****Applicants must reside in Northeast Ohio** Join the Cleveland Clinic team where you will work alongside passionate caregivers and provide patient-first healthcare. Here, you will receive endless support and appreciation while building a rewarding career with one of the most respected healthcare organizations in the world. The Executive Director, Direct Access Optimization is responsible for designing and building enterprise-wide patient access and scheduling pathways, translating clinical and operational needs into scalable solutions within Epic and other enabling technologies. This role leads the design and build of outpatient appointment workflows that support accurate patient self-scheduling and call center scheduling, ensuring seamless integration between technology, operations, and access strategy. The executive director enables and optimizes call center capabilities, orchestrates cross-functional teams, and proactively solves complex access challenges while overseeing Access Optimization, Capacity Management, Virtual Health Strategy, and Access Improvement functions. The role provides strategic and operational leadership for approximately 50 caregivers, including 5 direct reports, with a focus on enterprise alignment, performance optimization, and improving timely patient access across the system. **A caregiver in this role will work Monday through Friday, 8:00am to 5:00pm with the opportunity to work remotely while traveling to various Cleveland Clinic hospital and facilities in the area.** A caregiver who excels in this role will: + Provide strategic leadership for multiple departments and teams, including Access Transformation and Capacity Management teams across the enterprise. + Define and execute the enterprise strategy for access optimization and technology transformation enterprise wide. + Develops systemwide annual and long-term plans to establish access standards, technology decisions and initiatives that drive organizational goals. + Lead the Access Optimization and Capacity Management teams to standardize scheduling templates, improve referral workflows, and optimize capacity utilization. + Drive systemwide consistency in scheduling, orders, and referral management to reduce friction and improve patient throughput. + Oversee Epic access modules, CRM, digital engagement, and AI platforms. + Lead the design, implementation, and governance of AI-enabled scheduling, predictive analytics, chatbots, and virtual agents. + Partner with IT and digital engagement teams to ensure technology solutions support access goals. + Oversee telephony, IVR, CRM, and omnichannel systems supporting patient access. + Implement automation and self-service tools to reduce handle time and improve first-contact resolution. + Manage budgets, vendor relationships, and technology contracts for all access-related platforms. + Deliver measurable ROI through increased throughput, reduced cost per contact, and improved patient satisfaction. + Build and develop high-performing teams across optimization and technology disciplines. + Foster collaboration with IT, Revenue Cycle, Digital Health, and Ambulatory Operations to ensure coordinated execution. + Promote a culture of continuous improvement, innovation, and accountability. Minimum requirements for the ideal future caregiver include: + Master's degree in Business, Healthcare Administration, Information Systems, or related field required + Minimum of 15 years of progressive leadership in healthcare access, technology management, or operations improvement + Demonstrated success implementing technology-enabled solutions and process optimization at enterprise scale + Proven record in optimizing scheduling, referral management, and digital access workflows + Experience with Epic Cadence, Prelude, MyChart, and integration of CRM and telephony platforms + Strong financial management and vendor negotiation experience **Physical Requirements:** + Manual dexterity sufficient to operate office equipment. + May require extended periods of sitting, standing and walking. + Must be able to walk to attend meetings; must have normal or corrected vision to normal range. + Ability to clearly communicate by phone and in person. **Personal Protective Equipment:** + Follows Standard Precautions using personal protective equipment as required for procedures **Pay Range** Minimum Annual Salary: $143,960.00 Maximum Annual Salary: $230,322.50 The pay range displayed on this job posting reflects the anticipated range for new hires. A successful candidate's actual compensation will be determined after taking factors into consideration such as the candidate's work history, experience, skill set and education. The pay range displayed does not include any applicable pay practices (e.g., shift differentials, overtime, etc.). The pay range does not include the value of Cleveland Clinic's benefits package (e.g., healthcare, dental and vision benefits, retirement savings account contributions, etc.). Cleveland Clinic Health System is pleased to be an equal employment employer: Women / Minorities / Veterans / Individuals with Disabilities