Senior Specialist, AONL Professional Practice

American Hospital Association•Chicago, IL

1d•$79,000 - $119,000•Hybrid

About The Position

The American Hospital Association (AHA) is a national organization that represents and serves hospitals, health care networks, and their patients and communities. This position is located in Chicago and follows a flexible hybrid schedule of three days in the office and two days working remotely. The Senior Specialist serves as product owner and operational specialist for the American Organization for Nursing Leadership (AONL) Professional Practice digital products, including assessment products and the ROI Calculator, and supports the AONL Credentialing Center and its Certified Nurse Manager and Leader (CNML) and Certified in Executive Nursing Practice (CENP) certifications. Reporting to the Senior Director, Professional Practice, the role manages product operations from configuration and testing through member support, vendor coordination, data tracking, and continuous improvement. The specialist builds and maintains online assessments, resolves product and technology issues, and translates member and business needs into practical enhancements. The position also collaborates with the Sr. Specialist, AONL Initiatives, to provide supplemental support across Professional Practice member-led groups. It ensures products and programs are reliable, user-centered, well-documented, and delivered on schedule across competing priorities.

Requirements

Bachelor's degree in business administration, health care administration, information systems, informatics, communications, nonprofit or association management, or a related field.
At least 5 years of progressively responsible experience in digital product or program operations, online assessments, project management, association member services, certification or credentialing, or a related field.
Experience administering or owning online or software-as-a-service platforms, including configuration, testing, troubleshooting, issue resolution, and vendor coordination.
Experience leading complex projects involving multiple stakeholders, concurrent priorities, and firm deadlines.
Experience providing direct customer or member support, including resolving technology-related questions for non-technical users.
Experience using operational or product data to track performance, identify trends, and drive continuous process improvement.
Advanced digital fluency and ability to quickly learn and administer online assessment platforms, software-as-a-service products, Microsoft 365, collaboration tools, and project management systems.
Strong product ownership and systems-thinking skills, including translating user and business needs into requirements, workflows, test scenarios, and prioritized enhancements.
Strong troubleshooting, root-cause analysis, quality assurance, and user acceptance testing skills, with exceptional attention to detail and data or configuration accuracy.
Excellent project management, organizational, and time-management skills, including the ability to manage multiple high-priority initiatives and routinely meet or exceed deadlines.
Exceptional customer service and written and verbal communication skills, including explaining technical concepts clearly to varied audiences and providing timely, professional support.
Demonstrated innovation and continuous process improvement, including simplifying workflows, reducing manual effort, strengthening controls, and improving user experience.
Strong data literacy and analytical skills, including tracking metrics, maintaining accurate data, identifying patterns, and developing reports or dashboards.
Self-direction, sound judgment, accountability, adaptability, and relationship-building skills when working with staff, volunteers, subject matter experts, vendors, and other stakeholders.

Responsibilities

Own day-to-day operations for AONL assessment products and the ROI Calculator, translating product priorities into work plans, requirements, releases, and improvements aligned with senior leadership direction.
Build, configure, and maintain online assessments and related user workflows, reporting, scoring, distribution, and access settings, ensuring accurate and reliable content and functionality.
Plan and execute quality assurance, user acceptance, and regression testing for products, enhancements, fixes, and releases; maintain test scripts and document defects, decisions, and resolutions.
Serve as the primary operational liaison with software and technology vendors, managing support tickets, priorities, timelines, releases, and escalations.
Provide customer service to AONL members and product users by answering product and technical questions, investigating issues, communicating status, and coordinating resolutions.
Develop and maintain standard operating procedures, user guides, FAQs, administrative documentation, training resources, and internal knowledge materials.
Track product usage, adoption, performance, support volume, issue trends, data quality, and other operational metrics; prepare reports and recommendations to inform improvements.
Identify and implement opportunities for innovation, automation, standardization, and continuous process improvement.
Maintain and enhance the ROI Calculator, including documenting changes, functional testing, coordinating subject-matter-expert validation, and preparing releases.
Support AONL Credentialing Center operations and CNML and CENP certifications, including member and candidate service, systems and process troubleshooting, data tracking, documentation, and assigned certification initiatives.
Support the AONL Credentialing Center Steering Committee and related workgroups by coordinating meeting materials, action items, timelines, documentation, and follow-up.
Provide supplemental staff support to Professional Practice member-led groups, including meeting and project coordination, volunteer communications, action tracking, and delivery of work products.
Manage concurrent projects and deadlines with AONL staff, subject matter experts, volunteers, and vendors; identify risks, dependencies, and next steps to keep work on schedule.
Perform other duties as assigned.