Lead AA- Thoracic Surgery - HYBRID

Discover Vanderbilt University Medical Center:  Located in Nashville, Tennessee, and operating at a global crossroads of teaching, discovery, and patient care, VUMC is a community of individuals who come to work each day with the simple aim of changing the world. It is a place where your expertise will be valued, your knowledge expanded, and your abilities challenged. Vanderbilt Health is committed to an environment where everyone has the chance to thrive and where your uniqueness is sought and celebrated. It is a place where employees know they are part of something that is bigger than themselves, take exceptional pride in their work and never settle for what was good enough yesterday. Vanderbilt’s mission is to advance health and wellness through preeminent programs in patient care, education, and research.

Organization:

Thoracic Surgery

Job Summary:

Bring your expertise, initiative, and professional presence to a team that depends on a strong administrative partner.

As a Lead Administrative Assistant, you’ll serve as a primary resource for day-to-day operations, providing high-level administrative and business support to 3-4 faculty members with a high degree of independence. You’ll help keep priorities moving, anticipate needs before they arise, and act as a key liaison with internal and external partners—ensuring communication, coordination, and execution stay on track.

A key part of your impact in this role will be helping the faculty you support remain credentialed and compliant—tracking requirements, monitoring deadlines, coordinating documentation, and following through to ensure credentialing stays current and issues are resolved quickly.

In this role, you will:
Own essential administrative functions and represent the area with professionalism, discretion, and strong customer service.
Proactively manage workflows, priorities, and deadlines, helping the team stay organized, prepared, and responsive.
Coordinate and support area initiatives, including meetings, scheduling, travel, special projects, and cross-functional follow-through.
Stay on top of faculty credentialing activities, including monitoring due dates, organizing/collecting required materials, coordinating with internal partners, and ensuring timely completion of credentialing steps.
Compile, analyze, and summarize information to support decision-making and operational planning.
Assist with financial and budget-related activities, including tracking, preparing, and organizing budgetary data.
You’ll be successful if you bring:
Advanced administrative expertise, including calendar management, document preparation, meeting coordination, travel arrangements, spreadsheets, and professional communication.
Working knowledge of financial processes and comfort monitoring expenses against budgets.
Experience accessing information from systems and producing ad hoc reports.
Strong attention to detail and the ability to organize data and spot trends/patterns to support team needs.
A foundational understanding of HR policies and procedures and good judgment when handling sensitive information.
(Bonus) Exposure to or interest in research-related support—not required, but a plus.

Job requirements:
High School Diploma/GED
Minimum of 5 years of relevant experience
Research-related support experience not required, but strongly preferred

Work location / schedule:
This is a hybrid role with a consistent schedule:

Remote: 3 days per week
On-site: 2 days per week at Vanderbilt Medical Center North, 1161 21st Avenue S., MCN D-5237, Nashville, TN

If you’re someone who thrives on being the person others rely on—balancing multiple priorities, protecting deadlines, and keeping operations running smoothly—this role offers the opportunity to make an immediate, visible impact.

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DEPARTMENT SUMMARY:

Since 1925 the Vanderbilt Department of Surgery has evolved in ways that extend its mission to improve healthcare by focusing on education, patient care, and research

The Department of Cardiothoracic Surgery was formally established in 1971 under the direction of Dr. Harvey Bender. In 2004 the department was split to form the Department of Cardiac Surgery and the Department of Thoracic Surgery to heighten education and the need for specialized care to our patients. Dr. Bill Putnam was the first Chairman and under his leadership our department has grown and thrived into the nationally recognized group that currently exists.  For more information, please visit https://www.vumc.org/thoracicsurgerydept/welcome.

KEY RESPONSIBILITIES
• Performs key administrative functions which may include serving as representative of the organizational area.
• Proactively facilitates and manages administrative functions.
• Supports and coordinates area initiatives.
• Compiles data, analyzes information and summarizes findings in support of an area.
• Analyzes and prepares budgetary data.
• The responsibilities listed are a general overview of the position and additional duties may be assigned.

TECHNICAL CAPABILITIES
• Clerical/Administrative (Advanced): Clerical/Administration is a skill which includes most clerical and administrative functions typically carried out by secretaries, administrators and others who perform a clerical role. Among the duties are: Ad Hoc Reporting, Calendar Maintenance, Data Entry, Document Duplication, Document Filing and Maintenance, Document Preparation, Employee Record Maintenance, Employee Time Recording, Faxing and Electronic Mailing, Inventory Management, Mail Sorting and Distribution, Meeting Coordination and Scheduling, Message Management, Receptionist Tasks, Special Projects, Spreadsheet Preparation, Travel Arrangements, and Word Processing and Typing.
• Financial Processes (Intermediate): Ability to monitor costs, expenses and revenue as well as the ability to manage those costs and expenses in relation to budgeted amounts.
• Ad Hoc Reporting (Intermediate): The ability to access information from databases and prepare reports.
• Analytical Skills (Novice): The process of identifying, evaluating, interpreting and organizing data. It includes sorting through data to identify patterns and establish relationships for decision making.
• Human Resources Policies and Procedures (Novice): Knowledge, adherence and application of human resources policies and procedures.

Our professional administrative functions include critical supporting roles in information technology and informatics, finance, administration, legal and community affairs, human resources, communications and marketing, development, facilities, and many more.

At our growing health system, we support each other and encourage excellence among all who are part of our workforce. High-achieving employees stay at Vanderbilt Health for professional growth, appreciation of benefits, and a sense of community and purpose.

Core Accountabilities:

* Organizational Impact: Independently performs non-routine tasks that significantly impact team and other related teams.* Problem Solving/ Complexity of work: Gathers and analyzes data to solve problems that arise with little or no precendent.* Breadth of Knowledge: Applies advanced job knowledge and has developed a breadth of skills in other areas. * Team Interaction: Serves as a lead for the team by providing expertise and guidance to team members.

Core Capabilities :

Supporting Colleagues: - Develops Self and Others: Invests time, energy, and enthusiasm in developing self/others to help improve performance e and gain knowledge in new areas. - Builds and Maintains Relationships: Maintains regular contact with key colleagues and stakeholders using formal and informal opportunities to expand and strengthen relationships. - Communicates Effectively: Recognizes group interactions and modifies one's own communication style to suit different situations and audiences. Delivering Excellent Services : - Serves Others with Compassion: Seeks to understand current and future needs of relevant stakeholders and customizes services to better address them. - Solves Complex Problems: Approaches problems from different angles; Identifies new possibilities to interpret opportunities and develop concrete solutions. - Offers Meaningful Advice and Support: Provides ongoing support and coaching in a constructive manner to increase employees' effectiveness. Ensuring High Quality : - Performs Excellent Work: Engages regularly in formal and informal dialogue about quality; directly addresses quality issues promptly. - Ensures Continuous Improvement: Applies various learning experiences by looking beyond symptoms to uncover underlying causes of problems and identifies ways to resolve them. - Fulfills Safety and Regulatory Requirements: Understands all aspects of providing a safe environment and performs routine safety checks to prevent safety hazards from occurring. Managing Resources Effectively : - Demonstrates Accountability: Demonstrates a sense of ownership, focusing on and driving critical issues to closure. - Stewards Organizational Resources: Applies understanding of the departmental work to effectively manage resources for a department/area. - Makes Data Driven Decisions: Demonstrates strong understanding of the information or data to identify and elevate opportunities. Fostering Innovation: - Generates New Ideas: Proactively identifies new ideas/opportunities from multiple sources or methods to improve processes beyond conventional approaches. - Applies Technology: Demonstrates an enthusiasm for learning new technologies, tools, and procedures to address short-term challenges. - Adapts to Change: Views difficult situations and/or problems as opportunities for improvement; actively embraces change instead of emphasizing negative elements.

Position Qualifications:

Responsibilities:

Certifications:

Work Experience:

Relevant Work Experience

Experience Level:

5 years

Education:

High School Diploma or GED

This role offers the opportunity to make a meaningful impact within Vanderbilt Health, supported by a comprehensive benefits package which may include health, disability, retirement and/or wellness offerings to enhance your well-being and professional growth.

Vanderbilt Health is committed to fostering an environment where everyone has the chance to thrive and is committed to the principles of equal opportunity.  EOE/Vets/Disabled.