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About Position

The Chief Operating Officer (“COO”) of Cook Children’s Health Plan (“CCHP”) is responsible for assisting the President in the attainment of the Health Plan’s goals and action plans. The COO partners with the President in the direction, strategy, and coordination of the non-clinical departments that compose the Plan. Upon the President’s request, represents the President in activities both external and internal to the organization.

The COO has primary responsibility for the daily hands-on operations of the Health Plan and fosters relationships throughout the Cook Children’s System, including leaders of shared administrative services in support of health plan operations, technology, marketing, and strategy. As the health plan’s executive responsible for IS collaboration, the COO works with IS, health plan leadership and technology vendors to identify and foster technology advancements that align with strategic objectives, impact health plan operations and improve CCHP’s competitive position in the market.

Reporting to the President of Cook Children’s Health Plan, the COO devises and gains consensus for efficient and effective operational aspects of the Plan. The COO works with community leaders, government officials, payors and other regional health care executives to achieve the mission, vision and quality imperatives of the Health Plan. The COO ensures that the mission, vision, strategies and tactics of the Health Plan support the achievement of the mission and vision of the parent organization, the Cook Children’s Health Care System.

The COO leads the development and implementation of provider reimbursement strategies in support of health plans and state initiatives, including value-based contracting and alternative payment methodologies. The COO leads through the development and management of direct reports, collaboration with team members, and the use of metrics, analytics, and effective communication to support high organizational performance.

Key Functions

Planning, Organization, and Strategy Execution
Partners with the President and Executive Team to chart the future course of the Health Plan through effective strategic and operational planning. Possesses expertise in evaluating, planning and implementing programmatic initiatives and managing operational projects. Designs and institutionalize strategy execution capability, establishing governance structures, portfolio management frameworks, and team infrastructure to support ongoing strategic planning and execution.

Leadership and Driving Enterprise Transformation
Develops, oversees, guides, consults and coordinates during planning and implementation processes. Supports the President in leading a performance management process that establishes and successfully implements long- and short-term goals, strategies and action plans. Leads multi-year transformation initiatives in healthcare operations, with direct accountability for translating strategy into measurable operational results. Manages performance against strategic milestones and communicates progress to executive leadership.

Supervision and Oversight
Monitors performance of all operational support activities (e.g., Claims, Member Services, Network Management, Community Outreach, and Business Operations) to assure that Health Plan performance levels are achieved and maintained at System expectation levels and consistent with regulatory and contractual requirements.

Staff Development, Strategic Innovation and Future Readiness
Develops and oversees staff development and education programs that will enhance staff expertise and performance and continuously improve service quality. Evaluates emerging healthcare technologies and their operational/business value, evaluates build/buy/partner options for implementation, and fosters organizational culture of continuous innovation.

Financial and Information Technology Leadership
Recognizes the organization’s income statement, balance sheet, cash flow and other financial measures relevant to its business and financial situation. Reviews and recommend initiatives to optimize performance. Responsible for review, along with health plan C.F.O., of the health plan’s budgets before submission to the System. Builds trusted relationships with physician/clinical leadership, finance/business executives, and IT/technology leadership, with fluency in quality/outcome metrics, financial/margin accountability, and the digital/interoperability/health information exchange landscape.

System Integration
Collaborates with CCHCS senior leadership to increase the integration and interoperability of the components of the System. Partners with IT through technology-enabled transformation, data architecture, interoperability, and modern health plan systems. Participates in vendor selection, build-vs-buy decisions, and transformation of healthcare technology systems. Leads healthcare data integration or interoperability initiatives, including compliance with federal and state mandates.

The Ideal Candidate

The ideal candidate will bring a strong understanding of Medicaid and extensive experience leading health plan operations, with a proven track record of building, developing and managing high-performing teams. The COO will ideally have deep expertise in claims management, membership, call center and network management.

We are seeking a technology-forward, innovative leader who can identify opportunities to enhance the health plan’s digital capabilities and leverage technology to improve operational efficiency and the member experience. The successful candidate will also have a strong track record of navigating regulatory requirements and ensuring the health plan meets NCQA standards and state mandates, while fostering a culture of accountability, continuous improvement and operational excellence.

Attributes:

• Demonstrates strategic, flexible and innovative thinking, paired with strong listening abilities.
• Skilled in building relationships and fostering collaborative efforts.
• Capable of maintaining a steady environment and keeping team morale high.
• Leads with a supportive and empowering approach.
• Adaptable, solution-oriented and committed to contributing to the broader mission.
• Advocates for and embodies a collaborative organizational culture.
• Approaches the role with humility and a focus on teamwork.
• Earn trust and respect from colleagues and external partners.
• Motivates teams to strive for continuous growth and excellence, even when faced with challenges and shifting priorities.
• Quickly assimilates new information and demonstrates sound judgment, even in uncertain circumstances.
• Politically aware and diplomatic, sensitive to the diverse needs and viewpoints of internal and external stakeholders.

Knowledge, Skills & Abilities:

• Superior leadership skills and experience, particularly in cultivating a high-performance team and in developing and maintaining excellent cooperative and collaborative interdepartmental and external relations.
• Excellent communication skills, both verbal and written, including the ability to present complex information effectively to groups.
• Active Listening — Giving full attention to what other people are saying, taking time to understand the points being made, asking questions as appropriate, and not interrupting at inappropriate times.
• Administration and Management — Knowledge of business and management principles involved in strategic planning, resource allocation, human resources modeling, leadership technique, production methods, and coordination of people and resources.
• Consultation and Advice to Others — Providing guidance and expert advice to management or other groups on technical, systems-, or process-related topics.
• Critical Thinking — Using logic and reasoning to identify the strengths and weaknesses of alternative solutions, conclusions or approaches to problems.
• Judgment and Decision Making — Considering the relative costs and benefits of potential actions to choose the most appropriate one.
• Making Decisions and Solving Problems — Analyzing information and evaluating results to choose the best solution and solve problems.
• Monitoring and Controlling Resources — Monitoring and controlling resources and overseeing the spending of money.
• Problem Sensitivity — The ability to tell when something is wrong or is likely to go wrong. It does not involve solving the problem, only recognizing that there is a problem.
• Problem solving — The ability to systematically analyze problems, draw relevant conclusions and devise appropriate courses of action.
• Technology — Demonstrated proficiency with technology platforms, for example, the Microsoft Office Suite (Excel, Word, PowerPoint) as well as EPIC, and other industry specific tools.
• Temperament — Ability to adjust level of emotional excitability or intensity as appropriate to the situation (e.g., remaining calm in emergency situations).
• Thinking Creatively — Developing, designing, or creating new applications, ideas, relationships, systems, or products, including artistic contributions.
• Time Management — Managing one’s own time and the time of others.

Minimum Requirements:

• 8 years of executive level management experience in a healthcare organization. Medicaid & Managed Care experience.
• Demonstrated ability to lead health plan efforts to improve clinical/quality, financial and operational performance.
• Track record of implementing value-based provider contracts that have resulted in improvements in clinical quality outcomes.
• Demonstrated proficiency in healthcare data standards, EHR/claims/enrollment integration, and vendor management.

Education:

• Bachelor’s degree from an accredited college or university.
• Master’s degree in business administration, healthcare administration or related field.

 

About Cook Children’s Health Care System
Cook Children’s Health Care System (Cook Children’s) is one of the country’s leading integrated pediatric health care systems. Based in Fort Worth, Texas, CCHCS is a $3.2 billion not-for-profit organization with over 11,000 employees, which includes nationally recognized medical centers – one in Fort Worth, TX and one in Prosper, TX, physician network, surgery center, home health company, health services company, health plan, and health foundation.

Cook Children’s offers a unique approach to caring for children because it is one of the country’s leading integrated pediatric healthcare delivery organizations. Patients benefit from the integrated system, as it allows Cook Children’s to use all its resources to treat a patient while allowing for easy communication between the various companies by physicians with a focus on caring for children and adolescents. Cook Children’s includes more than 60 pediatric medical offices and specialty clinics throughout Texas.

Cook Children’s continues to grow and expand access to primary and specialty care in all communities it serves. It records approximately one million patient encounters each year through the medical center, specialty clinics, neighborhood clinics, physician offices, outpatient settings, and home care.

Cook Children’s Medical Center in Fort Worth, a four-time Magnet-designated hospital with 443 beds, is ranked among the top five percent of hospitals nationwide for nursing excellence and offers more than 30 specialties and subspecialties. Six specialty programs have earned recognition among the nation’s best in U.S. News & World Report’s 2025-2026 Best Children’s Hospitals rankings.

Cook Children’s Medical Center Prosper is the first hospital in the organization’s more than one-hundred-year history to be built outside of the flagship medical campus in Fort Worth. This state-of-the art facility opened in 2023 and features 25 licensed beds and specialty clinics focused exclusively on the patient and family experience. Located in Collin County, Cook Children’s Medical Center Prosper is in the heart of one of Texas’s fastest-growing regions. Plans are already underway to continue the expansion of the hospital and specialty clinics. Additionally, the hospital will achieve trauma certification and add a NICU facility this year.

Cook Children’s is currently underway with a 10-year expansion plan that will further increase care opportunities for kids across the Fort Worth metro area. This plan will include the investment of $1.25 billion in additional brick-and-mortar. The first steps of the plan are already underway with Cook Children’s having broken ground on a new patient tower with the goal of expanding the campus by more than 1 million square feet over the decade.

For details regarding Cook Children’s Health Care System, please visit: https://www.cookchildrens.org/.

About Cook Children’s Health Plan
Cook Children’s is advancing a bold, 10-year strategic expansion designed to transform care for children across the Fort Worth and the surrounding region. With a more than $1.3 billion investment in new facilities, this initiative reflects our long-term commitment to meeting the growing needs of families and ensuring access to world class pediatric care close to home. Major components of this expansion project include an expanded Neonatal Care unit, Pediatric Care Unit, and a new Heart Transplant program! This project, which is well underway will add over one million square feet to the campus by the end of 2030. This growth strengthens our ability to deliver innovative treatments, enhance the patient experience, and ultimately serve more children with the world class pediatric care Cook Children’s is known for.

CCHP is a local, non-profit health plan that cares about our community. CCHP provides health coverage for CHIP, CHIP Perinatal, STAR (Medicaid) and STAR Kids Members in the Tarrant County service area. The counties CCHP serves include Tarrant, Johnson, Denton, Parker, Hood and Wise. CCHP allows its members to choose from many doctors, clinics, hospitals, and specialty services.

CCHP proudly serves over 120,000 members. CCHP’s network includes over 1455 primary care providers, over 2550 specialists, and 55 hospitals. CCHP’s network of providers care for all ages, not just children.

For details regarding Cook Children’s Health Plan, please visit: https://www.cookchp.org/.

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