Program Operations Specialist

The Department of Psychiatry & Behavioral Sciences within the UW School of Medicine currently has an outstanding opportunity for a Program Operations Specialist to join their team. 

About this Opportunity

Reporting to Athena Wong, the Program Operations Specialist is responsible for providing centralized leadership and coordination for the Boise Psychiatry Residency Program, ensuring efficient operations, regulatory compliance, and high‑quality training across multiple institutions and sites. It serves as a key liaison between UW, affiliated training programs, and external stakeholders, enabling program leadership to focus on education and trainee development. By managing operations, accreditation, and resources, the role directly supports the program’s ability to train psychiatrists and strengthen the regional mental health workforce. 

The position worksite will be located at the Boise, Idaho VA Medical Center.

Key Responsibilities 

• Oversee Day‑to‑Day Residency Program Operations: Coordinate schedules, trainee appointments, onboarding/offboarding, records management, and communications to ensure smooth program function across UW, VA, and affiliated sites (30%).

• Manage Accreditation and Regulatory Compliance: Maintain ACGME documentation, prepare for site visits and reviews, track citations, and ensure adherence to UW, state, and federal training requirements (15%).

• Administer Evaluation Systems and Clinical Competency Committee Processes: Coordinate milestone evaluations, compile trainee performance data, and support assessment workflows for residents and fellows (10%).

• Lead Recruitment and Selection Activities: Manage ERAS/NRMP processes, coordinate interviews, oversee application review logistics, and ensure compliance with recruitment policies (10%).

• Coordinate Curriculum and Educational Programming: Support didactic schedules, learning platforms, exams, and program events to ensure delivery of required curriculum and educational activities (10%).

• Serve as Liaison and Provide Stakeholder Coordination: Act as the primary administrative point of contact among program leadership, trainees, UW GME, VA, and affiliated training sites (8%).

• Manage Program Budget and Financial Operations: Develop and track budgets, oversee expenditures, manage payroll and funding allocations, and ensure compliance with financial policies (7%).

• Provide Operational Analysis and Program Improvement Support: Analyze program data, support leadership decision‑making, and implement process improvements and quality initiatives (5%).

• Supervise Administrative Processes and Personnel: Oversee administrative workflows, provide guidance to staff, and support hiring and personnel-related activities (5%).

Required Qualifications 

To be considered for this opportunity your application must demonstrate you meet both the minimum qualifications and additional qualifications listed below. Equivalent education and/or experience may substitute for minimum qualifications except when there are legal requirements, such as a license, certification, and/or registration. 

Minimum Qualifications 

• Bachelor’s Degree in Business Administration, Education, a health-related discipline or a related field, AND a minimum of 3 years of relevant experience in graduate medical education or a higher education environment.

• Applicants who do not meet these qualifications WILL NOT be forwarded to the Hiring Manager. 

Additional Qualifications 

• Demonstrated success in management of complex programs, activities, or units.

• Must have an interest in medical education and the desire to work in a health care setting.

• Must be comfortable working independently and in a collaborative team environment consisting of diverse populations of staff, faculty, residents/fellows, and other administrative personnel.

• Facility with email, internet, and web access.

• Professional communication style and presentation.

• Proficient knowledge of Microsoft Products (Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook) and Access and/or other database programs; knowledge of Office 365 suite, including PowerApps and Power Automate, preferred.

• Excellent communication skills and ability to work with diverse communities.

• Time management, multi-tasking, detail-oriented, and organizational skills.

• Positive attitude to thrive and succeed in a fast-paced environment.

Preferred Qualifications 

• Experience working with the public or representing an organization to other organizations.

• Experience with web editing tools such as Wordpress.

• Previous experience working in GME and at the University of Washington.

• Familiarity with ACGME, VA Office of Academic Affiliations (OAA), AAMC, and other accrediting and regulatory bodies that affect resident and fellow education and training.

• Exhibit problem-solving and decision-making skills and willingness to be proactive and take initiative.

About the Team 

The Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences within the UW School of Medicine is the third largest clinical department within the School of Medicine with 330 full-time faculty members, 460 courtesy faculty members, and over 350 staff. Department faculty provide clinical services in 5 hospitals, 14 primary care locations, and several outpatient sites in addition to telepsychiatry consultations to more than 150 clinics in Washington and beyond. As the only academic psychiatry department serving the five state WWAMI region (Washington, Wyoming, Alaska, Montana, Idaho), the Department’s highly competitive residency training program is largely responsible for developing the mental health workforce in the Pacific Northwest. The Department’s robust research portfolio totals $65 million in grants and contracts per year for projects ranging from clinical neurosciences to treatment development to health policy and population health. The Department’s research mission involves over 100 faculty. The Department is recognized as an international leader in developing, testing, and implementing Collaborative Care, an integrated care model increasingly seen as a solution for population-based mental health care. Other areas of excellence include Addictions, Autism, High Risk Youth, Neurosciences, and Trauma, and the Department is developing innovative new programs in Technology and Mental Health, Global Mental Health, Maternal and Child Mental Health, and Targeted Intervention Development. Psychiatry is the third largest department in the School of Medicine and the largest non-divisioned department. The overall annual operations funding from all sources is over $150 million. 

Placement in the range will depend on a candidate’s job-related skills, experience, and expertise, as evaluated during the interview process.