ABOUT THIS POSITIONThe Director, Clinical Services is a strategic leader responsible for setting the direction of the clinical services function and driving the performance, adoption, and optimization of clinical solutions across client engagements. This role leads Clinical Managers and Consultants, ensuring alignment between clinical workflows, technology, and organizational priorities.
The Director drives client success through data-informed strategy and cross-functional collaboration, improving workflows, influencing product direction, and delivering measurable outcomes that support value realization and retention. Serving as a key liaison across clients and internal teams, this role requires a strong executive presence and the ability to lead through complexity.
As a senior leader, the Director is accountable for developing teams and scaling service delivery, combining clinical expertise, strategic thinking, and strong people leadership.
WHAT YOU'LL DOClinical and Product Leadership- Sets the clinical services strategy for the function, aligning clinical operations, client outcomes, and product performance with organizational goals.
- Provides clinical leadership across assigned service lines, ensuring effective adoption, optimization, and sustained value realization of clinical products and services.
- Influences product direction and roadmap planning through clinical insight, client feedback, workflow analysis, and performance trends.
- Partners with Product, Technology, Data Science, and Operations teams to support development and enhancement of products, tools, and workflows.
- Promotes innovation by identifying best practices, recommending process enhancements, and advancing scalable solutions for internal teams and external clients.
- Serves as a clinical thought leader internally and externally through subject matter expertise, client engagement, and industry perspective.
Knowledge and Application - Applies deep clinical expertise, operational knowledge, and industry experience to guide strategic and functional decision-making.
- Analyzes client workflows, documentation patterns, adoption metrics, and performance trends to identify opportunities for process improvement and optimization.
- Supports evaluation of clinical and system outputs to ensure alignment with intended use, regulatory/operational expectations, and desired business outcomes.
- Translates business-segment strategy into functional plans, priorities, and executional guidance for teams and cross-functional partners.
- Maintains strong knowledge of clinical operations, healthcare delivery models, and relevant industry standards to inform decision-making and stakeholder guidance.
Complexity and Problem Solving - Leads resolution of complex client, operational, and product-related issues where problems may be ambiguous, multi-factorial, or not clearly defined.
- Serves as an escalation point for significant client concerns, partnering across departments to drive resolution and maintain strong client relationships.
- Reconciles competing priorities, stakeholder perspectives, and evolving business needs to deliver practical and effective solutions.
- Develops new methods, approaches, and action plans to address emerging challenges, improve adoption, and strengthen overall service performance.
- Identifies risk proactively, assesses impact, and implements mitigation strategies to support client success, retention, and growth.
Discretion and Impact - Participates with senior leadership in establishing strategic plans, objectives, and implementation of approaches for the function.
- Makes final decisions on execution within the scope of the role and ensures operational effectiveness across assigned areas of responsibility.
- Contributes to the development of functional and cross-departmental strategies that have a significant impact on client outcomes, product performance, and business success.
- Exercises broad discretion in interpreting organizational goals, prioritizing initiatives, and guiding teams through change.
Collaboration and Interaction - Demonstrates strong team and cross-functional influence, partnering effectively with senior management, executives, internal stakeholders, and client leaders.
- Builds and sustains strategic, long-term relationships with clients, decision-makers, and key partners.
- Communicates client health, business risks, mitigation strategies, and performance insights to leadership in a clear and actionable manner.
- Collaborates across departments to improve processes, enhance client experience, and drive measurable outcomes.
- Negotiates and navigates matters of significance with internal and external stakeholders, balancing multiple viewpoints to achieve business results.
- Coaches teams to deliver exceptional service, foster trust, and exceed expectations in client-facing interactions.
Scope of Management and Supervision - Directs the activities of a functional area or multiple integrated areas through lower-level management and/or senior individual contributors.
- Leads, develops, and coaches team members to strengthen performance, build capability, and support achievement of strategic objectives.
- Establishes expectations, monitors performance, and drives accountability for client outcomes, operational effectiveness, and team engagement.
- Oversees execution of programs and processes designed to improve adoption, mitigate client risk, and support retention, renewal, and expansion opportunities.
- May be accountable for actions that impact functional budgets, resource allocation, staffing strategy, and operational planning.
WHAT YOU'LL NEEDCredentials and Experience Minimum Requirements
- For CDI-focused roles: CCDS, CCS, or CDIP preferred
- For UM-focused roles: CCM or ACM preferred
- Experience: Typically, 10+ years of clinical specialty experience in an acute care environment, including progressive leadership responsibility and cross-functional collaboration.
- Leadership Experience: Demonstrated experience in people leadership, team development, and managing staff through change, performance expectations, and strategic priorities.
- Clinical Operations Experience: Experience in hospital-based clinical operations, utilization management, utilization review, clinical documentation improvement, or a related clinical-services environment.
- Strategic Experience: Experience contributing to program strategy, goal setting, workflow optimization, and performance improvement initiatives.
- Communication Skills: Strong executive presence, client-facing communication skills, presentation skills, and the ability to influence multiple levels of the organization.
- Problem Solving: Experience managing complex issues, multiple concurrent priorities, and stakeholder escalation while maintaining focus on outcomes and commitments.
- Change Management: Strong persuasion and relationship-management skills with the ability to guide clients and teams through change and conflicting priorities.
- Ability to travel up to 50% based on client and business needs
Preferred Qualifications
- Experience working/consulting with healthcare technology or AI-enabled platforms
- Master's degree in nursing (Registered Nurse)
WAYSTAR PERKS- Competitive total rewards (base salary + bonus, if applicable)
- Customizable benefits package (3 medical plans with Health Saving Account company match)
- We offer generous paid time off for our non-exempt team members, starting with 3 weeks + 13 paid holidays, including 2 personal floating holidays. We also offer flexible time off for our exempt team members + 13 paid holidays
- Paid parental leave (including maternity + paternity leave)
- Education assistance opportunities and free LinkedIn Learning access
- Free mental health and family planning programs, including adoption assistance and fertility support
- 401(K) program with company match
- Pet insurance
- Employee resource groups
