Director of Operations-Patient Support Services

At Northwestern Medicine, every patient interaction makes a difference in cultivating a positive workplace. This patient-first approach is what sets us apart as a leader in the healthcare industry. As an integral part of our team, you'll have the opportunity to join our quest for better health care, no matter where you work within the Northwestern Medicine system. We pride ourselves on providing competitive benefits: from tuition reimbursement and loan forgiveness to 401(k) matching and lifecycle benefits, our goal is to take care of our employees. Ready to join our quest for better?

The Director of Operations reflects the mission, vision, and values of NM, adheres to the organization’s Code of Ethics and Corporate Compliance Program, and complies with all relevant policies, procedures, guidelines and all other regulatory and accreditation standards.

As part of the senior leadership team, this position supports the Chief Nursing Executive (CNE) in financial, operational, process redesign, resource allocation and productivity enhancement endeavors. The Director of Operations is responsible for forecasting, planning, managing resource requirements and collaborates with leadership so that resources are allocated and used in a manner that optimizes the hospital's performance according to the fiscal year priorities and the strategic plan.

The Director of Operations will have responsibility for specific short-term or long-term projects. The position will contribute to positive outcomes by combining problem solving proficiency and strong interpersonal skills with in-depth knowledge of business and financial issues. The Director of Operations is responsible for the development of the work force within areas of accountability to meet the organizations' goals and the cultural expectations established by Northwestern Medicine. Note that specific job duties may vary by campus location.

Responsibilities:

• Leads both capital and operational budget preparation for all units/departments that roll up to the CNE.
• Assures that assigned cost center budget monitoring processes are in place and action plans implemented to address variances outside of the established budget including but not limited to staffing, productivity, supply expense, etc.
• Assesses charge capture opportunities to maximize revenue and identifies opportunity for cost savings.
• Serves as the liaison to IT for all projects impacting clinical operations (i.e. nurse call system, Kronos/Optilink, Vocera).
• Serves as the contract manager for services impacting patient care services (i.e. music therapy, agency staffing, dialysis, etc.)
• Supports the process for defining, forecasting, developing and allocating the resources required by nursing including but not limited to partnership with the sponsors of the Nursing Care Committee.
• Mentors others to continuously increase the finance and business operations competence of the PCS leadership team and staff.
• Serves as the Liaison to Supply Chain for new product evaluations and roll out
• Acquires and analyzes data to develop changes in processes/practices and/or resource deployment in order to
• optimize value (cost and quality) of services provided.
• Provides direct supervision, support, guidance for assigned areas of responsibility.
• Oversees capture and dissemination of data analytics to support clinical operations (NDNQI, IDPH comp data, Alaris performance, etc.).
• Evaluates overall operational performance in partnership with clinical leaders and CNE and makes recommendations for change.
• Works with CNE, Clinical Directors and Managers in ongoing analysis and evaluation of patient care delivery to provide high quality patient care in a cost-effective manner.
• Participates in strategic planning for the hospital and Patient Care Services. Develops, designs, gains approvals
• for and implements new programs that meet identified patient needs, and generate additional revenue for the
• organization.
• Serves as liaison to Corporate Health for activities related to employee health and workplace violence prevention Serves as the liaison to Construction team and recommends space and resource allocation needs for new and refurbishment projects
• Serves as senior leader with the ability to cover hospital operations in the absence of the CNE or VP of Operations.

Required:

• Minimum eight years hospital experience with focus on inpatient and/or outpatient operations.
• Master’s in business (MBA), healthcare administration (MHA) or other related field.

Preferred:

• Experience in clinical operations/leadership.
• BSN.

Northwestern Medicine is an equal opportunity employer (disability, VETS) and does not discriminate in hiring or employment on the basis of age, sex, race, color, religion, national origin, gender identity, veteran status, disability, sexual orientation or any other protected status.

Background Check

Northwestern Medicine conducts a background check that includes criminal history on newly hired team members and, at times, internal transfers. If you are offered a position with us, you will be required to complete an authorization and disclosure form that gives Northwestern Medicine permission to run the background check.  Results are evaluated on a case-by-case basis, and we follow all local, state, and federal laws, including the Illinois Health Care Worker Background Check Act.

Artificial Intelligence Disclosure

Artificial Intelligence (AI) tools may be used in some portions of the candidate review process for this position, however, all employment decisions will be made by a person. 

Benefits

We offer a wide range of benefits that provide employees with tools and resources to improve their physical, emotional, and financial well-being while providing protection for unexpected life events. Please visit our Benefits section to learn more.

Sign-on Bonus Eligibility (if sign-on bonus offered for position): Internal employees and rehires who left Northwestern Medicine within 1 year are not eligible for the sign on bonus. Exception: New graduate internal employees seeking their first licensed clinical position at NM may be eligible depending upon the job family.