VP & Chief Patient Experience Officer/Chief of Staff to the CEO

UCSF Health seeks a highly strategic, visionary, and execution-oriented leader to serve as VP & Chief Patient Experience Officer / Chief of Staff to the CEO. This dual-role executive will both advance a world-class patient experience strategy and serve as a trusted advisor and operational partner to the CEO, helping drive enterprise priorities across a complex academic health system.

This role combines vision and execution—owning patient experience transformation while ensuring alignment, accountability, and momentum on the CEO’s highest strategic initiatives. Operating at the center of UCSF Health’s leadership team, this leader will influence culture, performance, and organizational effectiveness across a matrixed academic environment, including service lines and clinical departments.

Leads the design, execution, and continuous improvement of a world-class, human-centered patient experience across the health system. Champions a culture of compassion, equity, and service excellence aligned with UCSF Health’s mission of advancing health worldwide. Drives enterprise-wide strategies that elevate patient, family, and caregiver experiences across inpatient, outpatient, digital, and community settings while integrating clinical excellence, research, and education.

Partners with management teams across all business units, as well as CNE and CMO leadership, to align and advance enterprise-wide patient experience strategies and initiatives. Works closely with service line leaders and department chairs to align incentives, reduce variation, and improve access, throughput, and outcomes across the system.

In this role, success depends on the ability to navigate and influence a matrixed governance model—where department chairs oversee faculty, talent, and academic priorities, and service line leaders drive enterprise performance, growth, and care delivery optimization. This leader will play a critical role in aligning these stakeholders to ensure that patient experience strategies translate into measurable improvements in quality, access, equity, and operational performance.

Oversees Patient Experience, Patient Relations, Guest Services, Interpreter Services, and Volunteer Services across UCSF Health. Leads the centralization and oversight of all service recovery functions across the enterprise, establishing and implementing a standardized, system-wide approach to ensure consistency, accountability, and performance.

Ensures that health equity is embedded within the patient experience strategy, advancing equitable care practices and addressing disparities across all business units.

Influences enterprise-wide strategic initiatives and executive operations in close partnership with the CEO. This is a unique, high-impact hybrid role combining transformational leadership of patient experience with direct strategic partnership at the center of enterprise decision-making—shaping both how care is experienced and how the organization performs.

- 10–15+ years of related progressive leadership experience in healthcare or academic medicine. - Demonstrated success in: leading enterprise-level strategic initiatives, driving cultural transformation, and working closely with senior executives or serving in a Chief of Staff or equivalent role. - Deep understanding of complex health systems and matrixed organizations. - Expert knowledge and applied background in clinical operations management. Advanced knowledge of industry trends. Proven ability to apply theoretical concepts to define processes to improve the patient experience. - Expert leadership skills, with the ability to create and maintain a climate of collaboration and trust for effective problem solving, conflict resolution, and achievement of objectives. - Highly advanced skills in developing and implementing long and short-range strategic plans and fiscal management. - Highly advanced skills in organizing multi-departmental operations, integrating programs, and facilitating workflow improvements. - Expert diplomacy, relationship building, influencing and negotiation skills, including the ability to work effectively across all levels of management and staff. - Excellent analytical and conceptual thinking ability to analyze complex problems and formulate creative solutions. - Highly advanced verbal, written and interpersonal, communication. Advanced active listening, diplomacy. Advanced ability to motivate, influence and persuade. - Highly advanced knowledge of information technology specific to clinical operations / patient relations and related functions. - Advanced degree (MBA, MHA, MPH, MD, or equivalent) and / or equivalent experience / training. - Core Competencies: - Visionary Leadership: Ability to inspire and align diverse stakeholders. - Data-Driven Decision Making: Expertise in leveraging metrics to drive improvement. - Strategic Agility: Ability to operate at both enterprise and operational levels. - Influence Without Authority: Proven ability to drive alignment across diverse stakeholders. - Execution Excellence: Strong program management and follow-through. - Emotional Intelligence: Exceptional communication and relationship-building skills. - Change Management: Proven ability to lead transformation in complex environments. - Equity-Centered Leadership: Commitment to inclusive, patient-centered care.