Associate Director, Central Specialty Operations

ChenMed

4d • $118,062 - $168,658 • Onsite

About The Position

The Associate Director, Central Specialty Operations owns the operations of ChenMed’s centrally and virtually delivered specialty services, including clinical appropriateness reviews, physician-to-physician curbside consultations, telehealth programs, clinical pathways, and related opportunities. Reporting to the VP, Specialty Strategy & Operations, this role builds and manages the operating model for these services and collaborates as a peer with physicians and clinical leaders to ensure patients receive appropriate specialty care within ChenMed’s Medicare Advantage capitated model. The role also applies systems thinking and AI-native workflow design to drive adoption and technology innovation. It begins as a hands-on leadership role and is expected to grow in team size and scope as central services mature.

Requirements

• At least eight years of work experience in healthcare operations, including at least three years leading people or programs, in areas such as care management, utilization or referral management, clinical operations, or virtual care.
• BA/BS degree in healthcare administration, nursing, public health, business, or a similar discipline, or additional experience above the minimum may be considered in lieu of the required education on a year-for-year basis.
• Strong analytical and problem-solving skills, systems-thinking mindset, and ability to map workflows and identify root causes.
• Working knowledge of value-based care and Medicare Advantage capitated models.
• Ability to build credibility and collaborate as a peer with physicians, clinical leaders, and senior executives.
• Attention to detail and strong focus on accuracy and quality.
• Existing knowledge of AI and a strong desire to continue learning and self-teaching.
• Familiarity with referral management, utilization or care management, and clinical operations environments.
• Comfort working with data, dashboards, and performance metrics; proficiency in Excel, Word, PowerPoint, Outlook, and other systems required for the position.
• Ability to lead through ambiguity, build new programs, and work quickly in a fast-paced, growth-oriented environment.
• Ability and willingness to travel locally, regionally, and/or nationally up to 10% of the time and flexibility to work evenings, weekends, and/or holidays as needed.
• Spoken and written fluency in English.
• Ability to use and exercise independent judgment.

Nice To Haves

• Clinical background such as RN, NP, PA, or PharmD, or equivalent clinical background.
• Master’s degree.
• Experience with value-based care or Medicare Advantage.
• Experience launching new programs or services, including in a startup or high-growth healthcare company.

Responsibilities

• Own end-to-end operations for central clinical appropriateness reviews, including intake, reviewer capacity and scheduling, turnaround times, and decision documentation.
• Partner with specialist reviewers and primary care providers to establish and calibrate review criteria and share feedback collaboratively.
• Monitor review quality, consistency, outcomes, and labor cost, and direct review effort to where it adds the most value.
• Operate curbside consultation programs, setting specialist participation expectations, response-time standards, and escalation paths.
• Track curbside consultation utilization, responsiveness, and downstream care avoided or redirected.
• Design, pilot, and scale telehealth projects that extend specialist access to patients and care teams; define pilot scope, workflows, and success measures; evaluate results; recommend scaling; and lead operational rollout.
• Operationalize clinical pathways with medical leadership and specialists by translating clinical guidance into workflows, tools, and field training.
• Track clinical pathway adoption and impact and drive continuous improvement.
• Build new and transform existing workflows using AI.
• Define the operating model, key metrics, and reporting for central specialty services.
• Work with performance and analytics teams to build dashboards and use them in regular operating reviews.
• Diagnose root causes, prioritize improvements, and drive results across cost, quality, speed, and experience.
• Partner with National Specialty Operations, Network, medical leadership, and Performance & Automation so central services reinforce field operations.
• Engage physicians and clinical leaders as a peer to align on protocols, resolve friction, and drive adoption.
• Build and develop the team over time, initially as a hands-on leader and adding leaders and specialists as volume and scope grow.
• Perform other duties as assigned or modified at the manager’s discretion.
• Travel locally, regionally, and/or nationally up to 10% of the time; work evenings, weekends, and/or holidays as needed.

Benefits

• Great compensation and comprehensive benefits; specific benefits are not listed in the posting.
• Career development and advancement opportunities.
• Work-life balance.

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Senior