Assistant Vice President – Labor Management

Overview

Ardent Health is a leading provider of healthcare in communities across the country. With a focus on consumer-friendly processes and investments in innovative services and technologies, Ardent is passionate about making healthcare better and easier to access. We are driven by our purpose of caring for people: our patients, our communities and one another. Located in Brentwood, Tennessee, Ardent has earned a reputation as one of the industry’s strongest and most innovative healthcare systems. Our facilities and clinics are consistently recognized among healthcare’s best employers. We recognize each hospital and clinic is as unique as the community it serves. We strive to maintain strong community ties through advisory boards, contributions, charitable care, education and outreach. Ardent includes:

• 30 hospitals
• 280 sites of care
• 4,281 beds
• 24,000+ team members
• 8,200+ nurses
• 1,800+ aligned providers
• 5.8M annual provider encounters
• 421 medical residents

 Ardent makes considerable investments in people, technology, facilities, and communities, producing high quality care and extraordinary results. From newly constructed facilities and expanded services, to lifesaving technology and outstanding opportunities for employees, Ardent is committed to providing its hospitals and clinics the tools needed to succeed. We believe it is this mix of corporate support and local autonomy that equips our teams for success. 

Job Overview:

The Assistant Vice President, Labor Management provides executive leadership and enterprise oversight for labor management strategy, workforce optimization, productivity performance, staffing effectiveness, labor analytics, and workforce planning across the organization. This leader is responsible for developing and executing initiatives that improve labor utilization, support operational excellence, enhance workforce productivity, and achieve organizational financial objectives.

The AVP serves as the organization's primary leader for labor management programs, productivity standards, workforce forecasting, staffing methodologies, and labor analytics. Working closely with executive leadership, operational leaders, finance, human resources, and information technology teams, this position drives enterprise labor strategies that balance quality, service, employee engagement, and financial stewardship.

The AVP provides leadership for labor management systems, productivity reporting, staffing optimization initiatives, workforce planning processes, and enterprise governance related to labor performance. This role identifies opportunities to improve efficiency, reduce labor costs, optimize staffing resources, and support sustainable organizational growth.

Responsibilities

• Develops and executes the organization's enterprise labor management strategy in alignment with operational, clinical, workforce, and financial objectives.
• Provides executive oversight of labor productivity programs, workforce optimization initiatives, staffing effectiveness strategies, and workforce planning processes.
• Establishes enterprise labor management standards, productivity benchmarks, staffing methodologies, and performance expectations across the organization.
• Directs labor analytics, workforce forecasting, and productivity reporting to support executive decision-making and strategic planning.
• Leads initiatives to improve labor utilization, staffing efficiency, workforce effectiveness, and operational performance while supporting quality and service goals.
• Partners with operational and finance leaders to identify labor performance opportunities, implement corrective action plans, and achieve budget targets.
• Oversees development and maintenance of enterprise productivity dashboards, workforce scorecards, benchmarking tools, and labor management metrics.
• Provides executive leadership for workforce management technologies and labor management systems that support scheduling, staffing, attendance, productivity, and workforce analytics.
• Leads labor management governance, policy development, compliance monitoring, and standardization efforts across the organization.
• Collaborates with senior leaders to evaluate workforce trends, labor market conditions, staffing models, and organizational resource requirements.
• Sponsors enterprise workforce planning, labor forecasting, and productivity improvement initiatives that enhance organizational performance and financial outcomes.
• Provides leadership, coaching, succession planning, budget oversight, and strategic direction for labor management teams and related functions.

Qualifications

 Job Requirements:

• Bachelor's degree in Healthcare Administration, Business Administration, Finance, Human Resources, Information Systems, or related field.
• Ten (10) years of progressive leadership experience in healthcare operations, labor management, workforce optimization, finance, or related disciplines.
• Five (5) years of leadership experience directing labor productivity, workforce analytics, staffing operations, workforce planning, or performance improvement initiatives.
• Demonstrated experience leading enterprise-wide strategic initiatives and organizational transformation efforts.
• Advanced knowledge of labor management principles, productivity methodologies, workforce analytics, financial management, and operational improvement practices.
• Strong understanding of healthcare operations, staffing models, workforce planning, and labor forecasting.
• Proven ability to influence executive and operational leaders across a large, complex organization.
• Experience leading labor management technology implementations and enterprise process improvement initiatives.
• Exceptional leadership, communication, collaboration, and change management skills.
• Demonstrated ability to analyze complex workforce challenges and develop strategic solutions.

 Preferred Job Requirements:

• Master's degree in Business Administration (MBA), Healthcare Administration (MHA), Health Systems Administration, Finance, or related field.
• Experience leading labor management functions within a multi-hospital or integrated healthcare system.
• Advanced experience with UKG Workforce Management, workforce analytics platforms, productivity benchmarking tools, and labor forecasting systems.
• Experience with Epic, enterprise analytics platforms, and operational performance management.
• Lean, Six Sigma, or other operational excellence certification.
• Experience developing enterprise productivity standards and labor management governance frameworks.