Process Improvement Engineer

Houstonmethodistcareers; Sugar Land (TX); On-site; USD 120,000 - 160,000; Full time

Job summary

Houston Methodist is seeking a Process Improvement Engineer to join the Operations and Process Improvement team. You will drive strategy execution, lead interdisciplinary teams, and coordinate with hospital leadership to improve finance, access, quality, and efficiency.

You will educate staff on the Houston Methodist Business System, apply Lean and Six Sigma methods, and act as a change agent across departments. Excellent communication and leadership in a healthcare setting are essential.

Qualifications

• Five years of quality engineering or process improvement experience
• Healthcare experience preferred
• Bachelor’s degree or higher in a related field; Lean/Six Sigma certification preferred

Responsibilities

• Lead cross-functional teams to drive process improvements
• Coach staff in Kaizen/problem‑solving methodologies
• Develop and present data analyses to support performance improvements
• Collaborate with hospital leadership to align with strategic goals

Skills

Leadership

Communication

Problem solving

Change management

Lean methodology

Education

Bachelor’s degree in Industrial Engineering or related field

Lean Six Sigma Green Belt certification

Master’s degree preferred

Job description

At Houston Methodist, the Process Improvement Engineer position is a central member of the Operations and Process Improvement team and plays a key role with strategy execution, continuous performance improvement efforts, and other transformational initiatives. This position serves as a role model by integrating customer service skills, leadership skills and communication skills when leading the work of interdisciplinary teams. The Process Improvement Engineer position will coordinate with hospital leadership, directors, managers, physicians, and staff according to business needs and priorities, focusing on hospital priorities and targets around finance, access, quality, efficiency and other operational metrics. This position will act as a change agent and facilitate process and performance improvement activities throughout the hospital and serve as an expert on measurement and analysis methods. The Process Improvement Engineer position will collaborate with the System Process Engineering team to develop and adopt best practices/processes. This position will also educate staff and leadership at the hospital on the basics of the Houston Methodist Business System via hands‑on project engagement.

FLSA STATUS

Exempt

QUALIFICATIONS

EDUCATION

• Bachelor’s degree in industrial engineering, process engineering, applied sciences, or related field OR in healthcare/business administration with Lean management or Six Sigma Green Belt certification
• Master’s degree in industrial engineering, process engineering, applied sciences or related field preferred

EXPERIENCE

• Five years of experience in quality engineering/process improvement or related field; may consider Houston Methodist employee with four years of experience in quality engineering/process improvement or related field
• Three years of experience in a healthcare environment preferred

SKILLS AND ABILITIES

• Demonstrates the skills and competencies necessary to safely perform the assigned job, determined through on-going skills, competency assessments, and performance evaluations
• Sufficient proficiency in speaking, reading, and writing the English language necessary to perform the essential functions of this job, especially with regard to activities impacting patient or employee safety or security
• Ability to effectively communicate with patients, physicians, family members and co-workers in a manner consistent with a customer service focus and application of positive language principles
• Demonstrates ability to design and lead organizational transformation – a blend of change management, coaching, and lean methodology
• Demonstrates strong interpersonal skills (e.g., relationship management, appreciative inquiry, team building, and oral/written communication)
• Strong ability to problem solve within a team environment, and generate commitment and enthusiasm towards shared strategic initiative goals
• Demonstrates the ability to lead teams through informal (versus positional) authority, and coach and develop others to “take the reins”
• Strong leadership skills, especially in leading and motivating multi-disciplinary, cross functional teams effectively, both in terms of leading change and achieving results
• Demonstrates fundamental Lean skills (e.g., root cause problem solving, value stream mapping, A3 development) in order to understand challenges and identify process waste
• Demonstrates ability to function at a high level of self-direction
• Demonstrates effective change management skills
• Independently identify clinical and business system requirements through process and workflow analysis
• Utilizes technical skills necessary to analyze current processes and understand the hospital’s business system and strategy

ESSENTIAL FUNCTIONS

PEOPLE ESSENTIAL FUNCTIONS

• Provides Houston Methodist Business System process improvement and tool training throughout the hospital. Organizes multi-disciplinary groups that work collaboratively to solve problems, improve processes, and integrate services with other departments. Develops effective communication methods to keep staff and others informed about improvement/(re)design activities of the hospital and department.
• Coaches process owners, directors/managers, and staff in the use of the daily management system elements, accountability processes (huddles and performance reviews), Problem-solving and waste elimination, managing to standard work, and leader standard work.
• Supports reporting requests and data management/analysis functions to maximize outcomes while complying with all physician privileges, patient confidentiality, and HIPAA constraints.
• Acts as a model and coaches staff in effective verbal, non-verbal and written communication. Provides contributions towards improvement of employee engagement.

SERVICE ESSENTIAL FUNCTIONS

• Coaches and mentors, team members and process owners to utilize a defined problem-solving process improvement methodology that analyzes and interprets data for decision-making. Develops staff by assisting them in identifying goals and process improvement opportunities and supports leadership and staff with implementing process changes.
• Documents data sources and organizes and synthesizes results into audience-appropriate reports and presentations. Meets or exceeds all timelines for completion.
• Assists with interdisciplinary team leadership/facilitation and change management within targeted service areas. Leads teams independently as assigned.

QUALITY/SAFETY ESSENTIAL FUNCTIONS

• Supports the quality and accreditation efforts of the organization by establishing clinical standard work instructions during Kaizen/problem-solving-related activities. Works with accreditation and quality leaders to validate that all clinical procedures standard work instructions that guide and support patient care treatments and services are in alignment with quality and safety requirements.
• Leverages best practices (internal & external) and projects across multiple departments.
• Independently performs hospital and departmental workflow assessments/evaluations to identify improvement opportunities and determine data sets for evaluation/verification. Evaluates and provides input on the effectiveness of performance improvement initiatives and daily management activities.
• Assists leadership in identifying key projects that will provide the optimum benefit in improving Houston Methodist processes and performance.

FINANCE ESSENTIAL FUNCTIONS

• Captures cost benefits from each improvement activity. Collaborates with departments to monitor the use of resources. Participates in cost reduction efforts through analysis of data.
• Develops reports of overall continuous improvement activities, including accomplishments, participation, projected activities, and anticipated needs.

GROWTH/INNOVATION ESSENTIAL FUNCTIONS

• Provides compelling communication to executives throughout the hospital and makes the business case for change related to Kaizen/Lean activities. Coaches and mentors executives and leadership to become good sponsors of change related to continuous improvement.
• Identifies own learning needs, actively seeks opportunities for self-improvement through self-awareness and feedback and seeks continuing education opportunities to meet those needs. Completes and updates My Development plan (MDP) on an on-going basis. Ensures own career discussions occur with appropriate management.

SUPPLEMENTAL REQUIREMENTS

WORK ATTIRE

• Uniform: No
• Scrubs: No
• Business professional: Yes
• Other (department approved): No

ON-CALL*

*Note that employees may be required to be on-call during emergencies (ie. Disaster, Severe Weather Events, etc) regardless of selection below.

• On Call* No

TRAVEL**

**Travel specifications may vary by department**

• May require travel within the Houston Metropolitan area No
• May require travel outside Houston Metropolitan area No

QUALIFICATIONS

EDUCATION

• Bachelor’s degree in industrial engineering, process engineering, applied sciences, or related field OR in healthcare/business administration with Lean management or Six Sigma Green Belt certification
• Master’s degree in industrial engineering, process engineering, applied sciences or related field preferred

EXPERIENCE

• Five years of experience in quality engineering/process improvement or related field; may consider Houston Methodist employee with four years of experience in quality engineering/process improvement or related field
• Three years of experience in a healthcare environment preferred