Healthcare Planner – Royal Oak, MI

Position: Healthcare Planner
Location: Royal Oak, Michigan
Work Type: On-site / Office-Based
Years of Experience: 5+ Years
Salary: Pay based on experience
Job Type: Full-Time / Exempt

We are seeking an experienced and highly collaborative Healthcare Planner to support a growing healthcare and institutional practice. This role will lead the planning and programming process for healthcare projects from early pre-design and operational assessment phases through occupancy and project completion. The Healthcare Planner will serve as a primary liaison between healthcare clients, medical staff, operational leadership, consultants, and architectural teams to ensure planning solutions align with clinical workflows, operational efficiency, patient experience, regulatory compliance, and long-term healthcare facility goals. The ideal candidate will possess strong expertise in healthcare planning, facility programming, operational workflow analysis, and occupied-facility renovation planning. Candidates should have a deep understanding of healthcare environments, healthcare regulations, infection control considerations, and evidence-based planning methodologies. This is a highly visible role offering the opportunity to contribute directly to healthcare strategy, client engagement, business development initiatives, and the continued expansion of healthcare-focused project delivery capabilities.

• Hospitals
• Outpatient facilities
• Behavioral health environments
• Specialty clinical settings
• Assist in creating, reviewing, and coordinating:
  • Architectural plans
  • Elevations
  • Equipment plans
  • Space utilization layouts
• Conduct pre-design assessments through:
  • Site visits
  • Stakeholder interviews
  • Functional adjacency analysis
  • Existing conditions evaluations
  • Benchmarking against FGI Guidelines and industry standards
• Develop and validate healthcare facility project scope and functional programs in collaboration with:
  • Client leadership
  • Medical staff
  • Clinical users
  • Facilities teams
  • Administrative stakeholders
• Apply FGI Guidelines, NFPA life safety codes, building codes, and applicable state and federal healthcare regulations throughout all planning and programming activities.

• Serve as the planning and programming coordinator throughout all design phases while ensuring programming intent is maintained through:
  • Schematic Design
  • Design Development
  • Construction Documents
  • Construction Administration
• Assist project teams with:
  • ICRA (Infection Control Risk Assessment)
  • ILSM (Interim Life Safety Measures)
  • Occupied-facility renovation planning
  • Phased construction coordination
• Provide infection control risk guidance for occupied healthcare facilities undergoing renovation or phased construction activities.
• Coordinate with:
  • Architects of record
  • MEP consultants
  • Structural consultants
  • Specialty healthcare vendors
  • Medical equipment planners
  • External subconsultants
• Align planning decisions with operational workflows, medical technologies, and facility infrastructure requirements.
• Participate in construction administration activities including:
  • Site observations
  • RFI review
  • Medical equipment coordination
  • Healthcare systems commissioning support

• Serve as the primary point of contact for:
  • End-users
  • Department directors
  • Medical staff
  • Nursing leadership
  • Operational leadership teams
• Translate complex healthcare workflows and operational needs into clear and functional architectural programs.
• Facilitate:
  • User group meetings
  • Planning workshops
  • Stakeholder interviews
  • Design review sessions
  • Operational planning discussions
• Build and maintain strong relationships with:
  • Health system leadership
  • Facilities management teams
  • Clinical staff
  • Administrative stakeholders
• Support collaborative decision-making processes while balancing operational, technical, and design considerations.

• Participate in:
  • Client presentations
  • Healthcare interviews
  • RFP/RFQ responses
  • Proposal development activities
• Contribute to healthcare market positioning through:
  • Project narratives
  • Case studies
  • Healthcare planning content
  • Thought leadership support
• Support identification of healthcare market opportunities and contribute to long-term healthcare growth initiatives.
• Assist with internal knowledge development including:
  • Planning templates
  • Healthcare standards documentation
  • Best practice guidelines
  • Operational planning resources

• 5+ years of experience in:
  • Healthcare architecture
  • Healthcare planning
  • Clinical operations
  • Healthcare facility design environments
• EDAC (Evidence-Based Design Accreditation and Certification) credential from The Center for Health Design, or active pursuit of certification.
• Strong working knowledge of current FGI Guidelines and familiarity with upcoming revisions and industry trends.
• ICRA certification or demonstrated experience with infection control risk planning within occupied healthcare facilities.
• Strong written and verbal communication skills with the ability to present effectively to:
  • C-suite leadership
  • Medical staff
  • Clinical leadership teams
  • Design review boards
  • Project stakeholders
• Proficiency in:
  • Revit
  • AutoCAD
  • Healthcare space planning workflows
  • Medical presentation coordination

• Experience with:
  • Lean process design
  • Patient flow optimization
  • Healthcare transformation initiatives
  • Operational efficiency studies
• Familiarity with healthcare approval and regulatory processes related to healthcare facility design and construction projects.
• Experience supporting or leading healthcare business development pursuits including SF330 submissions.
• ACHA (American College of Healthcare Architects) membership or active pursuit preferred.
• Experience working with healthcare systems, institutional clients, or large-scale medical facility environments preferred.

• Strong healthcare planning and operational workflow analysis capabilities.
• Deep understanding of healthcare environments, clinical operations, and patient-centered design principles.
• Excellent facilitation, communication, and stakeholder engagement skills.
• Strong multidisciplinary coordination and problem-solving abilities.
• Ability to manage complex planning processes while balancing operational, technical, and regulatory considerations.
• High attention to detail and commitment to quality planning and documentation.
• Strong organizational and project management skills with the ability to manage multiple priorities and deadlines.
• Professional demeanor with strong client-facing presentation and leadership capabilities.
• Ability to work independently while contributing collaboratively within multidisciplinary project teams.

This position operates within a collaborative architectural and healthcare planning environment involving frequent interaction with architects, engineers, healthcare administrators, clinical staff, consultants, contractors, and project stakeholders. The role may include:

• Office-based planning and coordination work
• Healthcare facility walkthroughs
• Client meetings
• Stakeholder workshops
• Site visits
• Construction phase coordination activities

The Healthcare Planner will contribute across multiple active healthcare and institutional projects while supporting planning, programming, coordination, and client engagement activities throughout all phases of project delivery.

This is an exceptional opportunity for an experienced Healthcare Planner seeking a highly visible and impactful role within a growing healthcare-focused design practice. The position offers the opportunity to lead complex healthcare planning initiatives, collaborate directly with clinical and operational leadership teams, influence healthcare facility strategy, and contribute to the continued growth and advancement of healthcare project delivery capabilities.