Overview

The Program Manager provides leadership, oversight, and facilitation of systems workflows and enhancements, thereby supporting Kaiser Permanente Northwest (KPNW) in achieving its performance targets. This position provides support for systems changes and other activities associated with establishing and sustaining a robust process improvement culture including the development and implementation of standard processes, documentation, workflows, procedures, and performance improvement. Key focus areas are Kaiser Permanente Health Connect (KPHC) and other scheduling and business systems related architecture, builds/workflows, consultations, and providing expertise to create efficiencies. This role is an active member of the Systems and Scheduling administration management team.This is a hybrid position that is a blend of working both remotely and in office. Must reside in the Northwest Service Region (Oregon or Washington).Major Responsibilities/Essential Functions

Drive for Business Value

• Develop and maintain both systematic and business process flows for care delivery and ensure that assigned tasks and responsibilities are accomplished in a timely manner
• Plan, organize and control multiple responsibilities and resources to achieve project objectives as they relate to the construction and augmentation of the scheduling process
• Recognize and anticipate scope issues and establish communications with internal customers (clinicians, managers, and labor partners) to continually improve process
• Manages initiatives with limited oversight, using standard project management methodologies. Establishes processes and creates effective project management tools to help guide process improvement efforts and to achieve desired outcomes. Scopes organizational and process components and develops appropriate approach.
• Leads project teams through complex initiatives. Identifies issues and works to facilitate resolution.
• Anticipate issues as they relate to appropriate responsive service delivery to the member; assess alternatives. Take appropriate measures to resolve in a professional, tactful manner.
• Ensure regional compliance standards and departmental protocols and procedures are met. Maintain process standardization and correct level loading of resources to ensure maximum value is achieved.

Apply Analytical/Critical Thinking

• Identify operational and strategic implications in structuring work and results
• Make difficult ideas and concepts easy-to-understand (e.g., using diagrams, analogies, etc.)
• Generate new perspectives, frameworks or innovations that enable problem resolution
• Direct and execute creative analytic approaches in identifying process improvement strategies and initiatives in the day-to-day delivery of all services and activities in partnership with the appointing center
• Engage operational experts and voice of the customer in problem solving
• Develop modifications or innovations to address limitations of existing approaches to a problem and/or situation
• Base all recommendations and decisions on fact-based analysis
• Translate client expectations, including member feedback and incorporate into practical, project objectives, which aim to provide integrated total solutions
• Develop innovative analytic approaches which address multifunctional client needs and diverse or complex situations. Structure analysis approach for others.

Demonstrate Execution Excellence

• Consider the impact or effect process changes have within the system and ensure appropriate measures are implemented to increase overall value and efficiency
• Drive measurable improvements in customer, productivity, and process flow
• Ensure deliverables meet business objectives, design specifications and quality standards
• Build follow-up mechanism / maintenance plan into all process changes to ensure that implemented modifications will be sustainable
• Identify barriers to all process improvement efforts and construct mitigation/escalation plans
• Accept and manage ambiguity / complexity in initiatives, and effectively guide teams in dealing with change barriers and project constraints

Manage Stakeholder Relationships

• Develop strong working relationships with all levels to sustain a continuous improvement culture
• Connect with members and staff in a caring, respectful manner
• Communicate complex information to team members and clients, accurately and effectively
• Influence client decisions through written and verbal communications
• Contribute value-adding information and insights
• Use best practices to meet client needs
• Stimulate strategic thinking by clients
• Manage complex client relations, guiding sponsors, clients and stakeholders towards project priorities that incorporate root cause analysis and correction

Maximize Team Performance

• Successfully build, direct, and maintain motivated, empowered and diverse teams
• Actively form partnerships and bridges between teams with competing priorities, such as labor union representatives, vendors, product development teams, and operational representatives relevant decision-making processes
• Effectively lead large project teams through the implementation of process transitions from current state to planned future state
• Create a team environment and manage potential conflict. Proactively identify potentially difficult situations and manage them before they become issues.
• Track and report progress on improvement initiatives that are aligned to business needs
• Enable team members to develop realistic goals and define methods to support their achievement
• Conduct effective process audits, perform evaluations, and provide actionable recommendations within a clearly defined appropriate time frame
• Establish a mentoring environment
• Mediate problems and issues among staff
• Provide consistent recognition and encouragement to personnel, actively supporting efforts to increase retention and utilization
• Participate in the development of team members through the teaching of techniques and problem-solving approaches
• Exhibit and enable behaviors which create a learning / sharing culture. Organize key tools for process improvement efforts, lessons learned, and best practices, consistently share top learnings from training courses without being prompted.
• Manages training activities related to the system changes and other initiatives
• Analyze the training needs of the organization and identify relevant training material / courses to address these needs. Provides expert advice to process improvement teams regarding team dynamics, change management, process redesign strategies, performance improvement toolsets (especially those of Six Sigma and Lean), and technical expertise, such as statistical process control and flow, pull and data analysis.

Minimum Education

• Bachelor's degree in business administration, health care administration, or equivalent experience in business or healthcare

Minimum Work Experience and Qualifications

• 3 years of managerial/leadership experience including coaching and skill development of team members
• 3 years of combined experience in process improvement and managing complex projects
• Demonstrated ability to:
  • Coordinate large interdisciplinary team members on complex, system wide projects
  • Manage multiple strategic projects to achieve expected outcomes, on time, within budget
  • Facilitate teams or groups of key stakeholders from all levels and segments of the organization, build teams, and resolve conflict
  • Influence strategic change in an organization
  • Develop and execute fact-based, data-driven methodologies to help specialty care achieve its goals
  • Conduct, interpret and present quantitative/qualitative analysis
  • Determine the key business issues and develop appropriate action plans from multi-disciplinary perspectives
  • Strong interpersonal and communication skills (1:1, peer, multi-disciplinary group, presentations, written)
  • Use some judgment to review recommendations to organizational problems and determine course of action

Required Licensure, Certification, Registration or Designation

• Epic Cadence certification or need to obtain within 18 months of hire

Preferred Education

• Master's degree in health care administration, business administration, or related equivalent

Preferred Work Experience and Qualifications

• 5 years of experience in leading complex task groups
• Epic Cadence certification
• 5 years of experience in project/program planning and administration
• 3 years of experience in supervision
• Experience in using process improvement tools including, but not limited to: Value stream mapping, DMAIC, Kaizen events/workshops, standardized work
• Strong proficiency in the use of current software, including spreadsheets, process mapping tools, project workplan tools, charts and graphs, and basic Microsoft applications
• Intermediate to advanced knowledge of analytic techniques pertinent to planning, finance, management engineering and medical economics
• Basic understanding of advanced analytic techniques such as dynamic modeling/simulation advanced operations research techniques
• Ability to design and deliver formal training programs to staff and customers on advanced and analytical tools and techniques
• Working knowledge of state and federal employment laws and regulations
• General knowledge of labor contracts and benefit programs

Join Our Medical GroupNorthwest Permanente is a self-governed, physician-led, multi-specialty group of 1,500 physicians, surgeons, and clinicians, caring for 630,000 members in Oregon and Southwest Washington. Kaiser Permanente is one of the nation's preeminent health care systems, a benchmark for comprehensive, integrated, value-based, and high-quality care.Equal Opportunity EmployerAt Northwest Permanente, we are committed to providing an environment of mutual respect where equal employment opportunities are available to all applicants without regard to race, color, religion, sex, pregnancy (including childbirth, lactation, and related medical conditions), national origin, age, physical and mental disability, marital status, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, genetic information (including characteristics and testing), military and veteran status, and any other characteristic protected by applicable law. Northwest Permanente believes that equity, inclusion, and diversity among our employees are critical to our success, and we seek to recruit, develop, and retain the most talented people from a diverse candidate pool.