Executive Sensei

Virginia Mason Franciscan Health has a rich history of providing exceptional healthcare, dating back to 1891. Building upon a legacy of compassionate care and innovation, our organization has evolved over the years through strategic partnerships and integrations to expand our reach and services across the Puget Sound area.

Today, as Virginia Mason Franciscan Health, we remain deeply committed to healing the whole person – body, mind, and spirit – in the communities we serve. This commitment is strengthened by the diverse expertise and shared values brought together through our growth.

Our dedicated providers offer a full spectrum of health care services, from routine wellness to complex disease management, all grounded in rigorous research and education. Our comprehensive network of 10 hospitals and nearly 300 care sites strategically located across the greater Puget Sound region reflects our ongoing commitment to accessibility and comprehensive care.

We are proud of our pioneering medical advances and numerous awards and accreditations that reflect our dedication to excellence. When you join Virginia Mason Franciscan Health, you become part of a team that delivers top-quality, professional healthcare in modern, well-equipped facilities, and contributes to a legacy of service built on collaboration and shared purpose.

Virginia Mason Institute (VMI), a subsidiary of Virginia Mason Franciscan Health, helps healthcare organizations around the world create cultures of continuous improvement. Our approach is based on the world-renowned Virginia Mason Production System and empowers leaders and teams to improve quality, safety, and efficiency through the adoption of world-class management principles.

The Executive Sensei plays a key role in advancing this mission by providing expert coaching and guidance to healthcare executives and senior leaders. This position supports VMI clients worldwide, both on-site and virtually, in applying these principles to achieve organizational transformation, improve outcomes, and reduce costs.

Success in this role is defined by two outcomes: client success in achieving measurable improvement and the continued growth of VMI’s global impact.

Key Responsibilities Include:
1. Coaches executive leaders in developing a long-range strategy as part of culture transformation which achieves its mission, goals, and priorities utilizing lean methodology.
2. Coaches executive leaders in transforming themselves and their teams to increase organizational performance, by identifying and prioritizing developmental issues or opportunities and goals with an action plan.
3. Guide executive teams in making decisions regarding creating a sense of urgency and organizational alignment, to ensure an aligned message is conveyed to the front line staff and leaders, by providing big picture support and high level guidance.
4. Ensures transformational plan and execution result in positive client experiences, as measured by client continued engagement of services and recommends to others.
5. Establishes and maintains strong communication channels with internal divisional leadership, executive sensei and transformation sensei peers,and client experience specialists to proactively plan and resolve issues.
6. With the client, identifies opportunities for improvements within their company. Advises the executive team towards improvement and establishes trust and buy-in to continuously engage and assists executive team in developing long-range improvement plans.
7. Provides client with Virginia Mason’s management method best practices; maintains current knowledge of Virginia Mason Production System.

• Masters degree or equivalent required.
• Ten years progressively more responsibility and experience in leading change required.
• Five years in senior leadership function or executive leadership function with major initiative implementation required.
  Requires a direct impact on the client’s motivation to be an advocate for the services provided by Virginia Mason Institute.
• Requires a customer focus to maintain a high level of trust and engagement with the client.
• Requires comfort around executive leadership and an understanding of how health care executives think and work, as well as command skills to guide executive leadership conversation and direction.
• This position requires completion of Advanced Lean Training or equivalent by one year employment anniversary.
• This role requires travel up to 75% of the time.

Preferred:

• Masters degree or equivalent in business, with emphasis in organizational development, leadership development, lean management preferred.
• Experience in healthcare industry preferred.
• Executive coaching experience preferred.