Director, Center Operations

The Regenstrief Institute
Indianapolis, IN 46202, USA

The Director, Center Operations serves as principal aide to the Center Director and a senior leader of the Center’s research enterprise, providing strategic and operational leadership for the Center’s administrative, financial, research, and operational functions. This role is responsible for translating organizational strategy into efficient operational plans, with a strong emphasis on financial analysis, portfolio management, resource allocation, and operational performance informed by knowledge of health services research methodologies and workflows.

The Director holds delegated decision-making authority, in alignment with institutional leadership, for the Center’s financial, personnel, contracting, and operational matters.

The Director oversees Center administration, project and team development, budgeting support, and operational compliance while serving as a key liaison with institutional leadership, academic partners, and external stakeholders. The position engages in and oversees business development, workforce planning, communications, and continuous process improvement to advance the Center’s research and operational objectives for a research enterprise of academically appointed faculty investigators, professional research project staff, and an extended network of internal and external research affiliates and collaborators.

Essential Duties and Responsibilities

• Lead operational and financial analysis of Center activities, programs, and research portfolios, applying knowledge of research methodologies and study workflows, to support strategic decision-making.
• Partner with faculty investigators and staff to align operational systems, resources, and workflows with the scientific goals and productivity of the Center’s research portfolio.
• Monitor financial performance, staffing allocations, and operational metrics across Center initiatives, and direct staff and resource allocation to address funding gaps and shifting priorities.
• Provide oversight of, and approve expenditures on, Center grant and non-grant accounts, faculty start-up funds, and professional development funds, in accordance with institutional policy.
• Lead development, forecasting, and monitoring of annual budgets, grant portfolios, and resource utilization, and manage financial risk for the Center.
• Prepare and analyze financial, operational, and portfolio reports for Center leadership and stakeholders.
• Identify operational efficiencies and recommend strategies to improve financial sustainability and portfolio performance.
• Monitor grant planning, administration, and reporting in collaboration with finance and research administration teams.

Operations & Strategic Planning

• Translate strategic priorities into operational plans, processes, and measurable outcomes.
• Develop, implement, and continuously improve operational policies, procedures, and workflows.
• Lead administrative and research functions to ensure efficient Center operations and exercise independent judgment on routine operational decisions.
• Lead, with the Center Director, organizational planning efforts through research, environmental scanning, and operational analysis.
• Ensure compliance with institutional, regulatory, and research-related requirements, including IRB and human-subjects requirements, and interpret funder and institutional requirements to determine Center-level action.

Leadership & Team Management

• Serve as principal aide to the Center Director, exercising judgment and delegated decision-making authority in alignment with institutional leadership.
• Supervise, coach, and develop administrative and research staff , and partner with Center research faculty on operational and professional-development…