Healthcare Strategist, Cardiology Service Line (VP-level role)

Reports To: Chief Strategy Officer

Florence, SC, United States (On-site)

Join an Award-Winning Team as a Strategic Leader in Heart & Vascular Services

Are you a strategic thinker passionate about shaping the future of cardiovascular care At McLeod Health, we offer more than just a job—we offer the opportunity to drive the long-term direction, growth, and performance of our marquis Heart & Vascular program. Join a mission-driven organization as we seek a Cardiovascular Service Line Strategist to lead system-wide initiatives that expand access, enhance clinical excellence, and improve patient outcomes across our seven-hospital regional health system.

Why McLeod Health

McLeod Health is the region's destination for medical excellence. Our excellence extends from the Midlands to the Coast along the border of North and South Carolina – serving more than one million people. As medical needs grow – we grow, expand, and improve our facilities and services. The McLeod Health network is comprised of 7 hospitals with locations in Florence, Dillon, Manning, Cheraw, Loris, Little River, and Myrtle Beach.

Founded over a century ago, McLeod is a locally owned, not-for-profit healthcare system that features the strength of more than 900 members of medical staff, 2,900 registered nurses, and more than 18,000 team members. McLeod constantly seeks to improve patient care with efforts that are physician-led, data-driven, and evidence-based.

Our Mission & Vision

• Mission: To improve the overall health and well-being of people living within South Carolina and eastern North Carolina by providing excellence in health care.
• Vision: To be the region's choice for medical excellence.

Our Values: The Foundation of Who We Are

At McLeod Health, we are guided by four core values that shape how we lead, serve, and collaborate:

• THE VALUE OF CARING: Our leaders don't focus solely on tasks. They embrace opportunities to respond with compassion, supporting both team members and the patients who entrust us with their cardiac care.
• THE VALUE OF THE PERSON: In every interaction, the people of McLeod are committed to sharing a generosity of spirit, offering courtesy, resilience, and respect to physicians, colleagues, and the communities we serve.
• THE VALUE OF QUALITY: For more than 100 years, McLeod has been the choice for medical excellence. Our mission requires us to have highly skilled personnel and a spectrum of advanced technology in cardiovascular medicine.
• THE VALUE OF INTEGRITY: We expect leaders within the McLeod Health family to display honesty, wisdom, discipline, and an intense desire to accept the responsibility of delivering exceptional heart and vascular care.

Your Role & Impact

As the Cardiovascular Service Line Strategist, you will shape the long-term strategic direction, growth, and performance of McLeod Health's marquis Heart & Vascular program. Supporting a seven-hospital regional health system—including one tertiary hospital serving as the hub for comprehensive cardiac and vascular care—you will partner closely with operational leaders, physician leaders, administrators, and system executives to advance clinical excellence, strengthen care coordination, expand access, and optimize performance across the continuum.

While this position does not initially hold direct operational authority, it is highly influential and requires strong leadership, collaboration, and relationship-building skills to drive system-wide alignment.

What You'll Do:

Strategic Planning & Growth

• Develop Comprehensive Strategy: Create a multi-year strategy for the Heart & Vascular service line aligned with system goals, population needs, and emerging clinical trends.
• Conduct Market Assessments: Perform competitive analyses and service gap evaluations across the McLeod Health service area.
• Recommend Strategic Investments: Identify opportunities in programs, technologies, providers, and sites of care to expand market share and improve access.
• Evaluate Outreach Opportunities: Strengthen referral management, transfer pathways, and system capture of cardiac patients.

Program Development & Optimization

• Design New Programs: Partner with clinical and operational leaders to develop advanced heart failure, structural heart, EP service expansion, and vascular surgery optimization initiatives.
• Support Standardized Care Pathways: Develop evidence-based models across the continuum—from community hospital and ambulatory entry points through tertiary cardiac care and post-acute transitions.
• Collaborate on Workforce Planning: Address current and future demand for cardiology, cardiac surgery, vascular care, and advanced practice providers.
• Lead Continuity Initiatives: Improve care continuity for hospitals without full-time cardiology coverage.

Performance Management & Analytics

• Use Data-Driven Insights: Monitor clinical quality, operational efficiency, financial performance, and patient outcomes.
• Build Dashboards & Reporting Structures: Enhance visibility of key metrics such as volume, transfer trends, LOS, readmissions, physician utilization, and capacity management.
• Identify Performance Gaps: Partner with leaders to implement improvement strategies.
• Evaluate Financial Models: Assess capital business cases and ROI for service line investments.

Physician & Stakeholder Engagement

• Foster Strong Relationships: Engage cardiologists, cardiac surgeons, vascular surgeons, APPs, and community physicians across the system.
• Engage Clinical Leaders: Involve physicians in strategic initiatives, program development, and process improvement.
• Facilitate Collaboration: Connect hospital and practice-level administrators, nursing leadership, and ancillary departments involved in cardiac care delivery.

System Integration & Coordination

• Coordinate Strategic Alignment: Align hospitals with varying levels of cardiology presence and capability.
• Design Transfer Strategy: Support a system-wide transfer strategy for acute cardiac patients ensuring timely access to tertiary care.
• Promote Consistency: Ensure uniformity in service offerings, clinical protocols, and patient experience across facilities.
• Support Post-Acute Integration: Connect with cardiac rehab, imaging, ambulatory cardiology, and vascular clinics.

Project Leadership

• Lead Cross-Functional Teams: Manage major strategic initiatives and capital projects.
• Oversee Execution: Handle timelines, stakeholder communication, change management efforts, and implementation of strategic plans.
• Translate Complex Issues: Convert clinical and operational challenges into clear, actionable solutions.

What You Bring:

• Education:
  • Required: Master's degree in Healthcare Administration, Business Administration, Public Health, or related field.
  • Strongly Preferred: Clinical background (RN, PA/NP, RT, or related).
• Experience:
  • Minimum 5–7 years of progressive experience in healthcare strategy, service line management, hospital operations, or consulting.
  • Strongly Preferred: Demonstrated experience with cardiovascular service lines.
  • Ideal: Experience working in a multi-hospital system environment.
  • Proven Success: Ability to influence without direct authority.
• Skills & Competencies:
  • Strong strategic thinking, business acumen, and analytical skills.
  • Ability to build relationships and influence leaders at all levels.
  • Excellent communication, facilitation, and stakeholder-engagement abilities.
  • Expertise in using data to drive decision-making.
  • Knowledge of heart and vascular clinical practices, regulatory requirements, and market dynamics preferred.

Live & Work in Historic Florence, SC

Join us in Florence, South Carolina—a charming and growing community that serves as a regional hub for healthcare, commerce, and culture. Enjoy a low cost of living, excellent schools, and a strong sense of Southern hospitality. With easy access to both the Grand Strand beaches (just an hour away) and the cultural offerings of nearby metropolitan areas, Florence offers the perfect blend of small-town comfort and big-city convenience. Experience a welcoming community that truly values the exceptional work of its healthcare leaders.

About Our Team

If you are looking for a dynamic environment where you can lead with integrity, collaborate with stellar professionals, and make a lasting impact on cardiovascular services across an entire health system, we invite you to apply. Become part of a locally owned, not-for-profit organization where your strategic leadership is meaningful, your growth is supported, and your contributions are truly valued.

McLeod Health is an equal opportunity employer.