Director, Special Projects (Chief of Staff)

Posting Date

The Director, Special Projects will serve as a strategic partner to senior leaders, driving high-priority initiatives that support DaVita’s integrated kidney care and procurement strategy, operational performance, clinical outcomes, and enterprise decision-making. This teammate will partner across functions and service lanes to structure ambiguous business challenges, lead complex cross-functional work, synthesize internal and external data, strengthen management processes, and develop executive-ready communications that enable senior leaders to make timely, informed decisions.

Location: Denver-based hybrid role. Travel required up to 25%.

Essential Duties and Responsibilities:  

• Partner with senior operating and clinical leaders to shape, prioritize, and execute strategic initiatives across the business.
• Lead critical cross-functional projects across multiple service lanes, translating strategy into clear workstreams, milestones, owners, and outcomes.
• Organize and strengthen core operating rhythms, including leadership agendas, decision forums, follow-ups, and accountability mechanisms.
• Identify management process gaps and improvement opportunities, then design and implement practical solutions that improve execution.
• Develop executive-ready materials, leadership readouts, and business communications that clearly frame decisions, risks, tradeoffs, and recommendations.
• Collaborate across teams to perform analyses, synthesize insights, monitor metrics, and prepare recommendations for senior leadership.
• Support internal and external communications by crafting and delivering key messages aligned to business priorities.
• Advance best-in-class capabilities by partnering across operational, clinical, innovation, and functional teams.
• Regularly apprise senior leadership of project status, risks, dependencies, and variations from scope, schedule, or expected impact.
• Contribute to the development and effectiveness of a high-performing leadership team by improving clarity, alignment, and execution discipline.

Strategy & Project Execution: 

• Manage and drive strategic and operational initiatives in collaboration with cross-functional partners.
• Structure ambiguous problems into clear workplans, decision points, and execution paths.
• Develop and communicate project scope, timelines, plans, resource needs, assumptions, risks, and dependencies.
• Create, implement, and drive adoption of processes and solutions that further clinical, operational, financial, and business outcomes.
• Manage against targets and goals, including scope, schedule, metrics, financial impact, and stakeholder commitments.
• Scope, plan, and execute multiple high-priority, often quick-turnaround projects with limited oversight.

Education & Experience Requirements: 

• Bachelor’s degree required; MBA or graduate degree preferred.
• Minimum of 7 years of experience in strategy, consulting, operations, project leadership, healthcare services, financial operations, or a similar role supporting enterprise-level initiatives.
• Demonstrated experience leading complex, cross-functional initiatives with senior leadership visibility and measurable business impact.
• Advanced proficiency in Microsoft 365, including Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and Teams required.
• Prior experience in healthcare services and/or working with payors, physician networks, value-based care models, and/or integrated care models preferred.
• Strong ability to research, analyze, synthesize, and present internal and external data to support executive decision-making.
• Demonstrated track record of top performance and commitment to improving the healthcare system.

Additional Success Factors: 

• Highly organized, structured working style with strong project management and execution discipline.
• Strong judgment, discretion, and confidentiality when handling sensitive information.
• Ability to operate effectively in a highly matrixed organization and influence outcomes without direct authority.
• Executive presence, confidence, poise, tact, and diplomacy under pressure.
• Strong analytical, synthesis, storytelling, and presentation skills.
• Self-starter who can work effectively with limited oversight while proactively securing needed access, input, and alignment.
• Resourceful problem solver who can implement effective solutions despite time, information, or resource constraints.
• Exceptional follow-up, follow-through, and attention to detail.
• Comfort with frequent schedule changes, emerging priorities, ambiguity, and quick-turnaround work.
• Results-focused mindset with willingness to do what it takes to move critical work to successful completion.

What We’ll Provide:

More than just pay, our DaVita Rewards package connects teammates to what matters most. Teammates are eligible to begin receiving benefits on the first day of the month following or coinciding with one month of continuous employment. Below are some of our benefit offerings.

• Comprehensive benefits: Medical, dental, vision, 401(k) match, paid time off, PTO cash out
• Support for you and your family: Family resources, EAP counseling sessions, access Headspace®, backup child and elder care, maternity/paternity leave and more

• Professional development programs: DaVita offers a variety of programs to help strong performers grow within their career and also offers on-demand virtual leadership and development courses through DaVita’s online training platform StarLearning.

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At DaVita, we strive to be a community first and a company second.  We want all teammates to experience DaVita as "a place where I belong."  Our goal is to embed belonging into everything we do in our Village, so that it becomes part of who we are. We are proud to be an equal opportunity workplace and comply with state and federal affirmative action requirements. Individuals are recruited, hired, assigned and promoted without regard to race, national origin, religion, age, color, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, disability, protected veteran status, or any other protected characteristic.

This position will be open for a minimum of three days.

Compensation for the role will depend on a number of factors, including a candidate’s qualifications, skills, competencies and experience. DaVita offers a competitive total rewards package, which includes a 401k match, healthcare coverage and a broad range of other benefits. Learn more at https://careers.davita.com/benefits  

Colorado Residents: Please do not respond to any questions in this initial application that may seek age-identifying information such as age, date of birth, or dates of school attendance or graduation. You may also redact this information from any materials you submit during the application process.  You will not be penalized for redacting or removing this information.