At Northwestern Medicine, every patient interaction makes a difference in cultivating a positive workplace. This patient-first approach is what sets us apart as a leader in the healthcare industry. As an integral part of our team, you'll have the opportunity to join our quest for better healthcare, no matter where you work within the Northwestern Medicine system. At Northwestern Medicine, we pride ourselves on providing competitive benefits: from tuition reimbursement and loan forgiveness to 401(k) matching and lifecycle benefits, we take care of our employees. Ready to join our quest for better?

The IS Team Lead reflects the mission, vision, and values of NM, adheres to the organization’s Code of Ethics and Corporate Compliance Program, and complies with all relevant policies, procedures, guidelines and all other regulatory and accreditation standards.

The IS Team Lead will provide guidance and coordinate the activities of cross functional operational support and project teams, ranging from 3 to 10 individuals. Teams generally consist of Information Services analysts, operations department experts, and vendor/contractor specialists. The Information Services Team Leader manages the selection, installation, configuration, conversion, implementation and support of systems. These systems, both hardware and software, must be selected, configured and implemented in accordance with NMH accepted technical and application standards and follow NMH policies for capital and operating expense allocation. Implemented systems will effectively support the business requirements of the targeted user community.

Responsibilities:

• Management of all types of information systems projects. Prepare project plans, accurately estimates project timeframes and resource requirements (both personnel and budget). Identify required skill sets, obtain project and resource allocation approvals and assign project tasks ensuring both successful task completion and staff development. Produce project status reports. Manage the project team, including clients, vendors, consultants, and IS staff.
• Responsible for working with project teams to ensure that established design and quality standards are maintained. Review project team techniques and ensure that IS guidelines are followed for; system and integration testing; user and operations documentation; and user and operations training.
• Responsible for providing the highest level of technical and analytical expertise required to support the development, implementation, and ongoing utilization of application systems. Provide expertise in problem determination, evaluation, and solution development.
• Understand the current business operation of the client departments. Work with client departments, analysts, and vendor representatives to select, configure, and implement and support effective system solutions.
• Ensures appropriate support documentation completed and available. Provides leadership in support of installed systems to ensure that they continue to meet client objectives. Monitors support demands (problem tickets, change requests, customer response), for trends and recommends support improvements to increase customer satisfaction.
• Establishment and maintenance of a positive working relationship with clients. Provide quality customer service. Manage client expectations, ensuring their understanding of the application system and its impact on their department and the rest of NMH.
• Continually develops professional and technical skills.

Position Differentiators

• Expert support leadership provided for complex projects; manages high risk projects.
• Establishes and manages multiple priorities
• Guides individuals and or teams in development of project plans including; detailed task lists, work breakdown structures, resource estimates, and schedules. Conducts the overall monitoring of projects in process. Coordinates preparation of project status reports to I.S. management and the client community.
• Provides effective direction for assigned projects. Anticipates project roadblocks and removes barriers to success. Continually provides work direction for the project team, including: activity scheduling, resource assignment, and work review. Responsible for the appropriateness, applicability, and quality of all work associated with assigned projects.
• Works with client departments to develop project requests in line with the capital and operating budget request processes. Facilitates IS team education relative to use of standard IS practices for project initiation and approval. Assists departments with identifying project costs, quantifying benefits and evaluating alternatives.
• Gains thorough understanding of both the business operation and the application systems. Is able to provide the client departments with functional options that maximize the effectiveness of the computer system.
• Works with analysts, management and client departments to develop and achieve quality targets. Improvement areas should include system stability, cost, appropriateness, IS responsiveness, and other customer driven initiatives.
• Provides the highest level of technical and analytical expertise in the application software, tools, and interfaces that support the system. Understands the interaction of systems upon each other, the network, and the computer hardware.
• Gains an understanding of the business operation and analyzes its interaction with the application systems. Assists the client in evaluating and understanding the operational impact of new or modified systems. Recommends functional improvements, both in the application system and the department operation.
• Manages the expectations of the client department. Utilizes project planning documentation, reports, and presentations to ensure that management and clients have a clear understanding of the project deliverables.
• Keeps abreast of the latest software and hardware technologies through industry publications, seminars, and user groups.

Additional Functions

• Escalates decisions relative project plan modifications that have a major/significant impact on project outcomes.
• Escalates decisions relative to changes in financial outcomes – including requirements for additional resources including recommendations for additional hardware, software or support that requires unplanned budget expenditures.

Competencies:

• Customer Focus: Utilizes talents, skills, and knowledge in all assignments for the purpose of leading, guiding and directing the delivery of excellent system selection, implementation and support. Guides preparation and delivery of customer service by seeking a thorough understanding of customer mission, goals, and values. Supports customer’s IT business needs on a 24x7 basis.
• Business and Clinical Knowledge: Understands the business and clinical processes at NMH and the operational environments of assigned customers. Advocates the effective use of information systems to improve administrative processes and patient care through high quality, cost effective solutions. Provides leadership and guidance to IS and cross-functional teams to achieve quality outcomes.
• Personal Organization and Adaptation: Responds thoroughly and promptly to customer needs as defined in conjunction with our customers. “Owns” customer relationships and follows issues through to closure. Provides education to customers on Information Services processes including capital and operating project sponsorship and approval. Adapts well to rapid change and multiple priorities. Seeks to improve talents and skills consistent with overall IS strategy.
• Systems Understanding: Maintains solid project management and technical competence for assigned customer systems while grasping the integration and interaction of all supported systems. Consistently manages technology in support of customer goals.
• Team/Interpersonal: Effective team member player and decision maker. Uses NMH quality management and problem management tools to effectively and consistently guide/make decisions. Communicates clearly, responsively, and purposely with customers and team members. Focuses on overall team success and promotes collaborative achievements. Shifts easily among different technical and project roles as required by situation. Often manages multiple projects concurrently.

Required:

• Bachelor's degree or equivalent work experience
• 5 Years of relative experience

Preferred:

• Experience in leading Information Services projects
• Experience in delivering formal presentations
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills
• Healthcare knowledge and/or experience
• Knowledge of business areas, especially those represented on team

Northwestern Medicine is an affirmative action/equal opportunity employer and does not discriminate in hiring or employment on the basis of age, sex, race, color, religion, national origin, gender identity, veteran status, disability, sexual orientation or any other protected status.