Clinical Operations Manager

American Academy of Ophthalmology; Chicago (IL); On-site; USD 90,000 - 150,000; Full time

Job summary

Lurie Children's is seeking a strategic leader to manage ambulatory operations, growth, and quality of care across pediatric services. This role collaborates with the Director and leadership team to create a high-performing work environment that supports safety, staff development, and patient satisfaction.

The ideal candidate has ophthalmology/healthcare leadership experience, strong budgeting skills, and the ability to drive improvements while ensuring regulatory compliance.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in a related field; Master's degree preferred.
• Certification by JCAHPO as COA and/or COT within 1 year of employment.
• 3–5 years of healthcare leadership experience.
• Demonstrates strong leadership, communication, organization, and budgeting skills.
• Basic Life Support (BLS) certification required.

Responsibilities

• Manage daily operations to ensure high-quality care, patient satisfaction, and safety.
• Perform routine rounds to identify service delivery trends and improvement opportunities.
• Develop, implement, and monitor operational processes and procedures.
• Lead process improvement initiatives to achieve quality outcomes.
• Ensure effective scheduling and staffing of staff and payroll processes.
• Serve as a clinical and operational resource and role model for staff.

Skills

Leadership

Budgeting

Staffing

Communication

Quality improvement

Education

Bachelor's degree

Master's degree preferred

Job description

Job Description: Candidates for this position must have both clinical ophthalmology and management/leadership experience, as well as current certification as an OPT. Experience with budget planning and managing more than 20 FTEs of direct reports is highly preferred.

This is a full time salaried role, and requires some travel.

General Summary:

Collaborates with Director of Ambulatory Services within designated area of responsibility to manage patient care operations and ensure the delivery of excellent patient care. Works with leadership team to create a work environment that engages staff in the attainment of department and organizational goals and vision. Understands and integrates into the delivery of patient care the needs of the neonatal, pediatric, adolescent, and adult patient regarding their growth and development process. Actively supports continuous improvement in safety, quality, and customer service, through behavior modeling and by provision of work environment conducive to attaining these goals.

Essential Job Functions:

• Works with the department leadership team, manages daily operations to ensure the highest quality care, patient satisfaction, regulatory compliance, and patient safety.
• Performs routine patient rounding to identify trends in service delivery and opportunities to facilitate service recovery.
• Develops, implements, and monitors the effectiveness of operational processes and procedures.
• Leads process improvement initiatives to ensure high quality outcomes.
• Ensures effective scheduling and staffing of staff.
• Oversees payroll/time reporting process ensuring proper pay for staff, compliance with policies, and approval of overtime and incentive programs.
• Serves as a clinical and operational resource and role model to staff.
• Creates a work environment that attracts, retains, and engages the highest quality staff. Addresses proactively, the issues affecting work environment.
• Assists in the recruitment and selection of high-quality staff.
• Develops staff through coaching and mentoring. Collaborates with staff development specialist and/or Clinical Educator to coordinate facilitate in-services, conferences, and other professional development opportunities for staff and ensure orientation of new staff.
• Ensures high standards of performance by proactively addressing performance issues, including coaching and disciplinary conversations and by feedback provided through the performance appraisal process.
• Assist director in monitoring productivity, budgeting, patient charges and variance reporting.
• Collaborates with Director to prepare budget, monitor monthly variances, and acts to correct and/or make recommendations for budget adjustments based on analyzed data and change in practice or trends.
• Serves as leader and guide to manage complex projects within department and organization.
• Facilitates timely communication within department, between departments, and up/down the Lurie Children's leadership structure and with staff. Remains aware of changes occurring within the organization and acts as a communication link between staff and Lurie Children's Senior Leadership.
• Pursues professional development opportunities and networks to enhance own professional knowledge and development.
  Demonstrates knowledge of pertinent aspects and competency with protocols related to the use of chemical disinfection, high level disinfection, and sterilization if required as part of the responsibilities of the role.
  

Education and Experience:

• Bachelor's degree in a related field. Master's degree preferred.
• Certification by the Joint Commission on Allied Health Personnel in Ophthalmology (JCAHPO) as an ophthalmic assistant (COA) and/or ophthalmic technician (COT) required within 1 year of employment.
• Possesses a broad knowledge of issues, trends, practices, and systems related to pediatric health care delivery acquired through a minimum of 3-5 years of experience in a healthcare environment.
• Experience working in partnership with health care professionals in leadership roles.
• Demonstrates excellent leadership skills, ability to work with a team; excellent written and verbal communication skills; excellent organizational skills; entry level understanding of budgeting and monitoring/analyzing variance from budget; and hospital information systems.
• Demonstrated ability to provide leadership in a collaborative and facilitative style.
• Basic Life Support Certification required.