Vice President, Supply Chain Operations

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Reports To

Chief Supply Chain Officer, Enterprise Supply Chain

Position Summary

The Vice President, Supply Chain Operations serves as the executive leader responsible for the operational execution of supply chain services across Duke University Health System (DUHS). This role leads an integrated operating model encompassing hospital operations, ambulatory operations, Duke University Hospital (DUH) operations, regional health network hospitals, inventory management, supply chain technology, ERP and procurement operations, purchasing, customer service, and master data management.

The Vice President ensures supply chain functions operate as a unified enterprise platform that supports patient care, service reliability, operational readiness, business continuity, inventory integrity, and customer satisfaction. This executive translates enterprise supply chain strategy into reliable daily execution through disciplined operating processes, performance management, operational readiness planning, and cross-functional collaboration.

Key Responsibilities

Enterprise Supply Chain Operations Leadership

• Direct the DUHS Supply Chain Operations model and ensure alignment across all operational supply chain functions.
• Establish clear governance, accountability, escalation pathways, and service ownership across operational teams.
• Lead enterprise-wide operational planning and service delivery activities.
• Ensure operational issues, resource constraints, and service risks are identified, escalated, and resolved appropriately.
• Promote a culture of accountability, collaboration, continuous improvement, and customer-focused service.

Service Reliability and Patient Care Support

• Ensure uninterrupted supply chain support for hospitals, ambulatory locations, procedural areas, and ancillary clinical services.
• Drive reliable product availability and service responsiveness throughout the health system.
• Lead enterprise service recovery efforts during significant supply chain disruptions.
• Establish sustainable solutions to recurring operational issues through root-cause analysis and corrective action planning.

Regional Health Network Hospital Operations

• Provide executive oversight for supply chain operations supporting regional health network hospitals.
• Ensure alignment with enterprise standards while addressing site-specific operational needs.
• Coordinate cross-functional support for inventory, procurement, customer service, technology, and operational readiness initiatives.
• Support proactive identification and mitigation of operational risks.

Inventory Management and Supply Chain Technology

• Oversee inventory management practices, logistics operations, inventory controls, and replenishment systems.
• Ensure inventory accuracy through cycle counting, par optimization, annual inventories, and inventory governance.
• Lead implementation and sustainment of inventory technologies and automation solutions.
• Ensure inventory systems, purchasing processes, and master data support reliable product availability across the enterprise.

ERP, Procurement, Purchasing, Master Data, and Customer Service Operations

• Oversee ERP transaction processing, procurement operations, purchasing functions, customer support services, and master data governance.
• Ensure transaction accuracy, purchase order efficiency, supplier enablement, and service responsiveness.
• Drive reduction of transaction errors, data quality issues, purchasing delays, and customer service backlogs.
• Ensure operational integration between site operations, inventory management, and system support functions.

Ambulatory Supply Chain Operations

• Lead supply chain support for ambulatory surgery centers, clinics, practices, imaging centers, medical office buildings, freestanding emergency departments, and other outpatient care locations.
• Develop scalable operating models supporting ambulatory growth and geographic expansion.
• Ensure consistent service standards, escalation protocols, and operational support for all ambulatory sites.
• Align ambulatory operations with enterprise supply chain strategies and resources.

Duke University Hospital Operations

• Provide executive oversight for supply chain operations supporting DUH clinical, procedural, perioperative, and ancillary departments.
• Ensure supply chain services support the complexity and operational needs of the flagship academic medical center.
• Coordinate operational priorities with enterprise supply chain, clinical, and administrative stakeholders.
• Protect supply continuity in high-risk, high-volume clinical environments.

Operational Readiness and Change Management

• Ensure operational readiness for sourcing initiatives, product conversions, ERP enhancements, technology deployments, and supplier transitions.
• Establish readiness standards for inventory, purchasing, master data, training, communications, and go-live support.
• Evaluate operational impact of proposed enterprise initiatives before implementation.
• Lead readiness planning, hypercare support, and post-implementation stabilization activities.

Supply Disruption and Risk Management

• Oversee enterprise response to product shortages, backorders, recalls, supplier disruptions, and emergency supply situations.
• Coordinate communication and collaboration among clinical, operational, supplier, and procurement stakeholders.
• Ensure recall processes comply with regulatory and organizational requirements.
• Support uninterrupted patient care through coordinated contingency planning and response efforts.

Performance Management and Continuous Improvement

• Establish key performance indicators and operational scorecards across supply chain operations.
• Monitor service reliability, inventory performance, purchasing effectiveness, customer service metrics, and operational outcomes.
• Utilize analytics and performance dashboards to drive accountability and process improvement.
• Lead operating reviews and corrective action planning to improve performance and service excellence.

Enterprise Collaboration

• Partner closely with sourcing, contracting, clinical integration, analytics, finance, technology, and operational leaders.
• Provide operational feasibility assessments and implementation support for enterprise initiatives.
• Ensure operational perspectives are incorporated into strategic supply chain decision-making.
• Serve as a key member of enterprise supply chain leadership.

Leadership and Talent Development

• Lead, mentor, and develop a high-performing team of supply chain leaders and operational professionals.
• Build succession pipelines and leadership capability across all operational functions.
• Foster a culture of engagement, accountability, customer service, and continuous improvement.
• Support leadership development and organizational effectiveness initiatives.

Minimum Qualifications

Education

Bachelor’s degree in Supply Chain Management, Business Administration, Healthcare Administration, Operations Management, Logistics, Industrial Engineering, or a related field required.

Experience

• Minimum of 12 years of progressively responsible healthcare supply chain, operations, logistics, procurement, or related leadership experience.
• Minimum of 7 years of executive or senior leadership experience managing large, complex healthcare operations.
• Experience leading multi-site healthcare supply chain operations across hospitals, ambulatory settings, and complex healthcare systems.
• Experience managing large teams and multiple operational functions simultaneously.

Licensure/Certification

Preferred:

• Certified Materials & Resource Professional (CMRP)
• Certified Supply Chain Professional (CSCP)
• Lean, Six Sigma, or other operational excellence certifications

Preferred Qualifications

• Master's degree in Business Administration (MBA), Healthcare Administration (MHA), Supply Chain Management, Operations Management, or related discipline.
• Demonstrated success leading healthcare supply chain operations within an integrated delivery network, academic health system, or large multi-site healthcare organization.
• Experience overseeing inventory management, procurement operations, ERP systems, purchasing, customer service, logistics, and supply chain technology functions.
• Proven success implementing large-scale operational transformations and enterprise change initiatives.
• Strong knowledge of healthcare supply chain technologies, inventory management systems, and ERP platforms.

Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities

• Expert knowledge of healthcare supply chain operations and logistics.
• Strong understanding of inventory management, procurement operations, ERP systems, purchasing, and master data governance.
• Excellent leadership, organizational, and team development skills.
• Demonstrated ability to drive enterprise-wide operational excellence initiatives.
• Exceptional communication and stakeholder management abilities.
• Strong analytical, financial, and operational decision-making capabilities.
• Ability to lead through complexity, ambiguity, and organizational change.
• Proven success building collaborative partnerships across clinical, operational, financial, and executive leadership teams.

Scope of Responsibility

The Vice President, Supply Chain Operations provides executive leadership and operational oversight across Duke University Health System’s supply chain operations infrastructure, including:

• Regional Health Network Hospital Operations
• Duke University Hospital Operations
• Ambulatory Supply Chain Operations
• Inventory Management and Supply Chain Technology
• ERP and Procurement Operations
• Purchasing Operations
• Customer Service Operations
• Master Data Management

This role directly influences operational continuity, patient care support, service reliability, inventory performance, customer experience, and supply chain effectiveness across the enterprise.

Success Measures

Success in this role will be demonstrated through:

• Improved service reliability and customer satisfaction.
• Reduced supply disruptions and operational risk.
• Enhanced inventory accuracy and inventory performance.
• Improved purchasing efficiency and transaction quality.
• Effective implementation of enterprise initiatives and operational changes.
• Strong operational readiness and business continuity capabilities.
• High-performing and engaged operational leadership teams.
• Consistent achievement of enterprise supply chain operational objectives.

Level Characteristics

Outstanding presentation and communication skills, must be effective public speaker that can present to all levels of executive, operational, and clinical leadership.

Minimum Qualifications

Education

Position generally requires a Master's degree in Business Administration, Healthcare Administration, Supply Chain Management, Nursing or related field; or equivalent experience.

Experience

Position requires a minimum of 15 years in healthcare supply chain experience demonstrating progressive increases in responsibility and scope including at least five years' experience collaborating with physicians and executives. Previous vendor or group purchasing experience preferred.

Degrees, Licensures, Certifications

Bachelor degree in Business, Healthcare Administration, Supply Chain Management, Nursing or related field. A MBA/MS considered a plus.

Duke is an 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 (including pregnancy and pregnancy related conditions), sexual orientation or military status.

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Certain jobs at Duke University and Duke University Health System may include essential job 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.