The University of Rochester Medical Center seeks a strong and collaborative leader as its next Chief Operating Officer of Strong Memorial Hospital. Reporting to the CEO and President of Strong Memorial Hospital, this pivotal role oversees all operational activities for Strong Memorial Hospital and its alignment with URMC strategy. The Chief Operating Officer will oversee the growth and delivery of superior clinical care across inpatient and ambulatory care settings. This leader will drive operational excellence for Strong Memorial Hospital and help to position University of Rochester Medical Center to deliver leading edge academic medical care in our community. This leader will build teams who can successfully deliver on goals related to clinical excellence, financial sustainability, and growth. 

Key Responsibilities

Strategic Leadership:

• Contributes to the development and execution of strategic plans for the hospital that align with the Medical Center’s mission, vision, and community needs.
• Provides operational leadership to ensure financial and operational goals are achieved, fostering collaboration, innovation, and participative management across teams.
• Mentors and develops leadership, promoting a high-performing culture of accountability, professional growth, and interdependence.
• Establishes and upholds organizational standards that reflect the hospital’s pillars of excellence and ensure efficient, effective, and responsive services.
• Leads the creation and execution of annual management plans to deliver high-quality, safe, and patient-centered care.
• Champions change and continuous improvement using performance improvement tools to meet accreditation standards, safety goals, and regulatory requirements.
• Collaborates with leaders to enhance patient and family experiences, ensuring a supportive hospital culture and environment.
• Builds and sustains critical relationships with community and state leaders to advance hospital and system goals.
• Recruits, develops, and retains top talent, fostering diversity, equity, inclusion, and a culture of teamwork and excellence.
• Embraces advancements in healthcare technology, telemedicine, and care delivery models to enhance clinical care, operational efficiency, and patient experience.

Operational & Financial Oversight:

• Collaborates with the Chief Financial Officer to develop and manage capital and operating budgets.
• Implements and monitors a long-term, integrated strategic, financial, and operational plan, ensuring resources align with service delivery needs.
• Tracks progress against plans, initiates timely corrective actions, and adjusts strategies as needed.
• Balances transformational care delivery with operational realities and service excellence goals.
• Recruits and retains a diverse team of exceptional leaders committed to advancing SMH’s mission.

Physician and Provider Engagement:

• Engages physicians and partners with them to identify opportunities for growth and collaboration across the hospital. 

Clinical Quality and Patient Safety:

• Promotes a culture of clinical excellence, quality improvement, excellence in patient experience and patient safety across the hospital. With a focus on population health, ensures that care management activities are linked across the full continuum.
• Ensures SMH is compliant with state, federal and Medicaid services regulations. Ensures that SMH is abiding by standards of excellence in implementation of policies and procedures

Required Qualifications, Experience and Capabilities:

• Advanced degree in management, or related field required.
• 7 years of progressive experience in health care administration at a large, preferably academic hospital.

Ideal Experience:

• Track record of exemplary leadership experience with broad knowledge of healthcare issues and trends including value-based care models and reimbursement models.
• Strategic Leader with strong negotiating and personal influence skills with a track record of building consensus and an ability to navigate a diverse group of stakeholders, earning and maintaining stakeholder trust and respect.
• Proven ability to formulate an operational strategy, guide the development of operating plans, and drive performance to achieve goals.
• Ability to manage in a large complex health care environment with a record of strengthening financial, cost management, and efficiency performance.
• Track record of recruiting, developing and retaining an exceptional team.

Core Leadership Capabilities:

• Strategic Vision: Articulates and drives integrated strategies aligned with long-term goals, adapting to organizational realities.

• Change Leadership: Inspires buy-in for transformative change, leveraging key stakeholders and setting clear expectations in uncertain contexts.

• Team Leadership: Fosters collaboration, aligns responsibilities, and empowers leaders to achieve strategic objectives while recognizing contributions.

• Collaboration and Influence: Builds partnerships, credibility, and alignment across teams, promoting shared values and cooperation at all levels.

• Communication Excellence: Delivers compelling presentations, ensures transparent communication, and supports leaders with visibility and clarity.

The University of Rochester is committed to fostering, cultivating, and preserving a culture of equity, diversity, and inclusion to advance the University’s Mission to Learn, Discover, Heal, create – and Make the World Ever Better.

In support of our values and those of our society, the University will select faculty and staff without regard to age, color, disability, ethnicity, gender identity or expression, genetic information, marital status, military/veteran status, national origin, race, religion/creed, sex, sexual orientation, citizenship status, or any other status protected by law. This commitment extends to non-discrimination in the administration of our policies, admissions, employment, access, and recruitment of candidates from underrepresented populations, veterans, and persons with disabilities consistent with these values and government contractor Affirmative Action obligations.

The University of Rochester is committed to fostering, cultivating, and preserving a culture of equity, diversity, and inclusion to advance the University’s Mission to Learn, Discover, Heal, create – and Make the World Ever Better.

In support of our values and those of our society, the University will select faculty and staff without regard to age, color, disability, ethnicity, gender identity or expression, genetic information, marital status, military/veteran status, national origin, race, religion/creed, sex, sexual orientation, citizenship status, or any other status protected by law. This commitment extends to non-discrimination in the administration of our policies, admissions, employment, access, and recruitment of candidates from underrepresented populations, veterans, and persons with disabilities consistent with these values and government contractor Affirmative Action obligations.

About UR Medicine - Strong Memorial Hospital

The University of Rochester Medical Center (URMC) is one of the nation’s leading academic medical centers. It forms the centerpiece of the University of Rochester’s health research, teaching and patient care missions. With more than 26,000 employees, URMC is the largest component of the University of Rochester, the largest private sector employer based in Upstate New York and the sixth-largest employer in the state. URMC includes Strong Memorial Hospital, Golisano Children's Hospital, the Wilmot Cancer Institute, the Eastman Institute for Oral Health, the University of Rochester School of Medicine and Dentistry, with its faculty practice (University of Rochester Medical Faculty Group), the University of Rochester School of Nursing, and more.

Connections working at UR Medicine - Strong Memorial Hospital