Director, Operational Planning & Activation (Ambulatory Network Sites)

Job Description

Join a world-class academic healthcare system, UChicago Medicine as the Director, Operational Planning & Activation (Ambulatory Network Sites). You will be responsible for co‑leading, along with the Director, Design & Construction, the planning, design, construction, delivery and activation of all new and/or renovated UCM ambulatory network site locations.

Initially, this role will be charged with, along with their co‑leader, the development of a new ambulatory network site delivery model for the institution, including the establishment of new, standardized interior designs and construction prototypes, vendor framework and engagement, and a streamlined project delivery process. Measurable outcomes to achieve these institutional goals include lower per square foot project costs, increased speed to market, and that the new delivery model can be easily duplicated over multiple projects and geographies.

Additionally, after new projects have been identified, the Director will co‑lead and have responsibility and accountability for the full lifecycle of Operational Planning & Readiness, Facility Readiness, Move Logistics, and Transition & Activation for all new and/or renovated off‑campus ambulatory network healthcare sites. This senior role involves the management of multiple projects, teams, budgets, and internal stakeholders to ensure projects are completed on time, within a new standardized scope and budget, while ensuring required quality and safety standards are upheld. The selected individual provides high‑level leadership, strategic direction, and ensures alignment with business goals, while also handling risk management and financial oversight.

UChicago Medicine is an integrated academic and community health system with multiple primary and urgent care medical facilities within the surrounding suburbs of Chicago and Northwest Indiana. This role will be a flexible hybrid position requiring travel to potential and acquired sites surrounding the Chicagoland area and will report to the Executive Director, Enterprise Real Estate within the division of Strategy & Growth.

Who You Are

• Bachelor’s degree with at least fifteen (15) years of operational healthcare experience, or Master’s with at least ten (10) years of experience.
• Minimum five (5) years of experience in the planning and activation of new healthcare facilities is a requirement.
• Must have experience working within multi‑tenanted buildings that are owned and managed by third‑party landlords.
• Prior experience performing due diligence for the acquisition of existing facilities, for the purpose of retrofitting the space to meet UCM specifications and needs.
• Available to travel to project sites located within the health system’s Primary and Secondary Service Areas.
• Demonstrated ability to manage highly complex projects that involve high capital value and are multi‑phased.
• Excellent oral, written, presentation, and communication skills.
• Self‑starter who possesses an exceptional project management skillset.
• Demonstrated ability to work with, manage, lead, and influence internal project and external project stakeholders who do not directly report to this position.
• Strong proficiency in compiling and presenting written project correspondence to senior leadership.
• Exceptional knowledge of business processes and procedures, applications, workflow, and planning. Preferred knowledge/experience working with Smartsheet software for project and critical date tracking.
• Must possess strong conflict management, communication, organizational, and negotiating skills.
• Strong working knowledge of full MS Office suite, with excellent financial modeling/management in Excel.

What you’ll gain as the Director, Operational Planning & Activation (Ambulatory Network Sites)

• Opportunity to work at a world‑class organization, engaging numerous stakeholders, to fulfill its patient‑care, research, medical‑education, and health‑equity missions.
• High visibility as an innovative leader for UChicago Medicine, managing key internal and external relationships.
• Ability to make a difference in the lives of patients and their families by positioning UCM as a provider of choice, highlighting our relentless pursuit to address health disparity and achieve health equity.
• Leverage strategy and change management to promote consistent and valuable growth for the organization.

What you’ll do as the Director, Operational Planning & Activation (Ambulatory Network Sites)

• Identify and lead multiple integrated, cross‑functional teams over a portfolio of new strategic ambulatory network projects/sites, ensuring seamless planning and execution from concept through first patient. Co‑lead each project with the Director, Design & Construction, jointly establishing project charters, governance structures, scope, schedule, budget, and management of delivery teams.
• Act as a thought partner in shaping the future‑state pipeline from an operational and project delivery perspective. Serve as the primary liaison for internal stakeholders, ensuring high level engagement, accountability, influence, and informed decision making from a large group of end users including but not limited to: IT, Ambulatory Operations, Training/Education, Human Resources, Supply Chain, Imaging, Pharmacy, Lab, Patient Care Services, Revenue Cycle, Environmental Health & Safety Compliance, Risk Management, and Public Safety.
• In partnership with Ambulatory Network Operations and other UCM leadership, develop and operationalize standardized and comprehensive workplans that include medical equipment planning, workflow design, staff training, regulatory compliance, technology adoption, patient communication, detailed milestone tracking schedules, and move/activation logistics planning. Ensure team readiness activities and each site is fully prepared—operationally, clinically, and technologically—to deliver safe, high‑quality patient care on day one— and sign off on readiness milestones to ensure predictable Go‑Live performance.
• Ensure management and sequencing of the occupancy schedule between internal and external stakeholders, and manage the timely completion of all regulatory, accreditation, and licensing requirements prior to Go‑Live dates.
• Direct the strategy and execution of move planning, FF&E delivery, installation, activation and certification to align with the overall project schedule. Support the team in readiness simulation exercises to test workflows, equipment, staffing, technology, and patient experience prior to Go‑Live dates, and ensure that operational, clinical, and environmental dependencies are aligned for seamless activation.
• In partnership with Network Leadership, establish and maintain Operational Charters and Standards that clearly define operational ownership, decision rights, accountability structures, and programmatic requirements (scope and client governance). Lead this process for each new site through project completion and ensure consistency across the portfolio, which can be used for benchmarking, standardization, and KPI tracking.
• Co‑deliver unified project status reports, integrating construction progress and operational readiness together to help inform project costs vs. budgets, schedules/critical dates, risks, and activation performance. Regularly report on these activities to Network Leadership, highlighting accomplishments, risks, mitigation plans, and enterprise‑level insights.

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