Director Continuous Improvement – Hybrid (PA/NJ/DE) at Independence Blue Cross LLC in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

Job Description

Our organization is looking for dynamic individuals who love to learn, thrive on innovation, and are open to exploring new ways to achieve our goals. If this describes you, we want to speak with you. You can help us achieve our vision to lead nationally in innovating equitable wholeperson health.

Role Summary

The Director, Continuous Improvement leads the enterprise Continuous Improvement / Operational Excellence function, building and running a disciplined pipeline of process and performance improvements that deliver measurable value across priority value streams. This role establishes the innovation intake process and prioritization criteria, leads a team of change agents, and drives crossfunctional improvement projects that improve cost, quality, throughput, and customer experience.

The Director embeds continuous improvement disciplines into strategic execution and portfolio delivery, integrating value tracking so that improvements translate into sustained, quantified outcomes. In partnership with existing operational excellence resources, HR, and business owners, the Director builds CI capability across the organization through training, coaching, and practical problemsolving toolkits, and embeds CI into the culture of the enterprise.

Responsibilities

CI Program Leadership & Governance

• Establish the innovation intake process and prioritization criteria (e.g., strategic alignment, impact, feasibility, and organizational readiness/risk) to build a transparent, highvalue pipeline.

• Lead the Continuous Improvement / Operational Excellence team of change agents setting priorities, coaching associates, and managing performance to deliver measurable improvements.

• Stand up and operate the CI governance model, including executive sponsorship engagement, scorecards and measurement frameworks, and a disciplined reporting cadence and decision forums.

Improvement Delivery

• Identify, size, and prioritize a pipeline of CI initiatives focused on cost, quality, throughput, and experience improvements, supporting business owners with charters, measures, and governance.

• Execute a subset of priority initiatives and inform futurestate process design and crossfunctional improvement projects that drive operational efficiencies and improve customer experience.

• Deliver visible, measurable quick wins across priority value streams while building toward a sustained, scaled improvement portfolio.

Value Realization & Integration

• Integrate value tracking into the strategic execution team to formally capture results and outcomes, quantifying benefits in partnership with Finance.

• Embed CI disciplines into portfolio delivery and postimplementation optimization, ensuring investments translate into sustained process and performance improvement.

Capability Building & Culture

• Build CI capability through targeted training, coaching, and toolkits (e.g., A3, root cause analysis, process mapping) for leaders and frontline teams, tied to active initiative work.

• Embed continuous improvement into organizational culture by recognizing wins, creating peertopeer problemsolving networks, and establishing a CI community of practice.

Qualifications and Experience

• Bachelor’s degree required; Master’s degree preferred (e.g., MBA, MHA, or related advanced degree in business, operations, or engineering).

• 10+ years of professional work experience, including leading teams; 5+ years of progressive experience in continuous improvement, operational excellence, transformation, or a closely related discipline

• Demonstrated mastery of practical problemsolving and Lean/Six Sigma methods (Black Belt preferred), with a track record of delivering measurable improvements across value streams.

• Proven experience establishing CI intake and governance, prioritization criteria, scorecards, and benefit realization tracking.

• Strong financial acumen to size and quantify value (cost, quality, throughput, experience) and partner with Finance to integrate CI benefits into financial plans.

• Experience developing talent and sustaining gains through standard work, coaching, and performance management.

• Exceptional leadership, communication, and change management skills, with the ability to influence executives and crossfunctional stakeholders in a matrixed environment.

Hybrid

Independence has implemented a “Hybrid” model which consists of Associates working in the office 3 days a week (Tuesday, Wednesday & Thursday) and remotely 2 days a week (Monday & Friday). This role is designated as a role that fits into the “Hybrid” model. While associates may work remotely on our designated remote days, the work must be performed in the TriState Area of Delaware, New Jersey or Pennsylvania.