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Position Summary

The Senior Director of Operational Excellence is a transformative leader responsible for driving enterprise-wide innovation, performance improvement, and operational transformation through the deployment of Lean principles and continuous improvement methodologies. This individual will provide key departmental leadership, work collaboratively with operational leadership to shape clinical and operational initiatives, , lead cross-functional teams for effective and sustained change management, and embed a culture of operational excellence to enhance value, and efficiency across the organization. Additionally, this role will be vital in assuring key “strategic” goals, projects and initiatives for TGC are effectively transitioned, operationalized and sustained via regular collaboration with leadership with the strategic implementation office (SIO).

Education, License, & Certification

+ Bachelor’s degree in healthcare administration, Business, Industrial Engineering, or related field required; Master’s degree (MHA, MBA, MPH, etc.) strongly preferred.

+ Lean Six Sigma Black Belt or Master Black Belt certification preferred.

+ Training in change management, project management (PMP), or related methodologies preferred.

Experience

+ Minimum of 8–10 years of progressive leadership in healthcare operations, performance improvement, or enterprise transformation.

+ Proven success in deploying Lean and continuous improvement strategies in a complex, regulated healthcare environment.

+ Demonstrated ability to lead cultural change, improve patient-centered outcomes, and deliver measurable operational gains.

Essential Functions

+ Essential Transformation Leadership: Lead system-wide transformation efforts that optimize healthcare delivery models, improve patient outcomes, and reduce costs.

+ Lean and Continuous Improvement: Embed Lean principles and methodologies to drive standardization, reduce variability, and improve care delivery processes across the organization.

+ Innovation & Change Enablement: Introduce and scale innovative practices and technologies that enhance clinical and operational performance.

+ Operational Performance: Develop and implement key performance indicators (KPIs), dashboards, and reporting tools to track progress and guide continuous improvement.

+ Stakeholder Collaboration: Partner with physicians, nurses, administrators, and frontline staff to identify improvement opportunities, build alignment, and execute initiatives.

+ Team Development: Build, mentor, and lead a high-performing Operational Excellence team capable of supporting department-level and enterprise-wide initiatives.

+ Quality & Safety Alignment: Support quality improvement teams in aligning efforts with patient safety, clinical excellence, and regulatory compliance initiatives

Other Duties

+ Serve on cross-functional teams.

+ Lead enterprise initiatives tied to strategic goals, including cost reduction, process automation, and consumer satisfaction.

+ Ensure alignment with industry best practices and emerging technologies.

Updated: 6-19-25

Joining the Guthrie team allows you to become a part of a tradition of excellence in health care. In all areas and at all levels of Guthrie, you’ll find staff members who have committed themselves to serving the community.

The Guthrie Clinic is an Equal Opportunity Employer.

The Guthrie Clinic is a non-profit, integrated, practicing physician-led organization in the Twin Tiers of New York and Pennsylvania. Our multi-specialty group practice of more than 500 physicians and 302 advanced practice providers offers 47 specialties through a regional office network providing primary and specialty care in 22 communities. Guthrie Medical Education Programs include General Surgery, Internal Medicine, Emergency Medicine, Family Medicine, Anesthesiology and Orthopedic Surgery Residency, as well as Cardiovascular, Gastroenterology and Pulmonary Critical Care Fellowship programs. Guthrie is also a clinical campus for the Geisinger Commonwealth School of Medicine.