Surgical Tech-Certified

About the role

VA seeks a Chief, Organizational Performance Improvement (OPI) to provide advisory service to the Deputy Director and senior hospital leadership on strategic planning, hospital goals, program emphasis, resource allocation, and key personnel matters. The incumbent will analyze results and deliver in‑depth reports to the Executive Steering Committee and other high‑level meetings such as Directors Staff Meetings, Executive Committee of the Medical Staff, Facility Support, and the Strategic Planning Council. The position is located at the Captain James A. Lovell Federal Health Care Center, a fully integrated Veterans Affairs and Department of Defense/Department of the Navy facility in North Chicago, Illinois, approximately 13 miles south of the Illinois/Wisconsin border and midway between Chicago and Milwaukee.

Schedule

Full‑time position, Monday‑Friday 07:30‑16:00 with 24‑hour availability. Occasional evening or weekend hours may be required to accommodate inspecting agencies.

Duties and Responsibilities

• Provide leadership in improving and sustaining the quality and effectiveness of care across diverse or complex programs.
• Develop, organize, integrate, and implement all aspects of the FHCC OPI program, serving as the hospital’s expert on performance‑improvement (PI) programs, philosophies, and related hospital‑wide initiatives.
• Coordinate activities independently with a wide range of senior staff, including service chiefs, physicians, nurses, and administrative officials.
• Oversee performance improvement, patient safety, risk management, infection control, and Lean/Six Sigma/VA‑TAMMCS initiatives to assure high‑quality, cost‑effective care and to identify and mitigate risks to patients and employees.
• Supervise the Performance Improvement Section, directing hospital‑wide planning and coordination of PI programs.
• Serve in an advisory capacity to Quality Management/PI Specialist staff, guiding the development of a comprehensive program that meets TJC/VA standards.
• Lead the development, implementation, refinement, and maintenance of a hospital‑wide program to evaluate and improve patient‑care quality, appropriateness, and timeliness of services.
• Ensure all OPI program areas comply with applicable standards and meet performance expectations.
• Manage six core program components: (1) Risk Management, (2) Patient Safety, (3) Infection Control, (4) Accreditation, (5) Performance Improvement, and (6) Lean/Six Sigma/VA‑TAMMCS.
• Demonstrate strong verbal and written communication skills, with the ability to persuade and negotiate to gain acceptance of organizational improvement initiatives.

Key Requirements

• U.S. citizenship.
• Full, unrestricted licensure, certification, or registration as required for the position.
• Pass pre‑employment examination.
• Designated and/or random drug testing.
• Background and/or security investigation.
• English language proficiency (spoken and written).

Qualifications

• Graduate of a school of professional nursing approved by the appropriate state‑accrediting agency and accredited by the National League for Nursing Accrediting Commission (NLNAC/ACEN) or the Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education (CCNE) at the time of graduation.
• Current, full, active, and unrestricted registration as a graduate professional nurse in a U.S. state, territory, commonwealth, or the District of Columbia.
• Proficiency in spoken and written English.
• Bachelor of Science in Nursing **and** a Master’s degree in Nursing **or** a Master’s degree in a healthcare‑related field **or** a Doctoral degree in Nursing. (A BSN is not required if the Master’s is obtained through a BSN‑to‑Master’s bridge program.)
• At least four (4) years of successful RN practice, including administrative/leadership positions with progressively responsible leadership assignments.

Preferred Requirements

• Current national certification in one or more of the following: Quality Assurance (CPHQ), Healthcare Compliance (CHC), Nurse Executive (NE‑BC), Nurse Executive Advanced (NEA‑BC).
• Minimum two (2) years of departmental leadership experience.
• Experience analyzing project results and providing in‑depth reports to executive‑level management (e.g., Executive Steering Committee, Director’s Staff Meetings, Executive Committee of the Medical Staff).
• Experience working with facility‑wide programs such as Infection Control, Risk Management, Performance Improvement, and/or Patient Safety.
• Education and nursing experience will be evaluated by a Nurse Professional Standards Board to determine grade and salary; the recommended salary may fall anywhere within the vacancy’s range.

Relocation

The Department of Veterans Affairs may offer Permanent Change of Station (PCS) relocation services for this position.