Project & Process Improvement Manager

Overview:

At Augusta Health, your work matters - and so do you. Whether you're delivering direct patient care, supporting operations, or innovating behind the scenes, every role contributes to our mission of promoting wellness and healing through compassionate service. We offer more than just a job - we offer a purpose-driven career in a nationally recognized, independent health system located in Virginia’s scenic Shenandoah Valley.

Learn more about career opportunities on our Careers Page.

Our team members thrive in a supportive culture that values collaboration, integrity, and excellence. With opportunities across clinical and non-clinical areas, Augusta Health is a place where your skills make a difference, and your growth is a priority.

Why Join Augusta Health?

We believe in taking care of the people who care for our community. That’s why Augusta Health offers a comprehensive and thoughtfully designed benefits package that supports your well-being, career development, and work-life balance. Whether you're launching your career or bringing in years of experience, we provide the tools, resources, and encouragement to help empower you to reach your full potential - personally, professionally, and financially.

Explore our Benefits, current Hiring Incentives, and our Taking Care of Us initiative - which embraces Belonging , Respect , Inclusion , Diversity , Growth , and Equity ( B.R.I.D.G.E. ) - to see how we invest in our team members and culture.

Total Rewards & Benefits ( may vary by position ):

• Comprehensive insurance package including medical, dental, and vision coverage.
• Retirement savings plans and financial wellness support programs.
• Generous paid time off and flexible scheduling to promote work-life balance.
• Career development programs including clinical ladders, shared governance, and advancement opportunities.
• Personalized onboarding with dedicated preceptors and ongoing educational support.
• Tuition reimbursement and access to onsite childcare.
• Free onsite parking, 24/7-armed security for your safety, a Health Fitness Reimbursement Program, and an onsite credit union and pharmacy.
• Competitive pay with shift/weekend differentials.
• Employee discounts at the cafeteria, gift shop, pharmacy, and local entertainment venues (i.e., movie tickets).

Full details are available on our Benefits Page.

Job Summary:

The Project & Process Improvement Manager leads strategic projects and process improvement initiatives that enhance efficiency, quality, and patient care while upholding Operational Excellence. The role serves as an expert in performance improvement and project management, assembling teams, managing change, mitigating risks, and guiding decisions. It also mentors teams in lean methods and supports leaders across Augusta Health in driving organizational, process, and change‑focused projects in a collaborative, innovative, and accountable culture.

This position plays a critical role in supporting Augusta Health’s mission and advancing departmental goals through measurable performance indicators and service excellence. This position contributes to a collaborative, patient-centered environment and helps drive outcomes aligned with organizational priorities.

Essential Job Duties:

• Leads and facilitates cross-functional teams process improvement teams through Lean Six Sigma methodology and tools. The focus will be on quality, safety, cost, outcomes and organizational improvement.
• Identifies, performs or manages tasks related to defining and measuring problems and undesired outcomes/metrics in large complex operations. This includes voice of the customer, data collection, value stream and process mapping current state, stakeholder assessment, and other Lean Six Sigma activities.
• Leads performance and management of actions related to developing the future state goals. Conducts analysis of the gap between current state and future state by \ utilizing advanced data and statistical analysis techniques, and Lean Six Sigma methods for assessing root causes and variance.
• Applies performance improvement methodologies and tools to projects as needed (such as, but not limited to Lean, Six Sigma, statistical process control, DMAIC, FMEA, RCA, process mapping, cause and effect diagrams).
• Work with the Project Owner to define the detailed project deliverables and if out of scope take the steps necessary to get all approvals.
• Analyze data to identify trends and areas for improvement and compliance with regulatory requirements and industry best practices.
• Manage all projects from inception through post-mortem, working with all agency disciplines, Planning, Creative, Account, and Production, to ensure that projects are delivered in a timely, cost-effective, and efficient manner.
• Prepare and manage full-scale project plans, define project tasks and resource requirements; create and enforce project schedules, ensuring all internal parties meet milestones and deadlines the project plan, scope, schedule, and collaborate with creative resources.
• Ensure that each project is clarified, articulated to all constituents and responsibility is assigned to the appropriate player.
• Schedule and manage all project meetings and deliverables.
• Communicate and escalate project issues and risks as appropriate.
• Lead and manage project teams consisting of SME's, Staff and Technical resources.
• Ensure that appropriate resources have been assigned to the project.
• Ensure clarity of roles by defining each team member’s deliverable for the project.
• Monitor and report on project activities and report on status within published timeline.
• Prepare and/or ensure high quality, professional deliverables as required by each project plan.
• Facilitate the creation of toolkits to support field-based implementations when necessary.
• Effectively create a culture of accountability, communication, problem-solving and resource-effective decision making.
• Actively engage and promote a culture of quality, safety, high-reliability, patient and staff engagement, and performance excellence.
• Performs other duties as needed or assigned.

Required Qualifications:

• Education: Bachelor's degree in Business Administration, Healthcare Administration, Engineering or related field.
• Licensure/Certification: Green Belt in Lean/Six Sigma or willingness to obtain certification within 12 months of hire date, or Project Management Healthcare Certification (CHPM) or Certified Associate in Project Management (CAPM).
• Experience: 1-3 years' experience in managing mid to large scale Clinical/Healthcare projects OR related industry.
• Driver's License: N/A.
• Eligibility to work in the United States and meet Virginia state employment requirements.

Preferred Qualifications:

• Education: Master's degree in Business Administration, Healthcare Administration, Industrial Engineering, or related field.
• Licensure/Certification:
  • Black Belt in Lean/Six Sigma.
  • Project Management Professional (PMP) or other project management methodology certification.
• Experience:
  • 3-5 years' experience managing mid to large scale Clinical/Healthcare projects.
  • Basic knowledge of statistics and statistical methods of analysis.
  • Familiarity with regulatory and accreditation requirements.
• Prior experience in a hospital, healthcare system, or related service-oriented environment.
• Familiarity with Augusta Health’s systems, workflows, or organizational culture is a plus.

Competencies, Knowledge, Skills and Abilities:

• Ability to manage multiple work assignments and meet tight deadlines.
• Detail oriented and organized approach to problem solving PI and project initiatives.
• Adaptable to change and tight deadlines.
• Ability to multi-task, and successfully manage multiple client assignments of different sizes/types.
• Ability to coordinate workloads with project team through entire project development to complete documents on schedule.
• Strong and collaborative team player; works well in a continuous learning environment.
• Strong critical thinking and communication skills.
• Skilled in working closely with Project Owners and Managing Principal for project reviews.
• Effective in supervising large project teams and act as mentor.
• Advanced knowledge of computer spreadsheets and databases (including Microsoft Excel, Word and PowerPoint, Teams, and project programs).
• Demonstrated professional communication: verbal and written.
• Able to speak and facilitate team activity in front of groups in a professional manner.
• Effectively presents information to diverse audiences with clarity and impact.
• Adjusts approach to match the audience and situation.
• Possesses expert leadership skills and maturity in managing difficult situations and conducting crucial conversations.

About Augusta Health:

Augusta Health is an independent, nonprofit, mission-driven health system located in Fishersville, Virginia, in the heart of the Shenandoah Valley. We offer a full continuum of inpatient and outpatient services, including Augusta Medical Center-a 255-bed facility-and Augusta Medical Group, which operates 40 practice locations and four urgent care centers. Our commitment to excellence, innovation, and compassionate care makes Augusta Health a leading employer and healthcare provider in the region.

Discover more about our history, values, and community impact on our About Us Page.

Equal Opportunity Statement:

Augusta Health recruits, hires, and promotes qualified candidates for employment without regard to age, color, disability, gender identity or expression, marital status, national or ethnic origin, political affiliation, race, religion, sex (including pregnancy), sexual orientation, veteran or military discharge status, and family medical or genetic information.

We are committed to fostering a diverse and inclusive workplace in accordance with federal and Virginia state employment laws.

Exceptional care, small town hospitality Nestled in Virginia’s beautiful Shenandoah Valley, Augusta Health is among the finest nonprofit community hospitals in America. Augusta Health opened in 1994 to continue a tradition of personalized care with small-town hospitality that began with predecessor hospitals in Staunton and Waynesboro. Today, our highly trained physicians and staff use state-of-the-art technology to provide top quality care with warmth and compassion. We offer many amenities so patients and families can be comfortable and close during difficult times. View Our Mission, Vision & Values. If you are a resident of Augusta County, Staunton, Waynesboro, or surrounding areas, you can benefit from a variety of programs we host to promote good health. If you are a dedicated healthcare professional, you will find exciting career opportunities at Augusta Health. Quick Stats for 2023 Licensed for 255 beds 124 Medical/Surgical 14 Intensive Care Unit 18 Labor and Delivery 4 Pediatric Non-traditional, Non-acute services 28 bed psychiatric unit 17 bed skilled nursing unit 8 bed rehab unit Largest local private employer Employees: 2,375+ Active Physicians: 225 APPs: 87 Volunteers: 290 Service Area: 200,000 AH Urgent Cares: 5 AH Practices: 49