Planning & Operations Director I (Hybrid)

American Medical Association; Chicago (IL); Hybrid; USD 129,000 - 174,000; Full time

Job summary

The American Medical Association in Chicago, IL is seeking a Planning & Operations Director I (Hybrid) to lead the Center for Digital Health and AI. This role translates strategic priorities into disciplined execution and measurable results, reporting to the SVP from AMA’s Chicago or DC offices with a three‑day‑in‑person expectation.

You will shape the Center's operating model, capacity planning, and cross-functional governance while coordinating with Finance, Legal, and HR to ensure controls

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree required; master's degree strongly preferred.
• 10+ years of progressively responsible experience in strategy, business operations, or related field.
• Experience in healthcare, professional associations, or mission-driven organizations preferred.

Responsibilities

• Lead the Center's operating model design, governance, rhythms, and systems to enable effective execution.
• Diagnose complex operational challenges and drive practical, executive-aligned solutions.
• Direct financial and operational planning, including budget development and forecasting.
• Coordinate with Finance, Legal, Contracts, Compliance, HR, Procurement, Technology and other enterprise functions to ensure controls and timely issue resolution.
• Lead cross-functional, high-priority initiatives with clear ownership, milestones, and success measures.
• Provide decision-ready analysis and recommendations to the SVP on priorities and resource trade-offs.

Skills

Strategic planning

Cross-functional collaboration

Operational management

Leadership

Education

Bachelor's degree

Master's degree

Job description

Planning & OperationsDirector I (Hybrid)

Chicago, IL

The American Medical Association (AMA) isthe nation's largest professional Association of physicians and a non-profit organization.We are a unifying voice and powerful ally for America's physicians, the patients they care for, and the promise of a healthier nation. To be part of the AMA is to be part of our Mission to promote the art and science of medicine and the betterment of public health.

At AMA, our mission to improve the health of the nation starts with our people. We foster an inclusive, people-first culture where every employee is empowered to perform at their best. Together, we advance meaningful change in health care and the communities we serve.

The American Medical Association’s Center for DigitalHealth and AI is focused on helping lead the transformation of medicine in thedigital and AI era.The Center brings together physicians, patients,technology leaders, policymakers, researchers, health systems, payers, andother stakeholders to accelerate the responsible development and adoption oftechnologies that improve health and healthcare. Our work spans research andevidence, policy, implementation, education and resources, product development,and ecosystem engagement.We are building the Center to be dynamic, responsive, andhighly execution-oriented. Doing that successfully requires more than a strongstrategy. It requires the operating discipline, coordination, andinfrastructure to turn priorities into action.

We encourage and support professional development for ouremployees,and we are dedicated tosocial responsibility.We invite you to learn more about us and we look forward to getting to know you.

We have an opportunity at our corporate offices inChicago for aPlanning & Operations Director I (Hybrid)on our Digital Health and AI team. This is a hybrid position reporting into our Chicago, IL, or Washington, D.C. office, requiring 3 days a week in the office.

As aPlanning & Operations Director I, you willserve as the strategy and operations leader for the AMA Center for Digital Health andAI, translating strategic priorities into effective organizational operations,disciplined execution, and measurable results. Reporting directly to the SVP,the Director leads the development and management of the Center's operatingmodel, financial and resource planning, cross-functional execution, andorganizational effectiveness. This role exercisessubstantial independent judgment in resolving complex operational challenges,developing practical solutions, and coordinating across enterprise functions.As a trusted strategic partner to the SVP and Center leadership, this rolecontributes to business-unit strategy, priority setting, resource allocation,and organizational decision-making while ensuring the Center has theinfrastructure and execution capacity required to deliver its mission.

RESPONSIBILITIES:

Center Operations & OrganizationalEffectiveness

• Leadthe design, implementation, and continuous improvement of the Center'soperating model, including governance processes, decision-making structures,operating rhythms, workflows, and systems that support effective execution.
• Exerciseindependent judgment to diagnose and resolve complex operational challenges andbarriers to execution, escalating matters requiring executive decisions orinstitutional approval.
• Directthe Center's financial and operational planning, including budget development,forecasting, resource allocation, investment tracking, and financialperformance management in partnership with AMA Finance.
• Serveas the Center's principal operational interface with Finance, Legal, Contracts,Compliance, Human Resources, Procurement, Technology, and other enterprisefunctions, coordinating contracting, procurement, recruitment, onboarding,reporting, and other operational needs while ensuring appropriate controls andtimely resolution of issues .
• Evaluateorganizational capacity, operating effectiveness, and emerging resource needs;develop recommendations and implement approved improvements that enable theCenter to scale its activities and impact.

EnterpriseExecution & Initiative Leadership

• Leadcomplex, high-priority initiatives that span multiple Center functions orrequire coordination across the AMA, establishing execution plans, decisionrights, milestones, dependencies, and measures of success.
• Takeownership of ambiguous or stalled initiatives, independently determining theactions, stakeholders, resources, and organizational coordination required toadvance them.
• Establishand manage Center-wide performance and execution processes, providingleadership with actionable visibility into progress, risks, resourceconstraints, and emerging priorities.
• Resolvecross-functional dependencies and competing priorities through effectivenegotiation, problem-solving, and coordination with senior stakeholders acrossthe AMA.
• Driveaccountability for outcomes by establishing clear ownership, following throughon commitments, and ensuring decisions translate into completed work andmeasurable results.

Strategy,Planning & Partnership

• Serve as a trusted advisorto the SVP, providing decision-ready analysis and actionablerecommendations on business-unit priorities,organizational effectiveness,resource trade-offs, and complex management decisions.
• Lead the Center'sstrategic and annual operating planning processes, translatingorganizational ambitions into priorities, investment plans, resourcerequirements, performance measures, and actionable execution roadmaps.
• Contribute to thedevelopment and refinement of Center strategy by evaluating organizationalcapabilities, execution feasibility, resource trade-offs, andopportunities to increase impact.
• Lead preparation,coordination, and follow-through for critical leadership meetings,planning discussions, and executive engagements, ensuring clear decisions,ownership, and execution.
• Exercise delegatedauthority to advance Center priorities, resolve routine and complexoperational matters, and represent the SVP in appropriate internaldiscussions, while escalating matters involving significant financial,reputational, or institutional implications.

May include other responsibilities as assigned

REQUIREMENTS:

1. Education:Bachelor's degree required, master's degree strongly preferred (P1+/M2+)
2. Years of experience: 10+ years of progressively responsible experience in strategy, businessoperations, organizational leadership, management consulting, or a comparable field,including experience leading cross-functional initiatives, managing financialand resource planning, and advising senior leaders in complex organizations.
3. Experiencein healthcare, technology, professional associations, or other complex,mission-driven organizations preferred.

The American Medical Association is located at 330 N. Wabash Avenue, Chicago, IL 60611 and is convenient to all public transportation in Chicago or 25Massachusetts Avenue, NW, Washington, DC 20001-7400 USA.

This role is an exempt position, and the salary range for this position is $128,906-$174,241. This is the lowest to highest salary we believe we would pay for this role at the time of this posting. An employee’s pay within the salary range will be determined by a variety of factors including but not limited to business consideration and geographical location, as well as candidate qualifications, such as skills, education, and experience. Employees are also eligible to participate in an incentive plan. To learn more about the American Medical Association’s benefits offerings, please click here.

We are an equal opportunity employer, committed to diversity in our workforce. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment. As an EOE/AA employer, the American Medical Association will not discriminate in its employment practices due to an applicant’s race, color, religion, sex, age, national origin, sexual orientation, gender identity and veteran or disability status.

THE AMA IS COMMITTED TO IMPROVING THE HEALTH OF THE NATION