Chief Administrative Officer - University Of Iowa Medical Center Downtown

University of Iowa Hospital and Clinics is currently in search of a Chief Administrative Officer for the downtown Medical Center as it progresses and extends its health system. The appointed Chief Administrative Officer will join University of Iowa Health Care during a period of dynamic growth throughout the system. They will assume responsibility for ensuring the hospital's overall success and its contribution to advancing the broader strategic objectives of the health system. University of Iowa Health Care has recently welcomed the University of Iowa Medical Center Downtown into its health system. Situated in Iowa City, the Medical Center Downtown (formerly Mercy Iowa City) boasts a licensure for 194 beds and officially became part of the health system in January 2024. This addition augments local and regional capacities for emergency services, obstetrics, and other medical and surgical requirements.

The Chief Administrative Officer is the operating and strategic leader of the hospital and provides leadership and management for all aspects of hospital operations including financial performance, clinical quality, employee, physician, and community relations. The Chief Administrative Officer provides leadership and guidance in ensuring the optimal strategic positioning and operating performance for the organization with an emphasis on collaboration and integration within the larger health system, efficiency and stability of operations, growth, and building strong and productive relationships with community physicians and the broader academic community. The CAO will work with clinical and administrative leadership to guide continued development and evolution, to include an emphasis on system development and integration as it relates to the downtown campus, clinical excellence, physician alignment, service, growth, brand and market differentiation, community presence, and performance improvement. The Chief Administrative Officer will be expected to coordinate and work in tandem with UIHC functions in finance, strategic planning, human resources, information systems, legal services, quality management, public policy, strategic marketing, and philanthropy.

Selected Key Duties and Responsibilities:

• Collaborate with the Chief Strategy Officer to spearhead the development of strategic and operational plans for the University of Iowa Medical Center Downtown.
• Collaborate with the Chief Financial Officer to develop plans for financial stability and growth of the University of Iowa Medical Center Downtown.
• Drive the ongoing integration of the UI Medical Center Downtown into the UIHC health system, optimizing efficiencies, standardizing approaches, and leveraging enterprise-wide resources.
• Build a high performing team at the UI Medical Center Downtown and work collaboratively to develop leaders throughout the organization that are ready to support ongoing integration and execution of the organizational strategy.
• Foster an ethical and transparent environment to ensure ongoing compliance with the Joint Commission, state, and federal regulations.
• Oversee the development and management of capital and operating budgets for the downtown campus. Collaborate with the finance team to establish management control infrastructure, including benchmarking and variance reporting, to enhance financial performance.
• Champion quality, patient safety, patient experience, and employee engagement for the downtown campus, aligning infrastructure with the health system's strategic approach. Serve as a visible and accountable leader, understanding key drivers for success.
• Partner with the Marketing and Communications team to devise effective communication strategies for employees, medical staff, patients, and the community.
• Develop and nurture key external relationships within the community and with political, legislative, and regulatory bodies. Represent UIHC Medical Center Downtown with advocacy groups and local, state, and national organizations.
• Participate in fundraising activities as needed, under the University of Iowa Center for Advancement's guidance.
• Interpret UIHC departmental policies and objectives to department heads and administrative staff, leading the transition process to integrate legacy policies into a unified health system approach.
• Serve as a strategic leader on various health system-wide committees and provide oversight for capital projects at the downtown campus.
• Act as an ex-officio member of the clinical systems committee, ensuring appropriate governance and oversight.
• Lead the community advisory committee for the downtown campus, engaging stakeholders positively to support institutional success.
• Collaborate with department chairs and physician leaders on key physician recruitment, negotiation of service contracts, and development of clinical coverage plans.
• Represent the CEO of the health system in interactions with the medical staff, overseeing bylaws and fostering strong partnerships with the community medical staff.
• Lead contract negotiations for Medical Center-specific contracts and contribute as an executive leader in system-wide contracts as requested.    

Necessary qualities and qualifications include:

Education:

• A graduate degree or the equivalent in healthcare administration, business or a related discipline

Experience:

• Minimum of ten years of progressive management experience in healthcare operations.
• Minimum of five years' experience at an executive level.
• A background that includes significant leadership experience in a progressive, complex healthcare organization or integrated delivery system that includes both academic and community hospitals.  A track that reflects an understanding of how to effectively leverage system resources is also important for this role.
• Proven experience working effectively with and engaging physicians and other clinical leaders in a multi-disciplinary and matrix environment.
• Evidence of successful integration of hospital and faculty practice interests.
• Candidates should possess a comprehensive understanding of physician concerns and issues, incorporating strategic, political, instinctive, and operational insights to inform effective business decisions regarding physician alignment.
• Candidates must have a track record of building infrastructure and systems to improve operational performance across all domains of financial, quality, employee engagement and patient experience.
• Candidates must have a track record of both the capability and flexibility for operating effectively in an evolving organizational model where the executive will need to sponsor initiatives in leading change as well as effectively manage change.
• Candidates must have excellent verbal and written communication skills and the confidence to represent the organization in both formal and informal settings.
• A strong track record of external, public, and community involvement is required for this role.
• Candidates must demonstrate experience in achieving market growth and the ability to analyze complex relationships and situations while promoting entrepreneurial and innovative approaches to optimizing care delivery and the patient care experience across the organization and in the context of a larger system.
• Candidates must have a successful track record of leading an organization to achieve high levels of patient safety and quality as this is an ongoing priority for the hospital.
• Demonstrated experience working effectively in a welcoming and respectful workplace environment.

  Desired Qualifications:

• Experience in fundraising.
• Previous leadership experience integrating a hospital into a health system.

Application Process;

In order to be considered, applicants must upload the following documents and list them under submission relevant materials:

• Resume/CV
• Cover Letter

Job openings are posted for a minimum of 14 calendar days. Successful candidates must self-disclose any conviction history and will be subject to a criminal background check and education verification. This position is not eligible for University sponsorship for employment authorization. Please contact michael-lynch-2@uiowa.edu with any questions or if you wish to view the full job description.