Program Development Manager Jobs in Itasca, IL (NOW HIRING)

Join Our Mission to Elevate Ambulatory Health Care

At AAAHC, we are more than just a team; we are at the forefront of improving health care quality through accreditation. Our employees are the heartbeat of our mission-based culture, dedicated to applying their diverse skill sets—technical, research, clinical, analytical, and data-driven—to improve health care quality through accreditation. As we celebrate over four decades of excellence, we invite you to become part of our story. Here, your work is not just a job; it’s a journey filled with opportunities to learn, grow, and contribute to a higher purpose. Embrace the chance to be part of a community that values quality every day and strives for excellence in ambulatory health care.

What do we offer?

We prioritize our employees’ wellbeing by providing a comprehensive benefits package that includes:

• Compensation: Receive annual merit increase consideration and an annual discretionary bonus
• Work-Life Balance: Enjoy generous paid holidays, increasing paid time off with tenure, and potential hybrid schedule eligibility
• Health & Wellness: Take advantage of our medical, dental, and vision plans including company contributions to HSA as well as our wellness reimbursement benefit
• Retirement Plan: Invest in your future with our robust 401(k) plan that includes a company contribution and match
• Professional Development: Advance your career with ongoing training and educational opportunities along with a tuition reimbursement program
• Life & Disability Insurance: Experience peace of mind with company-paid short/long-term disability, life, & AD&D insurance
• Employee Assistance Program: Access support services for personal needs

Position Description

Reporting to the Director, Standards Development & Program Management, the Program Development Manager has primary responsibility for the design and development of new AAAHC accreditation, recognition, and certification programs, including research, competitor and regulatory identification and comparisons, Standards development, and Subject Matter Expert contributions to FAQs, tools and resources, stakeholder (i.e., staff, client and surveyor) education, articles, press releases, and other resources that contribute to program marketing launch, stakeholder learning, and client participation. Success in this role requires a clinical background, knowledge and utilization of accreditation standards in a clinical setting, effective workflow and workload management, attention to detail, and a focus on timeliness, thoroughness, and accuracy. This role will also serve as a liaison to Technical Panels and Expert Content Committees.

Apply industry-accepted project management and new product development practices to lead, research, design, develop, pilot, package, and launch new AAAHC accreditation, recognition, and certification programs. Collaborate with both internal teams and external stakeholders in the development of new programs that are harmonized across AAAHC programs and packaged comprehensively to include the tools and resources necessary to support marketing and program participation to specific target audiences

• Collaborate with Marketing & Business Development (MBD) to identify and define new programs that align with AAAHC’s mission, vision and strategic objectives, and competencies; draft high-level program definition, structure, and development timeline, and combine with MBD target market definition and market size estimation. Present for leadership and Board approval as appropriate
• Once a new program concept is approved, develop and execute a detailed project plan for new program development including milestones, timelines, expert content requirements, and responsibilities
• Apply AAAHC Standards development principles, policies, style guides, and architectural frameworks (including taxonomy, weighting and scoring methodologies, interpretive guidance, applicability algorithms, levels of evidence, and references) to ensure consistency, rigor, and harmonization across all AAAHC programs
  • Determine and recruit external expertise necessary for program development including leveraging medical/professional specialty association support/partnerships, surveyors, and other expertise willing to contribute to program development
  • Serve as Staff Liaison for new program development Expert Content Committee (ECC)/Technical Panel volunteer groups appointed to contribute to program design and development; schedule and facilitate conference calls, webinars, and both virtual and in-person meetings; draft committee and technical panel meeting agendas, supporting materials, and minutes, as specified by the organization; maintain Board Effect portal information for committee communication and minutes approval
  • Plan and manage client and surveyor focus groups as needed, including defining objectives, developing discussion guides, selecting participants, moderating sessions, synthesizing findings, developing recommendations, and presenting outcomes to management and governance committees
  • Conduct literature reviews and quantitative and/or qualitative research to support evidence-based Standards development; includes medical industry research and identification and comparison against competitor programs, state/federal regulatory requirements, and deeming authority guidance
  • Develop new Standards, propose revisions, and leverage existing content in response to identified gaps, regulatory changes, or emerging risks; prepare draft language and supporting rationale for committee discussion
  • Research, develop, and maintain Guidance & References (G&R) to ensure Standards reflect current best practices and remain accurate, relevant, and up to date
  • Manage the public comment process end-to-end for new programs including audience targeting, feedback collection and analysis, committee deliberation documentation, response development, and integration of approved changes into final Standards and program deliverables
  • Coordinate governance approval processes by tracking required actions, aggregating supporting documentation, and preparing memos for Standards Development Committees and Board review, in accordance with Standards Development policies and procedures
  • Structure and coordinate program pilot(s) including client and surveyor selection, committee feedback review and program refinement
  • Collaborate with Business Intelligence to establish program performance dashboard/metrics and monitor program performance during initial 12-24 months post-launch; recommend and implement refinements as necessary
• Leverage AAAHC’s accreditation management system, 1095 Engage to structure and build program Standards and functional requirements
  • Define Standards via the Standards Builder including requirements for category assignment, Standards allocation (universal; selective indicator triggers), surveyor badges (including credentials/practice experience), scoping, and POC triggers
  • Collaborate with stakeholders on the integration of Standards into the client, surveyor, staff, and committee 1095 Engage system modules including Application requirements to ensure client participation eligibility, selective indicator triggers, and supporting documentation, and POC, Decision Letter, and Certificate requirements
  • Develop detailed system Change Order specifications for System Developer and lead program UAT involving appropriate resources across the organization; includes test case development that addresses the entire program process
• Serve as the primary Subject Matter Expert (SME) for stakeholder (i.e., staff, client, surveyor) supporting/collateral development and communication that contribute to program marketing launch, stakeholder learning, and client participation. (MBD and Finance teams are responsible for program pricing and SKU system setup; MBD manages final value proposition/messaging)
  • Take the lead role in drafting Standards-related FAQs and other tools (e.g., Selective Indicator grid)
  • Support MBD as SME in drafting Triangle Times Today articles, press releases, and other communications/program promotion materials
  • In collaboration with other SME stakeholders and EDU team, determine survey process and surveyor training requirements to drive effective consistent Standards interpretation and application, and survey delivery; serve as new program EDU faculty, as appropriate
• Maintain awareness of market competitor and ambulatory care practice developments that may generate new AAAHC opportunities or suggest need for program refinement

Minimum Qualifications and Job-specific Competencies Required

• Bachelor’s degree in a health care related field, clinical discipline (e.g., Nursing) Health care Administration, Public Policy or related field, or equivalent work experience
• Minimum five years work experience in a clinical, health care, quality improvement, health education, or regulatory role required
• Demonstrated experience in quality improvement and performance measurement methodology and implementation, research survey and other study design and administration, and research literature review and synthesis
• Active involvement with organization compliance to health care accreditation standards and third-party onsite survey participation
• Demonstrated project management experience and skills requiring minimal supervision and direction; experience indirectly managing cross-functional project teams and building consensus
• Strong analytical skills; independent thinker with proven technical acumen in problem-solving and analyzing datasets; intense attention to detail
• Advanced reasoning, critical thinking, and language abilities with strong communication, technical writing and editing, and presentation skills
• Advanced proficiency with MS Office products (e.g., Word, Excel, PowerPoint); online survey tools (e.g., Qualtrics, Verint) and project management tools

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience working with volunteer Subject Matter Experts (SMEs)
• Knowledge of CMS Conditions for Coverage
• Certified Professional in Health Care Quality (CPHQ) or other demonstrated knowledge of process improvement
• Current clinical certification/licensure (e.g., accreditation manager, clinical nurse leader, nurse manager, quality improvement specialist, nurse educator, or occupational safety and health specialist)
• Master’s degree in related field (e.g., Nursing or other Health care related field), Health Education, Health care Administration, Public Policy) or equivalent work experience is a plus

Working Conditions & Travel Expectations

• Occasional evening conference calls and weekend meetings (e.g., association, client, and committee meetings); no more than 1 call/month and 1 meeting/quarter
• Estimated travel: <10% includes weekends

Physical Requirements

• Sedentary work: Exerting up to 10 lbs of force occasionally, and/or a negligible amount of force frequently or constantly to lift, carry, push, pull or otherwise move objects, including the human body. Sedentary work involves sitting most of the time. Jobs are sedentary if walking and standing are required only occasionally, and all other sedentary criteria are met.

Salary varies based on experience, location, and qualifications