Director, Operating Room- Perioperative Supply Chain Services

At Duke Health, we're driven by a commitment to compassionate care that changes the lives of patients, their loved ones, and the greater community. No matter where your talents lie, join us and discover how we can advance health together.

About Duke University Hospital

Pursue your passion for caring with Duke University Hospital in Durham, North Carolina, which is consistently ranked among the best in the United States. The largest of the four Duke Health hospitals with 1062 patient beds, it features comprehensive diagnostic and therapeutic facilities, including a regional emergency/trauma center, an endo-surgery center, and more.

About the Role

The Director, OR & Perioperative Supply Chain Services provides direct operational leadership for operating room, procedural, and surgical services supply chain operations at Duke University Hospital (DUH). This includes functional oversight across 67 procedural areas spanning DUH North, Duke Medical Pavilion, and the Eye Center. As a vital connector within a high-acuity environment, the Director bridges operational supply chain teams with perioperative clinical leadership, surgeons, value analysis, procurement, finance, and distributor networks. Duke Health requires dedicated perioperative supply chain leadership to support the scale, complexity, and risk profile of high-volume procedural operations. This leader is accountable for stabilizing daily operations, ensuring reliable supply availability, driving technology deployment (such as RFID and Kanban), and advancing enterprise-wide process standardization through collaboration across Duke Health.

Responsibilities

• Perioperative Operations & Inventory Discipline
  • Direct Operational Oversight: Lead daily supply chain operations across 67 procedural areas at DUH, ensuring uncompromising supply availability, replenishment discipline, and inventory accuracy to support clinical readiness.
  • Inventory Model Standardization: Evaluate and optimize inventory models, par levels, and replenishment strategies across all OR and procedural settings to reduce variation, eliminate duplicative stock, increase turnover, and minimize waste and write-offs.
  • Process Redesign & Continuous Improvement: Identify operational risks and variability across sourcing, logistics, distribution, preference-card support, and case readiness. Lead continuous improvement initiatives that strengthen operational controls and streamline procedural workflows.
• Technology-Enabled Transformation & Fiscal Stewardship
  • Systems Deployment & Optimization: Champion the adoption, stabilization, and optimization of modern perioperative supply chain technologies—including RFID-enabled workflows, PAR optimization, Kanban/2-Bin systems, and MMIS point-of-use tools—to enhance inventory visibility and decision-making.
  • Cost Containment & Waste Reduction: Advance cost stewardship through rigorous utilization review, contract compliance, inventory controls, and collaborative alignment with finance and procurement partners to sustainably reduce redundant inventory and write-offs.
  • Vendor & Distributor Performance: Partner with distributors, strategic vendors, and contracting teams to drive supplier accountability, improve delivery responsiveness, mitigate backorders, and manage substitution planning effectively.
• Team Leadership & Governance
  • Complex Team Management: Lead, mentor, and hold accountable high-performing, multi-shift supply chain teams supporting fast-paced OR and surgical environments. Establish scalable coverage models, staff development routines, and structured performance management.
  • Governance & KPI Tracking: Design and implement robust governance frameworks, Key Performance Indicators (KPIs), reporting routines, and structured escalation processes to track service reliability, productivity, inventory accuracy, and customer satisfaction.
  • Service Recovery Frameworks: Create disciplined, repeatable processes for dependable service recovery, resolving operational breakdowns rapidly while implementing root-cause solutions to prevent recurrence.
• Matrix Leadership & System Alignment
  • Clinical & Physician Partnership: Build trusted, highly credible relationships with perioperative nursing leadership, anesthesia chairs, surgeons, service-line directors, and value analysis teams to align supply chain strategies with patient care and physician preference management.
  • Cross-Entity Influence: Act as a collaborative influencer to align standards, common workflows, and best practices across Duke Raleigh, Duke Regional, Lake Norman, and affiliated sites without relying solely on direct reporting authority.

Key Stakeholder Relationships

• Internal Partnerships
  • Perioperative nursing leadership, anesthesia leadership, surgeons, service-line leaders, and procedural area managers.
  • Value analysis teams, corporate procurement, contracting, finance, and inventory management teams.
  • IT, RFID, Kanban, 2-Bin, and MMIS technology enablement teams.
  • Hospital operations leadership across DUH, Duke Raleigh, Duke Regional, Lake Norman, and affiliated ambulatory sites.
• External & Operational Partnerships
  • Medical-surgical distributors, strategic product vendors, and courier/logistics partners.
  • Supplier representatives supporting implants, procedural supplies, physician preference items (PPI), and high-cost inventory.
  • External supply chain partners supporting product availability, backorder mitigation, substitution planning, contract compliance, and service recovery.

Requirements

• Education Required: Bachelor’s degree in Business, Healthcare Administration, Supply Chain, Logistics, Operations Management, or a closely related field.
• Preferred: Master’s degree in a related strategic or operational discipline.
• Experience
  • Functional Experience: Minimum of seven (7) years of progressive experience leading or supporting supply chain operations within Operating Room, procedural, surgical, or perioperative service environments.
  • Leadership Experience: Minimum of five (5) years of direct management experience leading complex operational teams in high-volume healthcare, perioperative, procedural, logistics, or supply chain settings.
  • Collaboration & Influence: Demonstrated track record of partnering closely with clinical leaders, surgeons, value analysis committees, distributors, and cross-functional hospital stakeholders.
  • Technical Proficiency: Preferred experience working with MMIS platforms, point-of-use technology, automated/RFID inventory workflows, PAR management tools, and performance reporting dashboards.
• Certifications: Relevant certifications in Supply Chain (e.g., CMRP, CSCP), Healthcare Operations, Lean/Six Sigma, or Perioperative Operations are preferred, but not required.

Core Competencies

• Perioperative Supply Chain Authority: Deep domain expertise in OR, procedural, and surgical services supply chain environments, with specialized mastery in preference-item management, implant tracking, and high-acuity inventory replenishment.
• Disciplined Operator: Highly competitive and operationally credible leader capable of creating stable daily processes, establishing transparent KPIs, driving strong team accountability, and executing dependable service recovery frameworks.
• Collaborative Bridge-Builder: Exceptional matrix leadership skills with the executive presence to gain buy-in and drive enterprise alignment across distinct hospital sites without relying solely on direct reporting authority.
• Technology-Driven Innovator: Functional director who balances daily execution with strategic cost stewardship and technology-enabled transformation, translating data and operational gaps into scalable digital workflows.