Job Summary

The Quality Improvement (QI) Advisor is responsible for supporting service line and clinical outcomes based improvement work within the UCSF Benioff Children’s Hospitals (BCH) in Oakland and San Francisco, in both the inpatient and outpatient settings. The QI advisor works in close partnership with physician, nursing and administrative leadership to improve quality and safety, which includes: the development of short and long-term quality and safety goals; managing a large portfolio of quality and safety initiatives; analyzing data from multiple sources; and educating faculty and staff on Quality Improvement.

This role works independently and in collaboration with Quality & Safety, Continuous Improvement, Quality Built-In, and other UCSF and BCH departments, and is jointly accountable for the quality and safety performance within the service lines and on the projects they are assigned. The QI Advisor will oversee all aspects of quality improvement projects, including the assess, plan, improve and sustain phases of the work. This requires existing knowledge, skills and abilities to evaluate processes and outcomes, using qualitative and quantitative data and effective analytical methods like statistical process control (SPC). It also requires excellent communication skills with clinical and nonclinical stakeholder groups, and the ability to develop collateral—tools, documents, sustainability data methods, presentations, etc.—that enables the success of the work. The QI Advisor must also be a positive driver to further the culture of safety and continuous improvement, and hold others accountable for their role in improving quality performance. The QI Advisor reports to the Director of Quality Improvement for Benioff Children’s Hospitals (BCH).

Project Management

• Charters project teams and facilitates quality improvement efforts using A3 thinking and a plan, do, study, act approach; sometimes multiple efforts at once
• Manages project timelines, delegates tasks, and escalates proactively when deadlines/milestones may not be achieved
• Partners effectively and thoughtfully with clinical leads
• Sets clear expectations - explains project goals, responsibilities and time commitment
• Develops standard work based on new practices identified during improvement efforts
• Deploys new standards and monitors adherence to standards to ensure consistent practice

• Provides data expertise to peers, clinical and non-clinical staff and leaders
• Communicates data effectively to stakeholders, and helps others understand data definitions and constraints
• Translates data to information that drives decision-making
• Navigates data landscape to pull supplemental data in support of improvement work
• Maintains reliable data & reporting methods to ensure integrity of the work
• Seeks out opportunities to automate data in partnership with other teams

• Shares improvement ideas internally and externally to the BCH QI team
• Contributes to internal team improvement efforts
• Shares best practices and failures for teammates to learn from

• Maintains competencies in professional field and stays up-to-date on latest literature
• Attends conferences, training, or other learning opportunities as identified in individual development plan

Department Description

The Benioff Children’s Hospital (BCH) Quality Improvement department provides improvement, program development, quality data, and external reporting expertise to the pediatric inpatient and outpatient enterprises. The team is made up of individuals with clinical and non-clinical backgrounds, with skillsets in clinical quality improvement project facilitation, program and project management, data analysis and interpretation, and data abstraction, and collaborates with individuals across many parts of the broader UCSF organization.

Required Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in nursing or other healthcare profession, or a combination of comparable education and / or experience
• Minimum three (3) years of project management, process improvement, quality improvement or similar experience
• Able to build and maintain positive working relationships with key stakeholders inside and outside of the Department of Quality & Safety
• Proven track record in improving outcomes and processes, with quantitative data to show for it.
• Highly proficient in all MS Office Suite (Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Access)
• Strong critical thinking and problem solving skills to manage multiple levels of information and responsibilities, to quickly assess complex problems, and to develop and implement timely and
• effective solutions.
• Excellent communication skills (oral, electronic, written)
• Thorough knowledge of QI models, measurement tools, and techniques, including collection, aggregation, abstraction, validation, analysis, and reporting of data.
• Strong interpersonal skills for collaborating effectively with a broad range of clinical and technical staff and representatives of external regulatory agencies and for mentoring lower level QI staff.
• Strong skills required to effectively convey complex clinical and technical information both verbally and in writing and to produce high quality reports and documentation.
• Strong skills to influence staff, management, and clinicians at all levels and across departments.
• Thorough knowledge of business intelligence functions, analytics, industry standards and best practices
• Advanced organizational and project management skills, with the ability to lead a team, prioritize tasks, and see projects through from inception to completion on schedule.
• Strong initiative and ability to work independently as well as in a team environment.
• Detail oriented, with ability to manage time and organize competing priorities.
• Discretion, confidentiality, tact, and ability to deal with sensitive data involving patient health information.
• Ability to demonstrate excellent judgment, attention to process and detail.
• Familiarity with health care environment.

Preferred Qualifications

• Master’s degree in public health, healthcare administration, business, or related area, and / or equivalent combination of experience / training
• Certified by reputable organization in QI, Process Improvement or Lean (CPHQ, IHI IA, Lean Six Sigma Belt, etc.)
• Formal training in Quality Improvement with familiarity with specific tactics such as Lean, IHI Model for Improvement, statistical control process charts, interpretation of improvement data and trends over time, A3 thinking, driver diagrams, cycle of improvement, etc.
• Experience in health care service line improvement. Pref Experience in business intelligence reporting, data mining, data analysis, and/or statistical analysis

About UCSF

At UCSF Health, our mission of innovative patient care, advanced technology and pioneering research is redefining what’s possible for the patients we serve – a promise we share with the professionals who make up our team.

Consistently ranked among the top 10 hospitals nationwide by U.S. News & World Report – UCSF Health is committed to providing the most rewarding work experience while delivering the best care available anywhere. In an environment that allows for continuous learning and opportunities for professional growth, UCSF Health offers the ideal atmosphere in which to best use your skills and talents.

Pride Values

UCSF is a diverse community made of people with many skills and talents. We seek candidates whose work experience or community service has prepared them to contribute to our commitment to professionalism, respect, integrity, diversity and excellence – also known as our PRIDE values.

In addition to our PRIDE values, UCSF is committed to equity – both in how we deliver care as well as our workforce. We are committed to building a broadly diverse community, nurturing a culture that is welcoming and supportive, and engaging diverse ideas for the provision of culturally competent education, discovery, and patient care. Additional information about UCSF is available at diversity.ucsf.edu

Join us to find a rewarding career contributing to improving healthcare worldwide.

Equal Employment Opportunity

The University of California San Francisco is an Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action Employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, age, protected veteran or disabled status, or genetic information.