Practice Operations Manager I

Columbia University in the City of New York; New York (NY); On-site; USD 95,000 - 105,000; Full time

Job summary

Columbia University Fertility Center (CUFC) seeks an inspired Practice Operations Manager I - Clinical Operations to lead morning workflows, oversee a team of Medical Assistants and Patient Care Associates, and coordinate operations across CUFC locations. This role requires early start times and on-site presence to ensure efficient patient care in a high-volume fertility practice.

The Manager will supervise MAs and PCAs, drive continuous improvement, and partner with nursing and clinical

Responsibilities

• Coordinate Morning Monitoring including patient flow, staffing, rooms and resources across Front Desk, MAs, PCAs/Chaperones, Nursing, Ultrasound, Endocrine Laboratory, providers and other functions.
• Provide real-time operational leadership to resolve bottlenecks and adjust staffing and resources during Morning Monitoring.
• Create daily staffing and deployment plans based on patient volume, provider schedules and resources; adjust as needs change.
• Lead daily operational huddles to review volume, staffing, room allocation and priorities.
• Maintain on-site presence during high-volume periods and ensure completion of services.
• Monitor patient-volume data and performance measures to guide staffing and workflow decisions.

Job description

• Job Type: Officer of Administration


• Bargaining Unit:


• Regular/Temporary: Regular


• End Date if Temporary:


• Hours Per Week: 35


• Standard Work Schedule: M-F, including weekends and holidays


• Building:


• Salary Range: $95,000 - $105,000

The salary of the finalist selected for this role will be set based on a variety of factors, including but not limited to departmental budgets, qualifications, experience, education, licenses, specialty, and training. The above hiring range represents the University's good faith and reasonable estimate of the range of possible compensation at the time of posting.

Position Summary

Be part of something Beyond Amazing

At Columbia University Fertility Center (CUFC), we believe that extraordinary care can bring life and joy into the world. As one of the nation's premier fertility centers, we are dedicated to clinical excellence, cutting-edge innovation, and compassionate, patient-centered care that honors each individual's unique journey.

We are seeking an inspiring and mission-driven Practice Operations Manager I - Clinical Operations to lead the day-to-day operations of our fast-paced clinical practice and our team of Medical Assistants (MAs) and Patient Care Associates (PCAs/Chaperones). This leader will play a pivotal role in advancing CUFC's vision: to deliver world-class fertility care, drive innovation in women's health, and foster a culture grounded in compassion, collaboration, and continuous improvement.

CUFC operates a high-volume clinical environment, with approximately 100 patients moving through the practice before noon on a typical day. This highly visible, hands-on leader serves as the operational conductor of the clinical floor, with overall operational ownership of Morning Monitoring from patient arrival through completion of bloodwork, ultrasound, and clinical coordination. The Manager directly supervises MAs and PCAs/Chaperones and has operational authority to coordinate the Morning Monitoring workflow across all participating functions, regardless of direct reporting relationships.

The Manager is expected to maintain visibility across CUFC's three clinical locations in Manhattan, White Plains, NY, and Teaneck, NJ, traveling among sites as needed to assess operational needs and promote consistency. The position requires a regular on-site start time of approximately 6:45-7:00 a.m. and participation in CUFC's Administrator on Call (AOC) rotation, including occasional weekend and/or holiday coverage based on the established rotation and operational needs.

Responsibilities

Clinical Operations & Morning Monitoring

• Serve as the designated operational lead for Morning Monitoring, coordinating patient flow, staffing, rooms, resources, and workflow across Front Desk, MAs, PCAs/Chaperones, Nursing, Ultrasound, Endocrine Laboratory, providers, and other supporting functions.


• Provide real-time operational leadership during Morning Monitoring, identifying and resolving bottlenecks, adjusting staffing and resources, and implementing contingency plans in response to volume, staffing, technology, equipment, or workflow disruptions.


• Develop daily staffing and deployment plans based on scheduled patient volume, anticipated demand, available rooms, provider schedules, and clinical resources; adjust assignments throughout the day as needs change.


• Lead daily operational huddles to review anticipated volume, staffing assignments, room allocation, constraints, and priorities, and establish clear escalation pathways for significant operational issues.


• Maintain a visible presence on the clinical floor during high-volume periods and ensure outstanding or incomplete services are identified and addressed promptly.


• Review scheduled and historical patient-volume data to support daily volume planning, staffing scheduling, capacity, and resource-utilization decisions.


• Maintain operational visibility across Manhattan, White Plains, and Teaneck through regular and as-needed on-site presence and partner with site leaders to promote consistent workflows and patient experience across CUFC locations.


• Participate in the Administrator on Call rotation, providing leadership support and operational escalation coverage during assigned periods.

People Leadership

• Provide direct administrative and operational supervision of CUFC Medical Assistants and PCAs/Chaperones, a significant physically present and patient-facing workforce within the practice.


• Recruit, interview, onboard, orient, schedule, coach, develop, and evaluate assigned staff; establish clear expectations for attendance, punctuality, readiness, productivity, professionalism, teamwork, patient interaction, and adherence to workflows.


• Provide timely coaching and feedback, address performance or behavioral concerns, and develop contingency plans for call-outs, unexpected volume, and other staffing disruptions.


• Partner with nursing and clinical leadership regarding clinical competencies, protocols, scope-of-practice requirements, infection prevention, and other clinically governed responsibilities applicable to MAs and PCAs/Chaperones.

Performance & Continuous Improvement

• Develop, standardize, and continuously improve Morning Monitoring and clinical-floor workflows to support safe, efficient, coordinated, and patient-centered care.


• Monitor operational performance measures including patient wait time, total visit time, throughput, late arrivals, completion of bloodwork and ultrasound, outstanding services, staffing productivity, room utilization, and patient experience.


• Identify trends, recurring bottlenecks, and root causes of performance issues and implement workflow, staffing, scheduling, or resource changes when targets are not being met.


• Partner with scheduling and clinical leadership to optimize patient-volume distribution, staffing models, room utilization, and capacity, including staggered scheduling or staffing approaches as appropriate.


• Provide regular operational updates to CUFC leadership regarding performance, staffing, patient-flow challenges, risks, and improvement opportunities.

Patient Experience, Partnership & Compliance

• Maintain operational ownership of the patient experience within Morning Monitoring and assigned clinical-floor workflows, intervening proactively when delays or service disruptions affect patients and coordinating service recovery as appropriate.


• Partner closely with nursing leadership, providers, ultrasound, laboratory, Front Desk, scheduling, and administrative leadership to ensure coordinated patient care and efficient operations.


• Exercise operational decision-making authority within established CUFC policies and clinical protocols. Functional leaders retain responsibility for personnel management, professional practice, and discipline for employees outside the Manager's direct reporting structure; clinical decisions and concerns are escalated to the appropriate nursing or medical leader.


• Ensure assigned staff comply with applicable Columbia University, Department of Obstetrics & Gynecology, 61st Street Service Corporation, and CUFC policies and procedures, including applicable privacy, workplace safety, infection-prevention, HIPAA, and OSHA requirements.


• Perform other related duties and responsibilities as assigned/requested.

Minimum Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree or equivalent combination of education and experience.


• Minimum of four years of related experience in healthcare operations, ambulatory practice operations, clinical operations, or healthcare management.


• Demonstrated experience supervising and managing patient-facing employees in a physically present, high-volume clinical environment.


• Demonstrated ability to manage patient flow, staffing deployment, clinical capacity, and resource utilization while making effective real-time decisions in a fast-paced environment.


• Experience developing, implementing, and improving operational workflows and using patient-volume and operational performance data to inform staffing, scheduling, and workflow decisions.


• Strong problem-solving, organizational, interpersonal, written, and verbal communication skills, with demonstrated ability to collaborate across multidisciplinary teams.


• Ability to lead staff visibly in the work environment and provide real-time direction, coaching, feedback, and accountability.


• Ability to work an early on-site schedule, with a regular start time of approximately 6:45-7:00 a.m., and flexibility based on operational needs.


• Ability and willingness to travel regularly and as needed among CUFC's Manhattan, White Plains, NY, and Teaneck, NJ locations.


• Ability to participate in the Administrator on Call rotation and work occasional weekends and/or holidays as required by the rotation and operational needs.

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience in reproductive endocrinology, fertility, women's health, or Obstetrics & Gynecology.


• Experience managing Medical Assistants, Patient Care Associates, chaperones, or comparable clinical support staff.


• Experience in a high-volume ambulatory, procedural, imaging, infusion, surgical, or other time-sensitive clinical environment.


• Experience managing multidisciplinary patient flow involving laboratory, imaging, nursing, and provider services.


• Experience with healthcare performance improvement, process improvement, operational dashboards, or patient-volume reporting.


• Familiarity with electronic medical records, scheduling systems, and healthcare operational reporting tools.


• Master's degree in healthcare administration, business administration, public health, or a related field preferred.

The Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology is dedicated to the goal of building a multicultural faculty and staff committed to teaching, working and serving in a diverse community, and strongly encourages applications from candidates of traditionally underrepresented backgrounds.
We are continuously seeking to recruit individuals who will enhance the diversity of our workplace and the effectiveness of our organization.

Equal Opportunity Employer / Disability / Veteran

Columbia University is committed to the hiring of qualified local residents.