Director of Clinical Operations

Director Of Clinical Operations

Medical Associates is seeking an experienced and collaborative Director of Clinical Operations to provide strategic and operational leadership for our growing specialty practice. This role is responsible for overseeing clinical operations, driving quality outcomes, optimizing workflows, supporting provider and staff engagement, and ensuring exceptional patient care delivery across the department.

Where You Will Be Working:

Medical Associates Clinic is a physician-owned multi-specialty group practice based out of Dubuque, Iowa with over 30 specialties and full line of ancillary support services. Our 200+ providers and 900 health care professionals lead the way in providing quality healthcare in Northeast Iowa, Southwest Wisconsin and Northwest Illinois.

What You Will Be Doing:

Medical Associates has an exciting opportunity to join our dynamic leadership team. As a Director of Clinical Operations, you will report to the Chief Operating Officer – Clinic and be responsible for the strategic and administrative leadership of clinical departments, through direct oversight of clinic managers and other assigned leaders. The Clinical Director provides direction, coaching, and accountability to clinic managers, ensuring that clinical operations align with organizational goals for quality, patient experience, financial performance, and staff development. You will work closely with clinic managers, physicians, APPs, and administrative leaders to drive excellence in care delivery and patient experience. This position requires a unique blend of strong leadership skills, business acumen, process improvement expertise, and high emotional intelligence. The ideal candidate will be comfortable navigating ambiguity, quickly establishing credibility, and drive results by fostering collaboration, promoting accountability, and leading through influence.

Essential Functions & Responsibilities:

Leadership & Performance Oversight:

• Ensure clinic managers deliver on accuracy, efficiency, and quality of services delivered by their departments.
• Provide coaching, mentoring, and leadership development to clinic managers, supervisors, and staff.
• Develop and implement departmental performance standards and goals.
• Ensure appropriate staffing, clinical competency, and service quality across all departments.
• Drive succession planning and leadership pipeline development for assigned areas.
• Provide leadership to your teams while you partner with HR on the selection, training, development, performance evaluation, and resolution of performance issues for clinic managers and other direct reports.

Strategic & Operational Leadership:

• Lead operational strategy development and oversee implementation of new services, practices, and process improvements.
• Partner with clinic managers to ensure excellent patient care, safety, and patient experience.
• Align departmental goals with organizational strategy and ensure achievement of key objectives.

Financial & Resource Management:

• Lead the development of operational and capital budgets for all assigned departments.
• Monitor and manage financial performance, ensuring efficient use of resources.
• Support clinic managers in proactively tracking, cost-control measures, and financial improvement initiatives.
• Provide input into coding, fee schedules, and reimbursement optimization.

Collaboration & Representation:

• Serve as a liaison between clinical departments, physicians/APPs, administrative leadership, and external partners.
• Represent the clinic in organizational committees, initiatives, and community/business partnerships.
• Facilitate resolution of interdepartmental and organizational issues.
• Ensure clinic managers are engaged in policy and procedure development and compliance.

Compliance, Risk, and Quality Management:

• Ensure compliance with regulatory standards, credentialing, and safety requirements across all departments.
• Partner with clinic managers related to incident reporting, risk management initiatives, and corrective action planning.
• Respond to escalated patient complaints regarding assigned areas, ensuring timely and effective resolution.

Other Duties:

1. Strategic Planning and Goal Setting: Proactively manage projects and long-term goals, establish timelines and action owners, ensure commitments are met.
2. Decision Making and Resource Management: Gather information, evaluate impacts and risks, make timely decisions, manage resources responsibly.
3. Leadership and Team Building: Set an example, model respectful and cooperative relationships, ensure team understanding and collaboration, motivate employees, address morale issues.
4. Communication and Relationship Building: Communicate openly and effectively, build commitment and loyalty, manage difficult issues with empathy and clarity, promote a non-threatening environment for expressing opinions. Interact professionally, build rapport, treat everyone with respect.
5. Innovation and Change Management: Implement new ideas and technologies, support change, remove obstacles, ensure resources are available.
6. Performance Management and Development: Set performance and behavioral standards, promote personal accountability, encourage skill development and goal attainment, provide feedback and evaluations, support employee development and succession planning. Remain current with skills and industry knowledge and seek feedback for continual personal development.
7. Customer Focus and Commitment to Excellence: Anticipate internal and external customer needs, respond proactively and ensure satisfaction. Demonstrate commitment to excellence, deliver quality work.
8. Policy Compliance and Ethical Behavior: Comply with Medical Associates policies and behave in an ethical manner at all times.

Benefits Package includes:

• Single or Family Health Insurance with discounted premium rates for wellness program participation.
• 401k with immediate matching (50% on the dollar up to 7% of pay + additional annual Profit Sharing
• Flexible Paid Time Off Program (accrue up to 29 days off/year)
• Medical and Dependent Care Flex Spending Accounts
• Life insurance, Long Term Disability Coverage, Short Term Disability Coverage, Dental Insurance, etc.

Knowledge, Skills and Abilities:

Experience: 5-10+ years of progressive leadership including experience managing other managers. Excellent analytical and problem-solving abilities. Knowledge of healthcare industry regulations and practices. Clinical background preferred (various backgrounds acceptable including respiratory therapist, nursing, EMT, etc. ) or BA/MA Degree in: Business, Health Administration or other related fields Education: Equivalent to a Bachelor's degree. Masters degree preferred. Interpersonal Skills: The ability to motivate or influence others is a material part of the job, requiring a significant level of diplomacy and trust. Obtaining cooperation (internally and/or externally) is an important part of the job. Other Skills : A clinical physician outpatient practice background is preferred. A strong understanding of clinic area workflows and processes is required. Good written and verbal communication skills, and a teamwork orientation are required. Strong analytical and quantitative skills are preferred.

Physical Aspects: Reaching - Extending hand(s) and arm(s) in any direction. Lifting - Raising objects from a lower to a higher position or moving objects horizontally from position-to-position. This factor is important if it occurs to a considerable degree and requires the substantial use of the upper extremities and back muscles. Fingering - Picking, pinching, typing or otherwise working, primarily with fingers rather than with the whole hand or arm as in handling. Grasping - Applying pressure to an object with the fingers and palm. Talking - Expressing or exchanging ideas by means of the spoken word. Those activities in which they must convey detailed or important spoken instructions to other workers accurately, loudly or quickly. Hearing - Perceiving the nature of sound with or without correction. Ability to receive detailed information through oral communication and to make fine discriminations in sound, such as when making fine adjustments on machined parts. Vision - 20 / 40 or better in the best eye with or without correction. Repetitive Motions - Substantial movements (motions) of the wrists, hands and/or fingers. Light Work - Exerting up to 20 pounds of force occasionally, and/or up to 10 pounds of force frequently, and/or a negligible amount of force constantly to move objects. If the use of arm and/or leg controls requires exertion of forces greater than that for Sedentary Work and the worker sits most of the time, the job is rated for Light Work. Environmental Conditions: None - The worker is not substantially exposed to adverse environmental conditions (such as in typical office or administrative work).

Medical Associates Clinic & Health Plans is an equal opportunity employer committed to a diverse and inclusive workforce. Applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, pregnancy, age, national origin, marital status, parental status, disability, veteran status, or other distinguishing characteristics of diversity and inclusion, or any other protected status.