Job Description

Chief Administrative Officer

The University of Texas at Austin is undertaking a once-in-a-generation transformation to build a world-class academic health system in Central Texas. Anchored by Dell Medical School and the growing UT Health Austin clinical enterprise, this bold initiative is redefining how academic medicine delivers care, accelerates discovery, educates future healthcare leaders, and improves health across the communities we serve.

As UT Dell Medical School continues its rapid growth and advances toward development of a new academic medical center and hospital, the organization is making foundational investments that will shape its future. Success will require modern infrastructure, scalable operations, innovative technologies, strong financial stewardship, and an administrative platform capable of supporting growth across clinical care, research, and education.

Within this environment, UT Dell Medical School seeks a Chief Administrative Officer (CAO) to serve as the administrative dyad partner to the Dean and Senior Vice President for Medical Affairs. Reporting directly to the Dean/SVPMA, the CAO provides strategic and operational leadership for administration, shared services, organizational development, and enterprise execution. The CAO helps translate institutional vision into operational reality while building the capabilities, systems, and culture required to support a premier academic health system.

This executive will oversee key administrative functions including finance, human resources, information technology, facilities, development, marketing and communications, compliance, legal affairs, and other shared services. As a member of the senior leadership team, the CAO will play a critical role in shaping organizational strategy, executing growth initiatives, driving operational excellence, and ensuring the long-term sustainability of the enterprise.

At UT Dell Medical School and UT Health Austin, we are not simply growing an organization. We are creating the next generation of academic medicine in Central Texas.

This is an opportunity to join the organization during a defining period of expansion and help shape the future of an academic health system designed to transform health, education, research, and patient care.

Our mission and culture are grounded in:

• Excellence
• Innovation
• Impact
• Collaboration
• Compassion
• Humility
• Stewardship
• Altruism

As Chief Administrative Officer, you will have the opportunity to:

• Help build a destination academic medical center and integrated health system
• Serve as the primary administrative partner to the Dean and Senior Vice President for Medical Affairs
• Lead administration and shared services during a period of significant growth and transformation
• Develop the organizational structure, capabilities, and operating model needed to support future expansion
• Drive operational excellence while advancing education, clinical care, and research priorities
• Shape enterprise strategy, workforce modernization, and AI-enabled transformation initiatives
• Partner with executive leaders, faculty, physicians, researchers, and community stakeholders to advance organizational goals
• Create an environment that attracts, develops, and retains exceptional talent
• Build a high-performing culture aligned with Dell Medical School values and strategic priorities

The ideal candidate is an accomplished healthcare executive who combines strategic vision with operational excellence. You have experience leading complex organizations through growth, change, and transformation while creating administrative infrastructure that enables long-term success.

You understand the unique dynamics of academic medicine and can effectively balance the priorities of clinical care, education, research, and financial performance. You bring strong business acumen, exceptional leadership skills, and the ability to build trust across diverse stakeholder groups.

You are equally comfortable developing strategy and executing against it. You thrive in evolving environments, embrace innovation, and have a demonstrated ability to build organizational capabilities that scale alongside growth.

You bring:

• Broad expertise in healthcare administration and large-scale organizational leadership
• Experience leading complex, matrixed healthcare organizations
• Strong financial management, operational, and strategic planning capabilities
• Success overseeing large administrative and shared service functions
• Experience supporting organizational growth, facility development, and expansion initiatives
• Demonstrated ability to drive innovation, workforce transformation, and operational modernization
• A collaborative leadership style that builds alignment across diverse constituencies
• Excellent communication, relationship-building, and executive influencing skills
• Experience operating within academic medicine, healthcare delivery organizations, or integrated health systems

Required Qualifications:

• Master's degree in Finance, Accounting, Business Administration, Healthcare Administration, or a related field.
• Minimum of 10 years of progressive senior-level healthcare administrative leadership experience.
• Demonstrated success leading large teams and complex organizational initiatives.
• Experience developing and executing strategic and operational plans within complex healthcare environments.
• Experience overseeing large-scale administrative functions, operations, and shared services.
• Proven ability to drive organizational performance, growth, and operational excellence.

Relevant education and experience may be substituted as appropriate.

Preferred Qualifications:

• Fifteen or more years of senior healthcare leadership experience.
• Experience supporting development of new sites of care, major capital projects, hospital activation, or health system expansion.
• Demonstrated success applying artificial intelligence and automation within healthcare operations.
• Experience within a university-based academic medical center or major academic health system.
• Healthcare executive certification such as Certified Healthcare Executive (CHE) or equivalent.

The Chief Administrative Officer reports directly to the Dean and Senior Vice President for Medical Affairs and serves as a key member of the senior leadership team. The CAO provides leadership and oversight for administrative and shared service functions across the organization and works closely with executive leaders, department chairs, faculty leaders, and operational teams to advance strategic priorities.

Salary Range: OPEN

Working Conditions:

• Standard office environment
• Repetitive use of a keyboard

Required Materials:

• Resume/CV
• 3 work references with their contact information; at least one reference should be from a supervisor
• Letter of interest

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