Director of Clinical Operations
The HealthCare Connection (THCC), Ohio’s first Federally Qualified Health Center (FQHC) founded in 1967, provides quality and accessible primary healthcare services through community-responsive approaches. Serving over 20,000 patients annually, THCC operates two primary care clinics and six school-based health centers, offering an integrated model including Primary Care, Pediatrics, Infectious Disease, Substance Use Treatment, Integrated Behavioral Health, Dental Services, Women’s Health, and Pharmacy. THCC is a Level 3 Patient-Centered Medical Home (PCMH), recognized for quality and coordinated care.
About the role
The Director of Clinical Operations provides strategic and operational leadership for assigned medical and dental practices and programs across The HealthCare Connection. Reporting to the Chief Operating Officer, this role leads through Clinical Supervisors and other operational leaders to ensure consistent, efficient, and patient-centered operations aligned with organizational strategy, financial goals, quality standards, and regulatory requirements.
The Director establishes system-wide operational expectations, monitors performance, develops leaders, removes barriers affecting capacity and care delivery, and translates organizational priorities into sustainable practice-level execution. Clinical Supervisors retain responsibility for daily operations, direct staff supervision, scheduling, workflow execution, and first-level concerns, while the Director intervenes on systemic barriers, risk, or performance issues exceeding practice-level authority.
Responsibilities
- Provide strategic and operational leadership for assigned medical and dental practices and programs, ensuring alignment with the organization’s mission, strategic priorities, policies, and performance expectations.
- Direct, coach, and develop Clinical Supervisors and other assigned operational leaders; establish clear accountability for site performance, staff leadership, resource management, and execution of organizational priorities.
- Establish and maintain consistent operational standards across practices while allowing flexibility for site, service-line, and community needs.
- Monitor practice performance through key operational, financial, workforce, access, productivity, patient-flow, and patient-experience indicators; identify trends and ensure timely, measurable improvement plans are implemented.
- Partner with medical, dental, nursing, and patient access leadership to align clinical capacity, provider schedules, support staffing, workflows, and patient demand while maintaining clear functional accountability.
- Evaluate multi-site staffing models and workforce utilization; collaborate with COO, Clinical Supervisors, and Human Resources on workforce planning, recruitment, retention, leadership development, and succession needs.
- Lead efforts to improve provider capacity, patient flow, room and resource utilization, and team-based care by addressing systemic barriers and reducing unnecessary variation across practices.
- Partner with the COO and Finance leadership in annual budgeting, resource planning, and ongoing review of site-level financial performance; recommend actions that improve efficiency and support financial sustainability.
- Ensure operational readiness for audits, surveys, and regulatory reviews in partnership with Quality, Compliance, Risk Management, and clinical leadership; hold assigned leaders accountable for corrective actions and sustained compliance.
- Lead the operational implementation of new providers, services, technologies, facilities, workflows, and organizational initiatives across assigned practices, including change management and post-implementation evaluation.
- Serve as the primary escalation point for complex or cross-functional operational matters that cannot be resolved at the practice level; assess risk, coordinate resources, and ensure timely resolution.
- Build effective relationships across Operations, Clinical Services, Patient Access, Finance, Human Resources, Quality, Compliance, Information Technology, Facilities, and other functions to advance shared organizational goals.
- Prepare and present operational analyses, recommendations, and performance updates to the COO, executive leadership, and organizational committees as assigned.
- Promote a culture of accountability, collaboration, service excellence, employee engagement, continuous improvement, and respectful, patient-centered care.
- Perform additional duties as assigned.
Requirements
- Bachelor’s degree in healthcare administration, business administration, public health, nursing, or a related field.
- Five (5) years of progressively responsible healthcare operations experience, including leadership of managers, practices, sites, or service lines.
Preferred Qualifications
- Master’s degree in healthcare administration, business administration, public health, nursing, or a related field.
- Experience in an FQHC, community health center, ambulatory care, medical group, or similarly complex healthcare environment.
- Demonstrated experience with multi-site operations, workforce planning, budgeting, performance management, operational analytics, workflow improvement, and organizational change.
Benefits
- Anthem BC Health Insurance
- Wellness Rewards Program
- Dental and Vision Insurance
- Free Life & Short-Term Disability Insurance
- 403(b) Retirement Plan with employer match
- Comprehensive Paid Time Off (PTO)
- 10 Paid Holidays