Senior Director, Physician Strategy & Practice Integration

University of Chicago•Chicago, IL

6d•Hybrid

About The Position

As a member of the University of Chicago Faculty Physicians (UCFP) leadership team, the position works closely with the executive leaders and financial professionals within the BSD, University, and Medical Center. It currently contains a total staff of 16 people. The job manages multiple related teams of managers and professional staff responsible for the financial and management functions of a department in support of teaching, medical research and clinical care. Facilitates research initiatives of the faculty and staff. Develops departmental plans. Provides leadership and supervision to a large staff of exempt and non-exempt employees, including management teams. The Senior Director of Physician Strategy & Practice Integration reports to the Chief Administrative Officer of the University of Chicago Faculty Practice (UCFP) and serves as a senior enterprise leader responsible for translating faculty practice and health system strategy into operational execution. Working in close partnership with UCFP leadership, UChicago Medicine Strategy, ambulatory operations, and departmental leadership, the Senior Director ensures that system priorities, including ambulatory growth, access expansion, care model innovation, and value-based care readiness, are operationalized within the faculty practice. The role functions as an enterprise integrator and change leader, aligning physicians, departments, operational teams, and system leadership to implement scalable practice models, standardized workflows, and technology-enabled improvements that enhance clinical performance, physician experience, and patient access across the ambulatory network. Through cross-functional leadership, disciplined governance, and operational redesign, the Senior Director helps ensure that UCFP future-ready, high-performing, and strategically aligned with the broader health system.

Requirements

Minimum requirements include a college or university degree in related field.
Minimum requirements include knowledge and skills developed through 7+ years of work experience in a related job discipline.

Nice To Haves

Master’s degree in Healthcare Administration, Business, Public Health or related field.
7 – 10+ years of progressive experience in healthcare operations and strategy, practice management, digital/analytics-led transformation in an academic health system or large physician enterprise.
Demonstrated success in deploying technology-enabled operational improvements, standardizing workflows and driving measurable performance gains.
Experience with benchmarking, KPI frameworks and performance analytics consistent with mature medical practice models.
Familiarity with value-based care, risk models, payment reform, and how faculty practices align with evolving reimbursement and care delivery paradigms.
Prior experience within a faculty practice plan or physician enterprise of an academic medical center.
Experience in value-based care contracting, shared-savings arrangements or population health models.
Certification in Lean/Six Sigma, Agile or equivalent operational improvement methodology.
Strategic and analytical thinker with strong execution capabilities.
Proven ability to lead change within complex academic health systems.
Skilled at bridging clinical, operational, and technology teams.
Experience leveraging analytics and data to drive operational improvement.
Excellent communication, facilitation, and stakeholder engagement skills.
Demonstrated experience deploying advanced analytics, AI-enabled tools, or digital workflow innovations within ambulatory or physician enterprise settings.

Responsibilities

Partner with physician and departmental leaders to translate enterprise priorities such as access expansion, care model redesign, compensation alignment, and multi-site growth, into operational workflows and measurable outcomes.
Identify and champion enterprise opportunities including cross-departmental access strategies, specialty growth initiatives, and standardization across network sites.
Advise senior leadership on the strategic roadmap for faculty practice modernization, including digital innovation, analytics maturation, emerging care models, and readiness for value-based reimbursement.
Optimize utilization of key ambulatory resources, including provider time, clinic space, staffing, and equipment, to improve access, productivity, and operational performance.
Serve as a change leader, engaging physician leaders, department chairs, practice administrators, strategy, ambulatory operations, and digital/IT teams in the design and implementation of modernized practice models.
Lead cross-functional governance that connects UCFP leadership, UCMC Strategy, ambulatory operations, and departments to ensure coordinated execution of enterprise initiatives.
Develop mechanisms that elevate physician voice in operational and strategic decision-making, ensuring system strategy reflects real-world clinical practice needs.
Leverage national faculty practice networks and benchmarking organizations to identify emerging best practices and innovative operating models.
Partner with UCMC Strategy and Ambulatory Operations to translate enterprise priorities into standardized operational procedures, workflows, and accountability structures across departments and sites.
Ensure initiatives related to growth, access, compensation alignment, and care delivery transformation are implemented through practical, physician-centric workflows that enable clinicians to practice at the top of their license.
Engage department leaders in redesigning clinical and administrative workflows using Lean/Six Sigma or similar methodologies to improve efficiency, productivity, and patient access.
Establish performance metrics, feedback loops, and governance structures that support continuous improvement and sustained operational performance.
Serve as a senior operational partner in the evaluation, governance, and implementation of emerging technologies, including AI-enabled tools, automation, and digital workflow innovations supporting ambulatory care.
Collaborate with IT, analytics, and digital innovation teams to implement and optimize core platforms such as EHR enhancements, automation solutions, and documentation tools.
Ensure technology investments support enterprise strategy and frontline clinical workflows through strong physician engagement and validation.
Advance the use of predictive and prescriptive analytics to guide operational decision-making, optimize resource deployment, and identify performance improvement opportunities.
Support faculty practice readiness for evolving reimbursement models, including value-based care, risk-sharing arrangements, and payment reform.
Establishes department priorities, allocates resources and executes strategic plans.
Manages non-medical activities of the department(s).
Advises policy development and implementation in various departmental areas.
Performs other related work as needed.