The Director, Executive Initiatives serves as a senior-level leader within the Executive Vice President’s (EVP) Office, working under the direction of the Chief of Staff and Senior Advisor, providing enterprise-wide project leadership and operational support to executive leadership. This role is responsible for supporting system leaders to translate priorities into actionable implementation plans, ensuring alignment across clinical, academic, and administrative domains.

The Director is accountable for leading large-scale, cross-functional projects from concept through execution. Operating with a high degree of autonomy, the Director translates executive priorities into structured project plans, ensuring alignment, execution, and accountability across multiple stakeholders and functions.This role serves as a central integrator—driving coordination, managing interdependencies, and ensuring that strategic initiatives are executed effectively and communicated clearly.

As a patient-focused organization, University of Utah Health exists to enhance the health and well-being of people through patient care, research and education. Success in this mission requires a culture of collaboration, excellence, leadership, and respect. University of Utah Health seeks staff that are committed to the values of compassion, collaboration, innovation, responsibility, integrity, quality and trust that are integral to our mission. EO/AA

Executive Project Leadership & Execution

• Lead the planning and execution of complex, enterprise-wide initiatives with the Chief of Staff and Senior Advisor, working with executive leadership.
• Translate executive priorities into actionable project plans, including scope, timelines, milestones, risks, and deliverables.
• Drive project governance, ensuring alignment with organizational goals, leadership expectations, and system priorities.
• Identify risks, dependencies, and trade-offs, proactively developing mitigation strategies and presenting clear options to leadership.
• Provide high-level, confidential support on sensitive and complex initiatives.

Executive Project Management & Communication

• Own and manage end-to-end delivery of executive-sponsored projects, ensuring timely and high-quality outcomes.

• Develop and maintain enterprise-level tracking of strategic initiatives, including milestones, risks, dependencies, and outcomes.

• Develop executive-ready materials, including:
• Leadership presentations
• Executive briefings and updates
• Project status reports and decision frameworks
• Serve as a communication architect for key initiatives, ensuring clarity, consistency, and alignment across stakeholders.

• Develop and maintain enterprise-level tracking of strategic initiatives, including milestones, risks, dependencies, and outcomes.

• Translate complex initiatives into clear, structured updates and actionable insights tailored to executive audiences.

Cross-Functional Coordination & Stakeholder Alignment

• Lead cross-functional collaboration across leadership teams and missions  
• Act as a central point of coordination, ensuring alignment, accountability, and follow-through across project stakeholders.
• Facilitate discussions with senior leaders, department chairs, and executive teams to advance project outcomes.
• Ensure continuity and momentum across multiple concurrent initiatives.

Executive Office Operations & Enterprise Integration

• Build and maintain strong relationships with senior leaders across the health system.
• Operate as a key connector across functions, ensuring coordination and execution of enterprise priorities.
• Strengthen integration across hospitals, clinics, and academic partners through effective project leadership.
• Support the operational effectiveness of the EVP/CEO Team by ensuring alignment and execution of priority initiatives.

• Support the design, alignment, and optimization of enterprise governance structures, including executive committees and reporting frameworks.
• Ensure consistency, clarity, and alignment between committees and enterprise priorities

Knowledge / Skills / Abilities

• Advanced project management skills with the ability to lead complex, enterprise-wide initiatives.
• Strong executive communication skills, including development of leadership-level materials.
• Ability to manage ambiguity and drive structure, clarity, and execution in dynamic environments.
• Exceptional organizational, prioritization, and stakeholder management capabilities.
• Strong business acumen across healthcare operations, finance, and performance improvement.
• Ability to influence without authority and lead through collaboration.
• High level of professionalism, discretion, and executive presence.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in a related field, or equivalent experience.
• Seven (7) or more years of progressively responsible experience in project management, operations, consulting, or executive-level support roles.
• Demonstrated experience leading large, cross-functional projects or enterprise initiatives.
• Experience working directly with executive leadership in a complex organization.

• Master’s degree (MBA, MHA, MPH, or related field), or equivalent.
• Project Management certification (PMP or equivalent) preferred.
• Experience within an academic medical center or integrated health system strongly preferred.

This is a sedentary position that may exert up to 10 pounds and may lift, carry, push, pull or otherwise move objects. This position involves sitting most of the time and is not exposed to adverse environmental conditions.