Quality Improvement Specialist Sr/UKHC

University of Kentucky

Lexington (KY)

On-site

USD 90,000 - 120,000

Full time

14 days+

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Job summary

University of Kentucky Healthcare seeks a Quality Improvement Specialist Senior to apply industrial and systems engineering principles to improve health care delivery and transform UKHC into an HRO and learning health system that optimizes quality, value, and safety. This role will be responsible for performance and quality improvement, project facilitation, and project management.

Duties include using lean principles or other change management methods (Six Sigma, ISO 9000) to identify

Qualifications

Healthcare leadership experience with a proven track record of performance improvement.
Master's degree in industrial or systems engineering or related field.
Experience leading quality improvement initiatives in a large health system or corporation.

Responsibilities

Lead performance and quality improvement initiatives in healthcare delivery.
Facilitate projects and manage the project lifecycle from initiation to closure.
Apply lean principles or change management methods (e.g., Six Sigma, ISO 9000) to identify improvement opportunities.
Collaborate with clinician champions and key stakeholders to guide project teams through complex, ambiguous situations.

Skills

Lean principles

Six Sigma

Project management

Healthcare leadership experience

Change management

Education

Master's degree in industrial or systems engineering

Tools

Six Sigma

ISO 9000

Lean tools

Job description

Click here for more information about equivalencies:

Required License/Registration/Certification

None

Physical Requirements

This position requires occasionally lifting, pushing, and/or pulling objects weighing up to or over 50lbs.; standing or walking with objects weighing up to 10 lbs.; regularly sitting at a computer workstation for extended periods of time and performing tasks with repetitive motions (such as typing); and occasional job-related travel.

Shift

Primarily Monday through Friday, 8:00am-5:00pm; as an exempt-level position, some evenings, nights, weekends, and/or holidays may be required in order to meet departmental business needs.

Job Summary

UK Healthcare is seeking a Quality Improvement Specialist Senior to apply industrial and systems engineering principles to improve health care delivery and transform UKHC into an HRO (High Reliability Organization) and learning health system that optimizes quality, value, and safety. This position will be responsible for: performance and quality improvement, project facilitation, as well as project management. Duties will include: Utilize lean principles or other change management methods (e.g., Six Sigma, ISO 9000) to provide direction and vision for identifying opportunities for improvement. Other duties include: manage healthcare projects through the entire project life cycle, collaborate with clinician champions and key project stakeholders to facilitate and lead project teams through complex and ambiguous situations.

Skills / Knowledge / Abilities

The ideal candidate for this position will exceed the minimum requirements and have healthcare or equivalent leadership experience with a proven track record of success in organizational performance improvement efforts.

Does this position have supervisory responsibilities?

Does this position have supervisory responsibilities? Yes

Preferred Education/Experience

A Master’s degree in industrial or systems engineering or a related field, as well as an extensive background in performance and quality improvement, specifically within a large health system or corporation.

Deadline to Apply

Deadline to Apply 09/01/2026

Our University Community

We value the well-being of each of our employees and are dedicated to creating a healthy place for everyone to work, learn and live. In the interest of maintaining a safe and healthy environment for our students, employees, patients and visitors, the University of Kentucky is a Tobacco & Drug Free campus.

The University follows both the federal and state Constitutions as well as all applicable federal and state laws on nondiscrimination. The University provides equal opportunities for qualified persons in all aspects of institutional operations and does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, national origin, ethnic origin, religion, creed, age, physical or mental disability, veteran status, uniformed service, political belief, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, pregnancy, marital status, genetic information or social or economic status.

Any candidate offered a position may be required to pass pre-employment screenings as mandated by University of Kentucky Human Resources. These screenings may include a national background check and/or drug screen.

Posting Specific Questions

Required fields are indicated with an asterisk (*).

* Please choose the answer that best describes your years of paid, full-time employment experience in process improvement.
- None
- More than 0, up through 2 years
- More than 2 years, up through 5 years
- More than 5 years, up through 10 years
- More than 10 years
* Please choose the answer that best describes your years of paid, full-time employment experience in directly applying industrial engineering tools and methods in optimizing operations.
- None
- More than 0, up through 2 years
- More than 2 years, up through 5 years
- More than 5 years, up through 10 years
- More than 10 years
* Describe the most complex data analysis project in your experience including the scope, size, barriers, impact, and outcome. Describe how your leadership on this initiative resulted in high impact change in your organization as well as the critical success factors which enabled you to achieve these results. Please include specifics about your role, the charge, and results achieved.
(Open Ended Question)
* Describe your experience leading quality improvement initiatives and/or process improvements focused on care delivery in a healthcare setting.
(Open Ended Question)