University of Iowa Health Care

About Health Care:

University of Iowa Health Care (UI Health Care) is Iowa’s comprehensive academic health system and serves as the clinical, research, and educational enterprise of the University of Iowa. Based in Iowa City, UI Health Care provides a full spectrum of adult and pediatric primary, specialty, and subspecialty care through its university, downtown, and North Liberty campuses, as well as numerous outreach clinics across the state. Its mission, “Changing Medicine. Changing Lives.,” reflects its commitment to delivering outstanding patient care while advancing medical knowledge through research and education.

As the state’s leading academic medical center, UI Health Care combines world-class clinical expertise with innovative research and the training of future health care professionals. The organization includes nationally recognized programs such as the Holden Comprehensive Cancer Center, the Stead Family Children’s Hospital, and the Carver College of Medicine. Through collaboration among physicians, nurses, scientists, and educators, UI Health Care serves patients from all 99 Iowa counties, across the United States, and around the world, offering access to advanced treatments, clinical trials, and highly specialized care.

UI Health Care is consistently recognized as one of the nation’s top academic health systems and is ranked as the No. 1 hospital in Iowa by U.S. News & World Report. With nearly 20,000 staff members, including more than 1,200 physicians and dentists, the organization plays a critical role in improving health outcomes across the region. Beyond patient care, its impact extends through groundbreaking research, community partnerships, and the education of the next generation of physicians, nurses, and health professionals dedicated to advancing health care for all Iowans.

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Position:

Manage the design and construction of capital improvement projects from initial concept through completion, ensuring compliance with applicable institutional, state, and federal standards and programmatic requirements. Deliver projects on schedule, within budget, and in accordance with established scope, quality, and contractual requirements.

Provide leadership and direction for the department’s capital project delivery process, overseeing construction operations and the translation of facility needs into complete, fully functioning spaces. Serve as project manager for complex capital projects, providing design management and coordinating construction and renovation activities.

Oversee contract administration, project schedules, budgets, regulatory compliance, and stakeholder coordination throughout the project lifecycle. Maintain clear and effective communication among internal stakeholders, consultants, contractors, and other project partners.

Lead and develop project management staff by establishing performance standards, providing training and mentoring, and promoting consistent project management practices. Represent the Director as needed.

Serve as the construction site and safety executive for capital projects, monitoring compliance through regular document reviews and construction site observations.

Key Responsibilties: 

• Types of Projects: Responsible for making final decisions on project planning and programming, ensuring the successful management of projects by staff.  Assigns and manages project workload of staff.
• Design Management: Ensure the successful management of project designs by staff. Resolve dispute resolution as required.
  
  • Lead and define the processes and tools for design administration.    
  • Direct the planning, coordination, and design of complex construction projects requiring a high degree of discretion and expertise.
  • Serve as the Owner’s Representative on highly complex, high-profile, capital building projects.
• Contracts Management: Review and approve contracts for projects. Review and analyze contract documentation for compliance with regulations. Authorize change authorization requests. Provide expert advice on development/interpretation of contract documents. Review and approve department processes and procedures.
• Communication: Provide progress reports to administration and leadership committees. Determine expectations for functional area and monitor and evaluate performance of team.
  
  • Assess project development and ensure compliance with regulatory requirements and UIHC standards and guidelines. Provide direction to staff to ensure compliance.
  • Ensure effective communication with stakeholders and coach staff if issues are noted.
  • Assure communications are clear, well thought out and helpful.
• Coordination: Create an environment of trust through open communications. Set course and maintain standards for department. Encourage and provide structures and practices which empower and recognize staff. Provide and promote professional development and opportunities for staff. Ensure the completion of comprehensive training. Motivate and support staff engagement.
  
  • Empower staff to manage projects in an effective and efficient manner through training and mentoring.
  • Assure all Board of Regents documents are complete prior to submission.
  • Track staff success to establish processes and procedures to ensure effective completion of projects.
  • Establish practices that support effective project risk management.
• Budget Management: Advocate, defend, and approve unit financial position. Establish short- and long-term budget priorities, allocate resources and finalize/approve all budgets. Contribute to UI budget development and policy. Communicate UI budget decisions and processes. Establish accounting controls. Perform complex financial analysis.
  
  • Develop processes and procedures that enable staff to gather, organize, and analyze information needed to develop and manage budgets for assigned projects.
  • Manages the project budget, including FFE, contingencies.
  • Establish standards that balance cost, practicality, quality, and stakeholder needs.
  • Challenge consultants, users, resource personnel and others to achieve cost-effective, high-quality, functional and aesthetically appropriate solutions.  
  • Ensure contract changes meet contractual requirements.
• Schedule Management: Resolve issues related to assigned projects.  Provide progress reports to administration and leadership committees.  Communicate with all project participants and administrators.  Determine expectations for functional area and monitor and evaluate performance of team.
  • Ensure staff understand the importance of schedule management and the processes to effectively develop and manage project schedule.
  • Actively and accurately manage schedules during projects to enforce contract documents.
  • Provides expert guidance on constructability and its impact on schedules during the design phase.
  • Provide regular schedule updates to administration and other interested parties.
  • Train and mentor staff on schedule management practices; conduct training as needed.
• Leadership: Hold unit leaders accountable for high performance and engagement by articulating expectations, monitoring performance and providing feedback consistently across areas of responsibility.
  
  • Acts as a member of senior staff and represent the Executive Director in their absence as appropriate.
  • Direct studies; develop project scope and cost estimates.
  • Direct, plan, and participate in master planning studies related to hospital expansion, renovation, relocation, new programs, and the adaptation of existing programs to new or expanded technologies.
  • Develop and conduct training for project management staff on relevant topics.
  • Prepare and update procedures and processes
  • Other duties as assigned.
• Human Resources: Provide supervision of staff. Investigate, interpret, and implement complex HR policies and procedures. Serve as a mentor and trainer.
  
  • Provide direct supervision and leadership for project managers and other assigned staff.
  • Interpret and implement applicable HR policies and procedures.
  • Mentor, train, and develop staff to support effective performance and professional growth.
  • Conduct performance appraisals and regular staff meetings and provide ongoing feedback regarding project management responsibilities and expectations.
  • Address performance and disciplinary matters as necessary.
  • Make salary increase recommendations in accordance with applicable policies and procedures.

Qualifications:

• Required Education: Master’s degree in project management, engineering, architecture or similar field or equivalent level of education and experience.
• 7-10 Years of Directly Related Experience, including demonstrated Expert/Leader-level capability in the following areas:
  
  • Budgeting: Knowledge of and ability to apply policies and practices related to budget planning, administration, financial analysis, and resource allocation.
  • Contract Management and Administration: Knowledge of and ability to apply appropriate processes and practices for managing and administering a variety of contractual agreements.
  • Effective Communication: Understanding of communication concepts, tools, and techniques, with the ability to clearly convey, receive, and interpret ideas, information, and stakeholder needs.
  • Planning and Organizing: Ability to effectively organize and mobilize time, people, and resources to achieve objectives.
  • Project Management: Ability to plan, organize, monitor, and control complex projects while effectively utilizing technical and administrative resources to achieve project objectives.
  • Healthcare Knowledge: Knowledge of healthcare operating principles, major industry issues, governmental regulations, and ethical requirements, with the ability to apply this knowledge to healthcare-related projects and situations.

Desired Qualifications:

• Prior experience developing and reviewing construction project estimates for complex health care capital construction projects.

Application Process:

Please direct inquiries, nominations, and applications to ZRG Partners.com, a national retained executive search firm. All replies will be held in strict confidence. Correspondence and applications, which should include a resume, cover letter and project list through this portal as well as sent to Valerie Rohn via the below contact information:

Valerie Rohn
Managing Associate
vrohn@zrgpartners.com
412.298.7905

In order to be considered, applicants must upload the following attachments (under submission relevant materials):

• Resume/CV
• Cover Letter

Job openings are posted for a minimum of 14 calendar days. Successful candidates will be required to self-disclose any conviction history and will be subject to a criminal background check and credential/education verification. Please contact Carmela-lovelace@uiowa.edu with any questions.