Program Lead – Hospital & Health System Consulting

Accountabilities

• Lead healthcare consulting engagements: Manage or support projects for hospitals, health systems, community health centers, rural healthcare providers, and other healthcare delivery organizations.

• Provide specialized expertise: Apply knowledge in one or more practice areas, including hospital emergency management, Hospital Incident Command System (HICS), healthcare operations, workforce development, strategic planning, value-based care, continuity, resilience, and healthcare transformation.

• Conduct organizational assessments: Evaluate operational performance, preparedness, workforce capacity, organizational structures, and healthcare systems to identify gaps, risks, opportunities, and improvement priorities.

• Develop strategies and implementation plans: Support the creation and execution of healthcare strategies, operating models, policies, procedures, programs, and improvement initiatives aligned with client needs.

• Design and facilitate client engagements: Plan and lead stakeholder interviews, workshops, executive sessions, training programs, tabletop exercises, functional exercises, and other collaborative activities.

• Engage healthcare stakeholders: Work with hospital executives, clinical leaders, nursing and medical staff, emergency management teams, operations, finance, human resources, quality, IT, and external partners to build alignment and support implementation.

• Strengthen emergency preparedness and resilience: Contribute to emergency operations planning, HICS implementation, continuity planning, medical surge preparedness, infectious disease response, exercises, and after-action and improvement planning.

• Support healthcare transformation: Help organizations improve care delivery models, operational efficiency, workforce sustainability, technology utilization, data capabilities, value-based care, and enterprise systems.

• Translate requirements into practical solutions: Interpret federal and state healthcare regulations, funding priorities, industry standards, and leading practices to develop actionable recommendations and implementation approaches.

• Produce high-quality deliverables: Prepare assessments, reports, strategic plans, roadmaps, presentations, dashboards, training materials, and executive-level briefings.

• Collaborate across disciplines: Partner with multidisciplinary teams and subject matter experts to deliver integrated solutions addressing complex healthcare challenges.

Requirements

• Education: Bachelor’s degree in healthcare administration, public health, emergency management, nursing, medicine, business administration, or a related field.

• Professional experience: 5–10+ years of experience in healthcare, public health, workforce development, or related consulting environments.

• Healthcare sector experience: Demonstrated experience working with hospitals, health systems, critical access hospitals, Federally Qualified Health Centers (FQHCs), or community health centers.

• Assessment and strategy expertise: Experience conducting workforce or organizational assessments, developing strategic plans, or implementing healthcare programs and improvement initiatives.

• Subject matter knowledge: Demonstrated expertise in at least one relevant area, such as healthcare emergency preparedness, HICS, healthcare operations, workforce development, training and exercises, strategic planning, value-based care, continuity, enterprise systems, or healthcare transformation.

• Stakeholder engagement: Strong facilitation, communication, and relationship-building skills, including experience working with executive leadership and cross-sector partners.

• Analytical and problem-solving abilities: Capacity to evaluate complex organizational challenges, interpret relevant requirements, and develop practical, evidence-informed recommendations.

• Preferred advanced education: Master’s degree in Public Health (MPH), Healthcare Administration (MHA), Business Administration (MBA), Nursing (MSN), or a related field.

• Preferred certifications: Certified Emergency Manager (CEM), Certified Healthcare Emergency Professional (CHEP), or Certified Healthcare Safety Professional (CHSP).

• Additional preferred experience: Familiarity with value-based care, alternative payment models, population health, care coordination, payer-provider transformation, hospital operations, enterprise systems, organizational transformation, quality improvement, or performance improvement.

• Public-sector and funded initiatives: Experience supporting programs involving CMS, ASPR, CDC, HRSA, HHS, FEMA, state health departments, healthcare coalitions, or other federally or state-funded healthcare initiatives.

• Contractor eligibility: Must be able to work as an independent contractor (1099) and provide a valid Employer Identification Number (EIN). Engagement is contingent on the successful award of the relevant contract.

Benefits

• Hourly compensation: $75–$125 per hour, depending on skills, experience, training, licensure, certifications, internal equity, location, travel requirements, and organizational needs.

• Remote work: Opportunity to work remotely within the United States.

• Meaningful client impact: Contribute to projects that strengthen healthcare preparedness, improve healthcare delivery, and support organizational resilience.

• Varied consulting engagements: Potential to apply specialized expertise across healthcare strategy, operations, emergency management, workforce development, and transformation.

• Collaborative environment: Work alongside multidisciplinary professionals and healthcare stakeholders to develop integrated solutions to complex challenges.