Program Operations Specialist

UW faculty and staff also enjoy outstanding benefits, professional growth opportunities and unique resources in an environment noted for diversity, intellectual excitement, artistic pursuits and natural beauty.

The Department of Global Health was established in 2007, bridging the schools of Medicine and Public Health, with a mandate to harness the expertise and interdisciplinary power of all UW schools and colleges. Our mission is to improve health for all through research, education, training, and service; to understand and address the causes of disease and health inequities at multiple levels; and to collaborate with partners to develop and sustain locally-led, quality health systems, programs and policies. Driven by tremendous interest among both students and faculty, the Department has grown explosively to more than 400 graduate students and hundreds more undergraduates. We have more than 380 faculty and 1,000 staff working on projects across 130 countries with our deepest ties in United States, Kenya, Uganda, Peru, Mozambique, India, South Africa, Tanzania, Ethiopia, and Nicaragua.

At the Department of Global Health at the University of Washington, diversity is integral to excellence. The Department recognizes that disparities in health around the globe stem from inequity. The Department encourages and supports the multiple identities of staff, faculty and students including, but not limited to, socioeconomic status, race, ethnicity, language, nationality, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity and expression, culture, spiritual practice, geography, mental and physical disability and age.  The Department strives to become a local, national, and international leader in developing and maintaining increased representation and recognition of each of these dimensions of diversity among its faculty, staff, and students.

This position will sit in the Global Center for the Integrated Health of Women, Adolescents, and Children (Global WACh) that is based in the University of Washington Departments of Global Health, Obstetrics/Gynecology, and Pediatrics. Our mission is to make scientific discoveries, cultivate leaders, and bridge disciplines to advance the tightly connected health and well-being of women, adolescents and children. Global WACh brings together expertise in maternal health from the Department of Obstetrics/Gynecology, neonatal and child health expertise from the Department of Pediatrics, and vast experience working in infectious disease, health metrics and evaluation, education, clinical research, and service delivery within the Department of Global Health.   These disciplines combine under a methodology that views women, children, and adolescents as three populations interconnected along a shared life course.

Position purpose and complexities
Global WACh has an outstanding full-time opportunity for a Program Operations Specialist This position falls within Global WACh’s Gut Health and Child Survival (GHCS) team which focuses on targeting interventions and approaches to improve survival, growth, and development among vulnerable children globally, with specific attention to children with enteric and neglected tropical diseases. This position will provide specific project management and administrative support to the Enterics for Global Health (EFGH) Study and will provide broad administrative support to the Gut Health team. Global WACh seeks a Program Operations Specialist who is passionate about coordinating complex projects, impeccably detail oriented, highly professional, a creative problem solver and able to deliver high-quality products on time. The Program Operations Specialist will perform both project management and administrative functions and must work closely, and effectively communicate with faculty, staff, students, funders, and partner organizations.  A successful candidate will bring a high level of organization, excellent communication skills, and an acute ability to diagnose problems and proactively develop solutions to address them. Must be comfortable working in a fast-paced environment.

This position will be located at the Hans Rosling Center in Seattle, WA and will report to the Senior Program Manager.

RESPONSIBILITIES:

Team Coordination and Management (30%)
• Provide team coordination and management support requiring independent judgment and decision making.
• Coordinate daily workflow and project progress, ensuring clear roles and responsibilities; ensures tasks and deliverables are being met and follows up on action items.
• Plans, manages and coordinates logistics, scheduling and planning of events, meetings and conferences including coordinating arrangements for participants, handling coordination, and disseminating materials. This includes both in-person and virtual events and will include the coordination of participants in multiple time zones.
• Able to find solutions that are fitting for diverse groups with conflicting interests and needs by providing high-quality interactions, clear and consistent communication.
• Coordinate and complete complex travel arrangements for faculty and staff.
• Develop study specific operational policies and procedures.
• Manage small projects under the direction of multiple PIs or the Senior Program Manager.

Administration and Project Support (30%)
• Provides knowledge management support, including, but not limited to, maintaining an organized virtual filing system, uploading files to websites or other file sharing mechanisms.
• Set agendas and manage meeting notes for EFGH related meetings.
• Coordinate the purchasing of study supplies, including researching vendors, obtaining quotes, negotiating prices and working with the Global WACh/DGH procurement team to place orders.
• Coordinate shipping of study supplies to multiple international sites as needed.
• Coordinate specimen shipments and required documentation, maintaining communication between the transport vendor and the study team.
• Secure and verify reservations, tickets, hotel accommodations, and registration for national and international society meetings and conferences.
• Track consultant and vendor contracts and process payments.
• Coordinate new hiring processes, including RA recruitment and processing.
• Manage small project-level or discretionary budgets.

Communications (20%)
• Interact and communicate clearly and consistently with grantees and partners.
• Develop and maintain organizational materials including staff bios and CVs, organizational charts, organizational capacity statements, and success stories.
• Own the PedsID working group meeting schedule, coordinating with potential speakers to present and managing communications.
• Maintain study websites in coordination with study PIs and Research Coordinators.

Other duties as assigned (20%):
• Contribute to the overall functioning of the GHCS team, including coordinating specific activities as assigned.
• Participate in GHCS and Global WACh meetings with other PIs, Program Managers, Study Coordinators, and Data Managers to promote knowledge sharing and learning across project and country teams.
• Participate in the GHCS Anti-Racism Plan implementation.

MINIMUM REQUIREMENTS:
• Bachelor’s degree and 2 years of administrative experience or equivalent.

ADDITIONAL REQUIREMENTS:
• Successful experience supporting high level individuals, multiple time zones, different cultures and work styles
• Exceptional attention to detail and accuracy.
• Excellent oral and written communication skills; must be able to communicate effectively with internal and external contacts and have the ability to adjust to a wide variety of working styles and cultural contexts.
• Proficient with MS Office Suite.
• Ability to work with flexibility, efficiency, enthusiasm, and diplomacy both individually and as part of a team effort.
• Excellent decision-making skills, can prioritize effectively, communicate decisions and process to execution in a clear effective manner.
• Prior experience administering operations for a team or group.

DESIRED:
• Bachelor’s degree in public health, international studies, business administration or related field
• Experience with UW Internal systems (ARIBA, PurchasePATH, MyFD, ASTRA, Workday, OASIS), as well as other systems in an academic environment
• Knowledge of University administrative systems and human resources.
• Interest in global health.

CONDITIONS OF EMPLOYMENT:
• Periodically available for phone calls/meetings in the early morning and late evenings to accommodate worldwide time differences
• Deadline-driven environment, occasionally requiring extended hours

Equivalent education/experience will substitute for all minimum qualifications except when there are legal requirements, such as a license/certification/registration.

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 Work 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.