Research Operations Administrator

Administrator for Shendure Laboratory

The Department of Genome Sciences has an outstanding opportunity for a full-time Administrator to direct the administrative and operational functions of the Shendure Laboratory and its affiliated cross-institutional programs.

Position Purpose

The Shendure Laboratory is led by Dr. Jay Shendure, HHMI Investigator, Professor of Genome Sciences, Scientific Director of the Brotman Baty Institute for Precision Medicine (BBI) and Lead Scientific Director of the Seattle Hub for Synthetic Biology (Sea Hub) – a cross-institutional collaboration between the Allen Institute, Chan Zuckerberg Initiative (CZI), and the University of Washington. The laboratory's research programs are supported by multiple concurrent funding sources, each with distinct compliance, reporting, and administrative requirements, including:

• CZI — Seattle Hub for Synthetic Biology (Sea Hub) and the Billion Cell Project (BCP)
• NIH — Massively Parallel Characterization of Variants and Elements Impacting Transcriptional Regulation in Dynamic Cellular Systems;
  Versatile, Exponentially Scalable Methods for Single Cell Molecular Profiling
• NHGRI — Center for the Multiplexed Assessment of Phenotype
• HHMI — Investigator Award;
  Transformation to Endemicity:
  The Next Stage of COVID-19

Position Complexities

The Administrator will serve as the primary administrative lead for the Shendure Laboratory, directing the full spectrum of administrative, compliance, financial, and personnel operations across this multi-program, multi-institutional portfolio. This position carries delegated authority to establish and implement administrative policies and procedures, represent the laboratory in institutional and cross-institutional administrative matters, and make independent operational decisions in support of program and research goals.

This role requires a sophisticated operational skill set encompassing program administration, research compliance, financial management, personnel coordination, and cross-institutional partnership management.

The Administrator will be responsible for developing, implementing, and maintaining administrative policies, methods, and procedures to ensure compliance with university, departmental, HHMI, and sponsor regulations across all funding sources. Critical thinking, initiative, independent judgment, and sound decision-making are essential to manage complex and concurrent responsibilities. Work is performed with a high level of autonomy, and therefore significant personal drive, proactive problem-solving, emotional intelligence, and discipline are imperative for success in this role.

Position Dimensions and Impact to University

The laboratory supports approximately 40 trainees and staff, including international researchers requiring visa and H-1B coordination. The Administrator also coordinates Dr. Shendure's participation in scientific advisory boards and consortia across more than five peer institutions and programs, including the Allen Institute, Fred Hutch Cancer Consortium, and the IGVF — supporting knowledge exchange and collaboration within the broader biomedical research community. Over the past 4.5 years, the laboratory has supported 12 fellowship recipients across highly competitive national and institutional awards including Jane Coffin Childs, Damon Runyon, NSF GRFP, NIH F31, WRF, NIH T32/Sea Bridge, and CMBTG — reflecting the strong trainee development environment this administrative infrastructure enables.

High-functioning operations in this laboratory directly translate to greater funding opportunities, stronger partnerships, and continued enhancement of UW's reputation as a global biomedical research leader.

• Develop, implement, and maintain administrative policies and procedures for the Shendure Laboratory, ensuring compliance with university, departmental, HHMI, and sponsor regulations across all active funding sources
• Serve as the primary UW-side administrative representative for the Seattle Hub for Synthetic Biology (Sea Hub), a cross-institutional collaboration spanning the Allen Institute, CZI,…