Clinical Operations Manager

Department: MED-Ctr Hlth Svcs Outcomes Res

Salary/Grade: EXS/8

Job Summary:

The nationally recognized Illinois Perinatal Quality Collaborative (ILPQC) project team is seeking a full-time Clinical Operations Manager to, under the direction of the State Project Director, Executive Director and clinical physician leadership, facilitate the design, implementation and sustainability of statewide quality improvement initiatives with birthing hospitals throughout the state in collaboration with our multidisciplinary team. This position is 100% supported by funding from state and federal government and foundation grants under the supervision of Patricia Lee King, PhD.

The Clinical Operations Manager role is in the Center for Health Services & Outcomes Research (CHSOR), Institute for Public Health and Medicine (IPHAM) in the Feinberg School of Medicine at Northwestern University. The ILPQC project team has staff across both Northwestern University and Endeavor Health Evanston Hospital.

The Clinical Operations Manager will be responsible for the clinical quality management of statewide neonatal and obstetric quality improvement initiatives including facilitating regular meetings with clinical physician leaders, project coordinators and other team members; identifying and securing needed resources; creating, implementing and updating project plans; projecting and ensuring the completion of all initiative tasks in specified timelines in collaboration with the project coordinator; tracking progress on grant milestones; reporting progress to ILPQC central team, collaborative

members, stakeholders and funders and resolving or escalating issues in a timely manner; developing quality improvement implementation tools, monitoring hospital team progress on initiative aims; providing regular quality improvement and implementation coaching to participating hospital teams; developing clinical and quality improvement content for monthly webinars. The Clinical Operations Manager will need to ensure that all activities are completed by ensuring adherence to all regulatory requirements and Institutional Review Board-approved protocols.

The Clinical Operations Manager will also provide leadership for ILPQC clinical and collaborative learning event planning. ILPQC hosts two large (over 500 attendees) in-person meetings each year and hosts in-person clinical and quality improvement training as needed. In addition, the Clinical Operations Manager will collaborate with other staff to develop quality improvement / implementation support leadership and development of innovative offerings to build hospital team quality improvement capacity.

This position also includes responsibilities for budgetary management and coordination with sponsored research colleagues, manuscript and/or grant writing/preparation, and other opportunities for advancement.

The Clinical Operations Manager will be required to collaborate effectively with the ILPQC team in regular meetings throughout the week and contribute to building a positive team culture. They must have strong analytical and critical thinking skills, be creative and thoughtful in proposing ideas to achieve initiative goals, be technologically proficient with the ability to learn and navigate health care systems and project databases and understand national guidelines and regulatory operations.

Strong interpersonal skills are crucial to this position as this role will be responsible for maintaining relationships with nurse and provider leaders of hospital teams, patient and community partners, public health collaborators and other stakeholders.

Master’s degree or higher with at least five years of clinical nursing experience (RN, etc.) working in a hospital in a perinatal care setting and an interest in quality improvement implementation required. This hybrid position is located on the Northwestern University Chicago Campus in the Streeterville neighborhood with currently at least three days a week in person with two days per week at the Streeterville location and one day a week at Endeavor Health Evanston Hospital.

Please include a cover letter describing your interest in this position and clinical experience in perinatal care in a hospital setting. Applicants with relevant experience are encouraged to apply, even if they do not meet all listed requirements, as we value the diverse skills and perspectives that contribute to our team’s success.

Please note:

Supervisor provides objectives and deadlines. Work is reviewed for fulfillment of objective and deadlines and overall compliance with policy and procedures. EE completes some activities without direction, informing supervisor only of potentially controversial matters, and/or far-reaching implications.

Specific Responsibilities:

Program Development

Assists with determining goals, objectives, outcome measurements and metrics, financial feasibility, and collaboration opportunities as it relates to clinical research with other internal and external organizations. Implements policies, procedures, and training for clinical research within the department.

Directs actions to ensure high quality clinical research standards are maintained across all department divisions.

Recruit, hire, train, and supervise junior clinical research staff.

Technical

Provides complex scientific & technical leadership in determining research priorities & the plan, design & execution of research projects ensuring that programs of investigation meet specified objectives.

Directly involved with study start-up, implementation, conduct, and close-outs.

Oversees completion of study activities per protocol. Guides clinical research coordinators in collaborating with local clinical staff and Principal Investigator (PI).

Manages day-to-day activities of clinical research team and oversees interaction with critical clinical partners such as physicians, radiologic technologists, nursing staff, etc.

Ensures that the conduct of study protocols is in compliance with appropriate rules & regulations & reviews study progress and recommends revisions, amendments, and/or other study changes as necessary to better meet needs of the study or study sponsors.

Leads research staff in preparing for internal, NU IRB, Sponsor, and/or FDA audits.

Develops and maintains standard operating procedures for clincical research staff and also monitors compliance with procedures.

Administrative

Acts as liaison between sponsoring agencies, collaborating organizations &/or other research &/or educational institutions.

Oversees recruitment and management of clinical research staff.

Completes applications and obtains appropriate approvals from various groups for all necessary study start-up functions.

Plans, develops & implements new processes, policies, and protocols to support research studies & maximize/extend study capabilities.

Provides supervision of day-to-day research activites and manges administrative issues related to work load for the staff, including activities such as tracking current and expected workloads and assigning new protocols to coordinators and assistants. Assists with internal audits of research charts and data to ensure compliance with protocol requirements.

Prepares results & may co-author scientific papers for presentation & publication & disseminates information via seminars, lectures, etc.

Ensures that all study documents associated with current local, state, & federal regulatory guidelines, requirements, laws & research protocols are completed in a timely manner.

Data

Manages project data including creation and management of databases, monitoring for data accuracy, and evaluation and analysis of data ensuring that results meet project information and deliverable objectives.

Analyzes, evaluates & interprets data to determine relevance to research

Monitors data use and storage to ensure compliance with current local, state, & federal regulatory guidelines, requirements, laws

Develops queries to access study-relevant clinical data from the EDW system as a power user, in compliance with FSM policies

Finance

Coordinates & participates in budgetary negotiations with industry sponsors.

Oversees the timely completion of patient specific billing requirements to ensure hospital requirements for billing compliance is met.

Assists with the management of research study budgets, which may include deciding on & approving expenditures of funds based on budget

Supervision/Training Activities

Trains, directs, and assigns duties to clinical research and regulatory staff.

Acts as a mentor in regard to education of junior coordinators.

Monitor institutional and federal regulatory agency requirements related to clinical research training. Provide training to staff regarding federal, state and institutional requirements. Monitor skill level of staff in relation to non-procedural issues and provide instruction where necessary. Serve as a resource to the clinical research staff, evaluating opportunities to improve productivity and operational efficiency.

Miscellaneous

Performs other duties as assigned.

Minimum Qualifications:

Clinical Nursing Degree (RN, etc.) with perinatal experience

Supervisory or project management experience required.

Must complete Northwestern's IRB CITI training before interacting with any participants & must re-certify every 3 years.

Minimum Competencies: (Skills, knowledge, and abilities.)

Excellent interpersonal skills

Ability to multitask

Technologically proficient

Preferred Qualifications:

Previous experience in quality improvement

Clinical experience in hospital setting

Preferred Competencies: (Skills, knowledge, and abilities)

Advanced Medical Terminology

Knowledge of current professional guidelines

Ability to navigate hospital and health system settings

Target hiring range for this position will be between $70,020 - 90,260 per year. Offered salary will be determined by the applicant’s education, experience, knowledge, skills and abilities, as well as internal equity and alignment with market data.

Benefits:

At Northwestern, we are proud to provide meaningful and competitive benefits. The available benefits package for this position will include health, dental, vision, disability, and life insurance; paid vacation and holidays; paid medical/sick and parental leave; tuition benefits for the employee and dependents; pre-tax and flex spending accounts for commuting and dependent care; generous retirement savings options; and wellness programs.

For a comprehensive overview of available benefits, including eligibility details, visit us at https://www.northwestern.edu/hr/benefits/index.html to learn more.

Work-Life and Wellness:

Northwestern offers comprehensive programs and services to help you and your family navigate life’s challenges and opportunities, and adopt and maintain healthy lifestyles.

We support flexible work arrangements where possible and programs to help you locate and pay for quality, affordable childcare and senior/adult care. Visit us at https://www.northwestern.edu/hr/benefits/work-life/index.html to learn more.

Professional Growth & Development:

Northwestern supports employee career development in all circumstances whether your workspace is on campus or at home. If you’re interested in developing your professional potential or continuing your formal education, we offer a variety of tools and resources. Visit us at https://www.northwestern.edu/hr/learning/index.html to learn more.

Northwestern University is an Equal Opportunity Employer and does not discriminate on the basis of protected characteristics, including disability and veteran status. View Northwestern’s non-discrimination statement. Job applicants who wish to request an accommodation in the application or hiring process should contact the Office of Civil Rights and Title IX Compliance. View additional information on the accommodations process.

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