Chief Operations Officer

Description

About Tiburcio Vasquez Health Center:

Tiburcio Vasquez Health Center is a mission-driven Federally Qualified Health Center (FQHC) serving the East Bay through ten primary care clinics, four school-based health centers, and multiple specialty programs. With nearly 400 employees, an annual operating budget of approximately $60 million, and more than 30,000 patients served each year, TVHC provides comprehensive medical, dental, behavioral health, WIC, youth health, and community-based services to some of the region's most vulnerable populations.

Job Summary:

The Chief Operations Officer (COO) is a key member of TVHC’s Executive Leadership Team (ELT) and is responsible for leading and continually improving clinical operations across TVHC’s sites and programs. Reporting to the Chief Executive Officer, the COO ensures that TVHC’s core operations, including patient access, scheduling, productivity, staffing, referrals, eligibility, medical records, and clinic workflows, are efficient, consistent, patient-centered, and aligned with organizational goals.

Beyond day-to-day operational excellence, the COO will play a central role in transforming how TVHC delivers care in response to a rapidly changing healthcare and reimbursement environment. The COO will evaluate traditional operating models, identify opportunities to improve productivity and access, and lead the implementation of new approaches to care delivery, staffing, scheduling, workflows, and technology that improve efficiency while preserving a high-quality patient and provider experience.

The COO is a highly visible and engaged leader who spends meaningful time within TVHC’s clinics, builds strong relationships with providers and staff, and translates strategy into sustainable operational practices. Working closely with the CEO, CMO, CFO, and other executive leaders, the COO uses data, operational expertise, and frontline insight to identify barriers, drive change, strengthen accountability, and ensure TVHC can sustainably provide accessible, high-quality care to the communities it serves.

Responsibilities:

Operational Leadership & Performance

• Provide executive leadership for TVHC’s clinical operations and assigned operational departments, ensuring consistent, efficient, and high-quality operations across all sites.
• Establish, achieve, and monitor organizational and site-level targets for patient access, completed visits, provider template utilization, panel capacity, cycle time, staffing efficiency, patient flow, and other key operational measures.
• Leverage operational, clinical, and financial data to identify performance gaps, establish clear expectations, and drive measurable improvements in access, productivity, efficiency, quality, and patient experience; develop and monitor key performance indicators, dashboards, and performance reports in partnership with Data and Clinical Quality Operations teams.
• Ensure that new programs and services have clear demand assumptions, staffing models, implementation plans, performance measures, and financial expectations before launch.
• Develop, standardize, and sustain policies, procedures, workflows, and operating practices across sites.
• Develop and continuously refine scalable staffing and workforce models aligned with patient volume, provider capacity, clinical complexity, reimbursement, access targets, and evolving care delivery models.
• Maintain a strong presence across TVHC’s clinical sites, engaging directly with leaders, providers, and staff to understand operational challenges and address barriers in real time.
• Create an operating cadence that includes routine site reviews, performance meetings, escalation processes, action plans, and follow-through on agreed-upon commitments.
• Ensure organizational readiness and continuity of operations during emergencies, staffing disruptions, facility interruptions, technology outages, public health events, and other operational risks.
• Incorporate reimbursement, payer mix, cost per visit, service-line performance, and workforce capacity into operational planning and decision-making.
• Evaluate the operational and financial performance of existing programs and services and recommend redesign, expansion, consolidation, or discontinuation when appropriate.

Care Delivery Transformation

• Lead the ongoing evaluation and redesign of TVHC’s care delivery model in response to evolving reimbursement models, shifts in payer mix and the healthcare policy landscape, patient expectations, workforce needs, and organizational priorities.
• Anticipate and respond to changes in payer mix, reimbursement, and the external healthcare environment, partnering with executive leaders to adapt operational and care delivery models to maintain access, productivity, and financial sustainability.
• Identify and implement innovative approaches to scheduling, staffing, team-based care, technology, documentation, referrals, and other workflows, including leveraging emerging and AI-enabled technologies to reduce administrative burden, optimize resources, improve efficiency, and enhance the patient and provider experience.
• Partner closely with the CMO, Associate Medical Directors, and other physician leaders to optimize clinical operations and care team models, balancing access, productivity, quality, provider experience, and patient needs.
• Partner with the CFO to evaluate the financial impact of operational decisions and ensure care delivery models are operationally and financially sustainable.
• Establish disciplined processes for prioritizing operational initiatives based on mission impact, organizational capacity, financial sustainability, implementation readiness, and expected results. Ensure that major initiatives have clear ownership, timelines, measures, and accountability for completion.
• Lead complex operational improvement and transformation initiatives from assessment and project planning through implementation, adoption, measurement, and continuous improvement, ensuring that changes produce measurable results and become embedded in standard operations and partnering closely with TVHC’s Chief Impact and Partnerships Officer, Project Manager and cross-functional teams.
• Lead the operational adoption of technology, automation, artificial intelligence, digital patient engagement tools, and standardized workflows to reduce administrative burden, improve access, support staff and providers, and increase organizational capacity.

Quality, Patient Experience, & Compliance

• Partner with the CMO, CQOW Committee and other clinical leaders in TVHC’s Quality program and related committees to ensure the delivery of safe, efficient, high-quality care.
• Monitor patient access, satisfaction, and experience data and lead operational initiatives to address identified opportunities and barriers.
• Ensure operational compliance with applicable federal, state, and local laws, regulations, accreditation standards, contractual requirements, and TVHC policies and procedures.
• Ensure operational readiness for audits, site visits, surveys, and other regulatory or compliance reviews in partnership with appropriate organizational leaders.
• Monitor the performance, outcomes, quality, and compliance of programs and services within the COO’s scope and implement corrective action when needed.
• Promote consistent implementation of policies, procedures, and operational standards across all TVHC locations.

Leadership & Organizational Effectiveness

• Lead, develop, evaluate, and hold accountable operational leaders, establishing clear performance expectations, strengthening management capabilities, and taking timely action when performance does not meet organizational standards.
• Foster a culture of accountability, collaboration, problem-solving, continuous improvement, and learning.
• Create an operating cadence that includes routine site reviews, performance meetings, escalation processes, action plans, and follow-through on agreed-upon commitments
• Build trusted relationships with providers, managers, frontline staff, and executive peers and facilitate effective cross-functional decision-making.
• Lead organizational change with strong communication, transparency, and attention to the impact of change on employees, providers, and patients.
• Participate in performance management, coaching, and development of leaders within the COO’s areas of responsibility.

Executive & Strategic Leadership

• Serve as a strategic advisor to the CEO on operational performance, risks, opportunities, and organizational priorities.
• Collaborate with Executive Leadership Team peers to translate TVHC’s strategic priorities into actionable operational plans and measurable outcomes.
• Develop and monitor operational dashboards, key performance indicators, and performance reports to support executive and Board-level decision-making.
• Support the integration and implementation of new programs and services, ensuring appropriate operational planning, workflows, staffing, and performance monitoring.
• Represent TVHC at internal and external meetings and perform other executive responsibilities as assigned.

Qualifications:

• Master’s degree in healthcare administration, public health, business administration, or a related field preferred; equivalent combination of education and relevant executive leadership experience considered.
• At least 10 years of progressive healthcare operations leadership experience, including significant responsibility for multi-site ambulatory or clinical operations.
• Significant experience within a Federally Qualified Health Center, community health center, safety-net healthcare organization, or similarly complex ambulatory care environment strongly preferred.
• Demonstrated experience leading integrated clinical operations in an FQHC environment, including patient access, scheduling, provider productivity, care team performance, staffing, patient flow, referrals, and standardization of clinical workflows across multiple sites.
• Demonstrated success improving clinical quality and operational performance, including patient access, completed visit volume, provider and care team productivity, patient experience, workforce and operational efficiency, care continuity and/or care delivery models.
• Experience leading significant operational transformation, process improvement, or organizational change initiatives.
• Experience operating within evolving reimbursement models, including value-based, capitated, and/or alternative payment models, strongly preferred.
• Deep understanding of ambulatory healthcare operations, including scheduling, patient access, staffing, clinical workflows, productivity, and care team design.
• Strong operational and financial acumen with the ability to evaluate tradeoffs among access, quality, workforce capacity, productivity, and financial sustainability.
• Demonstrated ability to translate strategy into practical, sustainable workflows and measurable operational results.
• Strong project management skills and demonstrated ability to lead complex, cross-functional initiatives from planning through implementation and sustained adoption.
• Strong change leadership skills and demonstrated ability to gain buy-in from providers, managers, and frontline teams.
• Highly visible, relational leadership style with a commitment to engaging directly with staff and understanding operations at the point of care.
• Strong analytical skills and demonstrated use of data and performance metrics to identify opportunities and drive accountability.
• Experience leveraging technology and workflow innovation to improve healthcare operations.
• Exceptional communication, collaboration, and executive leadership skills.
• Knowledge of regulatory and compliance requirements applicable to community-based ambulatory healthcare organizations.
• Experience working in a unionized environment preferred.

Salary Range: $210,072-$284,214 annually, depending on qualifications and experience.

The above statements are intended to describe the general nature and level of work being performed. They are not intended to be construed as an exhaustive list of all responsibilities, duties and expectations required of the position.

Agency-Wide Core Competencies:

Ethical Conduct: Understands and adheres to the Agency’s Service Excellence Standards, demonstrates a high level of integrity in all internal and external activities and complies with the Employee Handbook and all other Agency policies, practices and procedures. Must maintain strict confidentiality related to client, staff, donor and other Agency information.

Intercultural Competence: Demonstrates courtesy and helpfulness towards patients, clients, family members and others. Has the desire and ability to support an inclusive environment with respect to all patients, family members, staff and stakeholders, and to respect and adapt behavior to cultural differences and commonalities in values, expectations, beliefs and practices. 

Communication: Communicates with co-workers, patients and stakeholders clearly in writing and orally, as needed and on a timely basis. Listens and responds well. Ensures smooth and efficient telephone communications. Uses good judgement about what information is important and should be communicated to whom and when. Handles complaints in a responsive and professional manner. 

TVHC Core Values:

Collaboration: Together we are stronger and can make a bigger impact.

Resiliency: We face obstacles and stay positive, we adapt and overcome.

People Centered: We treat people with empathy and focus on their needs, and not just on our own.

Aspirational Values:

High-Performing: We’re goal focused, we trust each other and work hard to excel at what we do.

Learn It All (vs Know It All): We’re hungry, we’re humble, we’re always willing to learn.

Teamwork: We work together to achieve exceptional outcomes; we share collectively in the wins and losses of our organization. 

Physical Demands:The physical demands described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of the job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

• Sitting, walking, standing, twisting and bending for brief periods of time.
• Occasional reaching and/or grasping using hands and/or arms.
• May be required to lift up to 10 pounds.
• May be required to ascend/descend stairs.
• Regular use of hands requiring dexterity in using the telephone, computer keyboard, mouse or calculator.
• Visual ability to read documents and computer monitor.
• Exposure to low to moderate noise levels characteristic of working in an office or client environments. Noise level may be loud at times.
• Periodic work in outside conditions that include inclement weather and heat.
• Ability to travel to various sites.
• Hearing and speech to converse in person and over the telephone.

Equal Employment Opportunity Statement: TVHC provides equal employment opportunities to all employees and applicants for employment and prohibits discrimination and harassment of any type without regard to race, color, religion, age, sex, national origin, disability status, genetics, protected veteran status, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, or any other characteristic protected by federal, state or local laws. TVHC is committed to providing a fair, equitable, and inclusive work environment. We welcome candidates that will promote and value diversity and exercise teamwork and collaboration.
This applies to all terms and conditions of employment, including recruiting, probation, hiring, placement, promotion, termination, layoff, recall, transfer, leaves of absence, compensation, training and retirement.