Position Description – Administrative Director, Childrens Hospital Los Angeles - Saban Research Institute

The Hospital

Founded in 1901, Childrens Hospital Los Angeles (CHLA) is a global resource for advanced pediatric care, research and medical education. Each year this non-profit 314-bed hospital treats nearly 300,000 patient visits per year, from newborn to 21 years of age with specialized, multidisciplinary care in 33 pediatric subspecialties and dozens of special services for children and families in pediatric and adolescent medicine. Training programs at Childrens Hospital Los Angeles include 250 medical students, 80 full-time residents and 65 fellows, who collectively reflect the diversity of the patient population and the city of Los Angeles. CHLA has been affiliated with the Keck School of Medicine of the University of Southern California for more than 70 years.

The Saban Research Institute

The Saban Research Institute of Childrens Hospital Los Angeles, created in 1993, and re-named in 2003, is affiliated with the highly prestigious the Keck School of Medicine of the University of Southern California. The Institute is among the fastest growing, largest and most productive pediatric research centers in the United States. The level of extramural funding, which in 2003 reached $29 million, represents an increase for the 5th consecutive year, which places the Institute sixth in the nation in federal funding for pediatric research at stand-alone pediatric facilities. The Funding supports 234 projects from a total of 91 independent investigators. Funding is received from federal sources like the National Institutes of Health, the Department of Defense, and the Center for Disease Control and Prevention, which continues to represent the majority of funding of these awards (78%). This has been a significant year for the Institute as it received a $40 million cash gift, the largest ever made in its history. This recent expansion represents an increase of 50% in research space and 45% in faculty.

The Institute is comprised of two buildings, the Smith Research Tower and the Saban Research Institute Building which was completed in June 2003. The Institute provides over 120,000 square feet of space.

The Mission Statement of the Research Institute at Childrens Hospital Los Angeles is to “foster an environment of scientific excellence where biomedical research will lead to discoveries involving the molecular and clinical understanding of childhood development and the implementation of procedures to diagnose, treat, and prevent pediatric diseases and promote child health.”

The base of knowledge at The Saban Research Institute of Childrens Hospital Los Angeles is widely considered to be among the best in pediatric medicine as it is one of the few freestanding research centers in the nation to combine scientific laboratory inquiry with patient clinical care dedicated exclusively to children.

Leadership

The Director of the Institute is Dr. Yves A. De Clerck. The director is responsible for establishing the overall directions and priorities of the Institute, for identifying scientific and strategic goals and methods to meet these goals. He is responsible for the allocation of the intramural budget of the Institute and for fundraising goals, and for establishing policies. The director is advised by the Research Institute Council that is composed of Program and Initiative Leaders and key administrative personnel, including the Administrative Director. The director of the Institute reports directly to the Hospital CEO and indirectly to the Chief of Pediatrics and Vice President for Academic Affairs. Dr. Yves De Clerck is a pediatric hematologist-oncologist and Professor of Pediatrics, Biochemistry and Molecular Biology at the USC Keck School of Medicine. He is leading an NIH-funded research program in cancer biology at CHLA. He is a full member of the NIH Scientific Review Board and an Associate Editor of several cancer journals. He has authored more than 90 scientific publications. He has been the director of the Institute since 1995.

Position Description

The position of Administrative Director of the Saban Research Institute reports to the Vice President of Research and indirectly to the Chief Executive Officer of CHLA. He or she will play a key role in achieving the Institute’s objective to effective growth and continue to be a global leader in pediatric care and research. The successful candidate will be an" administrative leader" with the ability to adopt the "scientific vision' established by the faculty and the director.

The Administrative Director will oversee the activities of the Corporate Relations and Technology Transfer in the commercialization of scientific discoveries, the Research Institute Office and The Office of Extramural Grants, a newly formed function.

As the expansion of the Institute continues and its research efforts in the area of clinical research increases, the Institute will require an administrator who can develop and implement a parallel expansion of the research infrastructure to achieve research, funding and organizational goals. The successful candidate will provide the leadership traits, skill-set and the vision needed to provide a more customer-oriented mentality within the research administration. The right person will have a proven track record in introducing successful change needed to implement a business-like approach with the faculty and staff.

The Administrative Director will support and foster an environment to encourage the submission of grants to federal agencies and corporations. The recent expansion of the research space requires an increase in Public Relations activity, and it is a key responsibility of the successful candidate to enhance the reputation and the story of CHLA and the Institute. The successful candidate will develop strategies to provide better information on extramural funding to Academic Affairs, Departments and Divisions in regard to research grants to allow these units to be fiscally accountable. As regulations in conducting research become increasingly complex, it becomes critical that the Director insures the Research Institute remains in compliance.

Administrative Responsibilities

• Responsible for the daily operation of the Institute
  
• Responsible for the budgeting and financial management of the Institute
  
• Develop Management Reports for senior management and other key decision makers
  
• Work with the Vice President, Research to manage the space of the Institute
  
• Maintains a close working relationship with the Controller and the Accounting specialist for the research and educational programs
  
• Responsible for personnel management of the program, including hiring and firing, in consultation with Human Resources
  
• Set-up clear expectations for staff members and provide feedback to enhance staff performance
  
• Work with the Accounting staff to ensure timely and accurate monthly closings, including the preparation of the monthly financial statements
  
• Overseas the work of outside legal counsel and reviewing and approving invoices for outside legal services in consultation with the CHLA General Counsel
  
• Generation of accurate reports on active, pending and terminated grants, grant preparation assistance, business management reports and setting institutional priorities
  
• Ensure compliance pertaining to grants and contracts and other sources of funding
  
• Serve as liaison for the special funds aspect of the financial audit and audit grants
  
• Provide maximum audit assistance in order to achieve audit free savings
  
• Management of the internal education programs of the Institute

Scientific Support Responsibilities

• Build a positive and productive relationship with the Principal Investigators, Division Heads, Department Heads and the Department Managers in order to improve the quality of service and to meet faculty expectations
  
• Respond in a timely fashion to procurement requests, training requests and development calendar activities for various organizational tasks
  
• Advocacy in the area of institutional research policy or policy articulation
  
• Address the real and perceived service problems of the Principle Investigators and serve as the champion to improve faculty satisfaction in this area

Public Relations Responsibilities

• Work closely with the Vice President, Communications to develop and mange a program of public relations and communications related to the activities of the Institute and its faculty, including a quarterly newsletter
  
• Represent the Research Institute with Board Committees, support groups and other external organizations, when called on to do so
  
• Collaborate with the staff of the CHLA Foundation in fund development activities, including presentations of research activities to potential donors
  
• Organizing research conferences and educational programs for the scientific community
  
• Develop and implement programs and actions to encourage research support by private businesses and foundations

Traits and Characteristics

The Director will be an insightful, articulate, accomplished and persuasive leader as evidenced through success in significant and appropriate administrative positions. The Director will have the vision and experience to identity and pursue entrepreneurial opportunities to bolster CHLA’s technology transfer successes to new levels and to address successfully the changes and challenges facing technology transfer. The Director will have demonstrated creativity and openness to innovation and experimentation in support of scientific research. He or she will be experienced at handling day-to-day details and implementation as well as at planning strategically for long-term development.

He or she must have the ability to work collegially and collaboratively with diverse internal and external constituencies. A broad-based knowledge of and background in intellectual property law and research methods is important, the Director should have a conceptual understanding of the role of medical technology as it applies to medical research.

The successful candidate will be an entrepreneur, able to envision the many outcomes and avenues available to CHLA’s technology transfer endeavors. He or she will be proactive in seeking out suitable markets and savvy about what entities are already involved in each market. The ideal candidate should have a broad understanding of new product development and biological processes and familiar with product development and licensing using print media, CD-ROM and other avenues.

The successful candidate's communication style should be diplomatic and direct, but not confrontational. He or she must be able to articulate clear, strategic, tangible goals for the organization, negotiate agreements where each party benefits, and can deliver an honest assessment of the level of achievement of those goals. The traits of an ambassador are highly desired.

Education and Credentials

A MBA and/or a law degree are highly preferred. A Bachelors Degree will require relevant career experience and accomplishments that are the equivalent to an advanced degree. This position requires five or more years of demonstrated progressive management experience. While candidates with other backgrounds and experience will be considered, it is anticipated that the successful candidate will be a superb administrator and possesses a high degree of business acumen in business administration and marketing. Experience in a non-profit research facility, ideally with health implications is highly desirable. Some biomedical understanding and an entrepreneurial approach to technology transfer is strongly preferred.

Opportunity

The Saban Research Institute will provide the successful candidate with an exceptional opportunity to assume the business related functions of a rapidly growing, highly respected, prestigious and unique research organization with national and international scope and responsibilities. This position is a high profile opportunity that will allow the successful candidate significant exposure to the scientific, business and biotechnology communities, worldwide. The Administrative Director of the Saban Research Institute will share in this growth and will have the opportunity for career growth that mirrors the success of the Institute.

Compensation

The compensation plan is based on a competitive base salary commensurate with the experience and the demonstrated accomplishments of the successful candidate, and will reflect the opportunity at the Company. The organization has an excellent employee benefits package, consisting of medical coverage, a dental plan, life insurance, and a 401k program.

Back to Index of Position Descriptions...


Home | About Us | The Team | Search Process | Clients | Searches | Position Descriptions | Contact