Career Center

Position Summary:

The Department of Ophthalmology and Visual Neurosciences (OVNS) Administrator serves as the strategic partner to the Department Chair, providing leadership and support to the Department Chair’s vision for the department, and is the main liaison between the department, the clinical practice, and research facilities. This position has responsibility over the operations of the department, both academically and clinically, in collaboration with Medical School Administration.

This position is based out of Minneapolis, MN and is eligible for hybrid work-from-home and/or on-campus work dependent upon individual performance and organizational need, though some regular on-site work will be expected. Because the University of Minnesota is a land-grant institution that serves the state, residing in Minnesota is typically required.

The Department of Ophthalmology and Visual Neurosciences strives to fulfill the tripartite mission of the Medical School: excellence in teaching, research, and clinical service. To fulfill this mission, the department offers courses to medical students, an outstanding clinically-oriented residency program, fellowships in Pediatric Ophthalmology, Occuloplastics, Neuro-Ophthalmology, Retina, and Cornea, and courses for students in allied health programs to advance knowledge in ophthalmology through basic scientific and clinical research endeavors. 

We are a growing department of more than 30 faculty members and 50 staff employees.  To learn more about the Department of Ophthalmology and Visual Neurosciences, please visit: https://www.med.umn.edu/ophthalmology

Position Responsibilities:

Strategic Partner and Project Management: 40%

• Serve as the administrative dyad partner to the Department Chair with the charge to organize and implement strategic initiatives for the department, aligned with the tripartite mission of research, education, and clinical service.
• In partnership with the Department Chair, lead department collaboration across the Medical School, UMPhysicians (UMP), Fairview Health Services, M Health Fairview, and community partners.
• Lead initiatives including special projects and process improvement opportunities.
• Participate in strategic planning for a proposed Lions Eye Institute.

Clinical Oversight and Management:  15%

• Partner with M Health Fairview service line administration, UMP clinical operations team, and Medical Directors to ensure departmental perspective is represented, align priorities across multiple groups, and jointly communicate clinical issues within the academic department.
• Partner with UMP clinical operations, service line administration, and faculty clinical providers to implement new clinical programs and/or UMP or M Health Fairview initiatives.
• Align clinical practice with financial expectations in partnership with Medical School finance.
• Serve as point of contact and liaison with UMP centralized resources on behalf of faculty practice.
• Provide input into Clinical Service Unit (CSU) budgeting, monitor CSU budget and forecasts in partnership with CSU leadership and UMP finance.
• Liaison with UMP business development teams to support Department Chair’s plan for growth.
• Partners with clinical operations staff to create efficiencies and ensure clinic performance is in alignment with expected performance metrics.

Faculty Management:  10%

• In alignment with Department Leadership, monitor and ensure appropriate balance of faculty effort across teaching, research, and clinical responsibilities.
• Partner with Human Resources on faculty hiring requests, approval process, search, hire, and formal onboarding process.
• Coordinate UMP-only provider, adjunct faculty, and emeritus faculty activity.
• Oversee governance structure.
• Monitor and review faculty compensation plan in collaboration with Medical School finance and Department Chair to ensure consistent application of compensation model.
• Oversee promotion and tenure process for the department and partner with the Medical School Office of Faculty Affairs to ensure process compliance within the department.
• Oversee faculty tracks including tenure/tenure track, academic track, and master clinician track.
• Monitor faculty career development to ensure the departmental strategic initiatives are realized through the faculty.

Human Resources/Office Supervision:  15%

• Lead administrative team supporting the Department Chair and faculty needs within the department.
• Align resources within the department to ensure resources are allocated in support of the department’s strategic plan.
• Lead process improvement initiatives to ensure effective, efficient administrative support.
• Partners with Medical School and UMPhysicians Human Resources staff on faculty, provider, and staff recruitment strategies, onboarding, performance management, engagement, and other areas as needed.

Research:  10%

• Coordinate and manage research administration structure to meet the needs of the faculty.
• Oversee large research initiatives, determining resource needs and ensuring infrastructure is adequate to meet needs.
• Participate in long-range planning of research growth for the department.
• Works in partnership with Medical School finance and research on grant management, pre- and post-award administration, and research budgets.

Education:  5%

• Partner with education programs to integrate into clinical and research opportunities.
• Ensure infrastructure set up to manage learner rotations through department.
• Monitor departmental education infrastructure to ensure adequate resourcing of graduate medical education programs (residency, fellowships).
• Monitoring performance of education programs and recommend improvements as appropriate.

Communications, Facilities, Other Duties:  5%

• Respond in collaboration with Department leadership to non-routine needs of the department and Medical School.
• Liaison for communication within the department including website, internal communication, and electronic communication.
• Manage facilities needs of the department, including remodeling space, allocating space.
• Oversee departmental technology policy and needs, making decisions about how often to replace computers, ordering technology to support new faculty.

Required Qualifications:

• Bachelor’s degree in Business, Healthcare Administration, Finance, or related field with a minimum of six (6) years of related experience, including budgetary responsibility.
• Strong service orientation, oral and written communication skills, judgment, and the ability to work collaboratively with faculty, staff, and students.
• Demonstrated project management skills.
• Demonstrated ability to develop professionally and assume increasing levels of responsibility.
• Strong organizational skills and ability to multi-task and prioritize complex short and long-term activities.
• Excellent analytical, operations, and communications skills working with high-level executives.
• Demonstrated collaboration skills applied across different organizations and operating structures.
• Ability to balance creating and implementing strategies while maintaining operational excellence in core services.
• Experience with strategic planning and operations management, preferably with multi-site clinical operations, annual budgets and research and service grant/contract operations.

Preferred Qualifications:

• Master’s degree in Business, Healthcare Administration, Finance, or related field.
• Management experience in an academic, research, health care, or similar setting, ideally with a physician leader.
• Knowledge of Six Sigma and/or Lean principles and systems.
• Knowledge of the administrative requirements associated with sponsored research, physician practice management, and graduate medical education.
• Experience managing and working with multi-disciplinary teams, focused on performance and results and monitoring of multiple operations/activities.
• Knowledge of the administrative requirements associated with sponsored research, physician practice management, and graduate medical education.