Performance Innovation Senior Leader

University of Maryland Medical System Corporation; Baltimore (MD); On-site; USD 120,000 - 180,000; Full time

Job summary

University of Maryland Medical System Corporation in Baltimore seeks a Performance Improvement leader to guide value stream transformation and Kaizen initiatives across hospital operations.

You will mentor teams, apply PI tools (A3, PDCA, FMEA), develop dashboards, and ensure sustainable improvements while partnering with executives to drive quality and efficiency.

Qualifications

• Strong communication and interpersonal skills for cross-functional work.
• Experience leading performance improvement initiatives in complex settings.
• Knowledge of PI tools and methodologies is required.

Responsibilities

• Lead PI projects with defined start/end dates and deliverables.
• Facilitate change initiatives and design action plans with ROI metrics.
• Apply PI methods (PDCA, RCA, FMEA) to improve efficiency and sustain gains.
• Coach executives and teams to achieve quality improvements and results.

Skills

Verbal communication

Written communication

Interpersonal skills

Leadership development

Project management

Rapid cycle PI

Statistics

Process improvement

Leadership coaching

Tools

Access

Excel

PowerPoint

MS Word

Job description

Job Requirements

Under limited supervision leads performance innovation value streams and associated transformation projects. Employs performance improvement/transformation methodology, tools and techniques in organization operations in order to accomplish business objectives. Mentors and trains professionals in the utilization of lean tools and methodologies. Plans and designs key project initiatives and ensures successful completion and sustainment (Kaizen/Rapid Improvement Events – RIE’s).

Job Requirements

Under limited supervision leads performance innovation value streams and associated transformation projects. Employs performance improvement/transformation methodology, tools and techniques in organization operations in order to accomplish business objectives. Mentors and trains professionals in the utilization of lean tools and methodologies. Plans and designs key project initiatives and ensures successful completion and sustainment (Kaizen/Rapid Improvement Events – RIE’s). Leads and/or facilitates process improvement teams to achieve significant quality improvement and business results in a manner which gives them ownership for changes. Supports the structure, organization and culture for continuous quality and operations improvement. Monitors and measures results; develops standards and applies benchmarking and best practice applications to support improvement at the team and organizational levels. Develops and manages comprehensive programs to meet the organizational development needs, including education, training, development and advising of leaders at all levels. Employs performance improvement/transformation methodology, tools and techniques in organization operations to accomplish business objectives. Mentors and trains professionals in the utilization of performance improvement tools and methodologies; including the for direct supervision of other Performance Innovation staff as required by the specific project.

Principal Responsibilities And Tasks

The following statements are intended to describe the general nature and level of work being performed by people assigned to this classification. These are not to be construed as an exhaustive list of all job duties performed by personnel so classified.

• Project Management: Displays budgetary discipline ensuring PI Team projects, task forces / work groups have a project management plan with clearly defined beginning / end dates, as well as clearly defined deliverable. Facilitates the use of project management tools, i.e. Gantt Chart / Excel Project Management tools, to manage project start / end dates, forecasting activities, timeliness of project deliverables, and expected reporting to appropriate committees. Utilizes standard project management methodologies to adhere to expectations.
• Change Leadership: Supports the structure, organization and culture for continuous quality and operations improvement. Initiates and facilitates redesign and process improvement strategies for strategically important priorities within the organization. Creates detailed, comprehensive project and action plans and timelines to ensure successful execution of programs. Develops quantifiable metrics to measure return on investment (ROI) and effectiveness. Monitors and measures results; develops standards and applies benchmarking and best practice applications to support improvement at the team and organizational levels. Acts as a consultant and advisor to leadership to build consensus and support for process improvement initiatives at an organizational level. Researches and remains current on process improvement opportunities, and methodologies appropriate for a healthcare environment. Provides training and education to support process improvement initiatives in the organization. Consults with organizational learning and development and designs educational curriculums and programs to support leadership, medical staff and employee education and training to participate in process improvement initiatives. Supervises, mentors and supports performance improvement staff and other organizational team members leaders and to lead change efforts to support their development and improvement efforts. Assists leaders and teams to facilitate major change and organization improvement.
• PI Efficiency and Effectiveness: Utilizes accepted methodologies, i.e. A3, PDCA (with rapid cycle tests of change), RCA, FMEA, Fishbone, other quality tools, etc., to improve PI efficiency and effectiveness. Ensures hospital teams / service line leaders develop / implement actionable plans for targeted quality measures. Follow-up to ensure sustainability of improvements – moving metric into “stable monitoring mode” when appropriate with routine, scheduled oversight. Facilitates proactive risk reduction teams utilizing Failure Mode Effects Analysis (FMEA) methodologies.
• Process Improvement Leadership: Leads and/or facilitates process improvement teams to achieve significant quality improvement and business results in a manner which gives them ownership for changes. Works with executive champions and leaders to facilitate performance improvement teams to achieve timely results consistent with strategic and operational goals and to create a charter focused on group process steps, meeting planning and results with specific timelines and goals for the team. Provides just-in-time training on process improvement tools and techniques to support executive champions, leaders and performance improvement teams. Acts as a coach and advisor to the executive champions, and leaders on processes and approaches to accomplish goals and achieve results. Keeps the executive champion, leader, and performance improvement team on track with timelines and expected results based on the charter. Collects and analyzes data to evaluate operational difficulties and makes recommendations to solve problems. Identifies inefficiencies, analyzes and reports solutions to correct inefficiencies. Coordinates and directly supervises Performance Improvement staff and resources in reporting and non-reporting relationships.

Work Experience

• Strong Verbal Communications Skills,
• Strong Written Communications Skills,
• Excellent Interpersonal Skills,
• Computer skills: Access, Excel, PowerPoint, MS Word - Intermediate Level,
• Excellent Organizational Skills,
• Ability to lead, coach and persuade others as needed to accomplish projects,
• Knowledge and experience with rapid cycle performance improvement,
• Ability to work with statistical concepts and analysis,
• Knowledge of organization and leadership development concepts and tools.

Benefits

• Pay Range: $47.00 - $70.54
• Other Compensation (if applicable):
• Review the 2025-2026 UMMS Benefits Guide