Director of Referral Management

Job Summary:  HonorBridge is recruiting for a Director of Referral Management. The Director of Referral Optimization provides strategic leadership and operational oversight for the identification and referral phase of HonorBridge's donation continuum. This role is responsible for ensuring every potential donation opportunity is identified, evaluated, and advanced through timely referral management, effective hospital partnerships, efficient donor evaluation processes, and optimized organ allocation practices.

The Director develops and implements strategies, operational standards, and performance improvement initiatives that strengthen referral performance, enhance donor identification, improve hospital engagement, and maximize donation opportunities across the service area. This role partners closely with Donation Advancement, Organ Services, Recovery Services, and hospital partners to ensure seamless transitions throughout the donation process.

Through leadership of referral operations, hospital development, allocation services, and continuous improvement initiatives, the Director, Referral Optimization advances HonorBridge's mission by improving the identification and progression of donation opportunities while delivering exceptional service to healthcare partner

What you will do:

• Contributes to HonorBridge's Mission by being devoted to building connections that save and heal lives through organ and tissue donation. 
• Achieves job functions in alignment with HonorBridge values.
• Trust – Honor the trust that people place in us.
  • Diversity, Equity & Inclusion – We work as one. We celebrate all.
  • Service – Commit to service excellence.
  • Innovation – Embrace the power of innovation.
  • Passion – Live our passion for healing lives.
  • Builds caring and compassionate relationships 
  • Consistently demonstrates effective communication
  • Promotes teamwork to ensure success at HonorBridge
• Mission & Organizational Leadership
  • Demonstrates HonorBridge's Mission, Vision, and Values through leadership, decision-making, and daily interactions.
  • Models integrity, accountability, collaboration, innovation, service excellence, and inclusion.
  • Contributes to achievement of HonorBridge's Strategic Plan and organizational priorities.
  • Promotes a culture of engagement, trust, continuous improvement, and high performance.
  • Ensures compliance with organizational policies, standards, and professional expectations.
    
• Strategic Leadership
  • Develops and executes the strategic direction for the assigned function in alignment with HonorBridge's Strategic Plan.
  • Establishes long-term goals, priorities, and measurable outcomes that advance organizational objectives.
  • Evaluates industry trends, regulatory changes, emerging technologies, and best practices to position the organization for future success.
  • Recommends innovative solutions that improve organizational effectiveness, quality, and service delivery.
  • Serves as the organizational leader and subject matter expert for the assigned functional area.
• Organizational Performance & Operational Excellence
  • Establishes operational frameworks that ensure reliable, efficient, and high-quality service delivery.
  • Develops performance metrics and accountability systems aligned with organizational priorities.
  • Uses data and analytics to evaluate performance, identify opportunities, and drive continuous improvement.
  • Leads cross-functional initiatives that improve organizational performance and operational effectiveness.
  • Promotes innovation and continuous improvement throughout the assigned function.
• Financial Stewardship
  • Develops, manages, and monitors departmental operating and capital budgets.
  • Aligns staffing models, operational resources, and technology investments with organizational priorities.
  • Ensures responsible stewardship of organizational resources while achieving operational and financial objectives.
  • Identifies opportunities to improve efficiency, productivity, and long-term sustainability.
• Leadership & Talent Development
  • Develops, coaches, and mentors leaders while fostering a culture of accountability, engagement, and continuous learning.
  • Leads workforce planning and succession planning to ensure long-term organizational capability.
  • Establishes clear performance expectations and supports professional growth.
  • Promotes collaboration and leadership development across the organization.
• Collaboration & Executive Partnership
  • Builds collaborative relationships across departments to advance organizational priorities.
  • Develops and maintains strategic relationships with external partners and stakeholders.
  • Serves as a trusted advisor to senior leadership within areas of responsibility.
  • Represents HonorBridge professionally in internal and external settings.
  • Leads organizational change initiatives that improve organizational effectiveness.
• Compliance & Governance
  • Establishes governance processes that ensure compliance with applicable laws, regulations, accreditation standards, and organizational policies.
  • Promotes a culture of quality, safety, ethics, and accountability.
  • Oversees readiness for audits, inspections, and regulatory reviews.
  • Ensures timely implementation and monitoring of corrective actions when needed. 

• Functional Leadership

  • Provides strategic leadership for HonorBridge's referral management continuum, including referral generation, referral intake, donor evaluation, hospital engagement, and organ allocation.

  • Develops and executes strategies that maximize referral opportunities, improve donor evaluation, optimize organ allocation, and increase organ utilization across the service area.
  • Establishes enterprise standards, operating practices, and performance expectations for referral management, donor evaluation, screening, triage, and organ allocation to promote consistency, quality, and operational excellence.
  • Leads hospital engagement strategies that strengthen referral performance, improve donor identification, enhance clinical collaboration, and expand donation opportunities throughout the service area.
  • Ensures operational systems, staffing models, and workflows support responsive referral management, donor evaluation, and allocation activities twenty-four hours per day, seven days per week.
  • Oversees organizational performance related to referral quality, referral timeliness, donor evaluation, organ allocation, referral conversion, organ utilization, and healthcare partner experience through the use of key performance indicators, trend analysis, and continuous improvement initiatives.
  • Ensures compliance with OPTN policies, regulatory requirements, and organizational standards governing referral management, donor evaluation, and organ allocation while monitoring emerging industry practices to support ongoing operational excellence.
  • Partners with Donation Advancement, Organ Services, Recovery Services, transplant centers, physicians, hospital leaders, and internal clinical teams to strengthen coordination, improve transitions, and optimize performance across the donation continuum.
  • Evaluates opportunities to improve workflows, technology, operational design, and resource utilization to strengthen organizational effectiveness and maximize donation outcomes.
  • Leads, develops, and engages assigned leaders and team members by establishing expectations, supporting professional growth, and fostering a culture of accountability, collaboration, innovation, and service excellence.

What we are looking for:

• A Bachelor's degree in Healthcare Administration, Nursing, Business Administration, Healthcare Management, or related field is required.
• Master's Degree Preferred.
• 5+ years experience leading others, especially managers, or multiple operational areas required.
• 7+ progressively responsible leadership experience in healthcare, organ donation, transplantation, or related clinical operations required.
• 2+ years experience in organ and tissue donation preferred. 
• Experience with strategic planning, organizational performance management, and operational improvement.
• Experience managing departmental budgets and operational resources.
• Lean Six Sigma Black Belt certification preferred.
• Experience leading enterprise process improvement initiatives preferred.
• Demonstrated leadership experience overseeing healthcare operations, referral management, call center operations, hospital partnerships, or other complex operational environments.
• Strong understanding of donor identification, referral management, donor evaluation, organ allocation, and hospital engagement practices.
• Demonstrated ability to analyze operational and performance data, identify trends, and implement strategies that improve referral performance and organizational outcomes.
• Strong knowledge of OPTN policies, regulatory requirements, and industry best practices related to organ allocation and referral management.
• Demonstrated ability to establish operational standards, improve consistency, and drive accountability across multiple functional areas.
• Exceptional communication, collaboration, and relationship-building skills with the ability to effectively engage hospital partners, physicians, clinical teams, and organizational leaders.
• Ability to manage multiple priorities while maintaining focus on quality, responsiveness, operational efficiency, and partner experience.
• Demonstrated experience leading process improvement initiatives using Lean, Six Sigma, or similar continuous improvement methodologies.
• Strong organizational skills, sound judgment, and professionalism when representing HonorBridge with internal and external stakeholders.

What's in it for you?

• Medical, Dental, Vision insurance
• Health Savings Account
• Flexible Spending Accounts
• A matching retirement plan,
• Paid Sick and Vacation time
• Financial Finesse program
• Life Balance Account Reimbursement
• Professional Development and Growth
• A chance to save a life! 
• Plus a lot more!