Director, Research Core Operations

GENERAL SUMMARY/ OVERVIEW STATEMENT:
The Ragon Institute is a highly unique, innovative and collaborative research center at the forefront of biomedical science. Founded by Massachusetts General Hospital, MIT, and Harvard, the Ragon vision is a bold one: to harness the power of the immune system to prevent and cure human disease on a global scale. This vision is pursued and advanced every day by a group of highly motivated individuals. The Ragon Institute, at every level, depends upon collaboration, compassion, dedication, and innovation.It is a results-oriented organization that seeks people who not only embrace these values, but who thrive in teams and want to work in a dynamic environment.
In this newly developed role, the Director of Research Support Services will be an integral part in the evolution of our organization as it pertains to our centralized research services.Reporting to the Scientific Director and Executive Director, the Director of Research Support Services will provide strategic input, coordination, supervisory and operational oversight, and fiscal and budgetary advice for all the Ragon Institute's shared Research Cores and platforms including but not limited to:

• Biospecimen Repository / Cellular Immunology Database
• Biostatistics Platform
• BSL3 Core
• Clinical Platform / Processing Lab / GCLP / Tissue Platform
• Flow Core
• Humanized Mouse Core
• Imaging
• Protein Production Platform
• Vivarium

The successful candidate will have evident management skills, thrive on creating new processes, enjoy collaborating with multi-disciplinary teams, and be passionate about scientific challenges.They will be a strategic thought partner and a trusted advisor to the Ragon Executive Team as well as Faculty.Specifically, they will devise a centralized support services strategy and build an infrastructure to support the advancement of the Ragon research mission.
PRINCIPAL DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES:
Scientific and Operational Leadership

• Devise a strategy and build an infrastructure to support a rapidly growing research institute.
• Compare the core to peer institutions' resources through benchmarking studies
• Identify appropriate facility operating metrics and regularly analyze data.
• Develop process to track core utilization and optimization.
• Advise the Executive Team and Faculty regarding the scientific appropriateness and value of current / new cores and platforms.
• Develop business plans for new cores and provide support to assist during the start-up period
• Assist current cores / platforms in the business planning process, including budgeting, development of user fees (if applicable) and volume projections
• Advise the space committee around the physical space requirements for institutional shared Research Cores.
• Create and implement best practices for core / platform management; monitor and identify opportunities for process improvement.
• Coordinate with other operational areas (e.g., lab safety, facilities) as needed to improve operational efficiency.
• Oversee workflow and policy development.
• Ensure compliance with MGH, Ragon, and US Federal regulations as they apply to core facilities
• Serve on advisory committees, as needed.

Financial Oversight

• Collaborate with the Ragon Finance Team and advise the Core Directors in creating long and short-term business plans and yearly budgets.
• Monitor budgets to ensure fiscal solvency.
• Report on individual core performances; investigate and provide resolution options to remedy variances from expected to actual business and performance indicators.

Communications Oversight

• Create educational opportunities and venues for Core Directors and personnel to meet and share best practices to promote operation at the highest possible level.
• Develop and disseminate communications around Ragon Core / Platform capabilities, pricing and availability.
• Present programmatic and financial data analysis on core performance.
• Possess excellence in communication skills and written and verbal reporting.
• Promote use of the Cores / Platforms.

Human Resources / Supervisory Oversight

• Meet with core directors and faculty advisors regularly.
• Work effectively with the Executive Team, the Ragon faculty and technical staff within each core.
• Lead cross-functional partner teams to ensure that joint objectives are met, and efforts are aligned.
• Support Core Directors and HR business partner on any personnel related matters.

Qualifications
QUALIFICATIONS:

• Bachelor's Degree in Biological Sciences and a minimum of 10 years of management experience in healthcare or laboratory environment with previous experience in a lab.
• Master's or PhD Degree, +5 years management experience preferred.
• Prior experience in academic setting highly preferred.

SKILLS/ ABILITIES/ COMPETENCIES REQUIRED:

• Experience in management, program development and assessment
• Experience in politically sensitive organizations and work groups
• Effectively multitasks
• High political acumen
• Strong work ethic
• Strong analytic and quantitative skills
• Very good organizational skills
• Excellent attention to detail
• Ability to mentor and supervise staff effectively
• Effective presentation skills for conveying data and information to Principal Investigators and administrative staff
• Ability to take initiative and solve problems and make decisions quickly and independently
• Ability to work well independently and in a team
• Very strong interpersonal skills, including both verbal and written communication

EEO Statement
Massachusetts General Hospital is an Equal Opportunity Employer. By embracing diverse skills, perspectives and ideas, we choose to lead. Applications from protected veterans and individuals with disabilities are strongly encouraged.