Manager, Organ Optimization

Come join our team and become part of what the Boston Globe has recognized as one of the Top 100 Women-Led Businesses in Massachusetts 2018 - 2023 

Saving lives through organ and tissue donation is the mission uniting our employees and drives the work we do. 

New England Donor Services (NEDS) coordinates organ and tissue donation in Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, the eastern counties of Vermont and Bermuda. Responsible for one of the largest of the 56 Organ Procurement Organizations (OPOs) that make up the nation’s donation system, NEDS works with over 200 hospitals and serves nearly 15 million people in our region, screening nearly 55,000 potential donor referrals annually. With approximately $110M in operating revenues, NEDS employs 340 clinical and non-clinical staff members throughout New England and across the country.

Our vision is to be a leader in the development and implementation of strategies to increase the life-saving and life-enhancing gifts of organ and tissue donation through effective relationships with our clinical partners, donor families and the communities we serve.

The Manager, Optimization is responsible for supervision, coaching and evaluation of performance for assigned team members. Through monthly rounding and individual development plans, the manager provides coaching and mentorship with each direct report and contributes to the department’s goals and strategies to increase and optimize organs available for transplantation. The Manager, Optimization will engage front-line staff to implement clinical management and organ allocation strategies designed to increase the number and quality of organs available for transplantation.

Supervision:

• Provides direct supervision and support to assigned team members (Donation Coordinators).
• Conducts monthly rounding meetings, ongoing performance feedback, goal setting and performance metrics, professional development, performance improvement plans and disciplinary processes as needed.
• Partners with Human Resources and Senior Director of Optimization to address all employee relations issues in accordance with NEDS policy, procedure and practice.
• Conducts real-time check-ins and onsite visits during clinical cases.
• Holds all team members accountable to the departmental and organizational goals.
• Ensures that staff adhere to all Standard Operating Procedures. Closely monitors team error and quality event data to address non-conformances in a timely and effective manner.
• Uses conflict resolution and negotiation skills to resolve issues that arise both within and across departments.
• Participates as a key team member in the selection, orientation, coaching, and professional development of team staff members. Develops and administers performance improvement plans and disciplinary actions as warranted and with input from Human Resources.

Administrative:

• Ensures optimal staffing on the clinical call schedule at all times. In collaboration with fellow managers, creates and distributes monthly call schedule at least 30 days in advance of the month.
• In collaboration with fellow managers, monitors and approves/denies staff BT requests as dictated by needs of clinical call schedule.
• Collaborates with Senior Director of Optimization to formulate agenda for and lead department meetings as assigned.
• Models culture of Continuous Quality Improvement and participates in NEDS committees to this end.
• Committees may include but are not limited to OFI, PIC, QE review, and/or OMG as assigned by Senior Director of Optimization.
• May perform other activities or special projects as assigned by the Senior Director of Optimization or SVP, Organ Donation.

Training:

• Works in collaboration with the Sr. Director of Education and Development to ensure timely completion of trainings and to identify opportunities for professional development.
• Provides support as a trainer in DC, RRC or CDOC roles as requested by Senior Director of Optimization.

Clinical:

• Provides on-site response to referrals and cases in DC role as needed by clinical activity.
• Acts in role of Clinical Director on Call (CDOC) as needed by clinical activity.

KNOWLEDGE, SKILLS & ABILITIES:

• Interpersonal and Communication Skills: Excellent interpersonal skills including all forms of communication, active listening, consensus building and group facilitation. Ability to critically think, problem solve, and work productively both independently and as a team participant.
• Written communication: Written communication is the ability to effectively communicate with the written word. It can involve the use of proper grammar, spelling and punctuation. Additionally, excellent written communicators write in a way that is understandable and clear to many people.
• Honesty/integrity: Displays behavior that is ethical, honest, and humane. They serve as a role model for others and perform actions that demonstrate their values.
• Project Management Skills: Demonstrated ability to lead, organize, and manage multiple projects, adapt to changing priorities, and utilize time-management skills to meet deadlines.
• Problem Solving: All leaders have to solve problems eventually. Good problem solvers take proactive approaches to address issues and avert conflict whenever it emerges. They empower employees to seek information that improves their ability to develop and assess a variety of potential solutions. When problems arise, good problem solvers are quick to prevent escalation of conflict between employees.
• Developing others: Being able to see the potential in others, is an important quality of a great leader. Natural born leaders wish to help people grow and develop their skills. Every employee has different experiences, beliefs, goals and values. Great leaders treat every person with unique care.
• Computer & Application Literacy: Proficiency in Microsoft Office suite and ADP Workforce, ability to learn internal systems
• Data Visualization: skilled in data visualization and storytelling for business leaders, learners, and their managers by using data visualization techniques—flow charts, graphs, plots, word clouds, heat maps, and infographics.
• Clinical Skills: Knowledge of relevant medical terminology and pathology, ability to translate complex medical information into easily understandable language for families and staff to understand.
• Coaching and Mentoring: Exercises patience to create a safe place for learning, demonstrates persistence to unlock the potential of any individual, utilizes empathy to reflect upon what the individual is feeling or experiencing, ensures that communication is direct and transparent, focuses on creating greater awareness about goals, seeks meaning and listens to spoken and unspoken words, provides feedback on crucial points and attitudes to help the individual evaluate their performance.
• Performance Management & Team Building: Proven ability to work in and lead teams that produce results. Ensures that organizational goals are met in an effective and efficient manner by enhancing the skills and professional development of employees and building teams.
• Innovative Leadership: ability to assess an issue or opportunity and develop and implement an innovative solution by inspiring productivity in new ways and through different approaches than have typically been used and taken. Have excellent strategic vision, strong employee focus, create a climate of reciprocal trust, and excel at setting stretch goals and targets.
• Coaching for Performance: ability to provide balanced, objective feedback to encourage development and enable employees to meet their goals for specific tasks or objectives. Exercises patience to create a safe place for learning, demonstrates persistence to unlock the potential of any individual, utilizes empathy to reflect upon what the individual is feeling or experiencing, ensures that communication is direct and transparent, focuses on creating greater awareness about goals, seeks meaning and listens to spoken and unspoken words, provides timely feedback on crucial points and attitudes to help the individual evaluate their performance.
• Emotional Intelligence: Demonstrates the ability to understand, use and manage emotions in positive ways to relieve stress, communicate effectively, empathize with others, overcome challenges and diffuse conflict.
• Conflict resolution: Able to be present and pay attention in the moment, identify stress responses and triggers, cope and manage difficult emotions, speak mindfully and actively listen, maintain open communication, look for solutions and find agreement that benefits both sides to some extent.
• Decision Making: Makes sound decisions under pressure and is willing to make difficult and unpopular decisions when necessary. Foresees the consequences of decisions and takes decisive action based on well documented facts.
• Delegation: Knows when and what to delegate. Assigns tasks/assignments to match and individual’s personal strengths. Encourage employees to utilize critical thinking to solve their own problems.
• Initiative: Is a self-starter. Seeks solutions and makes practical suggestions. Finds new and better ways to perform job and functions. Displays ingenuity in anticipating and meeting unexpected situations.
• Organization: Is able to successfully prioritize when faced with demands, requests and deadlines. Effectively handles competing priorities. Is able to distinguish between the crucial and trivial. Sees the big picture. Keeps situations in proper perspective.
• Optimization: Demonstrates the ability to make the best or most effective use of resources to maximize organ potential.
• Confidentiality: Ability to handle highly confidential information in a professional manner. High level of judgment and discretion.
• Workload Management: Ability to prioritize and manage multiple priorities in a fast-paced environment. Ability to analyze highly complex situations with multiple variables and make sound recommendations.

EDUCATION & EXPERIENCE:

• Bachelor of Arts or Bachelor of Science degree required.
• Qualified to perform role of Donation Coordinator (DC), Referral Resource Coordinator (RRC) and/or Clinical Director On-Call (CDOC).
• A minimum of 5 years’ experience in clinical or OPO setting required.
• Leadership and/or management experience strongly preferred.

CERTIFICATES, LICENSES, REGISTRATIONS:

• Certified Procurement Transplant Coordinator (CPTC) through ABTC preferred.
• Required to travel by personal vehicle to meet the duties and responsibilities of this position. Must maintain the requirements of an “eligible driver” including maintaining an acceptable Motor Vehicle Record (MVR) and required minimum personal automobile insurance per NEDS automobile policy.
• Valid state driver’s license required.

HIRING ALERT: NEDS is actively taking precautions to protect our community, staff and partners during this time of medical emergency due to COVID-19. In order to be employed at NEDS, you must be vaccinated and boosted for COVID-19. 

When you join New England Donor Services, you can expect competitive salaries and a great benefit package. Benefits include BCBS Health Insurance, BCBS Dental Insurance, Vision Insurance,1x Annual Salary Life Insurance, Pet Insurance, Flexible Spending Account, Short-term Disability Coverage, Long-term Disability Coverage, Long-term Care Coverage, 403b Retirement Contribution, Tuition Reimbursement, Employee Assistance Program, Discounts through Working Advantage and a generous Paid Time-off Program.

We also proudly offer inclusive benefits to support the health and wellbeing of our workforce, including comprehensive health care for the LGBTQIA+ community, and personalized inclusive fertility and family-forming benefits.

Grow your career at NEDS Take advantage of additional benefits like online learning and development courses, tuition reimbursement, mentorship program, Employee Resource Group (ERG) – that provide opportunities and encourage our staff to grow professionally.  

New England Donor Services is an equal opportunity employer and welcomes candidates from underrepresented backgrounds to apply to meet the needs of the multicultural and multilingual communities we serve.