System Senior Director Clinical Operations & Patient Flow – University of Colorado Health Active Placements

Summit Talent Group has been retained by Colorado’s largest and most innovative health system, UCHealth (www.uchealth.org)  to conduct a national search for System Sr. Director Clinical Operations & Patient Flow to lead transformative patient care across UCHealth’s network of nationally recognized hospitals, clinic locations and health care providers throughout Colorado, southern Wyoming and western Nebraska. UCHealth has 15 acute care hospitals, 4 affiliate hospitals, 34,000 employees, with approximately 190,000 inpatient admissions & 8.5M outpatient visits in 2024.

This role reports to the System VP Ancillary and Support Services and partners collaboratively in a dyad model with the Associate CMO Capacity Management. Directly reporting to position are 3 (three) Regional Directors, with a total of  20 staff.

As a dynamic, strategic, and visionary leader, the System Senior Director of Clinical Operations & Patient Flow at UCHealth will champion patient-centered care and continuous improvement by leveraging technology, data, and financial expertise to drive measurable outcomes and resource management. This adaptable professional will play a critical role in enhancing patient movement, optimizing hospital capacity, and fostering innovation and operational efficiency across the organization. Collaborating closely with cross-functional teams and executive leadership, the Sr. Director will build strong relationships across departments and disciplines to ensure the highest standards of care and guide UCHealth in navigating the evolving healthcare landscape. This position is an onsite role in Aurora, CO and does not offer a hybrid or remote work option.

Key Responsibilities

 The Sr. Director of Clinical Operations and Patient Flow will play a key role in the health system’s strategic and operational efforts by:

• Providing strategic direction, leadership, change management, process improvement and project management to analyze opportunities, create standardized workflows, and monitor outcomes related to length-of-stay, patient flow and capacity management, quality and safety.
• Collaborating with organizational c-suite executives, operational, physician and nursing leadership, command center, care management, utilization management, and various ancillary departments analyzing performance metrics to guide decision-making and ensure the infrastructure and processes are in place to sustain high-performing, patient-centered flow operations.
• Mentoring managers and teams to build a collaborative, accountable culture.
• Ensuring compliance with regulations, maintain SOPs, and support quality initiatives.
• Collaborating with IT to enhance patient flow systems using analytics and AI.
• Setting departmental goals and standards, overseeing operations, managing staffing, budgets, and audits for optimal performance and compliance.

Candidate Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in nursing, Health Administration, or related field.
• Master’s degree in nursing, Business, Healthcare, or relevant field required.
• 5+ years’ progressive leadership experience in healthcare operations with strategic leadership experience preferred.
• Demonstrated expertise in patient flow, operational strategy, data analysis, and process improvement.
• Exceptional communication, leadership, and problem-solving abilities.

Skills and Traits

• Sets vision and drives strategy.
• Influences and collaborates effectively.
• Cultivates accountable teams.
• Ensures regulatory compliance.
• Optimizes operations with analytics.
• Manages staffing, budgets, and audits.
• Leads change and process improvements.
• Resolves clinical and operational issues.
• Shows empathy and supports team.
• Enhances patient and provider experience.