Director of Pain Operations

Location: ECAA Corporate Office, Greenville, North Carolina; on-site with frequent travel to practice locations

Status: Full-time/Exempt

Department: Corporate-Pain Management

Reports to: Chief Executive Officer

Position Summary

The Director of Pain Operations provides corporate operational leadership, oversight, and support for all pain management divisions and practice locations within ECAA. Reporting directly to the Chief Executive Officer, the Director partners with physicians, advanced practice providers, division leaders, practice managers, and corporate support teams to standardize operations, implement best practices, benchmark performance, and improve patient access, practice efficiency, and financial performance. The Director works closely with HR, Finance, Revenue Cycle Management, Compliance, and physician leadership to strengthen practice workflows, support compliance across physicians and divisions, and ensure timely resolution of identified issues. The position also supports ECAA’s growth by identifying and evaluating pain practices interested in joining the organization, supporting due diligence and integration, and evaluating and launching de novo locations.

Responsibilities

Provides strategic and operational leadership for pain management services and related clinical programs in alignment with the organization’s mission, values, strategic priorities, and commitment to high-quality, patient-centered pain care.

Leads operational and financial performance improvement across all ECAA pain management divisions and practices in partnership with physician leaders and local practice management, including staffing, provider productivity, utilization, access, referral management, expenses, resource allocation, and program growth. Establishes clear action plans, responsibilities, and follow-up with the appropriate leaders.

Partners with the CEO, physician leadership, and corporate teams to identify and evaluate pain practices interested in joining ECAA; build relationships with prospective partners; support operational due diligence; and lead operational integration. Evaluates de novo opportunities, including market demand, referral potential, competition, staffing, and financial feasibility, and develops business plans and launch plans for approved sites.

Partners with pain management physicians, APPs, clinical leaders, and administrative leaders to address operational challenges and improve access, care coordination, clinical outcomes, provider performance, and the patient experience.

Develops, implements, and monitors operational plans, policies, procedures, workflows, and performance standards that support efficient, effective, evidence-based, and compliant delivery of comprehensive pain management services.

Analyzes financial, clinical, access, referral, productivity, and operational data to identify trends, opportunities, and performance variances and partners with leadership to develop plans to improve outcomes and achieve organizational goals.

Partners with Revenue Cycle Management to improve registration, insurance verification, prior authorization, documentation, charge capture, and denial resolution workflows. Identifies and addresses operational causes of lost or delayed revenue and coordinates improvement plans with physicians and practice leaders.

Partners with Compliance and physician leadership to ensure physicians, divisions, and practice locations comply with organizational policies, applicable regulatory and accreditation requirements, and federal and state healthcare laws and regulations, including requirements related to controlled substances, prescribing, medication management, documentation, and patient safety. Coordinates education, monitoring, audits, and corrective action plans, with clear ownership and documented follow-through. Clinical decisions and prescribing oversight remain with the appropriate physician and clinical leaders.

Leads and supports process improvement, technology implementation, care model development, and cross-functional initiatives that improve pain management access, care coordination, efficiency, standardization, quality, patient safety, and service.

Partners with practice managers and appropriate physician, clinical, and administrative leaders to resolve complex issues across ECAA pain divisions, with the Director responsible for operational coordination and appropriate clinical leaders responsible for clinical decisions.

Works with clinics to improve the patient’s experience at every step of their pain care, from referral and initial evaluation through treatment, follow-up, care coordination, and long-term pain management.

Develops and strengthens clinic leadership and staff through coaching, mentoring, professional development, and succession planning, and partners with local leadership on performance management, with an emphasis on building high-performing pain management teams.

Communicates regularly with pain management providers, staff, clinical partners, and organizational leadership regarding operational performance, access, quality, financial performance, priorities, challenges, and opportunities.

Supports strategic planning and program development initiatives related to pain management, including expansion of services, provider recruitment, new care models, facility planning, technology, and community or referral partnerships.

Establishes and monitors consistent key performance indicators across pain divisions, including access, referral volume, referral conversion, provider productivity, patient satisfaction, utilization, and financial performance, and partners with clinical leadership on quality, safety, and clinical outcome measures. Benchmarks performance across divisions and against relevant external standards, shares best practices, and tracks measurable improvement plans.

Promotes a culture of patient-centered care, accountability, safety, continuous improvement, interdisciplinary collaboration, and service excellence within pain management.

Prepares and presents regular operational and financial reports to the CEO, including division performance, priorities, risks, corrective actions, and growth opportunities; manages assigned projects; participates in committees; and represents pain management operations in organizational initiatives.

Performs other duties as assigned.

Required Qualifications

Bachelor’s degree in Health Administration, Business Administration, Nursing, or a related field

Progressive leadership experience in multi-site physician practice management, including responsibility for multiple locations or divisions and demonstrated success partnering with physicians and local practice leaders.

Demonstrated experience leading complex healthcare operations and collaborating with multidisciplinary clinical teams.

Working knowledge of physician practice financial performance, revenue cycle operations, and healthcare compliance requirements.

Demonstrated experience using operational and financial data, performance indicators, and benchmarks to drive measurable improvement.

Strong communication, relationship-building, organizational, and change-management skills.

Ability to work on-site at the Greenville, North Carolina, corporate office and travel frequently to practice locations.

Preferred Qualifications

Leadership experience in pain management, interventional pain, or a closely related outpatient procedural specialty.

Experience identifying prospective practice partners, supporting due diligence and integration, or evaluating and launching de novo locations.

Knowledge of pain management compliance requirements, including controlled-substance prescribing, medication management, documentation, and patient safety.

Experience developing specialty services, referral networks, and patient access initiatives.

Work Location and Travel Requirements

This position requires working on-site at ECAA’s corporate office in Greenville, North Carolina, with frequent travel to pain management practices throughout North Carolina. The Director maintains a regular presence at practice locations to support physicians and local leadership, evaluate operations, implement best practices, and oversee performance improvement initiatives.

Practice locations include Apex, Belmont, Charlotte, Denver, Goldsboro, Greenville, Hickory, Holly Springs, Jacksonville, Kings Mountain, Knightdale, Morehead City, New Bern, Raleigh, Roanoke Rapids, and Wilmington, as well as Cary, planned for Fall 2026.

Frequent travel is an essential requirement of the position. Additional travel supports business development, evaluation of prospective practice partners, and planning and launch of de novo locations as ECAA grows.

Medical, dental and vision

• Company-paid life insurance
• Company-paid Long-term Disability
• Short-term Disability
• Up to 6 weeks of Paid Time Off
• 10 paid holidays
• 401k with safe harbor and match
• Opportunity to contribute to a Flexible Spending Account or a Health Savings Account
• Dependent Care Flexible Spending Account
• Employee Assistance Program

ECAA is an equal opportunity employer and does not discriminate against any applicant or employee on the basis of age, race, color, religion, sex, national origin, genetic information, disability, or other legally protected status. This policy extends to all terms, conditions, and privileges of employment, as well as the use of the Company's facilities and participation in all activities sponsored by the Company.