Sr. Labor Productivity and Workforce Optimization Advisor

The Sr. Management Engineer, Labor Management & Financial Performance serves as OHSU's subject matter expert for labor productivity, premium pay management, and payroll-based savings tracking across inpatient nursing and Professional & Support Services departments. Reporting to the Senior Director, Workforce Planning & Labor Productivity, the position develops and maintains labor productivity standards and benchmarks, analyzes and governs premium pay (overtime, incentive differential, contract labor, and float pool), and measures realized savings against approved margin improvement targets. The role translates complex labor and financial data into clear recommendations for nursing leadership, department directors, HR, Finance, and executive sponsors.

Labor Productivity and Management Engineering

• Develop, maintain, and refine unit- and department-level labor productivity standards (e.g., HPPD, worked hours per unit of service, worked vs. budgeted hours) for inpatient nursing and Professional & Support Services departments, incorporating volume, acuity, case mix, and service intensity adjustments.
• Benchmark staffing and productivity performance against external standards (e.g., Vizient, Premier) and internal targets; identify departments with sustained variance to budget or benchmark and quantify improvement opportunities.
• Analyze staffing grids, replacement factors (PTO, education, leave), charge coverage models, and scheduling practices to identify structural overstaffing and recommend right-sized core staffing models aligned to census patterns.
• Support dynamic, census- and acuity-based staffing by producing forecast-informed staffing plans and intra-day redeployment analyses in partnership with nursing and department leadership.
• Build and maintain bi-weekly productivity scorecards and variance reports at the unit, department, and executive level; define and monitor variance thresholds and escalation triggers that feed operational and executive review cadences.
• Facilitate monthly operating reviews with nursing and Professional & Support Services leaders, presenting productivity results, root-cause analyses, and corrective action recommendations in clear, leader-friendly formats.

Premium Pay Analytics and Governance

• Analyze bi-weekly payroll data to identify sustained structural overtime, incentive differential, contract labor, and float pool utilization patterns, distinguishing incidental spikes from recurring baseline coverage gaps.
• Develop validated blended-rate cost comparisons across overtime, contract labor, float pool, and core staffing options to inform conversion of high-cost premium hours to planned, lower-cost coverage models.
• Design and maintain real-time premium pay dashboards and a distinct premium pay management metric, separate from productivity, to support sustained run-rate reduction and labor cost predictability.
• Support premium pay governance by administering standardized approval thresholds, monitoring utilization trends, tracking vacancy duration and position control discipline, and preparing materials for executive review cadence.
• Partner with HR, workforce planning, and recruitment to connect vacancy, overtime, and labor market data so structural gaps are addressed through planned coverage and proactive hiring rather than recurring premium pay.

Financial Analysis and Savings Tracking

• Own the bi-weekly payroll-based run-rate tracking methodology for assigned initiatives; measure realized savings against approved low/high margin improvement targets and report progress to workstream leads and executive sponsors.
• Integrate volume, staffing, premium pay, and financial data from enterprise systems (e.g., Axiom, Cognos, Oracle, scheduling platforms) into unified management reporting with drill-through capability from financial impact to operational drivers.
• Develop scenario-based staffing and financial models that allow department leaders to evaluate trade-offs between hiring, overtime, contract labor, and workload fluctuations before premium pay becomes necessary.
• Validate data integrity across payroll, position control, and productivity reporting sources; investigate and resolve discrepancies affecting savings measurement.
• Prepare initiative documentation, benefit calculation methodologies, and implementation tracking materials to support Detailed Implementation Planning and Sequencing for approved IDWs.
• Other duties as assigned.

Education and Experience

• Bachelor’s degree (Industrial Engineering, Finance, Health Administration, Business, Economics, or a related field) and four (4) years of progressively responsible experience in healthcare labor productivity, management engineering, financial analysis, or performance improvement; OR

• Master’s degree (in one of the above fields) and two (2) years of relevant experience; OR

• An equivalent combination of education and experience totaling eight (8) years.

• Demonstrated experience working with payroll data, worked/paid hours, unit volumes, and volume-adjusted labor productivity metrics (e.g., HPPD, worked hours per unit of service) in a hospital or health system environment.
• Experience with external labor benchmarking (e.g., Vizient, Premier, or comparable databases) and development or maintenance of labor standards and staffing targets.
• Experience with Axiom and/or StrataJazz, Cognos, Oracle, Epic, Kronos/UKG or comparable scheduling and workforce management systems; SQL, Power BI, or Tableau skills.

Skills and Abilities

• Data and Financial Analysis
  
  • Advanced Microsoft Excel skills, including large dataset analysis, modeling, and executive-ready reporting; proficiency with Word and PowerPoint.
• Analysis and Problem Solving
  
  • Strong analytical and root-cause problem-solving skills, with the ability to translate complex labor and financial data into clear recommendations for clinical and operational leaders.
• Communication and Relationships
  
  • Skills to communicate with tact and diplomacy and maintain effective working relationships at all levels of the organization, including nursing leadership, department directors, HR, and Finance.
• Self-Direction and Prioritization
  
  • Ability to self-motivate, prioritize, and coordinate multiple projects simultaneously to achieve successful results without constant supervision.

• Experience as a Management Engineer, Productivity Consultant, or Performance Improvement Specialist within a large health system or consulting environment.
• Experience supporting margin improvement, labor optimization, or cost transformation programs with defined savings targets and executive-level reporting.
• Working knowledge of hospital operations, including staffing grids, float pool deployment, charge coverage, incentive differentials, and union work rules.
• Familiarity with position control, vacancy management, and workforce planning processes.
• Lean, Six Sigma, or comparable process improvement certification.

This position is primarily remote, with in-person collaboration or onsite work as required by departmental needs.

Benefits 

• Healthcare for full-time employees covered 100% and 88% for dependents.
• $50K of term life insurance provided at no cost to the employee.
• Two separate above market pension plans to choose from.
• Paid time off - 208 hours per year, prorated for part-time.
• Extended illness bank - 64 hours per year, prorated for part-time.
• 9 paid holidays per year.
• Substantial Tri-Met and C-Tran discounts.
• Employee Assistance Program.
• Childcare service discounts.
• Tuition reimbursement.
• Employee discounts to local and major businesses.

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