Director - Operations & Project Management Office

Stanfordmedicinechildrenshealth; Palo Alto (CA); On-site; USD 180,000 - 280,000; Full time

Job summary

Stanford Medicine Childrens Health is seeking a Director to lead the PMO and partner with operational and clinical leadership on enterprise transformation initiatives. The role focuses on translating strategies into actionable operational plans, prioritizing capital projects, and developing forecasting, budgets and resource allocation for major programs.

Responsibilities include governance, portfolio oversight, and ongoing collaboration with senior executives to drive workforce redesign, care

Responsibilities

• Abide by Joint Commission requirements including patient care, safety, diversity and quality programs.
• Perform duties per hospital policies, Service Standards and Code of Conduct.
• Design, establish and manage the PMO governance framework, project intake and prioritization process, templates and tooling.
• Own the operations project portfolio end-to-end: intake, prioritization, monitoring, risk management and resource allocation.
• Facilitate the Transformation Steering Committee monthly, prepare materials and document decisions.
• Serve as primary relationship owner for SVP of Operations, CNO, CMO and department leaders.
• Lead workforce and staffing transformation programs with HR and Nursing leadership.
• Lead care pathway standardization programs with physician and nursing leaders; oversee development and scaling of care models.
• Oversee patient capacity and throughput programs including inpatient flow, ED access, OR capacity and bed management.
• Manage PMO team; recruit, onboard, develop and evaluate PMO staff.
• Establish and enforce project governance standards including chartering, stakeholders, stage gates and lessons learned.
• Coordinate cross-PMO with IS and Facilities PMO; maintain scope boundaries and alignment cadence.

Job description

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. Responsible for translating business strategies and initiatives into operational plans. Prioritizes strategic plans and capital projects and creates plans for implementation. Develops complex forecasting models, budgets, resource allocation and plans for projects. Utilizes comprehensive knowledge of company's internal operations to develop forward-looking focus for business, as well as on-going oversight and governance of labor costs and strategy in support of these initiatives. The Director of PMO provides overall leadership and direction for the Project Management Office supporting hospital operations transformation within the Pediatric Healthcare Enterprise. The Director oversees a focused portfolio of operational transformation programs spanning three domains: clinical workforce and staffing model redesign, care pathway standardization, and patient capacity and throughput improvement. Day-to-day responsibilities encompass PMO leadership and team development, portfolio governance and prioritization, stakeholder relationship management with the SVP of Operations, CNO, CMO, and department leaders. The Director establishes and maintains governance standards, project intake processes, and reporting frameworks for the enterprise. This role coordinates closely with peer PMO offices in Information Systems and Facilities on shared dependencies.

ESSENTIAL FUNCTIONS

The essential functions listed are typical examples of work performed by positions in this job classification. They are not designed to contain or be interpreted as a comprehensive inventory of all duties, tasks, and responsibilities. Employees may also perform other duties as assigned.

• Employees must abide by all Joint Commission Requirements including but not limited to 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 programs, sustaining compliance with National Patient Safety Goals, and licensure and health screenings.
• Must perform all duties and responsibilities in accordance with the hospital's policies and procedures, including its Service Standards and its Code of Conduct.
• Designs, establishes, and manages the PMO governance framework, project intake and prioritization process, methodology, templates, and tooling to support enterprise operations.
• Owns the operations project portfolio end-to-end: intake, prioritization, active monitoring, portfolio-level risk management, and resource allocation across the PMO team.
• Facilitates the Transformation Steering Committee monthly, preparing materials, driving the agenda, and ensuring decisions are documented and acted upon; presents portfolio performance updates to the SVP of Operations, CNO, and CMO.
• Serves as the primary relationship owner for the SVP of Operations, CNO, CMO, department leaders, and frontline nursing and clinical staff; builds and maintains trust across the full spectrum from clinical staff to senior executives.
• Leads all workforce and staffing transformation programs within the PMO portfolio, partnering with HR and Nursing leadership on nursing model redesign, staffing structure optimization, and clinical role and team design initiatives.
• Leads workforce and staffing transformation programs within the PMO portfolio, partnering with HR and Nursing leadership on nursing model redesign, staffing structure optimization, and clinical role and team design initiatives; provides ongoing oversight to ensure successful implementation and sustainability.
• Leads care pathway standardization programs in partnership with physician and nursing leaders, overseeing the development, piloting, and scaling of evidence-based clinical protocols and care models.
• Oversees patient capacity and throughput improvement programs, including inpatient flow, emergency department and access optimization, operating room and procedural capacity, discharge planning, and bed management initiatives; works collaboratively with Patient Access, Quality, and Process Improvement leadership to avoid duplication and ensure alignment on scope.
• Manages the PMO team to assure quality services and promote positive employee relations; recruits, onboards, develops, and evaluates all PMO team members.
• Establishes and enforces project governance standards across the clinical enterprise including charter approval, validating appropriate stakeholders and gaining their engagement, stage gates, escalation thresholds, and lessons learned practices.
• Serves as the cross-PMO coordination point with the IS PMO and Facilities PMO Directors; establishes and maintains clear scope boundaries and a monthly alignment cadence to manage shared project d