HonorBridge Verified

Healthcare

Director of Approach and Authorization

Chapel Hill, NCOnsiteFull TimeDirectorPosted 16 days ago

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Required skills

Organ Donation
Authorization
Family Engagement
Healthcare Operations
Patient Experience
Clinical Operations
Quality Assurance
Performance Improvement
Data Analysis
Team Development

Nice to have

Healthcare Administration
Business Administration
Family-centered care
Regulatory requirements

Role summary

HonorBridge seeks a Director of Approach and Authorization to lead teams and strategies for organ and tissue donation conversations. This role focuses on supporting donor families through informed decisions, ensuring excellence, respect, and care in every interaction. The Director will provide strategic leadership and operational oversight for the approach and authorization continuum, including family engagement, authorization practices, and team development. Responsibilities include advancing best practices, leading quality assurance, analyzing performance data, and enhancing the donor family experience. The role requires close collaboration across various departments to create an integrated experience and foster a culture of accountability and service excellence. The ideal candidate has a Bachelor's degree, 7+ years in donation or healthcare operations, and 5+ years in leadership, with a strong background in managing sensitive conversations and using data for operational results. A Master's degree and 10+ years of experience in healthcare operations or donation programs are preferred.

At HonorBridge, our mission is to build connections that save and heal lives through organ and tissue donation. Behind every donation decision is a family navigating one of life's most difficult moments. Those conversations require compassion, trust, expertise, and leadership.

We are seeking a Director, Approach & Authorization to lead the teams, strategies, and processes responsible for one of the most critical phases of the donation journey: supporting donor families through informed donation decisions and ensuring every opportunity is approached with excellence, respect, and care.

This is an opportunity for an experienced healthcare, donation, patient experience, or clinical operations leader to shape how donation conversations are conducted across our service area while developing high-performing teams dedicated to honoring donors and their families.

The Opportunity

The Director, Approach & Authorization provides strategic leadership and operational oversight for HonorBridge's approach and authorization continuum, including donation conversations, family engagement, authorization practices, donor risk assessment interviews (DRAI), team development, quality assurance, and performance improvement initiatives.

This leader will establish and advance best practices that ensure every donation conversation is conducted with compassion, professionalism, and consistency while supporting families in making informed decisions about organ and tissue donation.

You will bring together people, processes, training, quality systems, and data-driven strategies to improve authorization outcomes, strengthen the donor family experience, and ensure seamless coordination across the donation process. Working closely with Referral Optimization, Organ Services, Recovery Operations, Family Support, Hospital Development, and clinical leadership teams, you will help create an integrated experience that serves donor families while advancing HonorBridge's lifesaving mission.

Just as importantly, you will develop and support leaders and teams who regularly navigate emotionally complex situations, creating a culture grounded in accountability, collaboration, compassion, and service excellence.

What You'll Do

Lead the Approach & Authorization Strategy

Provide strategic direction for HonorBridge's approach and authorization programs, ensuring alignment with organizational priorities, industry best practices, and regulatory requirements.

Establish and maintain standards for donation conversations, communication approaches, timing, family engagement, and transition processes across organ and tissue donation environments.

Ensure authorization processes consistently support family-centered decision-making while maximizing donation opportunities.

Advance Quality and Performance

Lead quality assurance, case review, outcome monitoring, and continuous improvement initiatives related to donation conversations and authorization practices.

Analyze trends and performance data to identify opportunities for improvement and implement sustainable solutions.

Oversee the Donor Risk Assessment Interview (DRAI) process to ensure quality, consistency, compliance, and accuracy.

Elevate the Donor Family Experience

Provide strategic oversight of the family experience during the approach and authorization phase.

Ensure families receive compassionate, culturally responsive, and consistent support throughout the donation decision-making process.

Partner with Family Support leadership to evaluate feedback, identify improvement opportunities, and strengthen continuity of care for donor families.

Collaborate Across the Donation Continuum

Partner closely with Referral Optimization, Organ Services, Recovery Operations, Hospital Development, Family Support, and other operational leaders.

Improve communication, coordination, timing, and handoffs throughout the donation process.

Monitor emerging practices, industry trends, and regulatory developments to advance organizational excellence.

Develop Leaders and Teams

Lead, coach, and mentor managers and team members responsible for approach and authorization activities.

Build a culture of accountability, service excellence, emotional intelligence, and continuous learning.

Support workforce planning, succession development, and professional growth opportunities across the department.

What We're Looking For

Required Qualifications

Bachelor's degree in Healthcare Administration, Nursing, Social Work, Management, Communications, or a related field.

Minimum of 7 years of progressive experience in organ and tissue donation, authorization, family services, healthcare operations, patient/family engagement, or a related setting.

Minimum of 5 years of leadership experience with responsibility for teams, programs, or functional areas.

Demonstrated success leading teams responsible for complex, emotionally sensitive conversations and interactions.

Strong communication, relationship-building, and interpersonal skills.

Experience using data, quality metrics, and performance improvement methodologies to drive operational results.

Preferred Qualifications

Master's degree in Healthcare Administration, Business Administration, Leadership, or a related field.

10+ years of experience leading complex healthcare operations, donation programs, enterprise initiatives, or large-scale service functions.

Knowledge of organ and tissue donation practices, authorization processes, family-centered care, and related regulatory requirements.

What Makes You Successful

You thrive in environments where empathy and operational excellence must coexist. You can confidently lead through complexity, support teams through challenging situations, and balance compassionate family care with organizational performance goals.

You are:

A trusted and collaborative leader

Skilled at coaching and developing others

Data-driven and improvement-focused

Emotionally intelligent and professionally resilient

Comfortable navigating ambiguity and change

Passionate about serving families and advancing donation

Why HonorBridge?

At HonorBridge, every role contributes directly to our mission of building connections that save and heal lives. As Director, Approach & Authorization, your leadership will help shape the experiences of donor families while strengthening our ability to honor donor wishes and create more opportunities for transplantation and healing.

You'll have the opportunity to lead meaningful work, influence organizational strategy, develop exceptional teams, and make a measurable impact on the lives of donor families, transplant recipients, and communities we serve.

What's in it for you?

100% Company-Paid Employee Medical Premiums: Coverage for employees, with the company covering a significant portion of spouse and family premiums.

Health Reimbursement Account (HRA): Helps reduce your medical deductible and out-of-pocket healthcare costs.

Company-Paid Life Insurance & Long-Term Disability Insurance, plus voluntary Short-Term Disability Insurance.

Up to 8% Employer Retirement Match after one year of employment.

Generous Paid Time Off: Vacation and sick leave, 10 paid holidays, and 2 floating holidays.

$500 Annual Work-Life Balance Benefit

$500 Annual Mental Health Benefit

Dental & Vision Insurance

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