Morristown, New Jersey
Sioux Falls, South Dakota
Fredericksburg, Virginia
Amarillo, Texas
Kerrville, Texas
Reading, Pennsylvania
Morristown, New Jersey
Waco, Texas
Posted: 21-Nov-25
Location: Durham, North Carolina
Categories:
Internal Number: 255015
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.
General Description of the Job Class
This position supports the Duke Quality Network efforts related to the execution of the Duke Quality Program for Quality affiliates and the Duke LifePoint Hospitals. The position provides coaching to multidisciplinary teams in continuous improvement, change management and lean leader behaviors using basic high-reliability organizing and advanced process improvement principles and thinking. This position applies continuous improvement (CI) tools and change leadership methodologies to drive specific initiatives and improvement efforts that are critical to safe, timely, effective, equitable, efficient, and reliable patient-centered care; and to ensure that strategies are implemented and principles/practices are embedded into daily practice.
The Performance Improvement Coach supports and mentors leaders in the deployment and sustainment of the Duke Quality System. This includes supporting the development of leader standard work for aligning executive through front-line strategy; and managing the balanced scorecard, reporting key quality performance metrics, and analyzing for improvement. This position does not directly manage but must influence through collaboration and provide direction, guidance, and mentoring to leadership teams.
Duties and Responsibilities of this Level
- Utilizes expertise in improvement methodologies to provide training, advisement, mentoring, coaching, support, and direction to Senior Leaders, Process Owners, Directors (or management) and front-line teams to appropriately use data- driven, scientific, problem-solving methodology to identify the correct design and approach for initiatives on continuous improvement, including Value Streams, Kaizen/Rapid Improvement Events, A3 and managing for daily improvement. The Performance Improvement Coach also supports the deployment of the Quality Management System, including teaching, coaching and other support as needed. Teaches and coaches Leaders, Caregivers and Providers on A3 thinking, PDSA, and lean tools and methodologies to effectively identify, address and eliminate process related obstacles and to drive process improvement.
- Advises and coaches leaders at various levels within the organization on lean leadership skills required to lead in a participative, team-oriented culture.
- Creates and delivers education on continuous improvement to all levels of the organization. Identifies areas in need of on-going training. Assists is the development of curriculum tools and supporting materials.
- Partners with leadership in analysis of processes across the organization, identifies gaps in the process, determines impact to the organization, recommends and coaches action plans and timeline to address issues.
- Independently facilitates continuous improvement teams, follows up on action plans, and assists all assigned teams as needed to ensure improvements are made and sustained.
- Builds relationships with leaders and stakeholders to manage effective processes and programs to improve the value of the patient care experience, reduce waste and ensure compliance according to established standards and measures.
- Tracks and analyzes key performance indicators to identify focus areas needed for improvement.
- Acts as a change agent in a fast paced and "ever changing" environment leveraging his/her strong collegial, service-oriented, interpersonal skills.
- Supports the deployment of a focused daily quality management system to help leaders ensure the adoption and implementation of improvements into the daily operations and culture of the organization, preventing regression back to prior methods and beliefs.
- May perform additional duties of similar complexity, as required or assigned.
Minimum Qualifications
Education
Possess a Bachelor's degree or higher from an accredited institution in business, healthcare engineering or a health-related field (nursing, allied health, public health) or equivalent.
Experience
Minimum of six (6) years of experience in performance improvement or process engineering, preferably in a healthcare environment, or a combination of experience and education in business, healthcare engineering or a health-related field (nursing, allied health, public health).
Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities
Successful, data driven track record in redesign and/or implementation efforts in the areas of clinical performance improvement.
Knowledge and experience successfully training and implementing high reliability and lean management principles.
Demonstrated skills in coaching, consulting, group process facilitation, whole system design, negotiation, change management and conflict resolution, supporting change within large, complex environments.
Demonstrated ability to partner with senior, operational, and medical staff leaders for improvement.
Demonstrated success in influencing, managing and coaching in a matrixed organization that includes many learners, including nurses, providers, caregivers and consumers.
Proficient in Excel, Word, and PowerPoint skills.
Ability to manage several projects simultaneously.
Ability to travel to affiliate sites (overnight travel required).
Flexible, collegial, customer focused interpersonal and communication skills.
Analytical skills related to independently interpreting, preparing and analyzing data and comparing with relevant federal and/or other performance-based data such as national benchmarks.
Duke is an Affirmative Action/Equal Opportunity Employer committed to providing employment opportunity without regard to an individual's age, color, disability, gender, gender expression, gender identity, genetic information, national origin, race, religion, sex, sexual orientation, or veteran status.
Duke aspires to create a community built on collaboration, innovation, creativity, and belonging. Our collective success depends on the robust exchange of ideas-an exchange that is best when the rich diversity of our perspectives, backgrounds, and experiences flourishes. To achieve this exchange, it is essential that all members of the community feel secure and welcome, that the contributions of all individuals are respected, and that all voices are heard. All members of our community have a responsibility to uphold these values.
Essential Physical Job Functions: Certain jobs at Duke University and Duke University Health System may include essentialjob functions that require specific physical and/or mental abilities. Additional information and provision for requests for reasonable accommodation will be provided by each hiring department.