Department Administrator at Meharry Medical College in Nashville, Tennessee

Job Description:

Reporting to the Chairman of the Department with in-direct reporting to the Associate Dean for Business, Finance & Administration for the School of Medicine, the Department Administrator (DA) is responsible for administering the Department's clinical, educational, and research programs, planning and overseeing the department's financial affairs. The DA has primary responsibilities to develop, implement, direct and provide overall management of the administrative infrastructure for a complex and widely dispersed academic department to ensure support to the chairs' academic, research and clinical programs, whether university or hospital based. Scope of position requires administrative leadership in general administration, financial management, organizational development, labor relations, marketing, operations management, information systems management, and overall policy and procedure development and implementation. Overarching responsibility is ensuring the departments' very best selection and use of resources for maintaining and developing departments' programs.



Daily Operations



Financial Management, Planning, Budgeting, and Analysis

• Budget preparation, implementation, and monitoring. Fully responsible under the Chair for the management of all monies secured.


• Monitor all contracts and manage all departmental fiscal affairs from various funding sources.


• Develop budget proposals, policies, and fiscal guidelines that support departmental growth.


• Develop projection reports, business plans and advise the Chair and faculty regarding strategies to meet fiscal needs.


• Develop and manage annual operating budget for the department.


• Prepare monthly financial reports for the Department Chair.

Research Grant Administration

• Oversee, review and approve faculty grant/Institutional Review Board (IRB) submissions to ensure accuracy and compliance with departmental and institutional guidelines.


• Aid any faculty with grant proposal development and grant expenditure monitoring


• Work with the department head to develop and grow basic and translational research within the department of internal medicine.


• Assist with searches for new grant mechanisms, potential new grant awards and development of grant reports for sponsored and non-sponsored research.


• Assist with resolving issues associated with research space, equipment, and procurement.

Human Resources Management

• Develop plans for recruitment and assignments. Responsible for all Human Resources' transactions within the Department using various funding sources.


• Assure sufficient salary is allotted for employees. Administer APT process for faculty.


• Develop and submit position descriptions and recruitment plans for all faculty and staff. Must be familiar with institutional State and Federal guidelines and aspects of Fringe Benefits Programs. Develop and monitor faculty and staff incentive plans.


• Advise Chair and faculty of Human Resources regulations and strategies as they relate to departmental actions. Supervise Managers, Coordinators and Assistants. Counsel staff as needed.

Clinical Practice Management

• Responsible for oversight of all aspects of the Clinical Practice. Assure compliance with JCAHO, DOH, and HIPAA regulations. Advise Chair and faculty on proposed legislation or local policy changes that impact the Practice. Evaluate and assess Practice methodologies and processes to eliminate or reduce duplication.


• Administer legal aspects of the professional corporation.


• Implement all Clinical Practice Management Plan (CPMP) service standards and policies. Develop and administer fee structure, collection policies, A/R tracking, managed care policies, and office procedures to maximize revenue. Assist the Chair in developing and negotiating Memoranda of Agreement (MOA) and contracts on financial and/or personnel matters with Hospital and other entities as necessary.


• Responsible for all aspects of patient relations. Oversee all outpatient practice operations including patient flow, scheduling, and allocation of resources, equipment use, and quality of service.


• Initiate and administer marketing endeavors. Participate in the clinical integration process as it relates to the Department.


• Develop and update patient brochures and marketing materials.

Educational Program Management

• Assist the Chair with oversight of graduate medical education, continuing medical education and medical education programs.


• Contribute to administrative policy decision-making related to educational program management.

Facilities Management

• Identify space needed and solutions. Present proposals that maximize space. Optimize and maintain current space.


• Review and approve all departmental clinical space and equipment lease agreements.


• Produce special reports, serving as the liaison with internal/external agencies, develop and administer management information systems.


• Perform other duties as assigned by the Chair.

Required Skills

• Effective leadership and organizational skills;


• proven ability to manage and lead staff in a changing environment;


• development/strategic planning/marketing with multiple management abilities, including clinical, administrative, research, education, financial, human resources, facilities and information technology, and compliance;


• Ability to express oneself clearly and concisely, both orally and in writing.


• expert level skills Microsoft office applications;


• Knowledge of quality assurance issues and techniques.

Required Education and Experience


•Bachelor's degree in Business Administration, Accounting, Healthcare Administration or related field from an accredited college or university with five to seven years of accounting and finance experience is required.
•Masters of Business Administration with three to five years of experience of accounting and finance experience is required.
•Some Experience in an academic environment and/or health care is preferred.
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