Director, Process Quality and Improvement

UTHealth Houston • Houston, TX

9d

About The Position

The Director, Process Quality and Improvement oversees and directs the university’s quality and improvement programs and initiatives. The role advances institutional quality, patient safety, and performance improvement through education, coaching, data analysis, and strategic collaboration. It designs and delivers training in quality improvement and patient safety methodologies; mentors faculty, trainees, and interdisciplinary teams; and partners with clinical, academic, and administrative leaders to implement data-driven improvements that enhance clinical outcomes, operational performance, and organizational excellence.

The position leads the Clinical Safety & Effectiveness (CS&E) Program, including curriculum design, participant and faculty engagement, instructional delivery, program evaluation, and scholarly activities. It also manages human resources activities for direct reports and is responsible for designing, executing, and ensuring the effectiveness of a system of internal controls. Employees must permanently reside and work in Texas.

Requirements

• Bachelor’s degree required.
• Seven years of related experience required.
• Lean Six Sigma Black Belt (LSSBB) certification required from ASQ, CSSC, IASSC, or LSSI.
• Extensive knowledge of quality improvement frameworks, patient safety principles, performance improvement tools, regulatory standards, and healthcare quality best practices.
• Demonstrated ability to lead organization-wide improvement initiatives, influence stakeholders, manage change, and align quality strategies with institutional goals and priorities.
• Strong ability to analyze complex data, develop meaningful performance metrics and dashboards, identify trends, and translate findings into actionable improvement plans.
• Ability to build relationships across clinical, academic, and administrative departments; facilitate interdisciplinary teams; provide coaching and mentorship; and communicate quality and safety concepts effectively to varied audiences.
• Must permanently reside and work in the State of Texas.
• Must follow required safety training and appropriate engineering and administrative controls, including personal protective equipment, when work involves biohazardous, chemical, or radiological materials or associated equipment.

Responsibilities

• Lead the Clinical Safety & Effectiveness (CS&E) Program, including curriculum design, participant and faculty engagement, instructional delivery, program evaluation, and scholarly activities.
• Develop and provide training in quality improvement, patient safety, Lean, Six Sigma, change management, and systems thinking for faculty, trainees, clinicians, and staff.
• Mentor and coach faculty, trainees, and interdisciplinary teams in improvement science, quality improvement methodologies, and patient safety principles.
• Analyze performance data and quality outcomes to guide improvement efforts, monitor progress, and support institutional quality and safety goals.
• Lead and support quality improvement and patient safety initiatives that advance clinical outcomes, operational performance, and institutional quality goals.
• Partner with clinical, academic, and administrative leaders to identify opportunities, implement improvements, and drive measurable results using data-informed approaches.
• Foster a culture of continuous improvement, learning, and innovation through education, collaboration, leadership development, and workforce engagement.
• Support dissemination of improvement work through presentations, publications, and scholarly activities while advancing organizational capability in quality and safety.
• Manage human resources activities for direct reports, including recruiting and selection; hiring and termination; training, development, mentoring, and counseling; performance evaluations; and salary planning.
• Design, execute, and ensure the effectiveness of internal controls that provide reasonable assurance of effective and efficient operations, safeguarded assets, and reliable financial information compliant with applicable laws, regulations, policies, and procedures.
• Perform other duties as assigned.

What This Job Offers

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