Associate Director, Patient Care Advocate

9amHealth

2d • Remote

About The Position

The Associate Director, Patient Care Advocate (PCA) leads and scales the full PCA function, our frontline team responsible for ensuring members receive timely, empathetic, and high-quality support across their care journey. This role provides strategic, operational, and people leadership to our PCA Leads and PCAs, ensuring the team is equipped to meet performance targets while reinforcing a culture of compassionate, patient-first care. You will oversee workforce planning, service delivery operations, quality standards, and process optimization across all support channels. As a key partner to clinical, product, and operations leadership, you’ll help shape the future of member experience at 9amHealth and ensure our support model evolves with our rapid growth. This role is ideal for an experienced leader who excels at scaling teams, designing efficient workflows, using data to drive decisions, and building a strong operational backbone in a fast-paced healthtech environment.

Requirements

• 5+ years of healthcare support, patient advocacy, customer operations, or care coordination experience
• 3+ years of people leadership, including managing managers or team leads
• Experience scaling operations in a fast-paced, high-growth environment
• Strong command of service operations metrics (SLA management, forecasting, capacity planning, QA programs)
• Proven ability to diagnose workflow issues, design scalable processes, and operationalize improvements
• Exceptional written and verbal communication skills with a patient-first, empathetic approach
• Experience with EMRs, Zendesk, scheduling tools, and healthcare operations fundamentals (HIPAA, insurance basics, prior authorizations)
• Ability to collaborate effectively across clinical, operations, pharmacy, product, and compliance teams
• Reliable internet and a quiet, dedicated workspace
• Availability during core business hours (ideally 7 AM – 3:30 PM PST)

Nice To Haves

• Healthtech, virtual care, or startup experience
• Prior experience formalizing operational programs (QA, training, workforce management)
• Familiarity with shift management platforms like Deputy or Rippling
• Proficiency in Spanish

Responsibilities

• Team Leadership & People Development
• Lead, coach, and mentor PCA Leads; indirectly oversee the full PCA team
• Establish team culture grounded in empathy, accountability, and continuous improvement
• Own performance management: goal setting, feedback cycles, coaching plans, and development pathways
• Partner with People Ops on hiring strategy, role definition, staffing models, and onboarding improvements
• Ensure Leads consistently cascade updates, reinforce policies, and support their teams effectively
• Operational Strategy & Workforce Management
• Own forecasting, staffing plans, and scheduling strategy for all PCA coverage across chat, phone, and ticket queues
• Ensure SLAs are consistently met by optimizing shifts, staffing mix, and real-time resource allocation
• Set capacity and productivity expectations; monitor queue health and load balancing in partnership with PCA Leads
• Oversee escalation protocols and ensure efficient handoffs between PCA, clinical, pharmacy, and operations teams
• Standardize workflows, policies, and documentation to ensure consistent, compliant, high-quality operations
• Quality, Training & Process Excellence
• Design and oversee quality assurance programs, including auditing, coaching, and root-cause analysis
• Partner with Clinical, Compliance, and Learning teams to ensure PCAs meet regulatory, privacy, and safety expectations
• Identify workflow bottlenecks; lead cross-functional improvement efforts to increase efficiency and reduce errors
• Drive continuous improvement in Zendesk, EMR workflows, scheduling systems, and communication protocols
• Maintain high-quality member communications by defining standards for tone, clarity, and service excellence
• Member Escalation Leadership
• Provide senior oversight and intervention for high-risk, sensitive, or complex escalations
• Support PCA Leads in managing real-time issue resolution and serve as the final escalation point when needed
• Monitor patterns in escalations and partner cross-functionally to address systemic issues

Benefits

• comprehensive benefits package, including health, dental, and vision insurance, along with flexible PTO and work from home options
• professional development budget and support continuing education

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Mid Level
• Education Level: No Education Listed