Director of Operations

WVU Medicine•Clarion, PA

24d•Onsite

About The Position

The Director of Operations provides leadership and oversight for the day-to-day operations of the hospital and designated clinical and support services. This position is responsible for ensuring safe, efficient, patient-centered, and financially responsible operations while supporting the hospital's strategic priorities and commitment to serving the needs of the local community. The Director partners closely with the Hospital President, medical staff, nursing leadership, and system leaders to drive operational performance, quality, patient experience, workforce engagement, and regulatory compliance. Given the size and scope of a rural hospital, this position may have responsibility for multiple departments and functions and serves as a highly visible operational leader across the organization. Leadership Expectations The Director of Operations is expected to be a highly visible leader who maintains a strong presence throughout the hospital and community. Success requires the ability to balance local decision-making with system standards and resources. The successful leader will demonstrate a willingness to work across organizational boundaries, build trust with physicians and employees, address operational challenges directly, and maintain a strong focus on patient care, employee engagement, financial stewardship, and community needs.

Requirements

Bachelor's degree in healthcare administration, business administration, nursing, or a related field.
Minimum of 5-7 years of progressive healthcare leadership experience.
Demonstrated experience managing hospital or healthcare operations.
Experience leading teams and managing people, managing budgets, and improving operational performance.
Strong understanding of healthcare regulatory, quality, and patient safety requirements.
Strategic and operational leadership
Financial acumen
Relationship building and collaboration
Physician partnership
Change management
Problem solving and decision making
Workforce leadership and development
Patient-centered leadership
Quality and patient safety
Communicating and influence
Community engagement
Accountability and execution

Nice To Haves

Master's degree in Healthcare Administration, Business Administration, Nursing, or related field.
Experience in a rural hospital, critical access hospital, community hospital, or similarly sized healthcare organization.
Experience with hospital operations across multiple clinical or ancillary departments.
Experience with performance improvement, Lean, Six Sigma, or other process improvement methodologies.
Experience working within an integrated health system.

Responsibilities

Provide day-to-day operational leadership for assigned hospital departments and services.
Develop and implement operational plans that support hospital and system strategic priorities.
Monitor operational performance, productivity, staffing, access, patient flow, and service quality.
Identify opportunities to improve efficiency, reduce unnecessary variation, and optimize resources.
Establish and monitor departmental goals, performance measures, and accountability.
Participate in hospital leadership meetings and contribute to enterprise-wide initiatives.
Partner with nursing, medical staff, and clinical leaders to ensure effective coordination of patient care.
Support efficient patient flow across emergency, inpatient, outpatient, diagnostic, and ancillary services.
Identify barriers to timely access and develop solutions to improve throughput and patient experience.
Promote a culture focused on patient safety, service excellence, and continuous improvement.
Respond to operational issues and facilitate timely resolution of patient and staff concerns.
Participate in development and management of departmental operating budgets.
Monitor expenses, productivity, staffing levels, and other financial indicators.
Identify opportunities to improve financial performance while maintaining quality and patient safety.
Ensure appropriate utilization of equipment, facilities, supplies, and human resources.
Support capital planning and business cases for operational needs.
Lead, coach, and develop department leaders and employees within areas of responsibility.
Promote employee engagement, accountability, teamwork, and retention.
Partner with Human Resources on recruitment, workforce planning, performance management, employee relations, and leadership development.
Ensure appropriate staffing models and workforce practices are implemented.
Build strong relationships with physicians, advanced practice providers, nurses, and other clinical professionals.
Promote adherence to applicable federal, state, accreditation, and health system standards.
Support readiness for regulatory and accreditation surveys.
Monitor quality, safety, patient experience, and compliance metrics.
Partner with Quality, Risk Management, Infection Prevention, and other system resources to address identified opportunities.
Participate in performance improvement and patient safety initiatives.
Develop effective working relationships with the medical staff and physician leadership.
Partner with physicians to identify and address operational challenges.
Support recruitment and retention of providers and key clinical staff.
Serve as an ambassador for the hospital within the local community.
Help identify opportunities to expand services and improve access to care for the rural population.
Participate in hospital strategic planning and service-line development.
Evaluate opportunities to expand or enhance services based on community needs, market conditions, and financial considerations.
Assist with implementation of system initiatives and operational integrations.
Lead or participate in special projects designed to improve hospital performance.