Director, Operational Planning & Activation (Ambulatory Network Sites)

UChicago Medicine • Chicago, IL

8d • Hybrid

About The Position

The Director, Operational Planning & Activation (Ambulatory Network Sites) at UChicago Medicine is responsible for co-leading, with the Director, Design & Construction, 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, aiming for lower per square foot project costs, increased speed to market, and duplicability across multiple projects and geographies. Subsequently, the Director will co-lead the full lifecycle of Operational Planning & Readiness, Facility Readiness, Move Logistics, and Transition & Activation for new and renovated off-campus ambulatory network healthcare sites. This senior leadership position involves managing multiple projects, teams, budgets, and internal stakeholders to ensure projects are completed on time, within scope and budget, and meet quality and safety standards. The role provides high-level leadership, strategic direction, and ensures alignment with business goals, while also overseeing risk management and financial aspects. This is a flexible hybrid position requiring travel to sites within the Chicagoland area and reports to the Executive Director, Enterprise Real Estate.

Requirements

• Bachelor’s degree with at least fifteen (15) years of operational healthcare experience, or Master's with at least ten (10) years of experience.
• Minimum five (5) years of experience in the planning and activation of new 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 for the acquisition of existing facilities, for the purpose of retrofitting the space to meet UCM specifications and needs.
• 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 internal project and external 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 Smartsheet software for project and critical date tracking.

Responsibilities

• Identify and lead multiple integrated, cross-functional teams over a portfolio of new strategic ambulatory network projects/sites, ensuring seamless planning and execution from concept through first patient. Co-lead each project with the Director, Design & Construction, jointly establishing project charters, governance structures, scope, schedule, budget, and management of delivery teams.
• Act as a thought partner in shaping the future-state pipeline from an operational and project delivery perspective. Serve as the primary liaison for internal stakeholders, ensuring high level engagement, accountability, influence, and informed decision making from a large group of end users including but not limited to: IT, Ambulatory Operations, Training/Education, Human Resources, Supply Chain, Imaging, Pharmacy, Lab, Patient Care Services, Revenue Cycle, Environmental Health & Safety Compliance, Risk Management, and Public Safety.
• In partnership with Ambulatory Network Operations and other UCM leadership, this role will develop and operationalize standardized and comprehensive workplans that include medical equipment planning, workflow design, staff training, regulatory compliance, technology adoption, patient communication, detailed milestone tracking schedules, and move/activation logistics planning. This role will ensure team readiness activities and that each site is fully prepared---operationally, clinically, and technologically in order to deliver safe, high-quality patient care on day one---and sign off on readiness milestones to ensure predictable Go-Live performance.
• Ensure management and sequencing of the occupancy schedule between internal and external stakeholders, and manage the timely completion of all regulatory, accreditation, and licensing requirements (e.g., Pharmacy, Imaging, Medicate, third- party payors, etc.) prior to Go-Live dates.
• Direct the strategy and execution of move planning, FF&E delivery, installation, activation and certification to align with the overall project schedule. Support the team in readiness simulation exercises to test workflows, equipment, staffing, technology, and patient experience prior to Go-Live dates, and ensure that operational, clinical, and environmental dependencies are aligned for seamless activation.
• In partnership with Network Leadership, establish and maintain Operational Charters and Standards that clearly define operational ownership, decision rights, accountability structures, and programmatic requirements (scope and client governance). Lead this process for each new site through project completion and ensure consistency across the portfolio, which can be used for benchmarking, standardization, and KPI tracking.
• 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