Senior Director, Financial Operations (Research Intelligence)

Overview

We are seeking a highly skilled and experienced research financial administrator to take the lead in setting up and managing a new Research Finance Office for the Northwell enterprise-wide, federally funded clinical research infrastructure. The successful candidate will lead the design, implementation, and management of the Research Intelligence Finance Office, providing financial oversight of research involving human subjects through Northwell Healthcare, Inc. The Senior Director will lead a team that will work closely with departmental administrators, staff, and faculty, providing guidance and advice to ensure compliance with Northwell and sponsor guidelines, including federal and state regulations of expense management and sponsor invoicing from award initiation through project closeout. The successful candidate will place a strong emphasis on the development of efficient and effective workflows and policies that meet the needs of the research community and use data-driven metrics to identify opportunities for continuous improvement.

Job Description

Directs, plans, organizes and evaluates the financial administration, business services and financial and statistical reporting in a specific business or region. Participates in the ongoing process to identify opportunities to restructure operations and implement new models of care and labor. Acts as an internal consultant to implement new programs directed at reducing costs while maintaining excellence in service and quality. Directs, plans, organizes and evaluates current and long-term operational goals and objectives of assigned departments and ensures compliance with applicable regulatory standards and internal policies.

Job Responsibility

• Leads a Financial Operations group by developing, communicating, and building consensus for goals/programs that support a specific field or business unit operation.
• Develops and articulates a short-term strategic vision for areas of responsibility.
• Develops and monitors strategic operating goals and objectives; reports operational performance, justification and/or corrective action.
• Develops and oversees financial management including budget, salary, capital and revenue projections; coordinates the monitoring and review of all applicable statistical and financial reports.
• Reviews, authorizes and prioritizes all financial and capital expenditures by assessing profitability, alignment with business objectives and budget parameters.
• Coordinates with departments and Finance leadership to develop strategic business plans and feasibility studies for future expansion; coordinates with department leaders and Finance for the timely and accurate completion of capital and operations' budgets.
• Establishes and measures organizational performance against goals and objectives; prepares and monitors various special projects.
• Assists and reviews data collection and analysis process in coordination of facilities restructuring and implementation activities.
• Coordinates with department heads to prepare various financial and statistical reports for independent third parties.
• Collaborates with site administrators to review the accuracy of various financial and statistical reports for independent third parties; reviews monthly departmental operating statistics for trends and variances.
• Selects, develops, manages and evaluates direct reports; oversees the selection, development, management and evaluation of indirect reports.
• Performs related duties as required. All responsibilities noted here are considered essential functions of the job under the Americans with Disabilities Act. Duties not mentioned here, but considered related are not essential functions.

Job Qualification

• Bachelor's Degree required, or equivalent combination of education and related experience.
• 8-12 years of relevant experience and 7+ years of leadership / management experience, required.

Key Responsibilities (Research Intelligence Specific)

1. Finance Office Setup:
   
   
   
   1. Leads the design and implementation of the Research Intelligence Finance Office infrastructure, including the establishment of office processes, workflow systems, and collaborative tools for clinical research teams.
   2. Reviews existing research policies, creating and amending as necessary.
   3. Works with Northwell Finance and Research Intelligence leadership to create robust and transparent financial reporting mechanisms.
   
   
2. Research Finance Leadership:
   
   
   
   1. Leads the Research Finance Office by directing, planning, and organizing the staff and operations engaged in federally funded clinical research financial support.
   2. Evaluates and implements improvement and efficiencies regarding Research Finance operational procedures and policies.
   3. Advises Investigators and other research staff of appropriate research financial conduct, including compliance with federal, state, and sponsor policies.
   4. Oversees the monitoring of awarded project expenses, budget variances, and financial projections to lead to successful project completion.
   5. Develops and implements innovative business models and cost-recovery strategies for research.
   6. Delivers data-driven information and research to support decision-making and strategic goals in alignment with applicable finance and contracting laws and regulations.
   7. Oversees the selection, implementation, and management of systems and processes that improve the accuracy and transparency of research financial forecasting, project-level budget development and projections, and non-financial commitments.
   8. Drives financial strategy and consensus on competitive research proposals for funding programs, while ensuring alignment with institutional financial goals.
   9. Serves as a primary contact for the Research Finance Office as a senior member of the Research Intelligence team.
   10. Promotes greater understanding of research finance across the organization and champions these efforts.
   
   
3. Relationship Management:
4. Team Management:
   
   
   
   1. Oversees and evaluates the team who provides financial pre and post-award services to research.
   2. Oversees the selection, development, management and evaluation of direct reports.
   3. Provides administrative oversight and problem resolution guidance.
   4. Develops and implements an organizational plan to support the accomplishment of long-range objectives of those team members through establishment of individual learning plans and performance measures.
   5. Develops and implements training programs for staff to keep up to date on funder requirements and serve as subject matter experts for the organization.
   6. Actively pursues and shares knowledge about policies, regulations, and procedures.
   7. Fosters a collaborative environment that emphasizes customer service and support for the Northwell research community.
   
   
5. Budget Management:
   
   
   
   1. Prepares budget and recommends for approval.
   2. Responsible for day-to-day management of Research Intelligence Finance budget.
   
   
6. Data Integrity and Reporting:
   
   
   
   1. Maintains up to date with federal award reporting policies and procedures, including NIH, NSF, AHRQ, PCORI, and DOD awardee requirements.
   2. Develops and reports finances and financial metrics for federally funded clinical research activities for the organization.
   3. Provides regular reports to leadership.
   
   
7. Ensures active communication with all external and internal constituencies; conducts operational reviews and cost benefit analyses to determine efficiency of business processes.
8. Evaluates, recommends and implements educational programs and training opportunities for staff and the research community.
9. Ensures accurate and timely invoicing and drawdown of awarded projects.
10. Oversees and manages planned and unplanned audit processes, including preparation of external audits, internal quality control auditing, and the resolution of audit findings.
11. Builds and maintains productive inter/intra departmental, Northwell clinical service line, partner institutions, and Northwell Financial work relationships to optimize operations; partners with the leadership team.
12. Serves as liaison to center heads and departments to ensure positive service orientation for the office.
13. Serves as a liaison to federal and NY State agencies and committees, which regulate human subject research.

Preferred Qualifications

• Certified Research Administrator(CRA) or Certified Financial Research Administrator (CFRA), preferred.
• Experience managing post-award financials for federally-funded clinical research studies.
• In-depth knowledge of federal regulations and guidelines related to research funding.
• Strong written and oral communication skills.
• Strong attention to detail and ability to follow projects through to completion.
• Advanced Excel experience required; experience with data visualization software (Tableau, Power BI) preferred.
• Demonstrated ability to manage multiple competing priorities and deadlines.

*Additional Salary Detail
The salary range and/or hourly rate listed is a good faith determination of potential base compensation that may be offered to a successful applicant for this position at the time of this job advertisement and may be modified in the future.When determining a team member's base salary and/or rate, several factors may be considered as applicable (e.g., location, specialty, service line, years of relevant experience, education, credentials, negotiated contracts, budget and internal equity).