Position Specification

Director, Neuroscience Clinical Programs

The Organization
Aurora Health Care is a $3 Billion integrated Wisconsin healthcare delivery system that offers high quality service through a full continuum of care. Aurora's integration as a not-for-profit system began in 1984 with the affiliation of two Milwaukee hospitals, St. Luke's Medical Center and Good Samaritan Medical Center. Their affiliation created St. Luke's Samaritan Health Care, the first health care system in Milwaukee to be developed through the affiliation of two formerly independent hospitals. St. Luke's Samaritan Health Care adopted the name Aurora Health Care in 1987 after a merger between Mount Sinai Medical Center and Good Samaritan Medical Center.

Now with over 25,000 employees Aurora has sites in more than 90 communities throughout eastern Wisconsin, including 13 hospitals, more than 100 clinics and over 120 community pharmacies. More than 3,400 physicians are affiliated with Aurora Health Care, including more than 680 who comprise Aurora Medical Group.

Aurora offers inpatient care at 12 acute-care hospitals and one psychiatric hospital. Hospital services include some of the nation’s most respected neuroscience, cardiac and cancer treatment programs. The Aurora hospitals are: Aurora St. Luke’s Medical Center and St. Luke’s South Shore, Aurora Sinai Medical Center, West Allis Memorial Hospital including the Aurora Women’s Pavilion, Aurora Psychiatric Hospital, Aurora Medical Center in Hartford, Aurora Medical Center in Oshkosh, Aurora Medical Center in Kenosha, Memorial Hospital of Burlington, Aurora Lakeland Medical Center in Elkhorn, Aurora Medical Center in Two Rivers, Aurora Sheboygan Memorial Medical Center, and Aurora BayCare Medical Center in Green Bay.

Additional information about can be found on their website: www.aurorahealthcare.org .

The Position

Location
This position is located at the Aurora Health Care corporate offices at 3000 West Montana Avenue in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.  Located on the shores of Lake Michigan, Milwaukee is a jewel of the Great Lakes perhaps best known for its famed breweries, but there's much more to this diverse and vibrant city.Milwaukee is a major league city, the business, cultural, sports and technical base of a four-county metropolitan market of 1.5 million people.  It is an affordable, comfortable place to live, do business and raise a family, big enough to be exciting and uncongested enough to get around in easily.  It is safe (according to FBI statistics), friendly and clean.

Milwaukee's many neighborhoods have much charm and its beautiful parks are world-famous.  Its lakefront downtown is busy, noted for its old world charm and modern buildings. Metro Milwaukee is located 90 miles north of Chicago on Lake Michigan's western shore.  Milwaukee's central location makes it a natural marketing hub.  Over seventy million people and one-third of U.S. manufacturing volume are located within 600 miles of Milwaukee.

Milwaukee (City), population 593,920, is the nation's 22nd largest city.  The four-county metro area (Milwaukee, Ozaukee, Washington, and Waukesha counties) has over 1.5 million people, making it the nation’s 36th largest metro area.  By area, the City of Milwaukee covers 96 square miles, Milwaukee County 242 square miles and the metro area 1,460 square miles.

Milwaukee's central location and high quality of life lend itself to corporate headquarter operations.  Fourteen Fortune 1000 companies are headquartered in metro Milwaukee, while more than 50 Fortune 1000 companies have major Milwaukee operations.  Companies headquartered in the Milwaukee area are national leaders in industries such as air travel, banking, data processing, insurance, law, manufacturing, mutual funds, retail department stores and securities.  
For additional information about Milwaukee, please visit one of the area websites at:  www.ci.mil.wi.us or www.onmilwaukee.com.

Reporting Relationships

The Director, Neuroscience Clinical Programs reports to Carolyn MacIver, Vice President System Clinical Programs, who in turn reports to Rick Klein, Senior Vice President Market Growth & Development.   Support staff, including a shared administrative assistant and various group analysts may report the Director.  

Key Working Relationships
In order to be successful, the Director will need to establish and maintain effective working relationships with a variety of persons and groups.  A prime working relationship will be established with the Neuroscience Clinical Program Team, which is made up of the Director, Neuroscience Clinical Programs, a physician leader, a quality leader (dedicated to the Aurora Quality Department), and a clinical implementation leader.

Other important relationships should be developed with peer Clinical Program Directors for Oncology, Cardiovascular and Women’s Services; Executive Vice Presidents and Chief Medical Officers for each of the three Market Groups (North, Mid & South); and with the Aurora Health Care Chief Medical Officer, Dr. Bruce Van Cleave in order to develop, execute and monitor a business plan for the system wide Neuroscience Clinical Program. 

Close Physician working relationships are vital to the success of this clinical program-especially with facilitating programs and services together with independent physicians.

Key team relationships should be established with the peer Clinical Program Directors, Market Group Executive Vice Presidents and the Chief Medical Officers for each Market Group.  Strong physician relationships are vital to the success of this position.  This person will also need to work collaboratively with the Milwaukee Metro Director of Neuroscience Services, Dr. Avind Ahuja. 

 Responsibilities
This position will have responsibility for the financial growth and development of the Aurora Neurosciences clinical program.  The Director will be expected to develop, implement, and administer the successful, consistent service line business plan strategies system-wide that profitably grow the service line.  The Director will develop and manage the execution of the business plan, achieving the expected results, collaborating with market group leadership, care management, and AMG, (Aurora Medical Group), on business plan development, implementation and execution. 

The following comprise the major expectations of the person who accepts the Director, Neuroscience Clinical Programs position:

• Develops, plans, and implements service line objectives, goals and business strategies to profitably build revenue system wide.   Aligns service line activities with the organization’s long-term strategy.  Monitors and evaluates the service line performance and recommends and executes appropriate changes in plans to achieve optimal results.   Assesses technology, reimbursement issues, market dynamics, and develops a three year business plan for the service line.

• Strategically organizes, prioritizes, and manages system- wide service line initiatives and optimizes resources to effectively ensure that the needs of patients are met in a cost effective way.  Participates as part of each market group’s service line management team to align the goals with the system-wide service line and to effectively execute the system-wide plan.

• In collaboration with care management, AMG, market group leadership, and finance, develops and executes the one-year/three-year business plans, oversees performance targets to achieve the expected results, and contributes to the success of care management goals/outcomes.

• Identifies new service lines, services, and program opportunities on a system-wide level that will create profitable revenue, market share growth, and benefit the communities we serve.

• Develops, builds, and maintains collaborative relationships with physicians, hospitals, and AMG.

• Manages relationships with physicians to find new sources of programs/services revenue and for consulting with physicians on business opportunities, and practice growth and development.

• Collaborates with physicians, clinical staff, care management, hospital administration, advertising, and business development system-wide to develop, execute and monitor key initiatives/strategies, enhance growth/referral opportunities, and enhance clinical programs.

• Analyzes and interprets results to lead to fact-based segment and service line development decisions. Uses information and research-based tools to better understand the implications of market change and competition, and tracks system-wide service line key performance indicators. 

• Accountable for the development, implementation, and monitoring of budgets (expense, assets, production, projects).

• Develops and administers policies and procedures to accomplish department-specific and organizational initiatives.

• Accountable for coordinating an integrated, comprehensive system-wide approach to effectively communicate and deliver the organization’s mission and vision.

• Performs Human Resource responsibilities for staff which include interviewing and selecting new employees, promotions, staff development, performance evaluations, pay adjustments, resolution of employee concerns, disciplinary counseling, terminations, and employee morale.

• Responsible for understanding and adhering to the Aurora Health Care Code of Excellence and for ensuring personal actions, and the actions of employees supervised, comply with the policies, regulations and laws that affect Aurora’s business.

• Performs other duties as assigned or as necessity dictates.

Opportunity
This is a great opportunity to advance a nationally known neuroscience program in a sophisticated multi site health care system within a new team that is leading the organization towards integration. There is a significant amount of esprit de corps among the group. 

Travel
Some regional, statewide travel between the various Aurora Health Care provider locations is anticipated. Involvement with appropriate professional societies and organizations might also involve some national travel.

Compensation

Aurora Health Care offers a competitive compensation and benefit program. The final candidate will be eligible for relocation assistance.

Education/Certifications
Bachelor's Degree in Business or Marketing is required; Master's Degree in Marketing or Business preferred.

Professional Qualifications

• In depth knowledge of marketing and general business practices.

• Minimum seven years progressively responsible experience in marketing/business development within a large integrated healthcare environment that includes experiences in developing and executing specific, measurable business plans that have clear financial accountability and obtain successful, effective results; working with physician groups, clinicians, doctors, operating areas, and staff; leading teams to plan and execute specific business development activities across a geography; and clinical knowledge in supported service line either through clinical training or experience.

• Proven leadership experience, which includes management of staff, budgets and multiple functions at the manager or director level.

• Demonstrated skills in evaluating and developing services that delivered the right care for that geography and complemented that market’s need. 

• Expert level analytical ability & skills to understand financial, market, and data, and has demonstrated the use of that data in decision-making.

• Expertise in developing profitability-based marketing strategies that effectively acquire new customers and incremental market share growth. 

• Strong ability to develop and interpret research that evolves into successful marketing and business building strategies.

• Excellent decision-making judgment as well as strong analytical and problem-solving skills.

• Solid understanding of health care dynamics to advance the positioning of the branding and marketing principles.

• Experience in neuroscience practice management and/or leading clinical programs business development initiatives.  

• Someone who knows the industry—clinical knowledge in neuroscience service line either through clinical training or experience.

• Ability to anticipate future trends, establish strategic goals and objectives for Aurora Health Care and integrate them within the overall Aurora Health System strategic plan.

 Personal Characteristics

• Well-developed and effective written and oral communication and presentation skills and the ability to communicate at all levels of the organization. 

• Ability to work collegially with a high performance team of professionals in partnership toward common objectives. 

• Core competencies include being a: builder, facilitator, influencer, and listener.

• A bright, smart individual with intellect.

• A good listener, with humility who doesn’t pretend to “know-it-all.”

• Excellent decision-making judgment as well as strong analytical and problem-solving skills.

• A collaborative team player, who values people and who can build consensus and motivate others toward common objectives.

• Facilitator, leader and risk taker.

• High level of skills in decision-making judgment, problem solving, creativity, leadership initiative, and interpersonal skills.

• Can get things implemented in a complex environment—held accountable for advances changes within the organization.

• A self-directed person who can focus on the task at hand and accomplish objectives.

• Someone who is politically astute, yet assertive, tenacious and able to stay the course.

• A down-to-earth individual who acts in a manner that is consistent with the organization’s values and business goals and objectives.