The Wisconsin Association for Perinatal Care (WAPC) is hiring a Quality Improvement Program Manager to support the mission and work of WAPC and the Wisconsin Perinatal Quality Collaborative (WisPQC). This position is responsible for managing the activities and leading the growth of Wisconsin’s perinatal quality improvement collaborative.

In this role, you will have the opportunity to affect healthcare delivery and outcomes for birthing people and infants across Wisconsin. This role is perfect for someone who enjoys being extremely organized, managing projects and volunteers, balancing deadlines, and facilitating collaborative meetings. This person should have familiarity with the concept of quality improvement (QI), experience planning and facilitating meetings for a diverse audience, and an interest in continuing to learn. Experience in clinical practice would benefit the person in this role, but it is not required. Strong QI skills are essential to success in this position, however, formal training in QI methodology is not required to apply. We are committed to developing the QI skills of the person in this role from whatever level of training/experience they have at the start.

The person in this position should be excited to contribute to an anti-racist and LGBTQ+ inclusive workplace, programming, and QI work. A deep understanding of (or interest in understanding) how social determinants of health relate to clinical health outcomes is essential.

Organizational Culture

WAPC no longer has a brick-and-mortar office; all staff work remotely. When it is safe to do so (see “COVID-19 Policy” above), we will meet in-person as a staff periodically throughout the year and around the state.

You will join a collegial and thoughtful team that values collaboration, open communication, and efficient and timely completion of tasks and projects.

WAPC strives to attract and develop individuals who reflect a broad spectrum of diversity, including racial, ethnic, gender identity, and socioeconomic dimensions. We believe that inclusion of diverse perspectives is essential to achieving long-term, systemic change. We explicitly welcome applications from those who self-identify as coming from historically marginalized populations to enrich and elevate our equity-centered approach to problem-solving.

Specifics of the Role within the Context of WAPC’s History and Current Work

The Quality Improvement Program Manager works collaboratively with both internal and external stakeholders to improve perinatal care in Wisconsin through quality improvement.

WAPC is a multidisciplinary professional association for perinatal care providers founded in 1970 with the purpose of promoting perinatal health for all birthing people and infants in Wisconsin. Our vision is a world in which every baby is born healthy, wanted, and into a family prepared to nurture, love, and support. More information about our work can be found at www.perinatalweb.org.

In 2014, WAPC formed the Wisconsin Perinatal Quality Collaborative (WisPQC) with the support of many statewide partners, including the Wisconsin Department of Health Services (DHS). WisPQC’s mission is to “improve perinatal health outcomes and equity across the continuum for all women (birthing people) and infants in Wisconsin.” WisPQC’s members are organizations and agencies committed to quality improvement in perinatal health. We recruit and support hospitals to participate in quality improvement initiatives on a range of topics. We have adopted and adapted the Institute for Healthcare Improvement (IHI) Breakthrough Series (BTS) model for our initiatives, and implement Alliance for Innovation on Maternal Health (AIM) patient safety bundles when possible. More information about our initiatives can be found at www.wispqc.org

Duties and Responsibilities

• WisPQC Program Management
  • Work within a team to develop and coordinate activities of WisPQC and its initiatives; activities may include, but are not limited to, facilitating meetings, processing data, preparing presentations and reports, and evaluating WisPQC and its initiatives
  • Develop and maintain relationships with QI leaders in Wisconsin and nationally
  • Participate in idea development and grant writing for QI-related funding opportunities
  • Represent WisPQC and WAPC at state and national meetings as needed
  • Attend monthly National Network of Perinatal Quality Collaboratives (NNPQC) meetings on behalf of WisPQC and communicate regularly with perinatal quality collaboratives (PQCs) throughout the nation
  • Plan and organize WisPQC Member Organization Meetings
  • Communicate with external key partners regularly (both statewide and nationally)
  • Contribute to the overall WAPC staff team to plan QI sessions/speakers for the Wisconsin Perinatal Conference held each fall
  • Lead dissemination of WisPQC work
  • Staff the Publications Subgroup and Steering Committee meetings (meeting reminders, agendas, keep tasks on track and moving, etc.)
  • Manage WisPQC communications, including coordinating content for WisPQC Minute newsletter, manage WisPQC email, and other communications regarding WisPQC
  • Recruit organizations for WisPQC membership and to participate in QI initiatives
  • Engage public health partners, family advisors, and people with lived experience
  • Contribute to grant reporting requirements as needed
  • Contribute to the overall success and sustainability of WisPQC

• Learning Collaborative Management
  • Facilitate monthly group learning calls for teams working on QI initiatives
  • Work with expert faculty members to plan content and keep them informed on progress of initiatives
  • Work closely with our QI Advisor to review QI data, plan monthly calls and create slide decks, and meet with teams individually
  • Provide individualized support to participating initiative teams
  • Provide oversight on learning collaborative evaluation plan

• QI Initiative Coordination:
  • Manage the lifecycle of an initiative, including selecting and convening expert faculty, recruiting sites, standardizing measures, evaluating experience of participation, and other factors that lead to a successful initiative
  • Work with QI Advisor, Membership and Events Manager, and other staff to plan and execute learning sessions (in-person when possible)
  • Work closely with QI Advisor to review QI data, plan monthly calls and create slide decks, meet with teams individually
  • Manage all communications with initiative teams (calendar invites, updating contact info, sending out meeting prep and follow-up)
  • Onboard teams to new initiatives
  • Work with expert faculty members to plan content and keep them informed on progress of initiatives

• General
  • Contribute to staff meetings and all-staff discussions
  • Contribute to the planning of organization-wide events, such as the Wisconsin Perinatal Conference
  • Provide QI perspective in strategic planning for WisPQC and WAPC
  • Other duties as assigned

Knowledge and Abilities

Required:

• Strong planning, organizing, and priority-setting skills, and the ability to balance the priorities of concurrent projects
• Knowledge of principles and practices of quality management, quality improvement, and quality assurance in a public health care setting
• Analytical problem solving skills
• Leadership skills and the ability to take initiative as a member of a team
• Interpersonal sensitivity
• Ability to lead and facilitate diverse groups
• Experience establishing cooperative working relationships with a variety of persons and organizations/agencies
• Proficiency with Microsoft Office Suite, particularly PowerPoint, and willingness and ability to learn new software
• Experience with virtual meeting platforms, e.g., Zoom, Webex, GoToMeeting, etc.
• Excellent oral and written communication skills
• Interest in continuing to learn and grow in this position through professional development opportunities and by taking on new challenges within the organization

Desirable:

• Knowledge of evaluation methodologies
• Awareness of theories and techniques of qualitative evaluation, data analysis, and organization and management analysis
• Experience in health care administration, including: program evaluation, planning, or quality improvement
• Experience with QI data platforms, e.g., Life QI, Simple QI, etc.
• Formal training or certification in a quality improvement methodology, such as the IHI Breakthrough Series (BTS), CPHQ, LEAN, Six Sigma; or interest in/ability to receive formal training

Other Requirements:

• Willingness to travel throughout Wisconsin as needed for meetings and events. Must provide own transportation. Mileage reimbursement available.
• Commitment to the mission and values of WAPC