Operational Excellence Program Manager

Grow in Greenville, NC; Greenville (NC); Hybrid; USD 84,000 - 122,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Great Benefits

Hybrid work arrangement

Job summary

ECU Health Operations in Greenville, NC, is seeking an Operational Excellence Program Manager to independently scope and drive tactical and strategic initiatives across the enterprise. You will partner with leaders and executives to deliver value streams and improve patient care through Lean Six Sigma methodologies.

Responsibilities include coaching teams, leading cost-benefit analyses, and developing standard work to sustain improvements.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree or higher.
• 8 years of experience leading teams and enterprise level continuous improvement initiatives with a deep understanding of health care operations as well as the current business issues and trends influencing health care providers.
• Lean Six Sigma Green Belt certification.

Responsibilities

• Manages multiple operational excellence initiatives and value streams simultaneously in alignment to the Operational Excellence methodology.
• Performs workflow assessments/value stream evaluations to identify waste and improvement opportunities.
• Serves as a coach and mentor to leaders across the health system as they develop competency to independently lead and facilitate process improvements in their areas of responsibility.
• Develops and maintains standard work instructions, procedures, and/or policies as outcomes to operational excellence initiative change.
• Captures cost benefits from each improvement activity and develops reports of continuous improvement activities.
• Supports governance on business cases for change related to operational excellence.
• Provides training on the operational excellence methodology, tools and processes across the enterprise.
• Holds responsibility to update materials in the Center of Excellence and connect materials to team members and leaders.
• Acts as a subject matter expert in operational excellence and represents the enterprise as an expert internally and externally.
• Develops and maintains a culture that promotes service excellence and team member empowerment.

Skills

Lean Six Sigma

Data analysis

Process improvement

Stakeholder management

Education

Bachelor's degree or higher

Job description

Operational Excellence Program Manager

ECU Health Operations, Greenville, NC, USA

USD 83,636.8-121,904.64 / year

Posted on Aug 25, 2026

Operational Excellence supports high reliability in the imperatives of quality, experience, finance, workforce, operations, and capacity. The role is responsible for independently scoping and executing on Operational Excellence tactical and strategic initiatives. The role is considered an expert practitioner with data, concepts, theories and the methodologies of continuous process improvement and total quality management. The role interacts effectively with stakeholders at all organizational levels including senior executives and providers to result change within the organization. The role is expected to be a partner and mentor to the enterprise development of continuous improvement. The role is expected to manage and execute on multiple value stream improvement projects concurrently, with effective and efficient operational service delivery across the enterprise. The role leverages the enterprise operational excellence methodology to transfer stakeholder perceptions of problems into viable solutions and actionable items, utilizing competencies to empathize with stakeholders' changing concerns. The role manages operational excellence cost, value, and quality to ensure critical deliverables are executed. The role actively participates in community of practice partnerships, education and mentoring, and role models customer service, collaboration, and inclusivity in engagements.

Responsibilities

• Manages multiple operational excellence initiatives and value streams simultaneously in alignment to the Operational Excellence methodology. Aligns subject matters expertise into interdisciplinary groups to foster collaborative and highly reliable process improvement execution.
• Performs workflow assessments/value stream evaluations to identify waste and improvement opportunities. Determines and applies data sets and statistical methods to support evaluation and verification of opportunity.
• Performs at an expert level in the fundamentals of operational excellence practical application within engagements. Serves as a coach and mentor to leaders across the health system as they develop competency to independently lead and facilitate process improvements in their areas of responsibility.
• Supports the performance improvement effort of the enterprise by establishing system level standard work instructions, procedures, and/or policies as outcomes to operational excellence initiative change. Partners with multidisciplinary subject matter experts to validate standard work products are in alignment to business and regulatory requirements.
• Captures cost benefits from each improvement activity and develops reports of continuous improvement activities including accomplishments, participation, activities and needs.
• Supports the enterprise in providing compelling communication to governance on business cases for change related to operational excellence. Elevates identified discoveries to leadership of initiatives that will provide value to improving processes and core business performance.
• Provides supportive training on the operational excellence methodology, tools and processes across the enterprise, with intent to empower continuous improvement execution at the front line. Partners with the community of practice to integrate approaches on supportive methodologies.
• Holds responsibility to update materials in the Center of Excellence and connect materials to team members and leaders. Responsible to partner with leadership pathway organizational development structures.
• Acts as a subject matter expert in operational excellence and represents the enterprise as an expert internally and externally of the organization. Promotes a culture of customer service excellence by growing trusted relationships and open partnerships internally and externally. Demonstrates a commitment to customer service by providing responsive and effective support, developing solid working relationships with end user customers, and delivering high-quality, value-added services that exceed customer expectations.
• Develops and maintains a culture that promotes service excellence and team member empowerment to act in the best interest of operational partners who are directly caring for our patients.

Minimum Requirements

• Bachelor's degree or higher
• 8 years of experience in leading teams and enterprise level continuous improvement initiatives with a deep understanding of health care operations as well as the current business issues and trends influencing health care providers. Focused experience in Lean Six Sigma methodologies and system value stream analysis.
• Lean Six Sigma Green Belt certification

Pay Range

$83,636.80 - $121,904.64/year

Other Information

• Hybrid role (based out of Greenville, NC):
• 3 days onsite required, with Mon/Fri remote days
• Monday - Friday full day day shift:
• Flexible between hours of 8:00 a.m. - 6:00 p.m.
• Great Benefits

About ECU Health

ECU Health is a mission-driven, 1,708-bed academic health care system serving more than 1.4 million people in 29 eastern North Carolina counties. The not-for-profit system is comprised of 13,000 team members, nine hospitals and a physician group that encompasses over 1,100 academic and community providers practicing in over 180 primary and specialty clinics located in more than 130 locations. The flagship ECU Health Medical Center, a Level I Trauma Center, and ECU Health Maynard Children¿s Hospital serve as the primary teaching hospitals for the Brody School of Medicine at East Carolina University. ECU Health and the Brody School of Medicine share a combined academic mission to improve the health and well-being of eastern North Carolina through patient care, education and research.

General Statement

It is the goal of ECU Health and its entities to employ the most qualified individual who best matches the requirements for the vacant position.

Offers of employment are subject to successful completion of all pre-employment screenings, which may include an occupational health screening, criminal record check, education, reference, and licensure verification.

We value diversity and are proud to be an equal opportunity employer. Decisions of employment are made based on business needs, job requirements and applicant¿s qualifications without regard to race, color, religion, gender, national origin, disability status, protected veteran status, genetic information and testing, family and medical leave, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression or any other status protected by law. We prohibit retaliation against individuals who bring forth any complaint, orally or in writing, to the employer, or against any individuals who assist or participate in the investigation of any complaint.