise with university offices responsible for managing and growing student funding.
• Liaise with Finance, Planning, and Operations (FPO) and Organizational Development and Training (ODT) at IHME to assess value of various programs for students, employees, and toward building the sciences of health metrics more globally.
• In coordination with FPO and ODT, participate in annual budgetary planning and manage the overall annual budget for academic programs, graduate research assistantships, and student services.
• Create ownership and traction around the HMS “brand,” for example, through the HMS Lecture Series, collaborations with other departments, department newsletter, and marketing and development materials for the degree programs.
• Manage the PhD Program Manager, Degree Program and Fellowship Manager, and other staff as we grow, to include hiring and training, managing workflow and guiding priority setting, and contributing to professional growth and performance assessments for supervisees.
• Oversee the Post-Bachelor Fellowship program (program planned to be discontinued; last cohort graduates August 2023).
• Participate in professional development opportunities to expand knowledge base for the position.
Academic advising and student services
• Provide leadership and direction to the Academic Programs Management group. Lead facilitation of the group and the planning efforts undertaken.
• Oversee the program staff for timely, accurate, and constructive advising services to HMS students ensuring strictest standards of confidentiality and discretion. Provide backup advising for graduate advisers.
• Develop and support a faculty-student advising program through individual consultations and training resources.
• Assist and support the program managers in ensuring compliance with relevant policies relating to the handling of admission materials and decisions. Ensure alignment of admissions policies with outreach, recruitment, and diversity goals.
• Track funding status of current graduate students (RA, TA, UW fellowships, external fellowships).
• Support program managers and department leadership in responding to academic and non-academic conduct cases.
MINIMUM REQUIREMENTS:
• Bachelor’s degree in administration, education, educational leadership and administration, or related field and five years of increasingly responsible experience in university academic programs, or equivalent combination of education and experience.
Equivalent education/experience will substitute for all minimum qualifications except when there are legal requirements, such as a license/certification/registration.
ADDITIONAL REQUIREMENTS:
• Demonstrated experience and competence in working with curricula and/or students at a college-level academic program, program leadership, business planning, and supervision of employees.
• Previous experience with developing certificate programs and/or remote learning programs.
• Experience with interpreting and/or developing university policies in admissions, advising, and program curriculum.
• Adept diplomacy and exemplary interpersonal skills required. Must be agile at forming respectful and rewarding relationships with people with different levels of experience and expertise from a variety of cultural, linguistic, and professional settings.
• Exceptional listening skills and ability to relate to, influence, and persuade to achieve departmental goals.
• Ability to thrive in a fast-paced and collaborative environment while competently managing multiple priorities and/or having to pivot quickly with changing priorities to meet deadlines, all the while with a can-do attitude.
• Ability to examine, evaluate, and redesign administrative operations and procedures.
• Ability to maintain forward momentum and thrive in the unknown and ambiguous.
• Deep desire to contribute to global health and research.
• A commitment to working to alongside others at IHME to illuminate the health impacts of systemic racism and to work within IHME to make our organization more diverse and inclusive. See IHME’s DEI statement here: http://www.healthdata.org/get-involved/careers/dei
WORKING CONDITIONS:
• Weekend and evening work sometimes required.
• This position is open to anyone authorized to work in the US. The UW is not able to sponsor visas for staff positions.
• The University of Washington requires students and personnel to be vaccinated against COVID-19 as a condition of employment. To learn more about the requirements, please review the following: https://www.ehs.washington.edu/covid-19-prevention-and-response/uw-covid-19-vaccination-policy?_ga=2.31959098.540467107.1629831944-1755727657.1623616042.
• This position is located in Seattle, Washington. Position is required to work in office, with a hybrid option available, for in-person student activities.
Application Process:
The application process for UW positions may include completion of a variety of online assessments to obtain additional information that will be used in the evaluation process. These assessments may include Workforce Authorization, Cover Letter and/or others. Any assessments that you need to complete will appear on your screen as soon as you select “Apply to this position”. Once you begin an assessment, it must be completed at that time; if you do not complete the assessment you will be prompted to do so the next time you access your “My Jobs” page. If you select to take it later, it will appear on your "My Jobs" page to take when you are ready. Please note that your application will not be reviewed, and you will not be considered for this position until all required assessments have been completed.