Language Access Partnerships Program Manager

Atrium Health Wake Forest Baptist; United States; Hybrid; USD 70,000 - 106,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Educational Assistance Program

Paid Time Off

Health and welfare benefits

Job summary

Advocate Health is seeking a Program Manager, Vendor Management for the Enterprise Language Services department to lead the language vendor management program across the enterprise. You will oversee interpreter agencies and translation vendors, manage SLAs, drive cost optimization, and maintain vendor scorecards and dashboards.

This hybrid role requires extensive experience in vendor management within healthcare, with an emphasis on language access, compliance, and cross-functional collaboration

Qualifications

• 7+ years of progressive experience in vendor management, procurement, or healthcare contract management.
• Bachelor's degree in business, supply chain management, healthcare administration, or related field.
• Vendor management, procurement, or contract management certifications preferred.
• Knowledge of healthcare vendor compliance requirements including credentialing and regulatory standards.
• Strong negotiation skills, SLA management, and cost optimization abilities.
• Data analysis skills including ROI assessment and utilization reporting.
• Experience with vendor risk management and business continuity planning.
• Experience managing language services vendor programs in large healthcare organizations.

Responsibilities

• Lead the enterprise vendor management strategy and program for language services vendors.
• Oversee vendor selection, qualification, and contracting for interpreter and translation vendors.
• Monitor vendor performance against SLAs, quality standards, and contractual requirements.
• Drive cost optimization through negotiations, volume management, and rate analysis.
• Manage third-party interpreter agency relationships for quality, reliability, and compliance.
• Develop vendor scorecards, dashboards, and regular business reviews for AVP leadership.
• Ensure vendor compliance with regulatory standards and credentialing policies.
• Coordinate with Control Tower on utilization, escalation, and coverage gap management.
• Negotiate contracts, amendments, and SLAs with vendor partners.
• Analyze vendor cost data including cost-per-encounter and ROI impacts.

Skills

Vendor management

Contract negotiation

Cost optimization

Data analysis

Stakeholder management

Risk management

Project management

Language services

Compliance

Education

Bachelor's degree in business, supply chain management, healthcare administration

Master's degree in business administration, supply chain management, or healthcare administration

Job description

Department:

11604 Enterprise Corporate - Language Services

Status:

Full time

Benefits Eligible:

Yes

Hours Per Week:

40

Schedule Details/Additional Information:

M-F, 8:00a – 5:00p

Remote role - Preferred remote locations in GA, IL, NC, WI

Advocate Health may approve those who wish to work out of the following registered states: AL, AK, AR, AZ, DE, FL, GA, IA, ID, IL, IN, LA, KS, KY, ME, MI, MO, MS, MT, NC, ND, NE, NH, NM, NV, OH, OK, PA, SC, SD, TN, TX, UT, VA, WI, WV, WY.

Pay Range:

$51.05 - $76.60

Prefer applicant who resides in one of our enterprise states: GA, IL, NC, WI that meets the specific requirements listed below.

Education

Bachelor's degreerequiredin business, supply chain management, healthcare administration, or related field.

Certification / License

Vendor management, procurement, or contract management certifications preferred.

Work Experience

Typically requires 7+ years of progressive experience in vendor management, procurement, or healthcare contract management.

Knowledge / Skills / Abilities

• Expert vendor management skills including selection, contracting, performance monitoring, and relationship management.
• Strong contract negotiation skills with experience managing service level agreements.
• Cost optimization and financial analysis skills including rate analysis and volume management.
• Vendor performance measurement skills with experience building scorecards and dashboards.
• Knowledge of healthcare vendor compliance requirements including credentialing and regulatory standards.
• Strong stakeholder management skills for coordinating across operations, legal, and procurement teams.
• Data analysis skills for vendor cost analysis,utilizationreporting, and ROI assessment.
• Risk management skills for vendor compliance, contract compliance, and business continuity.
• Strong communicationand negotiation skills for vendor interactions and leadership reporting.
• Project management skills for managing vendor onboarding, transitions, and program improvements.

Major Responsibilities

• Lead the enterprise vendor management strategy and program for all language services vendors.
• Oversee vendor selection, qualification, and contracting processes for interpreter agencies and translation vendors.
• Monitor vendor performance against established SLAs, quality standards, and contractual requirements.
• Drive cost optimization across vendor relationships through strategic negotiations, volume management, and rate analysis.
• Manage third‑party interpreter agency relationships to ensure quality, reliability, and compliance.
• Develop andmaintainvendor scorecards, performance dashboards, and regular business review processes.
• Ensure vendor compliance with organizational standards, regulatory requirements, and credentialing policies.
• Coordinate with Control Tower on vendorutilization, escalation protocols, and coverage gap management.
• Manage vendor onboarding, credentialing, and ongoing compliance verification processes.
• Negotiate contracts, amendments, and service level agreements with vendor partners.
• Analyze vendor cost data including cost-per-encounter,utilizationratios, andfinancial impact.
• Collaborate with legal, procurement, and compliance teams on vendor contracting and risk management.
• Report on vendor performance, cost trends, and program effectiveness to AVP leadership.
• Drive continuous improvement in vendor quality through feedback mechanisms and performance improvement plans.

Preferred Job Requirements

Education

Master's degree in business administration, supply chain management, or healthcare administration.

Certification / License

Certified Professional in Supply Management (CPSM), Certified Purchasing Manager (CPM), or similar credentials.

Experience

7+ years of vendor management experience in healthcare with enterprise-scale program management.

Knowledge / Skills / Abilities

• Experience managing language services vendor programs for large healthcare organizations.
• Experience with vendor risk management and business continuity planning.
• Knowledge of language services industry including interpreter agency operations and market dynamics.
• Experience with strategic sourcing and vendor portfolio optimization.
• Experience driving vendor quality improvement through structured performance management programs.

Innovation & Continuous Improvement

• Drive vendor management innovation including strategic sourcing, platform optimization, and market intelligence.
• Evaluate emerging vendor capabilities and technologies that enhance service delivery and operational efficiency.
• Lead vendor partnership initiatives that advance language services capabilities and competitive positioning.

Revenue Impact & Financial Stewardship

• Own vendor cost management with accountability for contract negotiations, cost optimization, and financial performance.
• Develop strategic vendor sourcing approaches that balance cost, quality, and coverage across the enterprise.
• Analyze vendor economics and recommend portfolio optimization strategies that improve financial outcomes.

Operational Excellence & Efficiency

• Establish vendor management standards and performance monitoring that ensure quality, reliability, and compliance.
• Manage vendor performance against SLAs and drive continuous improvement through structured management programs.
• Coordinate vendor escalation and coverage gap management in partnership with control tower operations.

Patient Experience & Language Access

• Ensure vendor quality standards support consistent, high-quality interpretation services that meet patient and clinician needs.
• Monitor vendor performance on language diversity and access to support equitable interpretation across all languages.

Physical Requirements And Working Conditions

Work requiresuseoftelephone/computer and sitting for prolonged periods of time. Walking, standing, lifting, bending, reaching, stooping, pushing, and pulling arerequireda moderate amount ofthe time. May lift and carry up to 40 pounds on an intermittent basis. Mustdemonstratethe ability to communicate with individuals and groups effectively. Mustpossesscritical thinking, emotional intelligence, and the ability to concentrate. Must be able to work withhighvolume of activities/projects with short deadlines. Work is hybrid and requires the flexibility of working from home office as well as other Advocate Health work locations as required by services provided.

DISCLAIMER

All responsibilities and requirements are subject topossible modificationtoreasonably accommodateindividuals with disabilities.

This job description in no way states or implies that these are the only responsibilities to be performed by an employee occupying this job or position.Employees must follow any other job-related instructions and perform any other job-related duties requested by their leaders.

Our CommitmenttoYou:

Advocate Health offers a comprehensive suite Of Total Rewards: benefits and well‑being programs, competitive compensation, generous retirement offerings, programs that invest in your career development and so much more – so you can live fully at and away from work, including:

Compensation

• Base compensation listed within the listed pay range based on factors such as qualifications, skills, relevant experience, and/or training
• Premium pay such as shift, on call, and more based on a teammate's job
• Incentive pay for select positions
• Opportunity for annual increases based on performance

Benefits And More

• Paid Time Off programs
• Health and welfare benefits such as medical, dental, vision, life, andShort- and Long-Term Disability
• Flexible Spending Accounts for eligible health care and dependent care expenses
• Family benefits such as adoption assistance and paid parental leave
• Defined contribution retirement plans with employer match and other financial wellness programs
• Educational Assistance Program

Note: Eligibility for programs listed above may depend on your FTE or status (e.g., full-time, part-time, per diem, temporary, etc.); please ask a Recruiter for more information during an interview.

About Advocate Health

Advocate Health is the third‑largest nonprofit, integrated health system in the United States, created from the combination of Advocate Aurora Health and Atrium Health. Providing care under the names Advocate Health Care in Illinois; Atrium Health in the Carolinas, Georgia and Alabama; and Aurora Health Care in Wisconsin, Advocate Health is a national leader in clinical innovation, health outcomes, consumer experience and value‑based care. Headquartered in Charlotte, North Carolina, Advocate Health services nearly 6 million patients and is engaged in hundreds of clinical trials and research studies, with Wake Forest University School of Medicine serving as the academic core of the enterprise. It is nationally recognized for its expertise in cardiology, neurosciences, oncology, pediatrics and rehabilitation, as well as organ transplants, burn treatments and specialized musculoskeletal programs. Advocate Health employs 155,000 teammates across 69 hospitals and over 1,000 care locations, and offers one of the nation’s largest graduate medical education programs with over 2,000 residents and fellows across more than 200 programs. Committed to providing equitable care for all, Advocate Health provides more than $6 billion in annual community benefits.

Maximize value from strategic vendor partnerships through advanced performance management and cost optimization. The Program Manager, Vendor Management exhibits advanced wide‑ranging experience to lead the language vendor management function for the Enterprise Language Services department at Advocate Health, using in‑depth professional knowledge to develop complex models, procedures, and vendor strategies, providing solutions in creative and effective ways, overseeing vendor selection and contracting, performance monitoring, SLA management, cost optimization, and third‑party interpreter agency relationships. This role understands the interrelationships across disciplines, exercises independent judgment in methods, techniques, and evaluation criteria, and works on significant and unique issues. Reports directly to the AVP, Enterprise Language Services & Access.