Director, SOM Faculty Programs & Development - 139428

UC San Diego Health Sciences is a top ranking, future oriented organization. The Health Sciences academic enterprise is comprised of the School of Medicine, Skaggs School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences, and the Wertheim School of Public Health.

Within the UC San Diego School of Medicine, there are approximately 20 departments, 1,700+ faculty, 600 students, and 1,000 residents and fellows. We offer challenging career opportunities in a fast-paced and innovative environment. We are looking for top talent that possess the personal characteristics of integrity, strategic thinking, intellectual curiosity, collaboration and teamwork. The Office of the Dean embraces and follows a progressive philosophy of career-path development for its employees.

Under general direction, the Director, School of Medicine Faculty Programs and Development provides strategic leadership for professionalism, academic and faculty affairs, and leadership development across the School of Medicine (SOM). Serving as a key advisor and partner to the Associate Dean of Professionalism, Faculty and Academic Affairs (PAF), the Dean, department chairs, and other senior leaders, the position shapes culture, ensures alignment with institutional standards, and drives high-visibility initiatives that strengthen SOM's academic and operational excellence.

Key Responsibilities:

Professional Leadership

• In conjunction with the Associate Dean, PAF, leads the development and oversight of a SOM-wide professionalism framework, ensuring consistent standards, accountability, and alignment with institutional values.
• Serves as a senior staff leader and central point of contact for complex professionalism and academic affairs matters with significant institutional risk.
• Provides strategic leadership on risk mitigation, policy interpretation, and operating guidance within academic and faculty affairs for SOM departments in partnership with campus and health system stakeholders.
• Collaborates closely with health human resources, university legal, academic affairs and other key offices on process and policy.

Leadership Recruitment, Onboarding, Development & Evaluation

• Assesses and defines SOM leadership development needs, particularly for senior leaders and direct reports to the Dean.
• Partners with the Dean, Associate Dean PAF and other senior dean's office leadership to design and implement leadership development initiatives, including collaboration with external partners and other UC San Diego schools, including the Rady School of Management.
• Leads the strategic components of department chair five-year reviews, focusing on leadership effectiveness, alignment, and future-state planning. Responsible for overall process oversight and continued development.
• Provides leadership direction for chair recruitments and teams responsible for recruitments, including external partners
• Creates and oversees onboarding programs for new chairs and senior leaders, ensuring early effectiveness, alignment, and cultural integration.

Faculty Affairs, Development & Engagement

• Provides SOM-wide oversight of faculty affairs and development, ensuring programs and strategies are responsive to faculty and leadership needs.Direct development of:
• Faculty workshops and development concepts
• Faculty engagement strategies and tools
• Faculty recognition initiatives that reinforce excellence and organizational culture
• Collaborate closely with VCHS Faculty Affairs and other key partners.

General academic affairs leadership

• Analyze, interpret and advise on complex academic affairs issues that rise to the level of the Dean. Partner with experts in VCHS academic affairs to understand paths forward and advise the Dean and ADPAF on next steps. As needed, personally oversee related processes and apprise Dean and APDAF
• Provide high-level strategic leadership in partnership with VCHS academic affairs and the UC Health Compensation Committee on faculty compensation practices across the School of Medicine, including benchmarking and long-range planning. Oversee chair and SOM senior leadership compensation setting in conjunction with dean and other senior staff leadership in SOM.

This role requires a recognized functional expert who regularly leads academic human resources projects of criticality to the organization. Utilizes comprehensive and in-depth academic human resources expertise to provide guidance and recommendations regarding strategic direction to the organization and its executives. Works on academic HR matters that are the most diverse and complex in scope, requiring analysis of many factors and development of solutions with broad implications for the organization. Determines methods and procedures on new assignments. Is considered a subject matter expert of the organization and often recognized as an expert throughout the UC system.

• Expert knowledge of and ability to interpret and apply systemwide and organization policies and procedures which govern academic HR.

• Thorough and broad knowledge of organization and School goals, priorities, and values, and the legal and human implications of decisions.

• Sensitivity to the diverse perspectives and political circumstances within all levels of the organization, as well as Office of the President and various external institutions and agencies.

• In-depth knowledge of trends in academia, especially in areas of academic planning, human resource management and administration.

• Demonstrated experience managing complex, high-risk personnel and employee relations matters, including faculty, union-represented and non-union workforces, with knowledge of academic appointments, promotion processes, and Academic Senate, etc.

• Ability to analyze highly sensitive and complex management issues; develop project scope and solutions; provide professional advice to organization executives and other senior officials; make critical decisions and effective recommendations.

• Ability and proven experience to communicate complex information effectively and persuasively, both verbally and in writing, with diverse audiences throughout the organizational community.

• Creativity and flexibility in approaching unique problems, as well as an understanding of the wider organization and university context in which these problems must be addressed.

• Demonstrated leadership, initiative, tact, and planning skills.

• Expert level political acumen.

• Extensive experience managing projects, prioritizing initiatives, and delegating responsibilities to ensure timely and successful execution of tasks.

• Experience directly interfacing with faculty on Academic Personnel issues.

• Relevant experience within a school of medicine.

• University of California experience.

• Experience advising and partnering with senior academic leadership regarding faculty affairs.

• Employment is subject to a criminal background check.