Healthcare Systems Engineer - Office of Performance Improvement

The Office of Performance Improvement at MD Anderson Cancer Center helps advance organizational excellence by improving the way care and operations are designed, measured, and delivered. The team partners with clinical and operational leaders across the institution to identify opportunities, solve complex problems, improve efficiency, enhance patient and staff experiences, and drive measurable improvements in quality and outcomes.

This Healthcare Systems Engineer position offers the opportunity to serve as a quality and systems engineering expert while leading multidisciplinary teams through meaningful process improvement initiatives. The role is ideal for an analytical, collaborative professional who enjoys solving complex healthcare problems and can translate data, observations, and stakeholder input into practical improvements.

In this role, you will lead and facilitate process improvement projects using methodologies such as Lean, Six Sigma, DMAIC, PDCA, and Root Cause Analysis. You will work with multidisciplinary stakeholders to understand current-state workflows, develop future-state processes, design improvement plans, establish meaningful performance metrics, and monitor results to ensure improvements are sustained.

You will apply a broad range of quality and systems engineering tools, including simulation and queuing theory, facility design and layout, ergonomics and human factors, statistical process control, experimental design, FMEA, time and motion analysis, and quantitative and qualitative analysis. Your ability to analyze complex processes and data will help identify root causes, risks, opportunities, and solutions that improve utilization, reduce costs, enhance patient satisfaction, and support better outcomes.

A significant component of the position is project leadership and stakeholder facilitation. You will establish project milestones and workplans, facilitate multidisciplinary meetings, collect and analyze performance data, communicate project progress, escalate high-risk issues, and develop sustainability plans. The ability to build relationships and effectively engage physicians, clinical teams, operational leaders, and other stakeholders will be critical to successfully implementing change.

You will also serve as a change agent and educator, developing and delivering training in Lean, Six Sigma, and other quality improvement methodologies. You will assess training needs, develop educational content, and help teams understand and adopt process improvement strategies. Strong presentation skills and the ability to communicate complex concepts clearly to various audiences will be important in this role.

The ideal candidate will have experience with team facilitation, project management, healthcare process improvement, data analysis, and presentation development and delivery. Familiarity with hospital and healthcare delivery systems, electronic health records (EHRs), and the ability to analyze and present data are highly desirable. Candidates who combine strong analytical skills with the ability to engage people, lead change, and turn improvement concepts into measurable results will find this opportunity especially rewarding.

MD Anderson offers a comprehensive total rewards package, including paid medical benefits, generous paid time off, retirement plans, tuition assistance, professional development opportunities, and additional benefits, along with the opportunity to build a rewarding career at one of the world's leading cancer centers while helping improve the systems and processes that support exceptional patient care.

This is a hybrid position with onsite presence at least once a week (Wednesday)

Key Function

1. Technical Expertise

• Provide the institution with quality and systems engineering expertise including:
• Simulation and queuing theory applications for optimizing flow and utilization
• Linear programming for optimizing processes
• Facility design and layout
• Lean methodology and tools
• Ergonomics and human factors recommendations including mistake-proofing
• Statistical process control (SPC)
• Experimental design
• Failure Mode and Effects Analysis (FMEA)
• Work measurement for time and motion analysis
• Quality tools such as frequency distributions, basic statistics, cause-and-effect diagrams, Pareto charts, process flow charts, and scatter diagrams

2. Project Management

• Lead and facilitate multidisciplinary teams to increase utilization, reduce costs, improve patient satisfaction, and produce favorable patient outcomes.
• Apply appropriate improvement strategies such as Lean, Six Sigma (DMAIC), PDCA, and Root Cause Analysis.
• Track, monitor, and report project progression using appropriate project management tools and software.
• Develop project milestones and detailed workplans to ensure project success.
• Contract with clients to ensure a mutual understanding of intended outcomes and roles.
• Work with multidisciplinary stakeholders to define current state processes.
• Collaborate with these stakeholders to develop future state.
• Design and execute on improvement plans.
• Develop performance metrics, standards and methods to establish improvement success.
• Ensure metrics are reachable, practical and, when needed, approved by organizational leadership.
• Facilitate the collection of metric data from workflows and projects by utilizing sound methodology.
• Develop data collection plans in collaboration with project stakeholders.
• Analyze data using appropriate statistical and qualitative methods.
• Escalate high-risk issues and trends to appropriate party for resolution.
• Develop plan for monitoring performance and ensure sustainability.
• Lead risk assessments with key stakeholders and identify potential hazards with implementation. Develop mitigation strategies to ensure patient and staff safety.

3. Training and Change Management

• Provide educational content and delivery of training in basic, intermediary, and advanced quality tools and strategies such as Lean and Six Sigma.
• Assess client training needs and provide as appropriate.
• Participate in the achievement of organizational directed department objectives.
• Act as a change agent for the organization and ensure that process improvement activity is being communicated, understood, and supported.
• Maintain professional development by expanding knowledge base of methodologies and techniques.

EDUCATION

Required: Bachelor's Degree Industrial Engineering or related field.

Preferred: Master's Degree Industrial Engineering, Applied Sciences, Management or related field.

WORK EXPERIENCE

Required: 1 year Quality engineering or related experience or no experience required with Master's degree.

LICENSES AND CERTIFICATIONS

Preferred: Six Sigma Green Belt Certification or ASQ Certified Quality Engineer or PMP - Project Mgt Professional

The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center offers excellent benefits, including medical, dental, paid time off, retirement, tuition benefits, educational opportunities, and individual and team recognition.

This position may be responsible for maintaining the security and integrity of critical infrastructure, as defined in Section 113.001(2) of the Texas Business and Commerce Code and therefore may require routine reviews and screening. The ability to satisfy and maintain all requirements necessary to ensure the continued security and integrity of such infrastructure is a condition of hire and continued employment.

It is the policy of The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center to provide equal employment opportunity without regard to race, color, religion, age, national origin, sex, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity/expression, disability, protected veteran status, genetic information, or any other basis protected by institutional policy or by federal, state, or local laws unless such distinction is required by law.http://www.mdanderson.org/about-us/legal-and-policy/legal-statements/eeo-affirmative-action.html

Additional Information

• Requisition ID: 182307
• Employment Status: Full-Time
• Employee Status: Regular
• Work Week: Days
• Minimum Salary: US Dollar (USD) 88,000
• Midpoint Salary: US Dollar (USD) 110,000
• Maximum Salary : US Dollar (USD) 132,000
• FLSA: exempt and not eligible for overtime pay
• Fund Type: Hard
• Work Location: Hybrid Onsite/Remote
• Pivotal Position: Yes
• Referral Bonus Available?: Yes
• Relocation Assistance Available?: Yes

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