Vice President Improvement, Innovation and Product Development in London

The Institute for Healthcare Improvement (IHI) is a leading, globally recognized not-for-profit health care improvement organization that has been applying evidence-based quality improvement methods to meet current and future health care challenges for more than 30 years. IHI provides millions of people in health care with methods, tools, and resources to make care better, safer, and more equitable; convenes experts to enable knowledge sharing and peer-learning; and advises health systems and hospitals of all sizes in improving their systems and outcomes at scale. IHI's mission is to innovate and lead transformational improvement in health and health care worldwide.

Reporting to the Chief Scientific Officer, the Vice President (Improvement, Innovation and Product Development) provides day-to-day leadership for IHI’s Improvement Science Hub - which integrates key capabilities related to improvement science, innovation, design and methods, evaluation and learning, and product development / management. The Vice President will establish the operating model, plan and portfolio priorities, in collaboration with the Chief Scientific Officer, that enable IHI to identify emerging needs, develop and test practical solutions, translate learning into scalable offerings, and demonstrate and disseminate impact.

The Vice President leads a multidisciplinary function that connects scientific rigor, measurement and evaluation expertise, innovation process, product strategy and disciplined execution. Over time, the portfolio may expand to include specialized expertise in systems engineering, human factors, and advanced data analytics. The Vice President will determine how these capabilities are integrated, sequenced, and deployed to strengthen delivery of IHI’s strategy - through application of IHI’s improvement and innovation methods, and product development & management system.

Position Responsibilities

• Be a credible and visible leader of improvement science, innovation and product management within IHI - providing advice and guidance to leaders and staff across the organization.
• Develop and execute an integrated plan for improvement, innovation, design and methods, learning and evaluation, and product development and management in alignment with IHI’s strategic priorities.
• Lead the development of a thriving workplace culture within the Improvement Science hub.
• Translate strategy into a focused portfolio, clear governance, investment priorities, measurable outcomes, and an operating model that clarifies accountability across the function.
• Serve as a senior advisor to executive leaders on emerging needs, scientific and market developments, product opportunities, and capabilities required to advance IHI’s mission, relevance, and sustainability.
• Lead, develop, and align multidisciplinary teams and external faculty, establishing a culture of curiosity, rigor, equity, collaboration, accountability, and continuous improvement.
• Develop strong relationships with IHI’s regional teams and other corporate teams, in order to ensure that the work and expertise of IHI’s improvement science hub is accessible, responsive, supportive and central to the delivery of work across IHI’s global portfolio.

Improvement, Innovation and Design

• Ensure IHI remains at the forefront of improvement science by identifying, developing, testing, and integrating new knowledge, methods, standard designs, and practical solutions.
• Oversee an innovation portfolio that responds to strategic priorities for IHI and customer priorities, uses appropriate research and rapid-cycle approaches, and moves promising concepts toward testing, adoption, products, services, or field contribution.
• Establish consistent expectations for results and outputs, with co-design, prototyping, testing, usability, adaptation, scale, and sustainability across IHI’s work.
• Build organizational capability to apply IHI’s methods with quality and consistency through consultation, guidance, standard work, learning experiences, and expert support.
• Develop and execute a plan to appraise and strengthen IHI’s improvement capability across all teams and staff.
• Lead the harvesting function within the Improvement Science hub - identifying the latest (internal and external) learning, case studies and stories - and developing these into content that can be shared rapidly with the world, directly engaging customers, potential customers and partners through social media content, webinars, blogs, case studies and peer-review publications.

Product Development and Management

• Provide senior leadership for IHI’s product development and management system, including portfolio strategy, governance, prioritization, development, launch, performance review, refinement, and retirement.
• Partner with Marketing and Communications, business development, delivery teams, and other leaders to translate customer and field needs into innovation processes that appraise and define differentiated, scalable, and financially sustainable products and services.
• Ensure clear pathways connect strategy, innovation, content development, improvement methods, market insight, product packaging, delivery and post-launch learning.
• Use evidence on customer value, impact, adoption, feasibility, equity, and financial performance to guide product and portfolio decisions.

Measurement, Evaluation, Learning, and Dissemination

• Lead the measurement, evaluation, learning, and dissemination plan so that IHI can assess progress and impact of projects, strengthen delivery of projects to achieve results, share learning internally and new knowledge with the field.
• Ensure meaningful measures and learning approaches are integrated into projects, programs, partnerships, products, and strategic initiatives from design through implementation and refinement.
• Strengthen systems for synthesizing and applying learning across IHI, including the dissemination of evidence, methods, tools, and insights through publications, presentations, partnerships, and other channels.
• Maintain standards for analytic quality, responsible data use, practical relevance, and communication to technical and non-technical audiences.
• Lead the creation of a pipeline of revenue-generating external evaluation work, drawing on the internal expertise within the Improvement Science hub.

Future Technical and Scientific Capabilities

• Consider future needs for the Improvement Science hub, and develop a phased plan to expand capability in collaboration with the Chief Scientific Officer.
• Integrate advanced data analytics to strengthen predictive and explanatory insight, evaluation, product intelligence, data visualization, and decision support while promoting responsible and equitable use of data and analytic methods.
• Lead the introduction and adoption of artificial intelligence technologies to enhance and extend the capabilities and work of the Improvement Science Hub.

Partnership, Influence, and Representation

• Build strong cross-functional partnerships that connect the function’s work to enterprise strategy, customer needs, business opportunities, delivery, and measurable impact.
• Support the management and planning for IHI’s Scientific Advisory Group (in collaboration with the Chief Scientific Officer, and the chair of the Scientific Advisory Group) - preparing agendas and presentations, and supporting delivery of the group meetings.
• Support the faculty management process at IHI, in collaboration with the Chief Scientific Officer - helping identify potential new faculty, manage the process for identifying and appointing new faculty, creating a learning community for the faculty group, and ensuring a structured review and feedback system for faculty.
• Develop and maintain relationships with customers, funders, faculty, researchers, practitioners, and strategic partners that expand IHI’s knowledge, reach, and ability to deliver results.
• Act as a subject matter expert, within IHI and external events and meetings, across IHI’s educational offerings, and in discussions and consultations with customers, partners and funders.
• Represent IHI externally as a credible voice on improvement science, innovation, learning, product development, and the responsible integration of emerging disciplines and technologies.

Other

• Other duties as assigned.

Position Knowledge, Skills And Abilities

• Enterprise-level strategic thinking with the ability to connect scientific, customer, product, operational, and financial perspectives.
• Demonstrated ability to lead an integrated, multidisciplinary portfolio and establish governance, priorities, operating models, and measures of success.
• Deep knowledge of improvement science and significant expertise in several of the following: innovation, research and development, design methods, product development and management, measurement and evaluation, learning systems, or dissemination.
• Ability to evaluate and integrate specialized expertise, including systems engineering, human factors, and advanced data analytics, without needing to serve as the primary technical expert in each discipline.
• Strong product and portfolio judgment, including the ability to balance mission impact, customer value, evidence, feasibility, scalability, equity, and financial sustainability.
• Ability to lead through ambiguity, make enterprise trade-offs, and translate complex ideas into clear direction and coordinated action.
• Exceptional senior leadership communication, influence, facilitation, partnership, and change leadership skills.
• Ability to recruit, develop, and lead senior professionals and multidisciplinary teams across organizational and geographic boundaries.

IHI Values and Culture

• Commitment to IHI Values of courage, love, equity, trust and impact.
• Commitment to equity, anti‑racism, and the improvement of societal systems.
• Ability to actively support, communicate, and teach the unique culture and values of the Institute for Healthcare Improvement.

Required Position Qualifications:

• Advanced degree or equivalent combination of education and substantial leadership experience in health care, public health, improvement science, engineering, analytics, business, product management, research, or a related field.
• At least 10 years of progressively responsible experience, including senior leadership of multidisciplinary teams or functions in a complex, mission‑driven, health care, research, consulting, product, or professional services environment.
• Demonstrated experience setting strategy, developing plans and leading significant work across at least three of the function’s core domains: improvement; innovation; design and methods; evaluation and learning; product development and management; applied research and analytics.
• Moving ideas or evidence into implemented and scalable products, services, programs, methods, or solutions, with accountability for outcomes and cross‑functional execution.
• Advising senior executives, influencing across organizational boundaries, and representing an organization with external partners and stakeholders.

Preferred

• Experience establishing or expanding capabilities in systems engineering, human factors, advanced data analytics, or related technical disciplines.
• Clinical qualification or experience in a health care setting.
• Experience leading work and teams within a health care setting.
• Experience working across global or culturally diverse health and health care contexts.
• Record of external thought leadership through publications, presentations, partnerships, or field‑building contributions.
• Experience creating and managing a pipeline of revenue‑generating work.

This is a remote position that requires frequent domestic and international travel.

Physical Attributes

• Ability to sit for extended periods: Capability to work at a desk for long durations.
• Manual dexterity: Proficiency in using a computer, including typing, mouse handling, and other office equipment.
• Visual acuity: Ability to read and view a computer screen for extended periods.
• Hearing and speaking: Clear communication over phone and video calls.
• Environment setup: Access to a quiet, professional home office setup conducive to focused work and virtual meetings.
• Lifting: Occasionally requires lifting up to 25 lbs as needed.

The above statements are intended to describe the general nature and level of work being performed by people assigned to this job. They are not intended to be an exhaustive list or comprehensive inventory of all duties, responsibilities, skills, and qualifications required.

At IHI, we are inspired to do our best work and be our best selves by leaning into our values and uniting in our vision to create a future in which everyone has the best care and health possible. We ensure that people feel valued and supported in meaningful ways, as demonstrated in our total rewards package that features competitive compensation, medical, dental and vision coverage, life and disability plans, FSA plans, generous time off including vacation time, wellness and sick time, and other special programs to support employee wellbeing.

Equal Opportunity Employer/Protected Veterans/Individuals with Disabilities.