Director of Operations

Director Of Operations

The Director of Operations provides leadership and oversight for the day-to-day operations of the hospital and designated clinical and support services. This position is responsible for ensuring safe, efficient, patient-centered, and financially responsible operations while supporting the hospital's strategic priorities and commitment to serving the needs of the local community.

The Director partners closely with the Hospital President, medical staff, nursing leadership, and system leaders to drive operational performance, quality, patient experience, workforce engagement, and regulatory compliance. Given the size and scope of a rural hospital, this position may have responsibility for multiple departments and functions and serves as a highly visible operational leader across the organization.

Leadership Expectations The Director of Operations is expected to be a highly visible leader who maintains a strong presence throughout the hospital and community. Success requires the ability to balance local decision-making with system standards and resources. The successful leader will demonstrate a willingness to work across organizational boundaries, build trust with physicians and employees, address operational challenges directly, and maintain a strong focus on patient care, employee engagement, financial stewardship, and community needs.

Education, Certification, and/or Licensure:

1. Bachelor's degree in healthcare administration, business administration, nursing, or a related field.

Experience:

1. Minimum of 5-7 years of progressive healthcare leadership experience.

2. Demonstrated experience managing hospital or healthcare operations.

3. Experience leading teams and managing people, managing budgets, and improving operational performance.

4. Strong understanding of healthcare regulatory, quality, and patient safety requirements.

Education, Certification, and/or Licensure:

1. Master's degree in Healthcare Administration, Business Administration, Nursing, or related field.

Experience:

1. Experience in a rural hospital, critical access hospital, community hospital, or similarly sized healthcare organization.

2. Experience with hospital operations across multiple clinical or ancillary departments.

3. Experience with performance improvement, Lean, Six Sigma, or other process improvement methodologies.

4. Experience working within an integrated health system.

1. Operational Leadership:

• Provide day-to-day operational leadership for assigned hospital departments and services.
• Develop and implement operational plans that support hospital and system strategic priorities.
• Monitor operational performance, productivity, staffing, access, patient flow, and service quality.
• Identify opportunities to improve efficiency, reduce unnecessary variation, and optimize resources.
• Establish and monitor departmental goals, performance measures, and accountability.
• Participate in hospital leadership meetings and contribute to enterprise-wide initiatives.

2. Patient Care and Service Operations:

• Partner with nursing, medical staff, and clinical leaders to ensure effective coordination of patient care.
• Support efficient patient flow across emergency, inpatient, outpatient, diagnostic, and ancillary services.
• Identify barriers to timely access and develop solutions to improve throughput and patient experience.
• Promote a culture focused on patient safety, service excellence, and continuous improvement.
• Respond to operational issues and facilitate timely resolution of patient and staff concerns.

3. Financial and Resource Management:

• Participate in development and management of departmental operating budgets.
• Monitor expenses, productivity, staffing levels, and other financial indicators.
• Identify opportunities to improve financial performance while maintaining quality and patient safety.
• Ensure appropriate utilization of equipment, facilities, supplies, and human resources.
• Support capital planning and business cases for operational needs.

4. Workforce and Leadership:

• Lead, coach, and develop department leaders and employees within areas of responsibility.
• Promote employee engagement, accountability, teamwork, and retention.
• Partner with Human Resources on recruitment, workforce planning, performance management, employee relations, and leadership development.
• Ensure appropriate staffing models and workforce practices are implemented.
• Build strong relationships with physicians, advanced…