Scheduled Hours

40

Position Summary

The Director of Strategic Initiatives serves as a senior executive leader for the Department of Neuroscience and functions as a principal strategic advisor to the Department Chair. With delegated authority, this role provides department-wide leadership over strategic planning, research growth, communications, advancement integration, innovation, and external partnerships. The position is accountable for translating long-term strategic priorities into executable plans that align financial, operational, and human resources to achieve sustained scientific, educational, and reputational impact.

Represents the Department of Neuroscience in school-level, university-wide, and external initiatives and plays a critical role in positioning the Department as a leader within WashU Medicine and the broader research enterprise.

Job Description

Primary Duties & Responsibilities:

Strategic Leadership & Planning

• Serves as a senior advisor to the Department Chair, exercising delegated authority to advance departmental priorities.
• Leads the development, execution, and monitoring of the Department’s multi-year strategic plan.
• Identifies risks, opportunities, and barriers impacting departmental success and recommend corrective strategies.
• Monitors progress toward strategic goals and ensures accountability for outcomes.
• Champions a collaborative, inclusive research and education culture that supports long-term departmental success.

Strategic Authority and Financial Oversight

• Provides financial oversight for strategic initiatives, including planning and monitoring the use of departmental funds and philanthropic resources.
• Partners with departmental and school leadership on long-range financial modeling related to research growth, faculty recruitment, and sustainability.
• Aligns strategic initiatives with available financial, operational, and human resources.

Research Strategy, Planning & Development

• Provides leadership for research planning and funding strategy across the Department.
• Partners with faculty, grants teams, and Advancement to identify and pursue new funding opportunities.
• Supports the development of center grants, training grants, and interdisciplinary initiatives.
• Builds funding resources supporting graduate students and postdoctoral fellows.
• Guides the Department through changes in the federal funding landscape and their downstream financial impacts.
• Supports faculty in developing high-impact publications and long-term research trajectories.

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Innovation, Commercialization & External Partnerships

• Identifies and advances opportunities for research translation and commercialization.
• Maintains regular engagement with faculty to identify intellectual property, funding needs, and innovation opportunities.
• Serves as liaison to the Office of Technology Management, BioSTL, industry partners, and regional innovation organizations.
• Supports expansion of the Department’s intellectual property and patent portfolio.
• Identifies and addresses barriers to commercialization and industry engagement.

Communications, Advancement & External Engagement

• Provides functional leadership for departmental communications, marketing, and reputation management.
• Partners with Medical Marketing & Communications, Advancement, and University stakeholders to promote departmental research and achievements.
• Oversees departmental websites, newsletters, and digital communications, including new faculty websites.
• Leads in the development of public-facing events and programs that communicate scientific impact.
• Guides preparation of award nominations, promotion materials, and high-level presentations for the Chair.
• Strengthens alumni engagement strategies and external stakeholder networks.

Organizational & Functional Leadership

• Provides functional and matrix leadership across communications, research development, advancement coordination, and innovation activities.
• Leads cross-functional teams in executing complex, high-impact initiatives.
• Serves as a member of the Department’s executive leadership