Program Operations Specialist

About the role

The Program Operations Specialist in the UW Medicine Department of Laboratory Medicine & Pathology (DLMP) supports the Purchasing Team by managing daily purchasing transactions, coordinating workflows, administering systems, and leading process improvement initiatives. This role serves as a departmental liaison, ensuring compliance with University and DLMP policies while collaborating with Purchasing leadership.

Responsibilities

• Act as Cost Center Manager, reviewing and approving requisitions, reimbursements, ProCard transactions, Supplier Invoice Requests, and other Workday purchasing transactions for accuracy and compliance.
• Review and assign purchasing order requests to Buyers based on workload and departmental priorities.
• Manage intake and review of purchasing-related requests, including equipment, capital equipment, contracts, agreements, standing orders, and Sole Source Justifications (SSJs) to ensure completeness of documentation and approvals.
• Monitor purchasing workflow activity, order volumes, and trends; communicate operational concerns and workload recommendations to leadership.
• Lead initial escalation for Buyers and Fiscal Specialists to resolve urgent purchasing requests, supplier issues, invoice discrepancies, and customer service concerns.
• Serve as a departmental resource for Purchasing platforms, procurement systems, and University purchasing policies, assisting customers, suppliers, and staff with processes and system-related questions.
• Manage purchasing inbox workflow, customer communications, and request routing to ensure timely responses and operational continuity.
• Act as liaison between laboratories, departmental users, Fiscal, Procurement Services, and Purchasing staff to facilitate workflows and resolve operational issues.
• Develop, maintain, and update Purchasing Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs), workflow documentation, operational reference materials, and training guides.
• Administer departmental PurchasePath workflows, including user management, approvers, organizational updates, worktags, cost centers, routing changes, and system maintenance.
• Maintain MediaLab purchasing documentation and ensure procedures remain current.
• Assist with onboarding new employees by coordinating purchasing system access, training, and operational readiness.
• Train Purchasing staff and departmental end users on purchasing systems, procedures, workflow changes, and best practices.
• Lead process standardization, documentation improvements, and continuous process improvement initiatives.
• Coordinate and execute departmental purchasing projects, workflow improvements, and system enhancements under Purchasing leadership.
• Maintain project documentation, implementation timelines, and workflow tracking.
• Analyze and support Purchasing functions related to inventory management, purchasing readiness, and other operational initiatives.
• Identify, implement, and recommend process improvements to enhance operational efficiency and customer service.
• Maintain purchasing records in accordance with University record retention requirements and state regulations.
• Support travel, reimbursement, invoice processing, Shared Environment, and related operational workflows.
• Assist Purchasing and Fiscal teams during staffing shortages, high-volume periods, or operational needs.
• Coordinate operational communication between Purchasing, laboratories, Finance, Procurement Services, suppliers, and other University departments.
• Develop and maintain Workday reports, purchasing dashboards, and operational tracking tools.
• Analyze purchasing workload, transaction trends, operational metrics, and workflow performance.
• Identify opportunities for operational improvement through reporting and data analysis.
• Prepare operational reports and summaries for Purchasing leadership.
• Support data collection, reporting, and forecasting related to departmental operations and strategic initiatives.

Requirements

• Bachelor's degree and two (2) years of progressively responsible experience in Administrative or Procurement processes OR equivalent combination of education and experience.
• Track record of successfully managing multiple projects and delivering them on schedule.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills for diverse audiences; ability to lead meetings, give presentations, and analyze data.
• Demonstrated success in building and sustaining positive customer and stakeholder relationships.
• Commitment to working within an organizational framework of continuous process improvement.
• Proficiency with Microsoft Office Suite.

Qualifications

• Experience with University of Washington financial and procurement systems.
• Experience coordinating purchasing, procurement, finance, or operational workflows in higher education, healthcare, research, or public sector environments.
• Experience leading process improvement or operational efficiency initiatives.

Benefits

• Vacation time and sick time off that accrue monthly, including 12 paid holidays.
• State Employee Tuition Exemption Program covering up to 6 credits of qualifying coursework per quarter at the University of Washington or other participating institutions.
• Fully subsidized public transit pass (U-PASS) covering multiple forms of regional public transportation.
• Excellent healthcare, dental, disability, retirement, and other plan options.
• Free fitness, healthy eating, finance, and stress reduction classes through the Whole U program.

Schedule

• 100% FTE (full-time).
• Monday – Friday, day shift.
• Three days remote per week.

About the Department

The Department of Laboratory Medicine & Pathology at UW Medicine is a regional resource for clinical laboratory services, supporting innovative patient care, research, and educational programs. Combining accredited laboratories with academic resources, the department delivers clinical and anatomic pathology services nationally and internationally. Recognized for excellence in clinical training, world-class research, and community service, DLMP serves labs and medical facilities across the region and beyond.

About UW Medicine

UW Medicine is Washington’s only health system that includes a top-rated medical school and an internationally recognized research center. Its mission is to improve public health by advancing medical knowledge, providing outstanding primary and specialty care, and preparing future physicians, scientists, and health professionals. Nearly 29,000 employees collaborate across UW Medicine’s family of organizations, including Harborview Medical Center, UW Medical Center, Valley Medical Center, UW Medicine Primary Care, UW Physicians, UW School of Medicine, and Airlift Northwest.