General Description of the Job Class

The Chief Ambulatory Officer (CAO), is a senior leader responsible for the strategic oversight, integration, performance, and growth of Duke Health's ambulatory and physician practice services.

Reporting to the President, DHIP, the CAO leads enterprise-wide operational alignment, drives market expansion strategies, and champions a high-performance culture across the ambulatory enterprise. This administrative executive will serve as a key partner in advancing Duke Health's mission of delivering world-class, patient-centered care across its academic and community settings, while also leading the strategic expansion of its ambulatory footprint across the state and region.

Duties and Responsibilities of this Level

Strategic Leadership & Integration

Lead the operational and cultural integration of DHIP, DPC, and hospital-based clinics into a unified ambulatory and physician practice platform.

Partner with the Chief Physician Executive and clinical department chairs to align operational goals with academic, clinical, and strategic priorities.

Serve as a key advisor to the executive leadership team on ambulatory strategy, clinician practice operations, and growth initiatives.

Develop a robust operating system that will enable consistent excellent experience for clinicians, staff and patients across care sites while facilitating necessary variability to meet the needs of a diverse patient population seeking care across the continuum of clinical services and disease.

Continuously seeking opportunities to improve the organizational structure and support for the world class physicians practicing medicine at Duke - seeking all best options to make Duke the preferred place to practice medicine in the world.

Engage in payer strategy, planning and partnership for the enterprise.

Strategic Growth & Market Expansion

Develop and execute strategies to expand Duke Health's ambulatory footprint across North Carolina and the region.

Develop, manage and continuously adjust physician partnership models to meet the needs of Duke Health and the patients we serve across diverse geographies.

Identify and evaluate opportunities for new clinic development, practice acquisitions, joint ventures, and strategic partnerships.

Collaborate with planning, business development, and clinical leaders to assess market needs and optimize site selection and service line expansion.

Continuous management of capacity and demand for clinical care to meet the needs of our communities, including recruitment, retention and increasing clinical capacity through efficiency.

Responsible for coordination of the DUHS wide physician and APP hiring plan and budget.

Executive Oversight & Team Leadership

Provide executive leadership to a high-performing team of senior leaders. These areas include ambulatory operations, growth & network development, clinician compensation, clinician services, ambulatory & practice plan performance excellence, clinical department administration.

Foster a culture of collaboration, accountability, and continuous improvement across all operational and administrative functions.

Profit and Loss responsibility for Ambulatory Enterprise and Practice Plan Performance.

Operational Excellence & Performance Management

Oversee the development and execution of operational strategies to improve access, efficiency, quality, and patient experience across all ambulatory and physician practice settings.

Ensure alignment of performance metrics, financial targets, and operational standards across departments and service lines.

Champion data-driven decision-making and continuous improvement methodologies.

Access Services & Patient Experience

Provide strategic oversight of Duke Health Access Services, ensuring seamless coordination of scheduling, referrals, and patient navigation.

Drive innovation and strategy in digital access, telehealth, and patient engagement technologies.

System Collaboration & Governance

Serve as a key liaison between ambulatory operations, clinical departments, hospital leadership, and community partners.

Represent ambulatory and physician practice services in system-wide governance, planning, and transformation initiatives.

Required Qualifications at this Level

Distinguishing Characteristics of this Level

N/A

The intent of this job description is to provide a representative and level of the types of duties and responsibilities that will be required of positions given this title and shall not be construed as a declaration of the total of the specific duties and responsibilities of any particular position. Employees may be directed to perform job-related tasks other than those specifically presented in this description.

Duke University is an Equal Opportunity Employer committed to providing employment opportunity without regard to an individual's age, color, disability, gender, gender expression, gender identity, genetic information, national origin, race, religion, (including pregnancy and pregnancy related conditions), sexual orientation, or military status.

Duke aspires to create a community built on collaboration, innovation, creativity, and belonging. Our collective success depends on the robust exchange of ideas-an exchange that is best when the rich diversity of our perspectives, backgrounds, and experiences flourishes. To achieve this exchange, it is essential that all members of the community feel secure and welcome, that the contributions of all individuals are respected, and that all voices are heard. All members of our community have a responsibility to uphold these values.

Essential Physical Job Functions

Certain jobs at Duke University and Duke University Health System may include essential job functions that require specific physical and/or mental abilities. Additional information and provision for requests for reasonable accommodation will be provided by each hiring department.