WHY UT SOUTHWESTERN?
With over 75 years of excellence in Dallas-Fort Worth, Texas, UT Southwestern is committed to excellence, innovation, teamwork, and compassion. As a world-renowned medical and research center, we strive to provide the best possible care, resources, and benefits for our valued employees. Ranked as the number 1 hospital in Dallas-Fort Worth according to U.S. News & World Report, we invest in you with opportunities for career growth and development to align with your future goals. Our highly competitive benefits package offers healthcare, PTO and paid holidays, on-site childcare, wage, merit increases and so much more. We invite you to be a part of the UT Southwestern team where you’ll discover a culture of teamwork, professionalism, and a rewarding career!

JOB SUMMARY
The Assistant Vice President of Innovation Programs and Partnerships will serve as a senior leader within the Office of the Chief Innovation Officer (CIO), supporting the strategic execution, operational design, and partnership growth of UT Southwestern’s innovation enterprise. This position will drive the alignment and activation of high-priority innovation initiatives across clinical, research, and commercial domains. With experience in healthcare innovation, clinical operations, and cross-sector collaboration, this role will lead the design and execution of transformative programs, establish new external partnerships, and ensure that innovation strategies are integrated into the institution’s clinical and academic missions. The Assistant Vice President will help position UT Southwestern as a national leader in healthcare innovation by building scalable platforms, accelerating internal capabilities, and creating pathways for novel technologies and care models to reach patients and markets.

BENEFITS
UT Southwestern is proud to offer a competitive and comprehensive benefits package to eligible employees. Our benefits are designed to support your overall wellbeing, and include:

• PPO medical plan, available day one at no cost for full-time employee-only coverage
• 100% coverage for preventive healthcare-no copay
• Paid Time Off, available day one
• Retirement Programs through the Teacher Retirement System of Texas (TRS)
• Paid Parental Leave Benefit
• Wellness programs
• Tuition Reimbursement
• Public Service Loan Forgiveness (PSLF) Qualified Employer
• Learn more about these and other UTSW employee benefits!

ESSENTIAL FUNCTIONS

Job Duties

• Strategic Program Leadership:
• Operationalize the strategic priorities of the Office of Innovation through initiative design, program execution, and internal alignment.
• Build, launch, and scale cross-functional innovation programs that support care delivery, clinical research, digital health, diagnostics, and workforce transformation.
• Lead the development of tools, systems, and processes that enable transparency, agility, and institutional alignment across innovation efforts.
• Partnership and Ecosystem Development:
• Cultivate external relationships with startups, industry partners, academic collaborators, and payers to extend the reach and impact of UTSW innovation initiatives.
• Act as the institutional point of contact for key external innovation partnerships, ensuring alignment with UTSW’s strategic, regulatory, and operational goals.
• Identify emerging trends and scout partnership opportunities that bring cutting-edge solutions to UTSW and amplify institutional visibility.
• Clinical and Translational Integration:
• Collaborate with clinical and research leadership to pilot, evaluate, and scale new care models, technologies, and clinical tools.
• Lead the translation of patient-centered concepts into operational pilots that can be validated, measured, and deployed across the health system.
• Build bridges between product innovation and regulatory, market access, and payer strategy.
• Innovation Culture and Enablement:
• Foster a culture of curiosity, experimentation, and responsible risk-taking across the institution.
• Design and deliver capability-building initiatives to equip faculty and staff with the tools to lead and support innovation within their domains.
• Oversee open innovation platforms, crowdsourcing, and idea intake mechanisms to engage the broader UTSW community.
• Resource Stewardship and Performance Metrics:
• Help design resource allocation models and investment strategies that support high-potential innovation efforts, including pilot funds and seed-stage development.
• Develop dashboards and KPIs to track initiative progress, impact, and strategic fit.
• Ensure efficient use of institutional resources while promoting a portfolio mindset across innovation activities.

QUALIFICATIONS

Education and Experience

Required

• Education
  Bachelor’s Degree in a health-related, scientific, business, or innovation-focused discipline

• Experience
  10 years in healthcare leadership roles, with substantial experience in clinical operations, product development, or innovation strategy.
  Demonstrated success in leading complex programs, building cross-functional teams, and managing external partnerships in healthcare, life sciences, or academic medical centers.

Preferred

• Education
  Advanced degree (e.g., MPH, MBA, MS)

Knowledge, Skills and Abilities

• Strong background in strategic planning, innovation program management, and partnership development.
• Deep understanding of healthcare markets, clinical trials, payer dynamics, and regulatory pathways.
• Exceptional interpersonal and leadership skills, with the ability to influence at all levels of the organization.
• Proven ability to drive innovation from concept to execution and scale, in both startup and institutional settings.
• Highly organized, mission-driven, and collaborative in style.

PHYSICAL DEMANDS/WORKING CONDITIONS

• Physical Demands
  Talking

• Working Conditions
  Office Setting

PACT STATEMENT

The following is the acronym, “PACT”, and is fundamental to all non-clinical positions at UT Southwestern Medical Center:

• P-Problem Solving: Employees take ownership in solving problems effectively, efficiently, and to the satisfaction of customers, or managers. They show initiative in addressing areas of concern before they become problems.
• A-Ability, Attitude and Accountability: Employees exhibit ability to perform their job and conduct themselves in a professional and positive manner reflecting a professional environment readily assuming obligations in a dependable and reliable manner.
• C-Communication, Contribution, and Collaboration: Who are our Customers? Anyone who requests our help, needs our work product, or receives our services. Employees focus on customer service with creative solutions while improving the customer experience through clear, courteous, and timely delivery and communication. Sharing ideas with others helps expand our contribution to department goals.
• T-Teamwork: Employees work to contribute to the department’s success by supporting co-workers, promoting excellence in work product and customer service, and in maintaining a satisfying, caring environment for each other.

Salary
Salary Negotiable

Security
This position is security-sensitive and subject to Texas Education Code 51.215, which authorizes UT Southwestern to obtain criminal history record information. To the extent this position requires the holder to research, work on, or have access to critical infrastructure as defined in Section 113.001(2) of the Texas Business and Commerce Code, the ability to maintain the security or integrity of the critical infrastructure is a minimum qualification to be hired and to continue to be employed in the position.

EEO Statement

UT Southwestern Medical Center is committed to an educational and working environment that provides equal opportunity to all members of the University community. As an equal opportunity employer, UT Southwestern prohibits unlawful discrimination, including discrimination on the basis of race, color, religion, national origin, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, age, disability, genetic information, citizenship status, or veteran status.