Director, Performance & Operations - Wellness West

Job Description

Job Description

Are you ready to join a passionate community of people who are changing how health care is delivered? A place where you will find a career you love while truly making a difference building healthier communities. If this sounds like you, we would love to have you apply as Director, Performance & Operations - Wellness West, with Medical Home Network!

Since 2009, Medical Home Network (MHN) has partnered with Federally Qualified Health Centers (FQHCs) nationwide to transform care in the safety net, reduce health disparities, and build healthier communities. A mission-driven public benefit corporation, MHN helps FQHCs succeed in value-based care through technology, care model innovation, and strong partnerships. Our proven approach delivers leading health outcomes, lower costs, and elevated quality performance. We’re expanding our reach and impact to help more FQHCs enhance care for their patients. Modern Healthcare has named MHN one of the Best Places to Work in Healthcare for four years running (2021–2024). MHN was recently recognized as a Great Place to Work in 2025.

THE OPPORTUNITY:

The Director, Performance & Operations- Wellness West leads the operational, financial, and stakeholder engagement efforts of Wellness West, ensuring the organization effectively delivers on its mission. This role oversees budgeting and financial operations, manages government affairs and board relations, and supports the organization’s communications and social enterprise initiatives.

The Director will work closely with a diverse range of stakeholders, including health and community partners, government entities, and board members- to ensure strategic alignment, operational excellence, and fiscal responsibility. This individual plays a critical role in driving collaboration across partners, advancing evaluation and performance initiatives, and representing Wellness West in external communications and policy discussions.

THE PERKS:

• Fun, challenging, and collaborative work environment with passionate colleagues that care deeply about healthcare delivery.
• Recognized as One of the Best Places to Work in Healthcare by Modern Healthcare.
• Competitive benefits programs including Medical, Vision, Dental, HSA, FSA, and 401k.
• Fitness reimbursement, commuter benefits, and tuition assistance.
• Great work life benefits- Paid time off, sick time, and 12 paid holidays.
• Hybrid schedule: Tuesdays and Wednesdays onsite, there will also be field work within the Chicago community.

WHAT YOU CAN LOOK FORWARD TO:

Operational & Financial Management

• Oversee organizational operations and manage budgets, budget modifications, and financial reporting.
• Ensure compliance with government requirements across grants and contracts.
• Lead operational planning and resource allocation to support strategic and programmatic goals.
• Develop and monitor performance metrics to track organizational impact and operational efficiency.

Stakeholder & Board Engagement

• Serve as a primary liaison to the Board of Directors; preparing reports, coordinating meetings, and supporting board committees.
• Build and sustain strong relationships with community partners, health centers, and social service agencies.
• Collaborate with stakeholders to align initiatives, share best practices, and ensure successful implementation of cross-sector programs.
• Support board development, governance, and engagement initiatives.

Government Affairs & Strategic Partnerships

• Lead government relations strategy, maintaining positive relationships with city, county, and state officials.
• Monitor and communicate policy developments impacting Wellness West programs and partners.
• Identify and pursue opportunities for public-private partnerships and social enterprise initiatives.
• Represent Wellness West in coalitions, advisory groups, and public forums.

Evaluation & Performance

• Oversee data-driven evaluation processes to assess program effectiveness and community impact.
• Translate evaluation insights into actionable recommendations for operational and strategic improvement.
• Partner with internal and external evaluators to ensure accountability and transparency.

Communications & Public Relations

• Lead organizational communications strategy, ensuring consistent messaging across internal and external channels.
• Oversee development of reports, presentations, and materials that communicate impact and progress to funders, partners, and the public.
• Collaborate with leadership to advance brand visibility and storytelling around Wellness West’s mission and outcomes.

WHAT YOU’LL NEED TO SUCCEED:

• Bachelor’s degree required; master's in public health, Public Policy, Health Administration, or a related field preferred.
• 8+ years of experience in operations, stakeholder engagement, or government/community relations, preferably within healthcare, nonprofit, or public sector environments.
• Management experience, including leading cross-functional teams or managing staff and consultants.
• Proven experience managing budgets, grants, and financial operations.
• Strong background in board relations, governance, and partnership management.
• Experience working with or within government agencies or public health systems.
• Excellent communication, facilitation, and relationship-building skills.
• Strategic thinker with strong analytical, problem-solving, and organizational abilities.
• Ability to manage multiple priorities in a fast-paced, cross-sector environment.

Medical Home Network is an equal opportunity employer. We evaluate qualified applicants without regard to race, color, religion, age, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability, veteran status, or any other protected characteristic. This policy applies to all terms and conditions of employment, including recruiting, hiring, placement, promotion, termination, layoff, recall, transfer, leaves of absence, compensation and training.

We may use artificial intelligence (AI) tools to support parts of the hiring process, such as reviewing applications, analyzing resumes, or assessing responses. These tools assist our recruitment team but do not replace human judgment. Final hiring decisions are ultimately made by humans. If you would like more information about how your data is processed, please contact us.