Vcu Health System

Director of Real Estate Transition & Activation

Vcu Health System$110K — $130K *
Healthcare
5 - 7 years of experience
Job Overview by Ladders

Qualifications

  • Bachelor's Degree in relevant field (Business, Healthcare Administration, etc.)
  • 5+ years of experience in healthcare facility transition and activation
  • Preferred Master's Degree in relevant field
  • Knowledge of healthcare operations and clinical workflows
  • Strong communication skills across diverse audiences

Responsibilities

  • Direct enterprise-wide transition and activation planning for new and renovated healthcare facilities
  • Develop standardized frameworks for operational and activation readiness
  • Lead governance structures for activation, ensuring clear decision-making
  • Oversee the Project Master Activation Schedule coordination
  • Establish and maintain standardized activation tools for tracking readiness
  • Document post-activation outcomes and recommend system improvements
  • Ensure diversity and inclusion initiatives are implemented across health programs

Benefits

  • Commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion programs
  • Opportunities for leadership mentoring and professional development
  • Involvement in multidisciplinary team environments
  • Strategic influence on clinical and operational readiness
  • Potential for involvement in high-impact, system-wide projects
Full Job Description
The Director of Transitional & Activation Planning provides strategic leadership and operational oversight for the planning, activation, and stabilization of new and renovated healthcare facilities across the health system. This role ensures that clinical, operational, regulatory, and building readiness activities are fully integrated with design and construction delivery to support safe, compliant, and effective patient care on day one. Operating at a system level, the Director leads multidisciplinary teams through complex transition and activation efforts in an academic medical center environment, aligning stakeholders across Real Estate Services, clinical operations, facilities, IT, compliance, and executive leadership.

Essential Job Statement

Directs enterprise-wide transition and activation planning for new facilities, expansions, renovations, and relocations to ensure operational readiness, regulatory compliance, and safe patient care activation.

Develops standardized frameworks, policies, tools, and methodologies for Operational Readiness, Activation Readiness, and Building Readiness across the health system.

Leads activation governance structures, including steering committees and multidisciplinary work groups, establishing clear decision authority, accountability, and escalation pathways.

Oversees development and execution of the integrated Project Master Activation Schedule, coordinating construction turnover, equipment installation, IT readiness, training, regulatory approvals, and departmental go-live milestones.

Provides strategic coordination between Design & Construction Project Management and clinical/operational stakeholders to align building completion with operational and clinical readiness.

Establishes and maintains standardized activation tools, including activation checklists, RACI matrices, milestone plans, assumptions logs, and operational readiness issue tracking systems.

Oversees department-level occupancy planning, workflow validation, staffing readiness, and dual-operations planning to support uninterrupted patient care during transitions.

Directs regulatory and accreditation readiness activities in collaboration with compliance, safety, and clinical leadership, supporting licensure, permitting, life-safety readiness, and survey preparedness.

Documents post-activation stabilization outcomes through final transition reports capturing lessons learned, unresolved operational items, budget considerations, and system improvement recommendations.

Ensure responsibility and visible commitment of diversity equity and inclusion programs/initiatives through collaboration and implementation of initiatives across the health.

Patient Population: N/A

Employment Qualifications

Required Education: Bachelor's Degree in Business, Healthcare Administration, Nursing, Construction Management, Architecture, Public Administration, Biomedical Engineering, Project Management or related field

Preferred Education: Master's Degree in Business, Healthcare Administration, Nursing, Construction Management, Architecture, Public Administration, Biomedical Engineering, Project Management or related field

Licensing/ Certification

Licensure/Certification Required: N/A

Licensure/Certification Preferred: PMP, CAPM

Minimum Qualifications

Years and Type of Required Experience: 5+ years of experience in healthcare facility transition and activation, medical equipment planning, or clinical background, architecture, or construction project management

Other Knowledge, Skills and Abilities Required: Communicates clearly and consistently across diverse audiences. Thinks and acts beyond individual projects to advance system-wide readiness capabilities. Mentors emerging leaders in transition, activation, and operational readiness disciplines. Models collaborative behaviors consistent with academic medical center values. Communicates complex issues with clarity, confidence, and credibility. Builds internal capability and reduces reliance on external activation consultants over time. Integrates clinical, operational, and facility planning into cohesive activation strategies. Demonstrates deep understanding of healthcare operations, clinical workflows, and regulatory environments. Proactively identifies schedule conflicts, risks, and resource constraints. Drives accountability for milestone achievement across multidisciplinary teams. Facilitates complex decision-making in high-pressure, time-sensitive environments. Leads without direct authority, influencing clinical, operational, and technical leaders.

Other Knowledge, Skills and Abilities Preferred: Proficient in working in Excel, Power point, MS Project. Proficient in reading drawings, specifications and equipment data sheets

Working Conditions Periods of high stress and fluctuating workloads may occur.

Physical Requirements

Physical Demands: Lifting/ Carrying (0-50 lbs.), Push/ Pull (50-100 lbs.), Stoop, Kneel, Squat, Climbing, Balance, Bending

Work Position: Sitting, Walking, Standing

Additional Physical Requirements/ Hazards
Physical Requirements: Manual dexterity (eye/hand coordination), Perform shift work, Hear alarms/telephone/tape recorder, Reach above shoulder, Finger Dexterity, Color Vision,
Hazards: Exposure to dust/fumes

Mental/Sensory - Emotional
Mental/Sensory: Strong Recall, Reasoning, Problem Solving, Hearing, Speak Clearly, Write Legibly, Reading, Logical Thinking

Emotional : Fast pace environment, Steady Pace, Able to Handle Multiple Priorities, Frequent and Intense Customer Interactions, Noisy Environment, Able to Adapt to Frequent Change

About Vcu Health System

VCU Health System is a comprehensive academic medical center located in Richmond, Virginia. It is the only academic medical center in the region and serves as the primary teaching facility for the Virginia Commonwealth University School of Medicine. The health system includes a Level I trauma center, a children's hospital, a cancer center, and numerous other specialty centers and clinics. The health system was founded in 1838 and has grown to become one of the largest employers in the Richmond area.
Learn more about Vcu Health System
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