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Director - Operations & Project Management Office

Stanford Medicine Children's Health · Palo Alto, CA, USA ·

Pay:
89 - 116
Job type:
Full Time

Company Description
At Lucile Packard Children’s Hospital Stanford, we know world‑renowned care begins with world‑class caring. That's why we combine advanced technologies and breakthrough discoveries with family‑centered care. It’s why we provide our caregivers with continuing education and state‑of‑the‑art facilities, like the newly remodelled Lucile Packard Children’s Hospital Stanford. And it’s why we need caring, committed people on our team – like you. Join us on our mission to heal humanity, one child and family at a time.

Job ID:

P143594-2777

Job Summary
The Director reports to the SVP of Operations and serves as the primary executive partner to operational and clinical leadership on all operational initiatives. The Director translates business strategies and initiatives into operational plans, prioritises strategic plans and capital projects, and creates implementation plans. The role oversees a focused portfolio of operational transformation programs spanning three domains: clinical workforce and staffing model redesign, care pathway standardisation, and patient capacity and throughput improvement. Day‑to‑day responsibilities include PMO leadership, team development, portfolio governance, and stakeholder relationship management with the SVP of Operations, CNO, CMO, and department leaders.

Essential Functions

Design, establish, and manage the PMO governance framework, project intake and prioritisation process, methodology, templates, and tooling to support enterprise operations.

Own the operations project portfolio end‑to‑end: intake, prioritisation, active monitoring, portfolio‑level risk management, and resource allocation across the PMO team.

Facilitate the Transformation Steering Committee monthly, preparing materials, driving the agenda, and ensuring decisions are documented and acted upon; present portfolio performance updates to the SVP of Operations, CNO, and CMO.

Serve as the primary relationship owner for the SVP of Operations, CNO, CMO, department leaders, and frontline nursing and clinical staff; build and maintain trust across the full spectrum from clinical staff to senior executives.

Lead all workforce and staffing transformation programmes within the PMO portfolio, partnering with HR and Nursing leadership on nursing model redesign, staffing structure optimisation, and clinical role and team design initiatives.

Lead care pathway standardisation programmes in partnership with physician and nursing leaders, overseeing the development, piloting, and scaling of evidence‑based clinical protocols and care models.

Oversee patient capacity and throughput improvement programmes, including inpatient flow, emergency department and access optimisation, operating room and procedural capacity, discharge planning, and bed management initiatives.

Manage the PMO team to assure quality services and promote positive employee relations; recruit, onboard, develop, and evaluate all PMO team members.

Establish and enforce project governance standards across the clinical enterprise, including charter approval, stakeholder validation, engagement, stage gates, escalation thresholds, and lessons‑learned practices.

Serve as the cross‑PMO coordination point with the IS PMO and Facilities PMO Directors; establish and maintain clear scope boundaries and a monthly alignment cadence to manage shared project dependencies.

Deliver monthly executive portfolio dashboards and reporting to the SVP of Operations, CNO, and CMO.

Identify early‑win programmes with high visibility and achievable timelines to establish PMO credibility and build organisational appetite for the broader transformation agenda.

Collaborate with dyad partners to ensure alignment on clinical operational strategic initiatives; create programme plans that support the hospital’s mission and vision across all service lines.

Resolve highly complex or unusual organisational problems applying advanced analytical thought and judgment that may have long‑term impact on clinical operations.

Develop and maintain effective systems of information, records, and reports.

Recommend and participate in evaluating sources for consulting, interim project management, or change management support; identify and develop internal resources to fill these needs.

Employees must abide by all Joint Commission Requirements including sensitivity to cultural diversity, patient care, patient rights and ethical treatment, safety and security of physical environments, emergency management, teamwork, respect for others, participation in ongoing education and training, communication and adherence to safety and quality programmes, sustaining compliance with National Patient Safety Goals, and licensure and health screenings.

Qualifications

Education:

Bachelor’s degree in Health Administration, Business, or a related field required. Master’s degree (MHA, MBA, MSN, or equivalent) strongly preferred.

Experience:

Eight (8) or more years of progressively responsible and directly related project and programme management experience, with at least four (4) years in a hospital or health system setting.

License/Certification:

Project Management Professional (PMP) certification preferred. Programme Management Professional (PgMP) preferred. Lean or Six Sigma certification preferred.

Knowledge, Skills, & Abilities

Ability to communicate effectively, both orally and in writing, across the full spectrum from frontline clinical staff to C‑suite executives.

Ability to manage complex programmes and portfolios including people, costs, scope, and timelines across multiple concurrent initiatives.

Ability to mediate and resolve complex organisational problems and competing priorities with diplomacy and influence.

Demonstrated experience building or significantly maturing a project management or operational function.

Proven track record leading complex, multi‑stakeholder operational transformation programmes in a clinical environment – workforce redesign, care model change, or throughput improvement.

Ability to strategise, plan, and implement change in a clinical environment where the PMO does not directly own the resources executing the work.

Ability to build a project management function from inception, including governance frameworks, methodology, templates, and tooling.

Knowledge of clinical operations, nursing workforce dynamics, and care delivery models in an acute care hospital setting.

Knowledge of principles and practices of organisation, administration, fiscal management, and personnel management.

Knowledge of project and portfolio management methodologies including PMI/PMBOK and Agile/hybrid approaches.

Knowledge of healthcare operational improvement methodologies such as Lean and Six Sigma, or equivalent process improvement frameworks.

Knowledge of local, state, and federal regulatory requirements related to clinical operations, to the extent needed to coordinate with clinical managers and compliance teams.

Skilled in executive‑level presentation and reporting, including producing portfolio dashboards and performance summaries for senior leadership and governance bodies.

Skilled in building and sustaining trusted relationships with clinical leaders, medical staff, and operational executives in a high‑complexity healthcare environment.

Physical Requirements
The Physical Requirements and Working Conditions in which the job is typically performed are available from the Occupational Health Department. Reasonable accommodations will be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions of the job.

Additional Information
Pay Range

Compensation is based on the level and requirements of the role. Salary within our ranges may also be determined by your education, experience, knowledge, skills, location, and abilities, as required by the role, as well as internal equity and alignment with market data. Typically, new team members join at the minimum to mid salary range. Minimum to Midpoint Range (Hourly): $89.95 to $116.93

Stanford Medicine Children’s Health (SMCH) strongly values diversity and is committed to equal opportunity and non‑discrimination in all of its policies and practices, including the area of employment. Accordingly, SMCH does not discriminate against any person on the basis of race, colour, sex, sexual orientation or gender identity, religion, age, national or ethnic origin, political beliefs, marital status, medical condition, genetic information, veteran status, or disability, or the perception of any of the above. People of all genders, members of all racial and ethnic groups, people with disabilities, and veterans are encouraged to apply. Qualified applicants with criminal convictions will be considered after an individualized assessment of the conviction and the job requirements, and where applicable, in compliance with the San Francisco Fair Chance Ordinance.

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