Job Description

The Workforce Optimization Strategist serves as a senior individual contributor responsible for providing advanced workforce analytics, forecasting, and strategic decision support for the Central Staffing Office (CSO) and enterprise workforce optimization initiatives. This role translates complex staffing, scheduling, and labor data into actionable insights that improve coverage reliability, reduce premium labor spend, and support safe, effective patient care. The position partners closely with CSO leadership, nursing and operational leaders, HR, finance, and IT, utilizing data from systems including UKG, ShiftWizard, Trusted Health, and related platforms. This role has no direct reports and exercises influence through expertise, analysis, and collaboration.

Essential Duties and Responsibilities:

Workforce Analytics & Reporting:

· Develop and maintain enterprise staffing dashboards and scorecards using data from UKG, ShiftWizard, Trusted Health, and related systems.

· Define, standardize, and govern staffing KPIs including fill rate, time-to-fill, overtime, agency utilization, premium pay, and schedule adherence.

· Produce executive-level reporting with trend analysis, variance explanations, and operational risk identification.

· Ensure data accuracy and consistency across staffing, HR, finance, and operational reporting.

Staffing Demand Forecasting & Capacity Planning:

· Forecast staffing demand by unit, role, and shift using historical trends, seasonality, and census or volume indicators.

· Translate demand forecasts into required staffing hours, FTEs, and coverage plans.

· Support proactive staffing strategies including float pool utilization, incentive shifts, cross-training, and agency contingency planning.

· Conduct scenario modeling to assess the impact of vacancies, scheduling changes, agency caps, and policy decisions.

Workforce Optimization & Labor Cost Management:

· Analyze drivers of overtime, agency utilization, and premium labor to identify root causes and improvement opportunities.

· Evaluate staffing patterns, shift design, start times, and skill mix alignment.

· Develop data-driven recommendations to reduce premium labor while maintaining safe staffing levels.

· Track and validate financial and operational outcomes following implementation of optimization initiatives.

Central Staffing Office (CSO) Operational Support:

· Provide analytical tools and near-real-time insights to support daily CSO staffing decisions.

· Analyze CSO workflows including request intake, prioritization, escalation, and fill performance.

· Identify process inefficiencies and partner with CSO leadership to improve staffing execution.

· Support development and maintenance of staffing playbooks and escalation guidelines.

Strategic Decision Support:

· Serve as a trusted analytics and strategy partner to the Director of Workforce Optimization.

· Prepare executive-ready analyses and presentations for staffing governance forums.

· Support business cases for workforce initiatives, technology investments, and policy changes.

· Translate workforce strategy into measurable initiatives with defined success metrics.

Systems, Data Integration & Governance

· Partner with HRIS, IT, and vendors to optimize scheduling and staffing system configuration and reporting.

· Validate and reconcile data across scheduling, timekeeping, staffing, and financial systems.

· Maintain staffing data definitions, documentation, and reporting standards.

· Identify and resolve data quality issues impacting staffing analytics.

Stakeholder Engagement & Change Enablement:

· Collaborate with nursing leadership, operations, HR, finance, and CSO teams to drive alignment.

· Communicate insights through clear, compelling data storytelling for clinical and executive audiences.

· Support training and change management related to staffing analytics and process improvements.

Required Qualifications:

· Bachelor’s degree in Business Analytics, Healthcare Administration, Finance, Statistics, or a related field.

· Five (5) or more years of experience in healthcare workforce analytics, staffing operations, or labor management.

· Advanced experience with healthcare scheduling and staffing systems such as UKG, ShiftWizard, and Trusted Health.

· Advanced analytical, problem-solving, and data visualization skills.

· Demonstrated ability to influence without direct authority.

Preferred Qualifications

· Master’s degree in Healthcare Administration, Business Analytics, or a related field.

· Experience supporting a hospital Central Staffing Office or enterprise nursing staffing model.

· Lean, Six Sigma, or process improvement training or certification.

Key Competencies:

· Workforce analytics and forecasting

· Healthcare staffing operations

· Strategic thinking and problem solving

· Executive communication and data storytelling

· Collaboration and influence without authority