Senior Manager Portfolio, Objectives & Key Results and Readiness - Emory Health Plan

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Description

OWN THE PORTFOLIO ENGINE OF THE ETO

Emory Health Plan is standing up a next-generation transformation office to fundamentally redesign how 66,000 Emory beneficiaries access care, experience wellness, and navigate the healthcare system. The Enterprise Transformation & Insights Office (ETO) is the mechanism that converts that ambition into sequenced, funded, measured work.

You will build and run the portfolio layer of the ETO operating system: the Objectives & Key Results (OKRs) portfolio dashboard, the prioritization framework, the innovation and capability pipeline, the business case and value realization discipline, and the governance cadence that holds it all together.

This is a high-visibility role for a practitioner who is comfortable owning the numbers. You will sit between senior leaders, workstream owners, clinical operations, IT, analytics, and consulting and vendor partners, and you will be the person who can say, with evidence, what is in the portfolio, what it is worth, whether it is on track, and whether the organization is ready to receive it.

CRITICAL RESPONSIBILITIES

1.  Strategic Planning & Prioritization Framework

• Stand up and own the EHP OKR portfolio dashboard, covering RAG status by initiative, resource heat map, capacity versus plan, and milestone position. Make it the single source of truth for portfolio status at the executive level.
• Build and administer the prioritization framework that anchors the ETO operating system, including scoring criteria, intake thresholds, sequencing logic, and the decision rights that govern what enters the portfolio and in what order.
• Translate enterprise OKRs into initiative-level measures so that every funded effort traces to an anchor OKR, with a named owner and a defined evidence standard for completion.
• Run capacity and demand analysis across the portfolio. Surface over-commitment early and bring trade-off options to the Sr. Director and executive sponsors, not just red flags.
• Establish the data discipline behind the dashboard: refresh cadence, source-of-record definitions, and the quality checks that make the numbers defensible in front of a Board audience.

2.  Innovation Pipeline & Capability Roadmap

• Build the intake and pipeline process for new capabilities and initiatives, spanning submission, triage, scoring, staging, and disposition, with explicit entry and exit criteria at each stage.
• Own RAID discipline across the portfolio (risks, assumptions, issues, dependencies): register design, escalation thresholds, and the routine that keeps it a live management instrument rather than an archive.
• Design and operate huddle boards and workflow management for the ETO, converting the current Phase 1 foundation into the Phase 2 target state.
• Maintain the enterprise capability roadmap: what the Plan can do today, what it must be able to do by go-live, and the sequenced build that closes the gap.
• Partner with IT, analytics, and enterprise architecture so that pipeline decisions reflect real platform capacity, data availability, and technical dependency rather than optimism.

3.  Business Case, IQ & Value Realization

• Own value realization tracking for consulting-supported initiatives, including Deloitte and Willis Towers Watson engagements, and for vendor business cases across the transformation portfolio.
• Validate projected savings against actual EHP claims data. Separate what was promised from what was delivered, and report the difference without softening it.
• Set the business case standard for the ETO: required inputs, documented assumptions, sensitivity ranges, and a benefit dependency map that ties each investment to the operational change required to realize it.
• Run initiative quality (IQ) reviews at defined gates, testing scope integrity, benefit logic, and the capacity of the receiving operation to sustain the change after go-live.
• Report value capture to executive and Board audiences as realized versus planned benefit, with the claims-level evidence behind every figure.

4.  Portfolio Cadence, Business Readiness & Assigned Initiatives

• Drive the weekly OKR Sync and the monthly ETO governance cadence, owning agenda, pre-reads, decision logs, and follow-through on actions between sessions.
• Lead business readiness assessments at each phase gate, including October 19 Open Enrollment and January 1 go-live, with defined readiness criteria, scored evidence, and a clear go or no-go recommendation.
• Run specific consulting engagements, ETO initiatives, and OKRs as assigned by the Sr. Director, carrying each from scoping through close.
• Maintain the portfolio reporting stack that feeds executive, Board, workstream, and Open Enrollment forums, so that one set of numbers travels across every audience.

CHANGE MANAGEMENT & COMMUNICATIONS, SCOPED TO THE ETO PORTFOLIO

Change management in this role is portfolio change management. The mandate is adoption of the ETO operating system and readiness of the operations receiving portfolio change. It is not enterprise culture work, and it is not a standalone communications function.

• Drive adoption of the ETO operating system itself. Get initiative owners, workstream leads, and functional leaders using the intake process, the RAID register, the huddle boards, and the OKR dashboard as working instruments rather than a reporting tax.
• Own the communications architecture for the portfolio: what gets reported, by whom, in what format, and on what cadence across the weekly OKR Sync, monthly ETO governance, Open Enrollment forums, and Board updates.
• Build and run the change network inside the portfolio. Initiative owners and readiness leads carry ETO standards into their own workstreams and return readiness evidence on cadence.
• Conduct change impact and readiness analysis for portfolio initiatives across people, process, and technology. Convert findings into enablement plans owned by the receiving operation, with dates and named owners.
• Apply recognized frameworks (Prosci / ADKAR, Kotter) where they add rigor to portfolio adoption and phase-gate readiness, tailored to health plan operations rather than applied wholesale.
• Manage resistance where it actually shows up: unreported status, stale RAID entries, benefit claims without evidence, and readiness assessments completed as a formality. Escalate patterns, not incidents.
• Hold one narrative across audiences. What executives hear in monthly governance, what workstream leads hear in the weekly sync, and what the Board hears must reconcile to the same dashboard.

MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS:

• Bachelor's degree in Industrial & Systems Engineering, Business Administration, Healthcare Management, or related field and 8+ years of progressive experience in healthcare transformation, strategy execution, management consulting, or health plan operations.

Technical & Methodological Depth

• Power BI portfolio dashboarding is required, including data model design, DAX measures, and refresh management. Advanced Excel and PowerPoint assumed.
• Working fluency in the Microsoft 365 stack the ETO runs on: SharePoint, Power Automate, Forms, and Planner or Project.
• Process mapping and visual collaboration tools: Miro, Lucidchart, Visio, or equivalent.
• Fluency in Agile, Lean, Design Thinking, Systems Engineering, and Program Management frameworks, with the judgment to apply the right lens to the right problem.
• Familiarity with healthcare data environments including claims, eligibility, clinical, and pharmacy data, with enough command of claims data to interrogate a savings claim independently.
• SQL or comparable query capability preferred. Python or R is useful, not required.
• Working knowledge of AI and machine learning application in health plan contexts, and of responsible AI governance, as it affects capability roadmap and pipeline decisions.

Leadership Capabilities

• Executive-level communicator who can distill portfolio complexity into a compelling, defensible narrative for C-suite and Board audiences.
• Sophisticated stakeholder manager who builds trust across clinical, operational, IT, and finance functions with equal effectiveness.
• Strategic systems thinker who sees across organizational silos and connects initiative-level work to enterprise outcomes.
• Willing to hold the line on evidence. Comfortable telling a senior sponsor that a benefit has not been realized, and comfortable bringing the remedy in the same conversation.
• Bias toward action balanced with disciplined governance instincts. Knows when to move fast and when to slow down to protect quality.
• Coach and mentor who elevates team capability and builds transformation literacy across the organization over time.

HOW WE MEASURE SUCCESS

• Dashboard adoption: percentage of active initiatives reporting current RAG status, named owner, and anchor OKR on cadence.
• Prioritization discipline: percentage of new initiatives entering through formal intake and scoring rather than around it.
• OKR traceability: percentage of initiative-level KPIs traceable to an anchor enterprise OKR.
• Value realization integrity: realized versus projected benefit across consulting and vendor initiatives, validated against actual EHP claims data.
• Phase-gate readiness: readiness assessment completion and scored readiness at October 19 Open Enrollment and January 1 go-live.
• Cadence reliability: weekly OKR Sync and monthly ETO governance held on schedule, with decisions logged and actions closed.
• Pipeline throughput: cycle time from intake to disposition, and delivery of the integrated capability roadmap on plan.
• Sustained use of ETO instruments: active use of RAID registers, huddle boards, and workflow management by initiative owners at 6 and 12 months.
• Executive stakeholder confidence: qualitative and 360 ratings from senior leaders, workstream owners, and cross-functional partners.

WHY EMORY HEALTH PLAN?

High-Stakes Leadership Platform

• Build the portfolio engine for a $900M+ health plan at the defining moment of its evolution, with direct access to C-suite, Board, and enterprise leadership.
• First position to fill in Performance Management inside a transformation office being built from the ground up in a world-class academic health system.
• Work that directly improves the health outcomes and care experience of 66,000 Emory employees and their families.

Mission-Driven Impact

• Contribute to an integrated health system uniquely positioned to redesign care delivery, affordability, and member experience at the same time.
• Drive innovation at the intersection of clinical excellence, health equity, digital transformation, and operational efficiency.

Exceptional Growth Environment

• A culture that champions bold thinking, responsible experimentation, and continuous learning.
• Access to leading-edge technology partners, research infrastructure, and academic clinical insight unavailable in most payer environments.
• Mentorship and accelerated development for leaders with aspiration toward Director, VP, or enterprise executive roles.

NOTE: Position tasks are generally required to be performed in-person at an Emory University location. Remote work from home day options may be granted at department discretion. Emory reserves the right to change remote work status with notice to employee.

Additional Details

Emory is an equal opportunity employer, and qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, disability, protected veteran status or other characteristics protected by state or federal law. Emory University does not discriminate in admissions, educational programs, or employment, including recruitment, hiring, promotions, transfers, discipline, terminations, wage and salary administration, benefits, and training. Students, faculty, and staff are assured of participation in university programs and in the use of facilities without such discrimination. Emory University complies with Section 503 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, the Vietnam Era Veteran's Readjustment Assistance Act, and applicable executive orders, federal and state regulations regarding nondiscrimination, equal opportunity, and affirmative action (for protected veterans and individuals with disabilities). Inquiries regarding this policy should be directed to the Emory University Department of Equity and Civil Rights Compliance, 201 Dowman Drive, Administration Building, Atlanta, GA 30322. Telephone: 404-727-9867 (V) | 404-712-2049 (TDD).Emory University is committed to ensuring equal access and providing reasonable accommodations to qualified individuals with disabilities upon request. To request this document in an alternate format or to seek a reasonable accommodation, please contact the Department of Accessibility Services at accessibility@emory.edu or call 404-727-9877 (Voice) | 404-712-2049 (TDD). We kindly ask that requests be made at least seven business days in advance to allow adequate time for coordination.