Department: MED-Ctr for Community Health
Salary/Grade: EXS/8
Job Summary:
The Center for Community Health (CCH) catalyzes and supports meaningful engagement of communities, patients, and stakeholders across the research spectrum. This work takes many forms but is steadily guided by the principles of collaboration, respect, health equity, transparency, and impact. Relationships are the foundation for our work, resulting in the rich exchange of expertise spanning science, culture, neighborhoods, environment, practice, and policy. Research skills, pragmatic knowledge, and lived experience combine to inform culturally and community-centered solutions for addressing real-world health and healthcare challenges.
Center Administrator Job Overview:
We are seeking to fill the vacant Center Administrator positon for the Center for Community Health (CCH). The Center Administrator will report to the CCH Director and work closely with administrative staff from Northwestern University Clinical and Translational Science Institute (NUCATS) and the Institute for Public Health and Medicine (IPHAM) as well as faculty and staff within CCH. The Center Administrator will oversee all administrative activities for CCH, including serving as a liaison with Human Resources, overseeing space and IT needs for CCH, coordinating CCH faculty meetings and special events, and ensuring that all CCH written and online descriptions are updated. The Center Administrator will also oversee all fiscal responsibilities, including preparing yearly CCH budgets, tracking expenditures throughout the year for multiple programs that fall within CCH, and overseeing non-sponsored accounts. The Center Administrator will also help with special projects and initiatives, as needed.
Please note: Supervisor provides overall objectives & in consultation with EE develops deadlines. Work is reviewed for fulfillment of objectives & overall compliance with policy & procedures. EE completes majority of activities without direction; consulting with supervisor only in regard to new or unusual circumstances.
Specific Responsibilities:
Areas of Responsibility
- Budget & Financial
- Communications & Outreach
- Facilities & Safety
- Faculty Support
- Grants & Contracts
- Human Resources
- IT Services
- Regulatory Compliance
- Strategic Planning
Work Complexity:
- EE uses judgment & an extensive amount of experience to adapt an advanced knowledge of skills, methods, practices, policies & procedures & a moderate degree of innovation, analysis, & reasoning to plan & prioritize work that is primarily project oriented & involves some extremely difficult problems &/or decisions.
- EE interprets policy.
Budget & Financial:
- Serves a primary role in the development & implementation of annual budget including fiscal resource allocation of appropriated, discretionary, endowment & gift revenues.
- Typically involved in the budget management of numerous research grants.
- Responsible for payroll, purchasing, travel & entertainment (T&E) transactions & requesting new chartstrings using NU protocol.
- Prepares faculty salary recovery & summer salary.
- Creates & monitor recharge centers.
- Oversees prompt payment of invoices & related research of errors.
- Monitors open encumbrances & deficit chartstrings.
- Routinely reviews & reconciles actual expenses to budget per NU Audit guidelines.
- Approves funds reallocation within budget as necessary & appropriate.
- Responsible to stop an expense that is inappropriate or against deficit chartstring.
- Negotiates with vendors for purchases & leases.
Communications & Outreach:
- Delegates or completes maintenance of alumni lists or database; production, edit &/or distribution of newsletter; &/or management of website, & special events.
- Facilities & Safety:
- Monitors area facilities conditions & directs requests to Facilities Management using FAMIS.
- Maintains key database & security.
- Works with management to assign staff &/or faculty space including appropriate FM refresh/renovation & furniture purchase.
- Coordinates set up of furniture, data, phone lines, &/or renovations.
- Brings requests for building & space improvements to attention of management.
- Completes appropriate section of annual SIMS survey following NU protocol.
- Manages the development & communication of department safety plan.
- Monitors research lab compliance & respond to Risk Management reports.
- Ensures communication with Principal Investigators (PIs) regarding ISIS participation.
Faculty Support:
- Manages administration of faculty recruitment including ads, candidate communication, interview & visit
- Interprets & applies policy & procedure.
- Oversees colloquium & seminar coordination, faculty travel planning.
Grants & Contracts:
- Oversees &/or completes pre- & post-award research administration.
- Utilizes established systems (effort reporting, direct cost charging/SDA, & financial reporting) to ensure compliance with all applicable regulations.
- Interacts with Principal Investigators (PIs) to build relationships, transfer knowledge & advise on research policies & procedures.
- Oversees payroll for research appointments.
- Ensures faculty completion of effort certification.
- Provides appropriate training for staff & PIs.
Human Resources:
- Manages implementation of human resource programs, policies, procedures & talent management lifecycle & related mentoring & training.
- Posts positions to eRecruit, leads the recruitment & selection process.
- Manages area/unit structure & prioritizes & distributes staff workload.
- Oversees Performance Excellence plan for each employee & prepares annual review.
- Manages performance problems, administers leaves, approves timesheets & oversees completion of annual staff Conflict of Interest survey.
- Recommends complex HR solutions & implements decisions.
- Institutes departmental policy & implements school & NU policy.
IT Services:
- Acts as liaison to IT to ensure technology systems are properly installed & maintained & meet the informational, analytical & computing needs of users.
- Ensures necessary hardware, software & network infrastructure services are appropriated from central or internal IT.
- Issues work order requests for maintenance, repairs & upgrades.
Regulatory Compliance:
- Manages implementation of all safety, security & compliance programs & ensures compliance with all applicable federal, state, local & NU laws, regulations, policies & procedures.
- Develops innovative methods to assist faculty & staff with adherence to grantor compliance programs.
Strategic Planning:
- Manages & implements strategic operation plans.
- Reviews plans, meets with leadership & key faculty & staff, & recommends changes & improvements to administrative operations to better meet organizational needs & objectives.
Supervisory:
- Supervises 2 or more staff &/or provide work direction to others.
- Provides direction to or coordinate administrative effort of staff within or outside of immediate dept or division.
Miscellaneous
Performs other duties as assigned.
Minimum Qualifications:
Minimum Competencies: (Skills, knowledge, and abilities.)
Familiarity with Northwestern financial systems
Experience with grant pre- and post-award budget processes
Exceptional writing and organizational skills
Excellent written and verbal communication
Excellent leadership and management skills
Strong communication and interpersonal skills
Ability to take initiative
Ability to "manage up"
Comfortable collaborating with people of all levels with different education, experience and fields of study, including external community stakeholders
Human Resources and Finance experience
Preferred Qualifications:
Target hiring range for this position will be between $70,017 to $98,462 per year. Offered salary will be determined by the applicant's education, experience, knowledge, skills and abilities, as well as internal equity and alignment with market data.
Benefits:
At Northwestern, we are proud to provide meaningful, competitive, high-quality health care plans, retirement benefits, tuition discounts and more! Visit us at https://www.northwestern.edu/hr/benefits/index.html to learn more.
Work-Life and Wellness:
Northwestern offers comprehensive programs and services to help you and your family navigate life's challenges and opportunities, and adopt and maintain healthy lifestyles.
We support flexible work arrangements where possible and programs to help you locate and pay for quality, affordable childcare and senior/adult care. Visit us at https://www.northwestern.edu/hr/benefits/work-life/index.html to learn more.
Professional Growth & Development:
Northwestern supports employee career development in all circumstances whether your workspace is on campus or at home. If you're interested in developing your professional potential or continuing your formal education, we offer a variety of tools and resources. Visit us at https://www.northwestern.edu/hr/learning/index.html to learn more.
Northwestern University is an Equal Opportunity Employer and does not discriminate on the basis of protected characteristics, including disability and veteran status. View Northwestern's non-discrimination statement. Job applicants who wish to request an accommodation in the application or hiring process should contact the Office of Civil Rights and Title IX Compliance. View additional information on the accommodations process.
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Northwestern University
$70,017.00 - $98,462.00 / yr
Jan 27, 2026