Executive Vice Chair

GENERAL SUMMARY/OVERVIEW STATEMENT:

As a not-for-profit organization, Mass General Brigham (MGB) is committed to supporting patient care, research, teaching, and service to the community by leading innovation across our system. Founded by Brigham and Women’s Hospital and Massachusetts General Hospital, MGB supports a complete continuum of care including two academic medical centers, community and specialty hospitals, a managed care organization, a physician network, community health centers, home care and other health-related entities.

The Executive Vice Chair reports directly to the Chair of Ophthalmology and along with the Chair manages the Department, cross-cutting Operational, Research, Financial, Personnel, and Program Development. The Executive Vice Chair serves as a resource and facilitator for Division Chiefs, Faculty, trainees. The position requires an outstanding surgeon who is a distinguished national and international leader in his/her surgical subspecialty, exemplary teacher and researcher, and has a deep understanding of hospital and business operations. The individual independently represents the department in leadership meetings and possesses the ability to manage challenges and reach resolutions that arise in a complex clinical enterprise in discussion with the chair. The Executive Vice Chair serves as the Chair of Ophthalmology designee in his or her absence.

PRINCIPAL DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES:

The EVC works in collaboration with appropriate Service, Departmental, and/or Senior Institutional leadership in the following activities. He/she may delegate assignments as necessary, but is ultimately responsible for ensuring that each of the functions listed below is achieved:

Clinical Operations

·        Provides executive oversight of the Department’s clinical operations across all care settings, including main campus, affiliated hospitals, and ambulatory sites, through close partnership with Division Chiefs, Vice Chairs, and Site Medical Directors.

·        Serves as the central integrator of the Department’s clinical leadership structure, working collaboratively with Vice Chairs of Hospital Clinical Operations, Practice Optimization & Performance, and Regional Practice Operations to ensure alignment of clinical strategy, operational execution, and performance across all divisions and sites.

·        Partners with Division Chiefs to support and advance clinical performance within each subspecialty, ensuring accountability for access, throughput, quality, and patient outcomes, while facilitating coordination across divisions to achieve departmental goals.

·        Works across care settings with hospital operations, ambulatory leadership, perioperative services, nursing, finance, and informatics to align resources, standardize workflows where appropriate, and enable efficient, high-quality care delivery throughout the system.

·        Facilitates communication, coordination, and shared accountability among clinical leaders, ensuring that departmental priorities are translated into actionable plans and executed consistently across the enterprise.

·        Ensures that clinical operations are data-driven and aligned with institutional priorities, supporting continuous improvement in patient access, experience, clinical outcomes, and operational efficiency.

Surgical and Procedural Services

·        Provides oversight of surgical and procedural services across the Department through collaboration with the Vice Chair of Hospital Clinical Operations, OR Clinical Lead, and Director of Surgical Optimization.

·        Works with Division Chiefs and procedural leaders to ensure appropriate utilization of operating room resources, equitable block allocation, and efficient procedural access across all sites.

·        Partners with perioperative operations and hospital leadership to improve throughput, reduce delays, and enhance coordination of surgical care delivery.

·        Facilitates alignment of surgical strategy across divisions and sites to ensure consistent quality, efficiency, and growth of procedural services.

Network Strategy and Clinical Integration

·        Partners with the Vice Chair of Regional Practice Operations and Director of Network Strategy & Clinical Integration to support the development and execution of the Department’s regional clinical strategy.

·        Works with Division Chiefs and Site Medical Directors to ensure consistent clinical standards, appropriate subspecialty distribution, and coordinated care pathways across all network locations.

·        Facilitates integration of clinical services across sites, aligning referral pathways, access strategies, and operational workflows to support growth and patient access.

·        Supports expansion of the Department’s clinical footprint in alignment with institutional priorities and departmental capabilities.

Quality, Safety, and Patient Experience

·        Collaborates with the Vice Chair of Quality & Safety to promote a culture of clinical excellence, safety, and patient-centered care.

·        Works with Division Chiefs and clinical leaders to ensure accountability for clinical outcomes, patient experience, and adherence to standardized care pathways.

·        Facilitates alignment of quality initiatives across divisions and sites and supports consistent measurement and reporting of performance.

·        Ensures integration of quality and patient experience data into clinical operations and performance improvement efforts.

Practice Optimization and Performance

·        Partners with the Vice Chair of Practice Optimization & Performance and Director of Clinical Informatics & Analytics to drive improvements in clinical access, throughput, and operational efficiency.

·        Works with Division Chiefs and Site Medical Directors to optimize clinic templates, scheduling, and resource utilization.

·        Facilitates the use of data and analytics to support performance monitoring, decision-making, and continuous improvement across all care settings.

·        Ensures alignment of operational initiatives with departmental and institutional priorities.

Research

·        Partners with the Vice Chair of Research to align clinical operations with research priorities to provide input on the operations and funding/grant activity of clinical and basic science research efforts of the department

·        May provide input on the management and implementation of strategies for optimizing the Department’s basic science and clinical research activities and academic output

Financial

·        Together with the Department’s leadership team and finance group, the EVC supports the management of clinical productivity, resource utilization, and operational performance to ensure efficient and sustainable delivery of care.

·        Works with Division Chiefs and Vice Chairs to align clinical operations with financial goals, including optimization of capacity, staffing models, and cost structures.

·        Participates in regular review of financial performance and facilitates implementation of strategies to improve efficiency and maintain the financial health of the Department.

Personnel

·        Provides input on faculty recruitment, particularly for clinically focused roles, in collaboration with the Chair, Vice Chairs, and Division Chiefs.

·        Supports Division Chiefs and clinical leaders in managing performance, professionalism, and engagement of faculty and staff.

·        Promotes alignment of faculty effort with departmental priorities, including clinical productivity, quality, and patient experience.

·        Fosters leadership development across the clinical enterprise and supports a culture of accountability, collaboration, and continuous improvement.

·        Monitors and addresses behavior and professionalism of all personnel while in the Department’s service

Program Development

·        In conjunction with the Chair, develops appropriate policies, structures, and systems to support existing clinical programs and the growth of new initiatives.

·        Works with Vice Chairs, Division Chiefs, and program leaders to support the development of multidisciplinary programs and centers of excellence.

·        Ensures coordination across clinical, research, and educational domains to support integrated program development.

·        Facilitates departmental participation in institutional initiatives and promotes strong collaboration with clinical and operational partners across the system.

Clinical Practice

• Experienced ophthalmologist skilled in running a busy clinical practice
• Comprehensive ophthalmologist or a specialist with surgical subspecialty training.
• Amount of time spent in clinical practice will be determined as the EVC role evolves.
• Academic appointment with Harvard Medical School at the Instructor, Assistant Professor or Associate Professor level dependent on experience and current academic standing.

REPORTING RELATIONSHIPS

The EVC reports to the Chair of Ophthalmology. Division Chiefs, Vice Chairs within the clinical enterprise, and Site Medical Directors work in close collaboration with the EVC.

The EVC works collaboratively with leadership across the Department and the institution, including operations, nursing, anesthesia, finance, and informatics, as well as with leaders of other clinical departments to ensure coordinated and integrated care delivery.

KNOWLEDGE, SKILLS, AND ABILITIES REQUIRED:

·        Clinical Requirements: The individual should be board-certified in ophthalmology and demonstrate outstanding clinical expertise. The individual should have a regional and national reputation for high-quality clinical care and be actively engaged in patient care within an academic medical center.

·        Teaching Requirements: The individual will have an important role in teaching medical students, residents, and fellows and should demonstrate a strong commitment to education and mentorship.

·        Research Requirements: The individual should have a record of academic contribution in clinical, translational, or basic science research and should support the integration of research within clinical environments.

·        Administrative Requirements: The individual must have demonstrated organizational, management, and leadership skills to direct and grow a complex clinical enterprise across multiple care settings. The ability to align clinical, operational, and financial performance with strategic goals is essential.

·        Personal Characteristics: The EVC should have the ability to make timely and effective decisions and to engender support. He/she must be an accessible, collaborative, and fair leader with strong interpersonal skills, capable of establishing credibility across disciplines and effectively engaging faculty, staff, and institutional leadership.

The above is intended to describe the general contents and requirements of work being performed by people assigned to this classification. It is not intended to be construed as an exhaustive statement of all duties, responsibilities, or skills of personnel so classified.

EEO Statement:

Massachusetts Eye and Ear Associates, Inc. is an Equal Opportunity Employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religious creed, national origin, sex, age, gender identity, disability, sexual orientation, military service, genetic information, and/or other status protected under law. We will ensure that all individuals with a disability are provided a reasonable accommodation to participate in the job application or interview process, to perform essential job functions, and to receive other benefits and privileges of employment. To ensure reasonable accommodation for individuals protected by Section 503 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, the Vietnam Veteran’s Readjustment Act of 1974, and Title I of the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990, applicants who require accommodation in the job application process may contact Human Resources at (857)-282-7642.