Chief Operating Officer

Chief Operating Officer, Near North Health, Chicago, IL Near North Health has been providing primary care to Chicago's north, west, and south side communities for 58 years. We are a Federally Qualified Health Center serving more than 20,000 patients annually across three sites: Oakwood Shores, Winfield Moody, and Kostner. Our patient population is predominantly uninsured and underinsured, with significant chronic disease burden, behavioral health need, and social complexity. Near North Health has served Chicago through every era of this city's story, through disinvestment, through the opioid crisis, through a pandemic, through neighborhoods that the broader healthcare system decided weren't worth the effort. We are still here. We have never left. We are also in the middle of the most significant transformation in our history. We are consolidating to three clinic sites. We are executing a Baldrige Excellence Framework transformation under a five‑year True North initiative. We are building a Triad leadership model: COO, CMO, and CEO, which distributes authority and demands genuine partnership at the top. In August of 2026, we are beginning Year One of a build that we intend to carry forward for the next decade. The person who takes this role will not inherit a finished system. They will help design one. That is not a warning. For the right person, it is the entire point. Role Summary The Chief Operating Officer serves as a strategic partner to the CEO and the incoming Chief Medical Officer, responsible for translating vision into operational reality across the organization. This is a strategy‑weighted position within a distributed Triad model — not a traditional command‑and‑control seat. The COO holds the enterprise view: the architecture, the alignment, the connective tissue between strategy and execution at every level of the organization. What You Will Build and Hold Enterprise operational strategy aligned with the True North Five‑Year Plan A performance management architecture that connects board‑level direction to frontline team huddles Cross‑functional systems integration across care coordination, workforce, quality, compliance, and facilities Strategic relationships with health system partners, managed care organizations, and community stakeholders A culture of accountability, continuous improvement, and innovation grounded in observable, teachable behaviors Leadership presence in both boardroom and community settings, with equal fluency in both The Person We Are Looking For We have thought carefully about this. The profile that will succeed here is specific. You have built something from scratch — and carried the weight of it. Not advised on it. You have owned an initiative, a department, a transformation, where the outcome was yours to own. You know what it costs. You also know what it feels like when it works. You think in systems. You see the whole staircase, and you also know that the next step is the one that matters. You are fluent in organizational design, performance frameworks, and change management not as theoretical disciplines but as practical tools you have used under pressure. You chose mission. You came from somewhere that had higher pay, more prestige, or an easier path. And you are here, or looking here, because the work matters to you in a way that compensation alone does not explain. We are a Federally Qualified Health Center. Our patients are uninsured, underinsured, and underserved. That is not incidental to this role. It is the center of it. You are at home in different rooms. You can present to our Board of Directors, which is 51% consumer composition, meaning people who are patients or community members, not executives and you can sit in a community advisory conversation on the West Side, and you do not shift your substance between them. Only your vocabulary. You build trust with people who have earned the right to be skeptical of institutions. You push back. Constructively. Consistently. We are not looking for someone who executes orders. We are building a Triad, which means the COO has a seat and a voice and a point of view. You will disagree with the CEO sometimes. That is part of the design. What matters is how you do it. What Near North Health Brings We are not asking you to come fix something broken. We are asking you to come help build something exceptional. There is a difference and it matters for the kind of energy and leadership this role requires. A financially stable organization. We are building from strength, not managing from scarcity. A CEO who is invested in your success and in building a leadership team that can outlast any single leader. A Board Chair who is aligned with the direction and ready to support the transformation ahead. A Service Excellence Initiative already underway, with a training and accountability infrastructure being built to sustain it. 20,000+ patients who need this organization to be excellent and a staff that comes to work every day because they believe it can be. Qualifications Required Seven or more years of progressive leadership in healthcare operations, strategy, or transformation Demonstrated experience leading significant organizational change — not advising on it Track record of building systems, teams, or infrastructure from the ground up Financial literacy sufficient to partner on operational budget oversight and value‑based care strategy Graduate degree in health administration, business, public health, or a related field — or equivalent demonstrated experience Strongly Preferred Experience in Federally Qualified Health Centers or community health settings Familiarity with Baldrige Excellence Framework, Lean, or comparable performance improvement methodologies Change Management certification or equivalent formal training Experience working with consumer‑composed or community boards Chicago‑based or committed to Chicago relocation To Apply Apply online here: Submit a resume and a letter of interest that speaks directly to why this moment at Near North Health is the right one for you. We are not looking for a cover letter. We are looking for a letter that tells us something true about why you are here. Compensation and Benefits Salary is competitive and commensurate with experience. The salary for this position begins at $260,000 with a generous benefits package. Support will be provided for candidates coming from outside of the Chicago region with an interest in relocation. Actual pay for the finalist candidate will be adjusted based on various factors, including but not limited to, market conditions, departmental budgets, internal equity, geographic location, level of experience, certifications and training, education, accomplishments, and comprehensive evaluation. This is an on‑site role. Willingness to travel, work and attend occasional evening/weekend events is required. Near North Health is an equal opportunity employer. We recruit and hire without regard to race, color, national origin, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, age, disability, or veteran status. We encourage applicants from diverse backgrounds and experiences. #J-18808-Ljbffr