Manager, Performance Improvement

Memorial Health System; Springfield (IL); On-site; USD 50,000 - 80,000; Full time

Job summary

Memorial Health System in Springfield, Illinois, seeks a Manager for Lean Six Sigma program. The role focuses on leading performance improvement initiatives across the organization. You should hold a Master's degree and possess a Six Sigma Black Belt. Key responsibilities include recruiting and mentoring staff, managing quality improvement projects, and ensuring alignment with strategic goals. This is an opportunity to make a significant impact within healthcare through efficiency and quality enhancements.

Qualifications

• Minimum of 5 years of performance/operations improvement experience required utilizing LEAN/DMAIC methodology.
• Minimum of two years of previous supervisory/management experience is required.
• American Society of Quality (ASQ) Six Sigma Black Belt certification required.

Responsibilities

• Design, implement, and sustain the Lean Six Sigma program across Memorial Health.
• Recruit, supervise, and develop colleagues providing performance improvement support.
• Lead and oversee high-impact, system-wide projects to improve quality and efficiency.

Skills

Coaching and mentoring

Project management

Analytical thinking

Communication

Initiative

Team Leadership

Education

Master’s degree in Nursing, Business, Management Engineering, Industrial Engineering or Organizational Behavior

Tools

Lean Six Sigma

DMAIC methodology

Job description

Min

USD $43.66/Hr.

Max

USD $69.85/Hr.

Overview

This role leads Memorial Health’s Lean Six Sigma program and manages colleagues who provide performance improvement support across Memorial Health. Responsible for embedding Lean Six Sigma principles into daily operations, ensuring system-wide alignment of improvement initiatives with strategic priorities, and developing people and processes to achieve sustained results. The Manager partners with executives, physicians, and leaders across all affiliates to drive enterprise-wide quality and operational excellence.

To review Memorial's Benefits click here: Benefits - Memorial HR

Qualifications

Education:

• Master’s degree in an applicable discipline (Nursing, Business, Management Engineering, Industrial Engineering, or Organizational Behavior) or related field required.

Licensure/Certification/Registry:

• American Society of Quality (ASQ) Six Sigma Black Belt certification required.
• Master Black Belt certification preferred.

Experience:

• Minimum of 5 years of performance/operations improvement experience required utilizing LEAN/DMAIC methodology.
• Minimum of two (2) years of previous supervisory/management experience is required.
• Demonstrated success implementing Lean Six Sigma at the organizational or system level.
• Demonstrated experience working effectively with physicians and operational leaders in a complex healthcare environment.
• Experience with accreditation and regulatory standards (e.g., Joint Commission, CMS, Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award Health Care criteria) preferred.

Other Knowledge/Skills/Abilities:

• Strong ability to coach and mentor Green Belts, Black Belts, and colleagues at all levels.
• Advanced skills in project management, change management, and facilitation.
• Achievement Orientation: A concern for surpassing standards of excellence. Standards may involve past performance (striving for improvement); objective measures (results orientation); outperforming others (competitiveness); challenging goals, or redefining the nature of the standards themselves (innovation).
• Analytical Thinking: Developing a deeper understanding of a situation, issue or problem by breaking it down or tracing its implications step-by-step. It includes organizing the parts of a situation, issue or problem systematically; making systematic comparisons of different feature or aspects; setting priorities on a rational basis; and identifying time sequences, causal relationships, or if-then relationships.
• Collaboration: Ability to work cooperatively and inclusively with other individuals and/or teams not formally lead; working together as opposed to working separately or competitively.
• Communication: Ability to use written and spoken communication in formal and informal situations to convey meaning, build shared understanding, and productively move agendas forward.
• Initiative: Ability to identify a problem, obstacle or opportunity and then take action in light of identification to address current or future problems or opportunities. Initiative emphasizes proactively doing things and not simply thinking about future actions.
• Process and Quality Management: Ability to analyze and design or improve an organizational process, including incorporating the principles of high reliability, continuous quality improvement, and user-centered design.
• Team Leadership: Ability to lead groups of people toward shared visions and goals, from forming a team that possesses balanced capabilities, to setting its mission, values and norms, and holding colleagues accountable individually and as a group for results.

Responsibilities

Leadership & Program Management

• Collaborate with System Director on the design, implementation, and sustainability of the Lean Six Sigma program across Memorial Health.
• Partner with system and affiliate leadership to prioritize and resource enterprise initiatives aligned with strategy.
• Provide oversight and monitoring of the system wide Lean Six Sigma project portfolio.

People Leadership

• Recruit, supervise, and develop colleagues providing PI support across all affiliates.
• Provide coaching, mentoring, and professional development opportunities for PI colleagues, Green Belts, and Black Belts.
• Conduct annual evaluations, succession planning, and workforce development strategies for the PI function.

Performance Improvement & Consulting

• Lead or oversee high-impact, system-wide projects to improve quality, patient safety, efficiency, and financial performance.
• Serve as trusted advisor to executives, leaders and physicians, providing expert consultation and facilitation.
• Support leaders in scoping and resourcing improvement opportunities.

Education & Capability Building

• Oversee and contribute to the design and delivery of Lean Six Sigma training for all levels.
• Ensure rigor and consistency of PI education across Memorial Health.
• Build a culture of continuous improvement through training, coaching and knowledge transfer.

Metrics, Reporting & Accountability

• Develop, maintain and monitor system-wide dashboards and reporting for improvement initiatives.
• Track and communicate progress against organizational policies.
• Ensure accountability for outcomes and sustainability of improvements.

Professional Development & Engagement

• Maintain professional certification and growth through continuing education, seminars, workshops and professional affiliations.
• Represent Memorial Health in professional forums and community organizations to share best practices and elevate the organization’s profile.

The intent of this job description is to provide a representative summary of the major duties and responsibilities performed by incumbents of this job. Incumbents may be requested to perform tasks other than those specifically presented in this description.