Principal Health Systems Engineer

The University of Texas at Austin • Austin, TX

1d

About The Position

The Principal Health Systems Engineer serves as a process leader and engineer responsible for designing, modeling, and institutionalizing improvement systems that can be clearly communicated, adopted, and replicated across the healthcare system to ensure consistent execution and sustainability. The HSE Specialist leads the design, rollout, and sustainment of structured processes and informs the integration of advanced engineering solutions, including analytics, intelligent automation (RPA, Voice, Imaging, NLP), and other emerging digital technologies, to transform how the organization approaches challenges and implements solutions. This role functions with professional autonomy, operating as a senior-level individual contributor with complete latitude in developing methods, frameworks, and standards that drive large-scale change. The HSE Specialist applies change science and systems engineering principles to structure improvement work that is understandable and reproducible, ensuring sustained adoption across the enterprise.

Requirements

• Bachelor’s degree in Healthcare Administration, Industrial or Systems Engineering, Operations Research, Business Administration, or related field required.
• Minimum of 10 years of progressive experience in healthcare systems engineering, performance improvement, or enterprise consulting.
• Six Sigma Black Belt or equivalent advanced quality certification.
• Demonstrated deep understanding of healthcare operations and the ability to independently identify, execute, and sustain improvements.
• Proven experience operating with full autonomy and mentoring others in structured improvement practices.

Nice To Haves

• Master’s degree preferred.
• More than 10 years of experience in healthcare systems engineering, operational transformation, or enterprise consulting roles.
• Project Management Professional (PMP), Certified Professional in Healthcare Quality (CPHQ), or Certified Systems Engineering Professional (CSEP).
• Experience informing and facilitating the deployment of intelligent automation solutions such as RPA, Voice, Imaging, and NLP in partnership with operational and technical teams.
• Advanced expertise in predictive analytics, simulation modeling, machine learning, or AI-enabled decision support systems within healthcare operations.
• Experience leveraging digital tools, health informatics platforms, and intelligent automation technologies to improve clinical and operational performance.
• Proven ability to deliver measurable performance improvements and sustained ROI in complex healthcare environments with minimal oversight.
• Familiarity with regulatory frameworks, payer models, and healthcare technology platforms such as Epic, Oracle, and enterprise analytics ecosystems.

Responsibilities

• Enterprise Improvement System Design & Deployment Leads the design and implementation of a structured enterprise improvement framework that can be replicated across units and departments. Develops systems, playbooks, and models intended for organization-wide use and adaptation. Establishes and facilitates adoption of standardized methods such as value stream mapping, A3 thinking, DMAIC, kaizen, and systems modeling. Embeds change science and structured improvement approaches that help others understand, communicate, and sustain change. Mentors others in applying these frameworks to build internal capacity for continuous improvement.
• Organizational Transformation & Solution Leadership Operates with full autonomy to design, lead, and implement transformation initiatives aligned with institutional strategy. Redesigns workflows, staffing models, and service delivery systems using Lean, Six Sigma, and systems engineering principles. Builds replicable models and methods to ensure improvements can be scaled across departments. Mentors peers and operational leaders in using structured improvement methodologies and systems thinking. Collaborates with technical, clinical, and data science teams to identify, prioritize, and integrate intelligent automation and analytics solutions such as RPA, Voice, Imaging AI, and NLP.
• Structured Problem Solving & Continuous Improvement Facilitates structured problem solving and cross-functional root cause analysis using Lean and systems tools. Applies change management and change science to develop frameworks that others can easily understand and adopt. Designs processes to reduce waste, variability, and inefficiency while improving patient care and operational performance. Ensures improvement work is documented, communicated, and replicable across the enterprise.
• Development of Best Practices & Organizational Sustainability Creates reusable models, toolkits, and frameworks to institutionalize improvement practices and replicate success across the organization. Develops leader standard work and management routines that reinforce accountability, transparency, and reproducibility. Coaches staff and leaders to sustain improvements and embed continuous learning within their teams. Establishes structures to transfer ownership of process improvements to departments, ensuring ongoing sustainability.
• Performance Monitoring & Risk Management Defines and tracks key performance indicators, maturity measures, and adoption rates for improvement systems. Implements monitoring mechanisms to evaluate performance, identify risks, and ensure sustainment of improvements. Exercises independent judgment in determining when changes can be made autonomously and when formal approvals are required. Provides leadership with actionable insights into operational trends, system performance, and opportunities for transformation.

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Senior
• Number of Employees: 5,001-10,000 employees