Program Operations Director Jobs in Downers Grove, IL

Location: Chicago, Illinois

Business Unit: Rush Medical Group

Hospital: Rush University Medical Center

Department: Otolaryngology - Off

Work Type: Full Time (Total FTE between 0. 9 and 1. 0)

Shift: Shift 1

Work Schedule: 8 Hr (7:00:00 AM - 3:00:00 PM)

Rush offers exceptional rewards and benefits learn more at our Rush benefits page (https://www.rush.edu/rush-careers/employee-benefits).

Pay Range: $57.36 - $85.47 per hour
Rush salaries are determined by many factors including, but not limited to, education, job-related experience and skills, as well as internal equity and industry specific market data. The pay range for each role reflects Rush’s anticipated wage or salary reasonably expected to be offered for the position. Offers may vary depending on the circumstances of each case.

Summary:
The Department Administrator and Director of Operations provides strategic, operational, and financial leadership for the academic departments within Rush Medical Group (RMG). This position partners with the Department Chair and RMG leadership to implement departmental and organizational strategies, optimize operational performance, and ensure a culture of innovation, collaboration, accountability, respect and excellence.
This role drives alignment across clinical operations, academic, and administrative domains to ensure efficient, patient-centered operations that support the Rush System for Health (RUSH) mission, vision, and values.

Other information:
Required Job Qualifications:
•Master’s degree in healthcare administration, Business, or related field.
•Minimum of 4 years of progressive healthcare leadership experience
•Proven ability in strategic planning, enterprise operations, and financial management.
•Strong communication, collaboration, and relationship management skills with the ability to work effectively across diverse stakeholders.
•Demonstrated experience leading cross-functional or system-level initiatives in a complex healthcare environment.
Preferred Job Qualifications:
•Experience in an academic medical center or large multi-specialty medical group.
•Practice management experience in surgical specialties.
•Familiarity with Lean, Six Sigma, or other performance improvement methodologies.
Physical Demands:
Competencies:
•Enterprise & Strategic Thinking: Aligns departmental operations with organizational mission and enterprise goals.
•Collaborative Leadership: Builds partnerships across departments and disciplines.
•Financial & Analytical Acumen: Leverages data and financial insights to guide enterprise decisions.
•Talent Development: Creates an environment for professional growth and leadership development.
•Operational Excellence: Drives consistent, systemwide performance and accountability.
•Innovation & Continuous Improvement: Advances a culture of innovation and data-driven improvement across the enterprise.

Responsibilities:
Leadership & Development
•Champion the RUSH mission, vision, and ICARE values by fostering a culture of innovation, collaboration, accountability, respect and excellence across all departments.
•Lead multidisciplinary teams in advancing clinical and operational excellence, ensuring that department initiatives are consistent with system priorities.
•Serve as a trusted RUSH partner, collaborating with other department administrators, chairs, and RMG leadership to implement shared policies, workflows, and quality standards.
•Mentor and develop administrative and clinical leaders across the organization, promoting talent mobility and leadership pipeline development.
•Lead by example through transparent communication, data-driven decision-making, and a commitment to continuous improvement and staff engagement.
Strategic Leadership & Enterprise Planning
•Partner with the Department Chair and RMG executive leadership to develop and execute a multi-year strategic plan that supports departmental and system objectives.
•Translate these strategies into actionable goals that promote cross-department collaboration, operational efficiency, and improved patient outcomes.
•Collaborate with RMG enterprise service lines to design scalable processes, shared staffing models, and integrated systems that enhance performance across departments.
•Identify and evaluate opportunities for growth, innovation, and partnership within the enterprise, community, and region.
•Represent the department in committees and planning groups to ensure alignment and equity in systemwide initiatives.
•Drive strategic initiatives around access, quality, diversity, and inclusion in coordination with other RMG and hospital departments.
Operations & Management
•Direct and oversee daily operations of clinical, academic, and research programs to ensure effective, efficient, and compliant performance across the enterprise.
•Standardize operational workflows, job descriptions, and metrics across RMG and hospital-based departments (where applicable) to improve consistency and accountability.
•Collaborate with departments such as Finance, HR, IT, Quality, and Nursing to align support functions and optimize resource utilization.
•Partner with clinical and administrative leaders to design systemwide staffing models that support optimal patient access, safety, and provider efficiency.
•Monitor and report on departmental and RUSH key performance indicators (KPIs), including access, patient experience, quality outcomes, employee engagement, and/or other metrics tied to departmental success.
•Ensure compliance with regulatory and accreditation standards, including those from The Joint Commission, CMS, and other governing bodies.
•Facilitate enterprise integration of technology systems (e.g., Epic) to enhance performance monitoring, patient communication, and operational transparency.
Financial Leadership & Budgeting
•Develop, manage, and oversee annual operating and capital budgets for the Department and related RMG enterprise programs.
•Ensure financial stewardship and accountability by aligning departmental financial goals with enterprise fiscal targets.
•Collaborate with RMG finance leadership to monitor performance, analyze trends, and implement cost containment and revenue optimization strategies.
•Lead financial planning processes that integrate departmental and service line perspectives to ensure balanced and sustainable growth.
•Partner with RMG leadership to design performance-based compensation models that align with institutional goals and quality metrics.
•Ensure financial compliance and transparency across all funding streams, including research, clinical, academic, and philanthropic initiatives.
Innovation & Enterprise Performance Improvement
•Champion innovation across the system through adoption of new care delivery models, technology solutions, and patient engagement strategies.
•Collaborate with RMG and RUSH innovation teams to pilot, scale, and measure new initiatives that enhance patient outcomes and operational performance.
•Utilize analytics and data visualization tools to evaluate progress toward departmental and enterprise goals.
•Lead enterprise-wide performance improvement projects using Lean, Six Sigma, or similar methodologies to improve safety, access, and efficiency.
•Partner with system quality and safety departments to identify and spread best practices across all clinical sites.
•Foster a culture of curiosity and experimentation, encouraging faculty and staff to contribute to learning and continuous improvement.

Rush is an equal opportunity employer. We evaluate qualified applicants without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability, veteran status, and other legally protected characteristics.