Summary

The Department of Surgery is seeking an energetic candidate to serve as the administrative lead of the Center for Aortic Surgery and the Marcus VITAL Laboratory at Baylor College of Medicine. The selected candidate will manage a $14M award from the Marcus Foundation to support the creation of the Marcus VITAL (Vascular Intelligence for Translational AI and Learning) Laboratory. The role supervises multidisciplinary professional staff, manages operating budgets, and implements processes that support research productivity and strategic growth. Responsibilities include HR leadership, financial oversight, sponsored research administration, and stewardship of philanthropic funds. The position also leads fellowship program administration, special initiatives, and executive reporting to support the center’s academic, clinical, and research mission.

This position will support a fast-paced developing center and will require professionalism, adaptability, strong communication skills, and the ability to manage multiple competing projects and priorities from stakeholders across the Center. 

Job Duties

• Manages daily operations of the Marcus Center for Aortic Research and VITAL Lab, including HR, compliance, financial management, facilities, and research operations.
• Supervises primarily professional staff (research managers, coordinators, technicians, administrative support), defining roles, setting priorities, creating development plans, and conducting annual performance reviews.
• Develops, manages, and controls the $14M Marcus Foundation fund and associated operating budgets; establishes financial systems to monitor expenditures, cash flow, and compliance with donor restrictions and institutional accounting.
• Creates staffing plans, schedules, and productivity targets aligned to the gift budget and research program milestones; adjust resource allocation to support high-priority projects. 
• Implements and continuously refines operational processes (finance, procurement, inventory, equipment commissioning, and lab workflows) to maximize productivity and stewardship of gift funds.
• Manages HR activities for Center personnel: recruitment, onboarding, terminations, position control, salary administration, and disciplinary actions in coordination with Department HR.
• Oversees pre-award and post-award sponsored-project activities connected to the Center (proposal budgeting, account setup, subawards, compliance requirements, and closeout) in partnership with sponsored programs.
• Leads special projects related to center build-out, equipment acquisition, donor reporting, and strategic initiatives; prepares executive summaries and KPI dashboards for the oversight committee and the Marcus Foundation.
• Oversees administration of the Endovascular Aortic Fellowship, Aortic Imaging Fellowship, and Mini-Surgeon Fellowships, including recruitment and onboarding, curriculum development and scheduling, supervision of clinical and research mentorship, trainee credentialing and evaluations, stipend/funding management, and coordination with fellowship directors and GME to ensure accreditation, compliance, and optimal training experiences. 
• Performs other job-related duties as assigned.

Minimum Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree. 
• Four years of relevant experience. 

Preferred Qualifications

• Master's degree, especially MBA or MHA.
• Experience in academic medicine.