Lean Facil Contin Improv

University of Maryland Medical System; Glen Burnie (MD); On-site; USD 110,000 - 160,000; Full time

Job summary

The University of Maryland Medical System Corporation seeks a Lean Facilitator of Continuous Improvement to coach leaders and teams in applying Lean to safety, quality, and reliability across healthcare operations.

You will lead Kaizen events, value stream mapping, and daily management initiatives while building organizational capability for daily management and High Reliability Organization transformation.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in healthcare administration, nursing, business, engineering, public health, organizational development, or a related field.
• Master's degree preferred.
• Lean/Six Sigma certification preferred.
• 3–5 years of healthcare performance improvement or Lean facilitation experience.
• Experience facilitating multidisciplinary improvement initiatives in a healthcare environment preferred.
• Strong knowledge of Lean principles, continuous improvement methodologies, and change management practices.
• Excellent written, verbal, and presentation communication skills.
• Ability to influence and coach across all organizational levels.

Responsibilities

• Facilitates Lean improvement activities including Kaizen events, rapid improvement projects and workshops, value stream mapping, and process redesign initiatives.
• Supports departments in identifying operational inefficiencies, waste, variation, and safety risks.
• Guides teams through structured problem-solving methodologies using A3 thinking, root cause analysis, PDSA cycles, and standard work development.
• Provides project status updates, feedback and appropriate reporting on project progress that drives organizational learning. Identifies and works to remove barriers that slow or prevent the successful attainment of process improvement and escalates them in a timely and effective manner.
• Support implementation and sustainment of HRO principles and behaviors across the organization.
• Reinforce a culture of safety, transparency, learning, and continuous improvement.
• Partner with operational and clinical leaders to integrate Lean management systems into daily work.
• Promote reliability practices including huddles, visual management, and leader standard work.
• Coach leaders, managers, physicians, and frontline staff in Lean methodologies and continuous improvement principles.
• Develop internal capability for daily management and continuous improvement.
• Facilitate training sessions, workshops, and educational programs related to Lean and HRO practices.
• Mentor teams in sustaining improvements and monitoring performance outcomes.
• Assist departments with implementation and optimization of daily management systems.
• Support development of: Tiered huddles, Visual management boards, KPI tracking, Standard work, Leader rounding processes.
• Help leaders create routines that drive accountability and operational reliability
• Assist teams in establishing meaningful metrics and monitoring systems. Establish and monitor operational performance measures and key performance indicators to evaluate efficiency, effectiveness, and cost using available information system data, and design appropriate data collection methods when data are not readily available.
• Track and report improvement outcomes, sustainment measures, and project progress.
• Collaborate with analytics, quality, patient safety, and operational leaders to support data-informed decision making.
• Lead or support enterprise-wide strategic improvement initiatives.
• Facilitate collaboration across departments, disciplines, and leadership level.
• Provides both direct support as well as coaching in defining, scoping, and validating projects that align with organizational objectives.
• Works with a high degree of autonomy in leading and coaching improvement initiatives while providing excellent communication and collaboration around changes and insights that promote organizational learning.
• Perform all other duties as assigned.

Skills

Lean facilitation

A3 thinking

PDSA cycles

Root cause analysis

Change management

Data visualization

Cross-functional coaching

Project leadership

Facilitation

Kaizen

Education

Bachelor's degree in healthcare administration, nursing, business, engineering, public health, organizational development, or related field

Master's degree preferred

Lean Six Sigma certification preferred

Tools

Microsoft Office

Data visualization tools

Job description

Job Requirements

The Lean Facilitator of Continuous Improvement serves as a coach, facilitator, and partner who helps leaders and teams improve safety, quality, efficiency, engagement, and reliability through the application of Lean methodology. This role is responsible for both direct support in leading multidisciplinary projects, and for building organizational capability for Daily Management, Lean leadership, innovation, efficiency, and Change Management. The position works in partnership with both local and system leadership in building and implementing strategy consistent with becoming a High Reliability Organization.

Continuous Improvement facilitation:

• Facilitates Lean improvement activities including Kaizen events, rapid improvement projects and workshops, value stream mapping, and process redesign initiatives.
• Supports departments in identifying operational inefficiencies, waste, variation, and safety risks.
• Guides teams through structured problem-solving methodologies using A3 thinking, root cause analysis, PDSA cycles, and standard work development.
• Provides project status updates, feedback and appropriate reporting on project progress that drives organizational learning. Identifies and works to remove barriers that slow or prevent the successful attainment of process improvement and escalates them in a timely and effective manner.

High Reliability Transformation support:

• Support implementation and sustainment of HRO principles and behaviors across the organization.
• Reinforce a culture of safety, transparency, learning, and continuous improvement.
• Partner with operational and clinical leaders to integrate Lean management systems into daily work.
• Promote reliability practices including huddles, visual management, and leader standard work.

Coaching & Capability building:

• Coach leaders, managers, physicians, and frontline staff in Lean methodologies and continuous improvement principles.
• Develop internal capability for daily management and continuous improvement.
• Facilitate training sessions, workshops, and educational programs related to Lean and HRO practices.
• Mentor teams in sustaining improvements and monitoring performance outcomes.

Daily Management System support:

• Assist departments with implementation and optimization of daily management systems.
• Support development of: Tiered huddles, Visual management boards, KPI tracking, Standard work, Leader rounding processes.
• Help leaders create routines that drive accountability and operational reliability

Data & Performance Improvement:

Assist teams in establishing meaningful metrics and monitoring systems. Establish and monitor operational performance measures and key performance indicators to evaluate efficiency, effectiveness, and cost using available information system data, and design appropriate data collection methods when data are not readily available.

• Track and report improvement outcomes, sustainment measures, and project progress.
• Collaborate with analytics, quality, patient safety, and operational leaders to support data-informed decision making.

Cross-Functional Improvement work:

• Lead or support enterprise-wide strategic improvement initiatives.
• Facilitate collaboration across departments, disciplines, and leadership level.
• Provides both direct support as well as coaching in defining, scoping, and validating projects that align with organizational objectives.
• Works with a high degree of autonomy in leading and coaching improvement initiatives while providing excellent communication and collaboration around changes and insights that promote organizational learning.

Perform all other duties as assigned.

Work Experience

Bachelor's degree in healthcare administration, nursing, business, engineering, public health, organizational development, or a related field with a strong analytical base. Master's degree in healthcare administration, nursing, business, industrial engineering, public health or related field preferred. Minimum of 3-5 years of experience in healthcare performance improvement, Lean facilitation, operational excellence, quality improvement, or related field 2-4 years in progressive leadership and/or management position. 2-4 years of direct experience with Lean process improvement methodologies to include: Value Stream management tools, A3, Kaizen methods, Standard Work and Daily Management development. Lean/Six sigma certification is preferred. Experience facilitating multidisciplinary improvement initiatives in a healthcare environment preferred. Experience supporting high reliability or cultural transformation initiatives preferred. Strong knowledge of Lean principles, continuous improvement methodologies, and change management practices. Understanding of healthcare operations, patient safety, quality improvement, and regulatory environments. Skilled in facilitation, coaching, conflict resolution, and team engagement. Ability to influence and coach across all organizational levels; ability to constructively engage, negotiate, and resolve conflict and influence staff and leaders. Strong analytical, statistical, and problem-solving capabilities. Ability to create data visualizations that drive learning and improvement. Excellent written, verbal, and presentation communication skills, including the ability to present findings and recommendations to both senior management and front-line staff. Ability to manage multiple projects and priorities simultaneously. Demonstrated ability to meet deadlines, managing across organizational teams Proficiency with Microsoft Office and performance improvement/data visualization tools