Associate Director Practice Operations- Detroit

Cherry Health • Detroit, MI

1d

About The Position

The Associate Director of Practice Operations provides operational leadership for an assigned health center, ensuring professional, high-quality clinical services. The role is accountable at the site level for staffing, patient access, quality, safety, financial performance, and regulatory compliance. The Associate Director translates system-wide initiatives into site-level execution and serves as the primary point of accountability for the assigned site or region, partnering closely with the Director of Practice Operations and medical leadership to advance organizational goals. Some travel to other Cherry Health locations may be required.

The position requires adherence to organizational policies, procedures, the Code of Ethics, and applicable licensing and accreditation standards, while representing Cherry Health’s mission, vision, and values. The Associate Director leads site operations and staff, monitors operational and financial performance, supports quality, compliance, and safety, and builds community relationships and outreach to grow patient access. Where the incumbent holds RN licensure, the role also includes oversight of clinical workflows, medication management practices, documentation standards, and clinical staff competency development.

Requirements

• Bachelor’s degree in Healthcare Administration, Business Administration, or a related field.
• Basic Life Support / CPR certification.
• Valid driver’s license and ability to travel as needed.
• 7 to 10 years of experience in a medical clinic, including at least 5 years in a supervisory or management role.
• Ability to operate independently, exercise sound judgment, and make decisions with limited direct supervision.
• Strong verbal, nonverbal, and written communication skills and ability to engage effectively with internal and external partners.
• Experience in workflow assessment, process improvement, and program implementation.
• Strong problem-solving and analytical skills, including interpreting operational and financial data and drawing valid conclusions.
• Working knowledge of health center financial operations, budgets, productivity, and revenue cycle fundamentals.
• Proficiency with Microsoft Office Suite and experience with EMR and EHR platforms.
• Knowledge of state and federal healthcare laws, regulations, and codes, including HRSA, Medicare, Medicaid, and other payer requirements.
• Ability to teach relevant skills and motivate staff to meet job expectations.
• Strong organizational and time-management skills, including prioritizing competing demands.
• Flexibility and adaptability when responding to new challenges and organizational change.
• Willingness to work outside normal business hours and travel between sites as needed.

Nice To Haves

• Master’s degree.
• Valid RN license in the State of Michigan.
• Experience leading a site or program that operates independently of a central administrative office.
• Federally Qualified Health Center (FQHC) or community health center experience.

Responsibilities

• Lead operations at the assigned site and make decisions within organizational policy and established budget parameters.
• Serve as the primary on-site contact for operational, safety, facility, and patient-experience matters, escalating issues when necessary.
• Represent Cherry Health’s mission, vision, and values to staff, patients, and community partners.
• Anticipate and resolve day-to-day site issues, partnering with central support functions as appropriate.
• Maintain a visible daily presence at the site and be available outside standard business hours as operational needs require.
• Supervise, coach, and evaluate site staff, fostering performance, accountability, and engagement.
• Create staff schedules, prioritize tasks, and assign duties according to patient volume and workload.
• Train staff, regularly assess competencies, and ensure training documentation is current and complete.
• Partner with Human Resources on recruitment, onboarding, retention, employee relations, and succession planning.
• Plan and facilitate regular staff meetings covering organizational initiatives, performance, and operational updates.
• Assist with monitoring and managing the site budget and implement corrective actions when performance varies from plan.
• Partner with medical leadership on provider productivity expectations, patient access targets, template utilization, and schedule optimization.
• Monitor and respond to operational metrics, including patient volume, cycle time, no-show rates, revenue cycle indicators, and patient satisfaction.
• Ensure site workflows integrate services, reduce redundancy, and improve efficiency.
• Partner in facility operations and manage equipment, supplies, and site-level purchasing within approved authority.
• Monitor and address clinical and operational quality concerns.
• Conduct quality assurance activities through chart reviews, reports, meetings, observation, and performance monitoring.
• Identify and promptly address patient and employee safety, infection prevention, and environmental concerns.
• Ensure compliance with organizational policies and applicable state and federal laws, licensing, regulatory, and accreditation requirements.
• Participate in emergency preparedness planning and response and promote safety and continuous quality improvement.
• When RN licensure is held, oversee clinical workflows, medication management practices, and clinical documentation standards in partnership with medical leadership; assess clinical staff competencies and support clinical skill development.
• Cultivate relationships with community stakeholders, local organizations, and residents to raise clinic visibility and support patient acquisition.
• Design and execute targeted outreach to identify, educate, and enroll eligible community members in health center services, contributing to unduplicated patient count metrics.
• Perform other duties as assigned.

Benefits

• Loan repayment through the NHSC and Michigan State Loan Repayment Program for select roles.
• Medical, dental, and vision insurance for employees and their families.
• For full-time employees, four weeks of paid time off per year.
• Eight full-day paid holidays and two half-day paid holidays.
• 403(b) retirement savings plan with employer matching contributions up to 5%.
• MET and MESP 529 savings plans.
• Pet insurance.
• Employee Assistance Program.

What This Job Offers

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