Manager Operations (Nursing)

Northwestern Memorial Healthcare•Winfield, IL

About The Position

The Manager, Operations provides autonomous and direct management of a team or teams, reflecting Northwestern Medicine’s mission, vision, and values and complying with organizational policies, ethics, and applicable regulatory and accreditation standards. The role manages the day-to-day operations of designated nursing departments, divisions, programs, services, or locations, with 24/7 accountability. It oversees workflows, staffing, resource allocation, operating and capital budgets, and budget performance. The manager guides and supervises team members, supports competency development, conducts annual and mid-year reviews, coaches staff through complex practice and customer-relations situations, and identifies opportunities for improvement. The role recommends department goals, monitors progress, communicates timelines and risks to leadership, and ensures policies and processes meet Joint Commission and applicable regulatory requirements. The position also leads quality improvement efforts, manages escalations, interprets patients’ age-specific needs, and connects patients with resources to coordinate care. The manager uses data to inform decisions, applies change-management principles, and maintains effective relationships with patients, physicians, staff, leaders, and other customers.

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree in nursing with a master’s degree, or a master’s degree in nursing. Exceptions may be considered for applicants with a bachelor’s degree who are actively enrolled in a master’s program and are within one year of completion.
Three years of nursing or health care experience demonstrating increasing responsibilities.
Basic Life Support (BLS) certification.
Current clinical license in the state where the hospital resides.
Magnet-recognized certification for the specialty area.
Knowledge of Joint Commission standards and applicable federal, state, and regulatory requirements.
Ability to analyze data and make data-driven recommendations.
Ability to create budgets in accordance with guidelines and balance them to targets.
Ability to apply change-management principles while leading.
Strong computing skills, including Microsoft Office applications, Outlook, and the EMR.
Attention to detail and ability to review own and others’ work for accuracy.
Ability to handle challenging situations autonomously, identify stakeholders, and define and communicate required actions and roles under time pressure.
Ability to balance multiple priorities and respond calmly to changes, delays, or unexpected events.
Ability to problem-solve complex practice-operations, customer-relations, and employee-relations issues.
Exceptional verbal and written communication skills and ability to establish and maintain effective relationships with patients, physicians, management, staff, and other internal and external customers.
Professional, confident, optimistic, and servant-leadership-oriented approach to leading others.
Ability to maintain patient and family confidentiality in accordance with Northwestern Memorial HealthCare policy.

Nice To Haves

Minimum of three years of supervisory or management experience.

Responsibilities

Manage day-to-day operations of designated departments, divisions, programs, services, or locations, including workflows, staffing, and resource allocation.
Develop operating and capital budgets, monitor budget performance, explain variances, and apply corrective actions to maintain budget compliance.
Provide 24/7 accountability for the designated area.
Provide support, guidance, and supervision to team members and ensure they maintain competencies for addressing patients’ behavioral, social, financial, and environmental needs.
Prepare and deliver annual and mid-year reviews, coach team members through complex practice and customer-relations situations, ensure they have appropriate tools and technology, and act on improvement needs with NM system partners.
Recommend department goals, advance progress toward them, and communicate goal timelines, risks, and decisions needed to leadership.
Ensure department policies and processes comply with Joint Commission standards and applicable federal, state, and other regulations; revise or create policies and processes as needed.
Lead quality improvement by reducing process variation, eliminating redundancy, or implementing new technology.
Manage escalations, identify patients’ age-specific needs, and connect patients with resources to coordinate care.
Perform other duties as assigned.