Director, Design & Construction (Ambulatory Network Sites)

UChicago Medicine • Chicago, IL

8d • Hybrid

About The Position

The Director, Design & Construction (Ambulatory Network Sites) at UChicago Medicine is responsible for co-leading, with the Director, Operational Planning & Activation, the planning, design, construction, delivery, and activation of all new and/or renovated UCM ambulatory network site locations. Initially, this role will focus on developing a new ambulatory network site delivery model, including standardized interior designs, construction prototypes, vendor frameworks, and streamlined project delivery processes. The goal is to achieve lower per square foot project costs, increased speed to market, and a duplicable delivery model across multiple projects and geographies. This senior position involves managing multiple projects, teams, budgets, and external stakeholders to ensure timely completion within standardized scope and budget, while upholding quality and safety standards. The Director provides high-level leadership, strategic direction, and ensures alignment with business goals, including risk management and financial oversight. This is a flexible hybrid position requiring travel to potential and acquired sites within the Chicagoland area and Northwest Indiana, reporting to the Executive Director, Enterprise Real Estate within the division of Strategy & Growth.

Requirements

• Bachelor’s degree with at least fifteen (15) years of industry experience, or Master’s with at least ten (10) years in the construction industry.
• A minimum five (5) years of experience in the planning and construction of healthcare facilities is a requirement.
• Must have experience working within multi-tenanted buildings that are owned and managed by third-party landlords.
• Prior experience performing due diligence and with the zoning/entitlement process for new ground-up construction projects.
• Available to travel to project sites located within the health system’s Primary and Secondary Service Areas.
• Demonstrated ability to manage highly complex projects that involve high capital value and are multi-phased.
• Excellent oral, written, presentation, and communication skills.
• Self-starter who possesses an exceptional project management skillset.
• Demonstrated ability to work with, manage, lead and influence both external and internal project stakeholders who do not directly report to this position.
• Strong proficiency in compiling and presenting written project correspondence to senior leadership.
• Exceptional knowledge of business processes and procedures, applications, workflow, and planning.
• Must possess strong conflict management, communication, organizational, and negotiating skills.
• Strong working knowledge of full MS Office suite, with excellent financial modeling/management in Excel.

Nice To Haves

• Preferred knowledge/experience working with eBuilder software.

Responsibilities

• Provide project leadership by managing multiple concurrent projects from site assessment through completion and closeout, providing strategic direction and oversight.
• Approve design standards, select external vendors, and establish project timelines within approved scope.
• Co-lead all projects, establish appropriate governance structures and align construction and operational readiness schedules in order to reach aggressive milestones and Go-Live dates.
• Create a new delivery model for Ambulatory Network Sites that better aligns processes, procedures, and vendors to reduce costs and increase project delivery timelines.
• Co-lead project delivery, with this position primarily focused on design and construction execution.
• Establish and maintain strategic relationships with pre-qualified delivery teams, including Architects, Engineers, Contractors, Regulatory Advisors, and other external project team members.
• Administer Primary Service Agreements and assign projects based on vendor capacity, expertise, and performance.
• Develop conceptual and detailed budgets, lead value engineering efforts, review and approve consultant invoices, contractor pay applications, and change orders within established authority limits.
• Maintain integrated Primary Schedules in partnership with co-lead, holding shared accountability for overall project schedule performance.
• Ensure the highest standards of design quality, regulatory compliance, and construction are met.
• Review designs at every phase to verify alignment with standards, clinical requirements, and budget constraints.
• Ensure strict compliance with FGI Guidelines, ADA requirements, building codes, and internal design standards.
• Oversee permit acquisition process and coordinate with local authorities.
• Coordinate Infection Control Risk Assessments (ICRA) and support medical equipment planning.
• Maintain awareness of critical project risks and escalate issues appropriately.
• Partner with Director of Operational Planning & Activation to establish facility readiness criteria and coordinate construction completion with operational move-in requirements.
• Co-deliver unified project status reports, integrating construction progress and operational readiness together to help inform project costs vs. budgets, schedules/critical dates, risks, and activation performance.
• Regularly report on these activities to Network Leadership, highlighting accomplishments, risks, mitigation plans, and enterprise-level insights.

Benefits

• Opportunity to work at a world-class organization, engaging numerous stakeholders, to fulfill its patient-care, research, medical-education, and health-equity missions.
• High visibility as an innovative leader for UChicago Medicine, managing key internal and external relationships.
• Ability to make a difference in the lives of patients and their families by positioning UCM as a provider of choice, highlighting our relentless pursuit to address health disparity and achieve health equity.
• Leverage strategy and change management to promote consistent and valuable growth for the organization.

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Director
• Number of Employees: 1,001-5,000 employees