Chief Business Officer, Business Operations

About the role

Vanderbilt Health – Executive Search Team is conducting a national search for a Chief Business Officer within the Office of the COO (Chief Operating Officer). Business Operations serves as the shared-services engine of the Office of the COO, enabling departments to focus on their core missions while strengthening the business processes that support them. Through centralized expertise, the team ensures operations are financially sound, efficient, compliant, scalable, and aligned with organizational strategy.

Responsibilities

• Leadership, Strategy, and Governance
  • Partner with leaders to develop and execute business strategies.
  • Build strong relationships with internal stakeholders and external partners.
  • Foster a culture of collaboration, accountability, and continuous improvement.
  • Monitor business risks and develop mitigation strategies.
• Finance
  • Work strategically with leaders on operating and capital budget development.
  • Provide financial analysis, forecasting, and variance reporting.
  • Provide timely financial insight and recommendations to support decision-making.
  • Ensure compliance with organizational financial policies and procedures.
  • Oversee departmental fiscal and administrative matters.
• Personnel Management, Workforce Planning, and Organizational Culture
  • Foster an organizational culture that provides a safe, inclusive, satisfying, and enriching environment for employees.
  • Provide sound guidance on personnel, payroll, and performance matters.
  • Perform workforce planning assessments aligned with strategic priorities.
  • Partner with Human Resources.
• Operational Excellence
  • Lead continuous improvement initiatives to enhance operational efficiency, service quality, and stakeholder experience.
  • Promote and facilitate data-informed decision-making.
  • Ensure appropriate data governance, system access controls, and information security practices for operations.
• Procurement, Contracts & Vendor Management
  • Oversee purchasing and payment workflows.
  • Coordinate vendor relationships and contract administration activities.
  • Support statements of work (SOW) development, review, routing, and monitoring.
  • Ensure procurement activities align with organizational sourcing and compliance requirements.

Requirements

• Bachelor’s degree.
• Minimum of seven years demonstrated strategic management experience including budgets, financial reports and the ability to navigate and interface with multiple departments in the organization.
• Excellent written and oral communication skills.
• Demonstrated administrative leadership experience.
• Strong interpersonal skills.
• High-level problem-solving skills.

Preferred qualifications

• Administrative leadership experience in an Academic Medical Center.