At Children’s Wisconsin, we believe kids deserve the best.

Children’s Wisconsin is a nationally recognized health system dedicated solely to the health and well-being of children. We provide primary care, specialty care, urgent care, emergency care, community health services, foster and adoption services, child and family counseling, child advocacy services and family resource centers. Our reputation draws patients and families from around the country.

We offer a wide variety of rewarding career opportunities and are seeking individuals dedicated to helping us achieve our vision of the healthiest kids in the country. If you want to work for an organization that makes a difference for children and families, and encourages you to be at your best every day, please apply today.

Please follow this link for a closer look at what it’s like to work at Children’s Wisconsin: https://www.instagram.com/lifeatcw/

The Chief Strategy Officer (CSO) is a key executive leader responsible for shaping the future of Children’s Wisconsin, a nationally leading organization dedicated to improving children's health. This position provides visionary leadership in the development and execution of enterprise strategy, with a refresh of the organization’s current strategic plan. The CSO will lead a robust strategic planning process to support future growth, while also designing innovative, market-driving strategies that ensure a sustainable and distinctive path forward—expanding Children’s impact across Wisconsin and beyond.

As a member of the Senior Leadership Team and a trusted thought partner to the new Chief Executive Officer, the CSO plays a critical role in driving strategic growth and aligning enterprise capabilities. This includes advancing nationally recognized clinical programs, deepening the organization’s commitment to community health, and broadening access to affordable, life-changing care. The CSO will also identify and foster strategic partnerships at the local, regional, and national levels to amplify the reach and relevance of key clinical offerings. At the core of Children’s mission is a deep commitment to the local community, reflected in long-standing partnerships with child-caring organizations, schools, and youth-serving groups such as the YMCA and Boys & Girls Club—reinforcing its enduring focus on children and families.

The CSO will serve as the primary staff liaison to the Board of Directors’ Strategic Planning Committee, collaborating closely with Board leadership to shape long-term priorities. In this role, the CSO will also lead cross-functional strategic alignment, including the management of the balanced scorecard and enterprise-level strategic reviews. Also, the CSO will oversee marketing and communications initiatives that elevate Children’s visibility and reputation through targeted marketing strategies that promote signature clinical programs and extend the organization’s regional and national presence.

Additional priorities include addressing barriers to care—especially within specialty services—by developing actionable strategies to improve access and streamline the patient experience. The CSO will lead data-driven change management efforts, ensuring that strategic initiatives are both practical and outcome-focused.

Strong, positive leadership is essential, as the CSO will mentor and develop the Strategy and Marketing & Communications teams, fostering a collaborative, high-performance culture where individuals feel empowered to contribute meaningfully to the organization’s mission. By embodying Children’s values and modeling its guiding behaviors, the CSO will ensure strategic decisions align with the organization’s purpose of serving children and families. This is a rare opportunity to lead transformative change, drive innovation, and make a lasting impact on the health and well-being of children in Wisconsin and beyond.

Key Responsibilities

Specific responsibilities for the Chief Strategy Officer include:

Strategic Planning & Organizational Alignment

• Establishing clearly articulated strategic priorities for Children's Wisconsin in collaboration with the executive team, entity leadership, and the Strategic Planning Committee of the Board.
• Lead and refine the strategic planning process, aligning short- and long-term goals through annual plans, regular reviews, and development of the 2027–2032 enterprise strategy.

Strategic Growth Planning

• Gathering, analyzing, and managing business intelligence to support planning and decision-making activities, proactively identifying key trends, competitive landscapes, and emerging changes in the industry and region, and communicating implications and recommendations to the Senior Leadership Team.
• Identifying and prioritizing key areas for local, regional and national growth for clinical programs.
• Developing and implementing strategic partnerships, including joint ventures, mergers, acquisitions, affiliations, and other new business activities to grow Children's Wisconsin, while ensuring alignment with its vision, mission, and strategy.
• Builds relationships with external stakeholders such as physicians, insurance providers, government entities, and community organizations to enhance Children’s position in the marketplace.

Digital Strategy & Innovation

• In partnership with the Chief Digital Information Officer, helps to guide the organization into the new age of digital and AI, identifying opportunities to leverage technology for improved patient care and operational efficiency.
• Developing and executing a comprehensive digital strategy that enhances patient and family engagement and integrates cutting-edge technologies.

Children’s Wisconsin Care Network Development

• Development of the Children’s Wisconsin Care Network which supports:
  • All primary care providers across Wisconsin identify quality metrics and care coordination/effectiveness strategies to drive value across the continuum
  • Network of adult hospitals that care for children to drive formal partnership and evidence-based care guidelines and coordination of care across the continuum.
• Partner with operations to identify issues with access to care, particularly in specialty groups, and developing strategies to make it easier for patients to receive the care they need.

Leadership and Culture Development

• Mentoring, role modelling and educating others in the organization on the value of using disciplined planning, application of relevant trends, environmental and competitive assessments, benchmarking against best practices and other planning related tools and processes.
• Fostering a collaborative environment where people feel valued and empowered to contribute to strategic initiatives and an essential part of the One Team culture.

Stakeholder Engagement & Collaboration

• Developing and implementing strategies to engage stakeholders from across the organization (e.g. physicians, nurses, service line leaders, operators, finance, etc.), ensuring that all parties are actively involved in driving and prioritizing the organization's strategy.
• Integrating strategies across external affairs, public relations, and community relations to ensure the organization’s public image and messaging align with strategic goals.
• Serving as the CEO’s representative on designated committees.
• Engaging with donors regarding key projects and communicating the strategic vision effectively.

Marketing & Communications

• Lead marketing and communications to align with strategic goals, build brand awareness, attract talent, and strengthen Children’s Wisconsin’s market position.
• Engaging with unique partners to create storytelling campaigns that enhance regional and national reputation.
• Integrating physician relations into a strategic asset to drive growth and loyalty.

Change Management & Execution

• Leading change management initiatives with a focus on data-driven decisions and rationale.
• Engendering a culture of accountability to strategic initiatives, setting priorities, regularly tracking and reporting on annual objectives and providing regular updates and clear communication channels help keep everyone informed and engaged.

• Experience and Professional Qualifications

  The Chief Strategy Officer must possess a combination of education, experience and leadership qualifications to successfully manage the responsibilities required for this position. The ideal candidate will have the following professional qualifications required for the role:

  Demonstrated Healthcare Strategy Experience

  • Ten years of demonstrated leadership experience in a senior level strategy role or similar position (e.g., business development, strategy consulting, healthcare operations) is desired, along with experience implementing growth and other high-level organizational strategies.
  • An understanding of academic medicine is a plus, along with experience in a highly complex and competitive major market experiencing rapid consolidation.
  • Pediatric healthcare experience is preferred but not required.

  Proven Communication, Planning and Presentation Skills

  • Comfortable working with executive leaders from a variety of levels and functions within the health system, along with board members, clinical leaders, patients and families, external constituencies, employees and other key stakeholders.
  • Experience leading, mentoring and supporting the success of teams as well as the success of individual team members.
  • Project management experience to organize people and activities in the successful execution of multiple strategic and project-based initiatives across the health system.
  • Adept at leading change management initiatives, ensuring that changes are implemented smoothly and effectively by communicating the rationale behind changes and gaining buy-in from all levels of the organization.

  Strong Business Acumen

  • Processes knowledge in current and possible future policies, practices, trends, technologies and information affecting the industry and the health of populations.
  • Demonstrates strong analytical and business modeling skills
  • Possesses a well-developed understanding of operations and finances and how that impacts strategy.

  Technical and Analytical Expertise

  • Experience assembling, evaluating and understanding large and complex information and studies, and identifying current and future trends.
  • Experience in computer data management systems and extensive spreadsheet, database and presentation graphics knowledge (e.g., Excel, Visio, SharePoint, PowerPoint, Access and mapping software).
  • Experience with data quality and integrity practices.
  • Experience in gathering, analyzing, and interpreting data to identify opportunities and measure the success of strategic initiatives.

  Education

  • A Master's degree in business, healthcare administration or related field is required.

  Personal Characteristics and Leadership Skills

  • Entrepreneurial – A leader who possesses an ownership mindset, including a strong initiative, a focus on results, and an appropriate tolerance for risk
  • Innovative – A creative leader who thinks outside the box and can develop unique solutions to complex problems
  • Inspiring – A charismatic leader who can align and motivate others around a common vision
  • Self-assured – An executive with a strong sense of presence; confident but not arrogant
  • Practical -- A leader with the ability to translate strategy and vision into actionable objectives
  • Agile – A leader who adapts and pivots strategies in response to changing market conditions and organizational needs
  • Inclusive – A naturally inquisitive leader who seeks the perspectives of others while formulating a plan
  • Courageous – A leader who is not unduly influenced by the past, politics, or bureaucracy
  • Compassionate – A relatable leader who shows genuine concern and understanding for the needs of patients, families, staff, and colleagues
  • Ethical – A principled leader who is guided by strong values (Purpose, Collaboration, Integrity, Health, and Innovation) and possesses an unwavering commitment to the organization’s mission and culture
  
  

Children's Wisconsin is an equal opportunity / affirmative action employer. We are committed to creating a diverse and inclusive environment for all employees. We treat everyone with dignity, respect, and fairness. We do not discriminate against any person on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, gender, gender identity and/or expression, sexual orientation, national origin, age, disability, veteran status, or any other status or condition protected by the law.

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