Associate Director, Business Operations

National Jewish Health; Denver, Northern (CO, KY); Hybrid; USD 118,000 - 156,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Medical coverage

Paid time off

Retirement plan

Tuition reimbursement

Job summary

National Jewish Health is seeking a Business Operations Associate Director to lead laboratory business functions, optimize workflows, and drive growth. You will partner with executives to align operations with client needs and revenue priorities, while building a high-performing team across multiple functions.

Responsibilities include managing 50+ indirect reports, forecasting staffing and financial needs, and delivering strategic improvements that reduce costs and enhance service delivery.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Business Administration, Healthcare Administration, or related field required.
• 7+ years of progressive leadership experience; experience managing supervisors and large teams.
• Experience in a complex healthcare or academic laboratory environment preferred.

Responsibilities

• Provide strategic and operational leadership across laboratory business functions.
• Manage and develop staff; recruit, train, mentor, evaluate.
• Oversee end-to-end workflow optimization, capacity planning, and service delivery.
• Partner with Business Development to align client strategy and revenue priorities.
• Prepare monthly performance reports and drive margin protection.

Skills

Staff management

Leadership

Strategic planning

Forecasting

Cost control

Education

Bachelor's degree in Business Administration/Healthcare Administration or related field

Master's degree preferred

Job description

• Facility *National Jewish Health - Main Campus
• Department ADx - Clinical Lab - Administration
• Schedule - Shift - Hours Full Time - Day Shift: Monday - Friday

Position Summary

The Business Operations Associate Director provides strategic and operational leadership across laboratory business functions to ensure efficient execution, exceptional client service, and sustained, scalable revenue growth. This role partners closely with the Executive Director, Business Development, and Laboratory leadership to align operational delivery with customer needs and growth objectives. This role must influence daily operations and collaboration with clients, providers, and laboratory leaders, to ensure that the laboratory business operations are flowing seamlessly, continually improving, and supporting efficient and low-cost operations.

• Manages and develops an effective staff: providing effective communication, leadership, guidance, and resources. Determines staff qualifications and competency: recruits, interviews, selects, hires, trains, orients, mentors, evaluates, coaches, counsels, disciplines, and rewards. Establishes and monitors staff safety and regulatory compliance.
• Provides operational leadership for a large, complex workforce with 50+ indirect reports, including Project Management, Account Management, Pre-Analytical, Study Coordination, Billing, and Client Services; ensures timely and effective communication; resolves service issues and escalations; establishes service standards to maintain high levels of client satisfaction and retention.
• Own end-to-end workflow optimization, capacity planning, and service delivery to support profitable and sustainable growth; establish standardized processes, metrics, and best practices that improve efficiency, reduce rework, control costs, and protect margins
• Establish standardized processes, metrics, and best practices that improve efficiency, reduce rework, control costs, and protect margins.
• Partner with Business Development to ensure Account Management execution aligns with client strategy, growth initiatives, and revenue priorities.
• Analyzes expenses for opportunities to save, including contract negotiation.
• Participates in strategic and tactical planning and decision making, as directed by the Executive Director, including forecasting staff requirements, revenues, expenses, capital equipment, IT/software needs, and communications plans.
• Prepares monthly reports of the ADx laboratories' performance (volumes, revenues, expenses, margin, and business development). Based on operational metrics, trends, and market analysis, directs efforts to align revenues and expenses to meet annual financial goals.
• Implements and sustains efficient and effective operational processes that drive improvement in a strategic and systematic way.
• Accountability: Accepts full responsibility for self and contribution as a team member; displays honesty and truthfulness; confronts problems quickly; displays a strong commitment to organizational success and inspires others to commit to goals; demonstrates a commitment to National Jewish Health.
• Building Strategic Relationships: Identifying opportunities and taking action to build strategic relationships between one's area and other areas, teams, departments, units, or organizations to help achieve business goals.
• Building a Successful Team: Using appropriate methods and a flexible interpersonal style to help build a cohesive team, aligns vision with shared values, manages change and encourages innovation.
• Business Acumen: Using economic, financial, market, and industry data to understand and improve business results; using one's understanding of major business functions, industry trends, and own organization's position to contribute to effective business strategies and tactics.
• Champion of Change: Facilitating the implementation and acceptance of change within the workplace. Cooperates with others to accomplish common goals; works with employees within and across his/her department to achieve shared goals; treats others with dignity and respect and maintains a friendly demeanor; values the contributions of others.
• Customer Focus: Ensuring that the customer perspective is a driving force behind business decisions and activities; crafting and implementing service practices that meet customers' and own organization's needs.
• Decision Making: Identifying and understanding issues, problems, and opportunities; comparing data from different sources to draw conclusions; using effective approaches for choosing a course of action or developing appropriate solutions; taking action that is consistent with available facts, constraints, and probable consequences.
• Managing Conflict: Dealing effectively with others in an antagonistic situation; using appropriate interpersonal styles and methods to reduce tension or conflict between two or more people. Addresses conflicts by focusing on the issues at hand to develop effective solutions when disputes or disagreements occur; helps others resolve conflicts by providing impartial mediation when needed.
• Talent Management for Leaders: Clearly establishes and communicates expectations and accountabilities; monitors and evaluates performance; provides effective feedback and coaching; identifies development needs and helps employees address them to achieve optimal performance.

Supervisory or Managerial Responsibility:

Manages 6-12 employees.

Travel:

0-5%

Core Values

• Be available to work as scheduled and report to work on time.
• Be willing to accept supervision and work well with others.
• Be well groomed, appropriately for your role and wear ID Badge visibly.
• Be in compliance with all departmental and institutional policies, the Employee Handbook, and Code of Conduct, and complete NetLearning by the due date annually.
• Promotes a workplace culture based on mutual respect and merit, where all individuals are treated fairly and provided with equal opportunity to contribute to the mission and goals of the institution.
• Adheres to safe working practices and at all times follows all institutional and departmental safety policies and procedures.
• Wears appropriate PPE as outlined by the infection control policies and procedures.
• Demonstrates compliance with all state, federal, and all other regulatory agency requirements.

Minimum Qualifications

• Education: Bachelor's Degree in Business Administration, Healthcare Administration, or related field required. Master's Degree preferred.
• Work Experience: 7 years of progressive leadership experience required. Experience managing supervisors and large teams required. Experience in a complex healthcare or academic laboratory environment preferred.
• Special Training, Certification or Licensure: None

Salary Range

$117,978.17 - $156,026.13

Benefits

At National Jewish Health, we recognize that our outstanding faculty and staff are the essence of our organization. For every aspect of health care, our employees are our greatest asset. With that in mind, we have designed a valuable, comprehensive benefits package to meet the needs of our employees and their families.

• Comprehensive Medical Coverage: Multiple Cigna health plans for Colorado, regional office and remote employees. Health Savings Accounts (HSA) and Flexible Spending Accounts (FSA) available to pair with some plans.
• Paid Time Off: Generous PTO accruals to use for vacation and sick days, and six paid holidays, all compliant with Colorado state sick leave regulations.
• Dental & Vision Plans: Coverage effective the first of the month after hire.
• Retirement Savings: 403(b) plan with employer contributions after two years.
• Wellness Incentives: Earn up to $200 annually for preventive health activities.
• Tuition Reimbursement: Up to $5,250 annually for full-time and part-time employees.
• Child Care Assistance: Childcare Flex Spending Account (FSA) with annual employer contribution.
• Loan Forgiveness: Public Service Loan Forgiveness (PSLF) eligible employer.
• Disability & Life Insurance: Employer-paid plans and optional buy-up choices.
• Voluntary Benefits: Full suite of coverage options such as Accident, Hospital Indemnity and Legal Plan
• Exclusive Discounts: Savings on local services, insurance, and RTD bus passes.

Anticipated Application Deadline: 2026-10-02

National Jewish Health

Human Resources

1400 Jackson St

Denver, CO 80206

303.398.1035

[e-mail]

National Jewish Health is a non-profit, non-sectarian institution and is a longstanding cornerstone in the Denver healthcare community. National Jewish Health seeks to attract the best-qualified candidates who support the mission, vision and values of the Institution. We are committed to providing equal employment opportunities (EEO) to all employees and applicants without regard to race, color, creed, religion, sex, age, national origin, citizenship, sexual orientation, gender identity and expression, physical or mental disability, marital, familial or parental status, genetic information, military status, veteran status or any other legally protected classification. We are a tobacco and fragrance-free environment.