About St. Jude
There’s a reason St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital consistently earns a Glassdoor Employee Choice Award and is named to its “Best Place to Work” list. At our world-class pediatric research hospital, every one of our professionals shares our commitment to make a difference in the lives of the children we serve. There is a unique bond when you are part of a team that gives their all to advance the treatments and cures of pediatric catastrophic diseases. The result is a collaborative, positive environment where everyone, regardless of their role, receives the resources, support, and encouragement to advance and grow their careers.
Position Overview
The Senior Director of Information Services Administration and Strategic Transformation serves as a key partner to institutional stakeholders, leading the seamless operation and strategic advancement of the Information Services (IS) department. Collaborating closely with the Chief Information Officer (CIO) and IS executive leadership team, this role champions transformative initiatives that elevate the department’s impact and value across the organization.
This position holds accountability for the department’s core operational functions—including budget and financial management, project oversight, governance, communications, outreach, and administrative excellence—ensuring transparent governance and a cohesive communications strategy. The Senior Director also spearheads the development and execution of critical business plans and cross-functional initiatives that drive innovation and efficiency beyond the IS department, influencing broader institutional operations and outcomes.

MINIMUM EDUCATION AND/OR TRAINING:

• Bachelor’s degree required.
• Master’s degree preferred.

MINIMUM EXPERIENCE:

• Twelve (12) years or more progressive experience in business and technology consulting and operations, including seven (7) years in a leadership role, required.
• Five (5) years or more experience in providing management consulting or advisory services to Executive Leadership, e.g., vice president through C-suite levels.
• Experience managing large and complex strategic initiatives comprised of cross-functional teams required.
• Experience managing ongoing operations, leveraging data and metrics, in either healthcare or a similarly complex industry.
• Experience in driving market research and data analysis in the development of strategies and directions for complex problems.
• Demonstrated track record of leadership, working across organizational boundaries, teamwork, and delivering high-impact results.
• Deal negotiation experience between business owners and solution providers.
• Track record of superior communication skills.
• Previous experience in healthcare or an academic environment is preferred but not required.

SPECIAL SKILLS, KNOWLEDGE AND ABILITIES:

• Is able to clearly look for trends in data and draws out simple patterns from complex data and resolves issues.
• Thinks big picture and can connect the dots easily.
• Creates plans and recommendations that reflect an understanding of interactions among key institutional drivers (e.g., financial, patient, operations, people), audiences, content, and timing.
• Builds internal connections and external partnerships across executive/leadership levels.
• Strategically understands stakeholder needs and manages expectations and relationships on a regular basis.
• Can handle highly sensitive or tough situations with social and emotional grace and maturity.
• Models resourcefulness by reaching out to people within and outside functional groups to get work done effectively.
• Keeps large teams/ departments energized and focused on high-quality results by leveraging data/ analytics-based approaches.
• Builds systems, processes, and capabilities that can set and deliver a high-performance culture.
• Drives a culture of efficient budget planning and utilization, grants management and contract management within own department.
• Defines long-term program (s)/department’s budget based on an understanding of all resource variables.
• Builds effective business cases for necessary grants, large contracts, capital, equipment, and technology in line with financial goals of the institution.
• Applies critical thinking to ensure use of right data sources, data quality and sound logic while making data based decisions.
• Demonstrates strong storytelling abilities by synthesizing data creating a compelling narrative to influence decision making at leadership level.
• Proactively creates an environment that encourages data based decision making and systematically drive data skills building within department.
• Sets long term operations management goals for the department and oversees execution, identifying potential risks and influencing senior leaders as needed.
• Identifies ways of optimizing department’s operations through adoption of suitable emerging technologies, methodologies and process improvement.
• Systematically drives capability development of own department, keeping an eye on skills of future.
• Drives and monitors clear goal setting, accountability, and feedback for the department (and matrixed teams). Manages ER issues as they arise.
• Guides performance of direct reports (or indirect if managing people indirectly) through coaching and development.
• Consistently evaluates and addresses the team’s overarching development needs in line with the talent strategy.
• Defines internal procedures, policies, and guidelines for vendor evaluation, contracting, scope management, evaluation, and engagement.
• Participates in critical negotiations for long-term vendor contracts/engagements.
• Addresses complex organizational requirements through systematic vendor planning and ongoing vendor leadership communication.

• Build and maintain extensive network & strategic long term relationships (internally and externally) to facilitate the achievement of operational and administrative goals.
• Engage in strategic communication with internal stakeholders (board, executive leadership, cross-functional leadership etc.) and external stakeholders networks (vendors etc.) to optimally influence organizational outcomes.
• Oversee the execution of departmental and administrative goals by building systems and processes to track progress, identify roadblocks and proactively manage risks.
• Define policies and guidelines for strategic vendor management.
• Drive a culture of continuous improvement for efficient and effective processes in the department by establishing scalable systems and processes.
• Create a culture of learning and development in team through investment in future skills development, promoting feedback, investing personal time in coaching team members etc.
• Convey the vision, goals, and decisions of senior leadership to internal and external stakeholders.
• Collaborate with other departments (HR, Finance, Legal, etc.) to address complex challenges and opportunities that impact the organization as a whole.
• Serves as an active member of the IS leadership team, participating in all levels of strategic planning, priority setting, resource utilization, continuous performance improvement activities and project related activities.
• Responsible for on-going operations of IS department including budgeting and financial management, communications, strategic direction, administrative functions, project management and governance.
• Develops and manages strategic transformation effort which works across the team to research key directions, identify opportunities, and implement necessary changes.
• Works closely with the Chief Information Officer (CIO) on digital strategy development and implementation including necessary internal and external communication efforts.
• Leads, recruits, and retains high caliber professional staff. Provides direction of assigned staff including selection, development, mentoring, coaching, evaluations, and disciplinary actions.
• Represents IS in working with institutional leadership to understand each department’s goals and objectives incorporating them into near- and long-term visions and roadmaps for delivery.
• Drives research, analysis, monitoring, and reporting of industry trends; integrate intelligence to influence strategic decision-making and inspire institutional leadership to enact organizational change.
• Provides thought leadership on structuring complex, ambiguous business problems and brings fact-based, leading-edge thinking, frame works and business tools together in innovative solutions.
• Partners with cross-functional teams to design compelling analyses and build high-impact business cases to inform strategic tradeoffs and decisions.
• Collaborates with the IS leadership team in the alignment of departmental strategic initiatives to those of the institution’s strategic plan and their translation into specific business initiatives.
• Leads and facilitates IS leadership in developing integrated solutions for transformation that include new programs, procedures, and services that are integral to achieving institutional strategic objectives.
• Works together with IS leadership in conveying Information Services’ strategic initiatives and contributions both within the department and across the institution.
• Foster an innovative thinking culture within Information Services of developing new ideas and doing things in a new way then translating them into new processes or products. Influences, inspires, and motivates team members to ‘create a new tomorrow’ for St. Jude.
• Guide IS leadership in the creation and delivery of strategic campaigns that enhance awareness and collaboration for core Information Services initiatives.
• Participate in deriving and executing a strategy for the promotion and increased awareness of Information Services’ support of the St. Jude mission.
• Perform other duties as assigned to meet the goals and objectives of the department and institution.
• Maintains regular and predictable attendance.