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Chair of Surgical Specialties

Job Overview

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Compensation

Salary
Range $82,560.00 - $135,840.00
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Benefits

Health Insurance
Dental Insurance
Paid Time Off
Retirement Plan
Professional Development
flexible schedule
Employee wellness programs

Job Description

Sutter West Bay Medical Group (SWBMG) is a premier, fast-growing, physician-led multispecialty medical group consisting of nearly 500 physicians and advanced practice clinicians. Based in San Francisco and serving Northern California and beyond, SWBMG delivers integrated, patient-centered care that spans from primary to quaternary levels. Rooted in clinical excellence, collaboration, and innovation, the group plays a vital role within Sutter Health's regional care delivery network. SWBMG is committed to fostering an inclusive environment where diversity, equity, and equal opportunity thrive. Their comprehensive approach to healthcare emphasizes quality outcomes, operational efficiency, and sustainable growth, making them a leading organization dedicated to improving patient care and advancing medical practices.

The role of Chair of Surgical Specialties is a pivotal leadership position within SWBMG, responsible for shaping the clinical vision and driving service line performance across various surgical specialties. This role involves overseeing how surgical services are organized, resourced, and optimized to ensure the delivery of safe, timely, and high-quality procedural care across ambulatory surgery centers (ASCs) and hospital settings. The Chair partners in a dyad leadership model, collaborating closely with administrative counterparts to steer perioperative performance, improve surgical access, and uphold quality and safety standards. The responsibilities extend to workforce strategy, including recruitment, retention, and development of surgeons, ensuring strong physician engagement and alignment with broader enterprise strategies.

In this capacity, the Chair of Surgical Specialties leads strategic planning efforts for operating room (OR) and ASC capacity, service segmentation based on acuity and urgency, and integration with primary care, anesthesia, and hospital operations. The role emphasizes implementing evidence-based surgical care, promoting a culture of safety and accountability, and championing quality improvement initiatives. The Chair also focuses on optimizing throughput, managing block utilization, and reducing inefficiencies throughout the surgical care continuum. A key aspect of this leadership position is financial stewardship, which includes managing value-based care models, bundled payments, and aligning physician compensation with quality and efficiency targets.

Furthermore, the Chair oversees the physician leadership structure, driving surgeon recruitment, mentoring, performance feedback, and fostering an inclusive, collaborative culture. The position supports innovation by sponsoring new surgical programs and procedural advancements such as minimally invasive techniques and outpatient care models, enhancing the patient experience and surgical outcomes. Situated in San Francisco, this role offers the opportunity to lead within a vibrant community known for its healthcare innovation, strong academic institutions, and quality of life amenities, providing a unique environment for impactful physician leadership.

Job Requirements

  • Md or DO degree
  • Board certification in a surgical specialty
  • Minimum significant clinical experience in surgical practice
  • Proven senior physician leadership experience
  • Experience in perioperative operations and quality improvement
  • Knowledge of value-based care and bundled payments
  • Experience with dyad leadership models
  • Excellent communication and strategic skills
  • Strong change management capability

Job Qualifications

  • Md or DO with board certification in a surgical specialty
  • Significant clinical experience in surgical practice
  • Demonstrated senior physician leadership experience
  • Experience with perioperative operations, quality improvement, and service line performance
  • Familiarity with value-based care, bundled payments, and utilization management
  • Experience working in dyad leadership models
  • Strong strategic, communication, and change management skills
  • Systems thinking and ability to design integrated surgical care
  • Operational excellence in driving efficiency and reliability
  • Physician influence to build trust and alignment
  • Strategic vision to translate enterprise goals
  • Operational partnership skills with administrative leaders
  • Change leadership with respect for surgical culture
  • Accountability and results oriented

Job Duties

  • Define and operationalize the Surgical Specialties service line strategy including ambulatory and inpatient surgical services
  • Establish and oversee service segmentation based on urgency and care settings
  • Ensure alignment of surgical care models with case mix and perioperative capacity
  • Set clinical expectations for staffing models and perioperative workflows
  • Lead long-range planning for OR and ASC capacity and workforce needs
  • Ensure integration of Surgical Specialties with primary care and hospital operations
  • Champion surgical quality improvement initiatives including outcomes and safety
  • Lead standardization of perioperative pathways and best practices
  • Promote a culture of safety and accountability
  • Establish standards for timely surgical access and case scheduling
  • Optimize OR and ASC utilization and throughput
  • Partner with anesthesia and perioperative leadership on staffing and capacity
  • Reduce variation and inefficiencies across surgical continuum
  • Champion value-based and bundled payment models including cost management
  • Partner with finance and population health to support performance in risk-based arrangements
  • Define physician leadership expectations related to case selection and resource utilization
  • Ensure alignment of physician compensation with quality and financial goals
  • Lead surgical physician leadership structure
  • Oversee surgeon recruitment, retention, and succession planning
  • Ensure consistent onboarding, mentoring, and leadership development for surgeons
  • Deliver performance feedback through annual evaluation
  • Drive physician engagement and collaboration culture
  • Serve as escalation point for complex surgeon performance issues
  • Partner with administrative dyad leader on access, staffing, productivity and financial performance
  • Review and act on performance dashboards, KPIs, and utilization trends
  • Support development of sustainable surgical operating models
  • Identify and sponsor new surgical programs and procedural innovations
  • Champion innovation in minimally invasive surgery and outpatient care
  • Support integration of care management and post-acute services
  • Ensure clear communication across Surgical Specialty physicians and leaders
  • Align chiefs, medical directors, and surgeons to strategic priorities
  • Serve as a visible trusted leader and advocate for Surgical Specialties

Job Criteria

Experience

Expert Level (7+ years)


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