The Director, Executive Projects within the System Associate Chief Operating Officer (COO) Office serves as a senior-level strategic and operational leader, providing enterprise-wide support to the System Associate COO and designated executive leadership. This role functions as a highly trusted partner responsible for advancing priority initiatives, shaping executive decision-making, and driving complex, cross-functional projects that impact system performance and operations.

Operating with a high degree of autonomy, the Director leads the development of executive-level insights, strategic analyses, and operational frameworks that inform critical decisions across the organization. This role serves as a central integrator—translating complex data, external benchmarking, and system priorities into clear, actionable recommendations and executive communications.

The Director is accountable for leading high-impact initiatives, conducting advanced research and environmental scanning, developing executive-ready presentations and dashboards, and supporting policy and operational assessments. While this role does not have direct reports, it exercises significant influence across care delivery operations and enterprise functions, often leading workstreams and coordinating multidisciplinary teams to achieve system priorities.

Qualified candidates must have completed:

• Bachelor degree in Health Care Administration, Business Administration, or related area or equivalency.
• Six years of progressively responsible experience in strategy, operations, consulting, or executive-level support roles.
• Demonstrated experience leading enterprise-level initiatives or projects.
• Experience working directly with senior executives or C-suite leaders in a complex organization.

Corporate Overview: University of Utah Health is an integrated academic healthcare system with five hospitals including a level 1 trauma center, eleven community health centers, over 1,600 providers, and a health plan serving over 200,000 members. University of Utah Health is nationally ranked and recognized for our academic research, quality standards and overall patient experience. In addition to our clinical delivery system, we have a School of Medicine, School of Dentistry, College of Nursing, College of Pharmacy, and College of Health providing education and training for over 1,250 providers annually. We have over 2 million patient visits annually and research grants exceeding $350 million. University of Utah Hospitals and Clinics represents our clinical operations for the larger health system.

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

Essential Functions

Executive Leadership & Strategic Execution

• Serve as a senior strategic partner to the Executive or Chief, supporting enterprise priorities, operational strategy, and system integration efforts.
• Lead high-priority, enterprise-wide initiatives from concept through execution, ensuring alignment with organizational goals and timelines.
• Frame complex issues, risks, and trade-offs into clear decision points and actionable recommendations for executive leadership and governance bodies.
• Provide high-level, confidential support on sensitive and complex organizational matters.

Enterprise Research, Benchmarking & Environmental Scanning

• Direct comprehensive research and benchmarking efforts to inform strategic and operational decision-making, including:
• Peer health system and competitor analysis
• Market, regulatory, and industry trend assessments
• Literature reviews and policy evaluations
• Synthesize internal and external insights into executive-level recommendations that guide system strategy and operations.
• Identify emerging trends, risks, and opportunities impacting healthcare delivery, workforce strategy, and system performance.

Data Integration, Modeling & Performance Insights

• Lead the development and interpretation of enterprise-level performance dashboards, scorecards, and executive summaries.
• Supports and develops financial, operational, and workforce modeling efforts in partnership with Strategy, Finance, HR, and Analytics teams.
• Analyze system-wide performance data to identify trends, risks, and opportunities, translating findings into actionable insights for leadership.
• Ensure data is transformed into strategic narratives that inform decision-making at the executive level.

Executive Communications & Board-Level Deliverables

• Own the development of executive-ready materials, including but not limited to:
• Board and governance presentations
• Executive leadership briefings
• Strategic planning materials and retreats
• Serve as a communication architect, ensuring clarity, consistency, and alignment of messaging across executive communications.
• Translate complex concepts into clear, compelling narratives tailored to executive audiences.

Operational Strategy & Policy Alignment

• Lead the assessment and development of system-level policies, operating models, and governance structures to enhance alignment and efficiency.
• Support the design and implementation of enterprise operational frameworks and strategic initiatives.
• Identify and drive continuous improvement opportunities across system processes and operations.

Financial, Quality & Performance Alignment

• Partner with finance and operational leaders to support resource planning, budget alignment, and performance tracking.
• Monitor system progress against financial, quality, and operational goals, providing insights and recommendations to leadership.
• Support initiatives that advance patient experience, quality outcomes, and organizational standards.

Enterprise Partnership & Influence

• Build and maintain strong relationships with senior leaders across operations, finance, HR, quality, and clinical leadership.
• Lead cross-functional collaboration, aligning stakeholders and ensuring execution of Executive -sponsored initiatives.
• Influence decision-making at the executive level through data, insights, and strategic framing.
• Operate as a key connector across the system, ensuring alignment and follow-through on enterprise priorities.

Knowledge / Skills / Abilities

• Advanced strategic thinking and problem-solving skills with the ability to navigate complex, ambiguous issues.

• Exceptional executive communication and presentation skills, including development of board-level materials.

• Deep expertise in research, benchmarking, and data synthesis.

• Ability to lead large-scale initiatives and influence outcomes without direct authority.

• Strong business acumen across healthcare operations, finance, and organizational performance.

• High level of professionalism, discretion, and executive presence.

Required

• Bachelor degree in Health Care Administration, Business Administration, or related area or equivalency.
• Six years of progressively responsible experience in strategy, operations, consulting, or executive-level support roles.
• Demonstrated experience leading enterprise-level initiatives or projects.
• Experience working directly with senior executives or C-suite leaders in a complex organization.

Preferred

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

Working Conditions and Physical Demands

Employee must be able to meet the following requirements with or without an accommodation.

• 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.