NEAR NORTH HEALTH

Chief Medical Officer

This Is Not a Clinical Administrator Role

Near North Health has served Chicago's South, North and West sides for 58 years. We have never left the neighborhoods that the broader healthcare system deemed inconvenient. Our patients are uninsured, underinsured, Medicaid-enrolled, and underserved: not as a demographic footnote, but as the entire reason this organization exists.

We are also in the middle of the most significant transformation in our history.

We are executing a Baldrige Excellence Framework transformation. We are building a Triad leadership model, CMO, COO, and CEO, that requires genuine partnership, honest disagreement, and shared accountability at the top. We are in Year One of a five-year True North initiative designed to make Near North Health a model for what community health can be: not just adequate, but excellent.

The physician who takes this role will not inherit a finished clinical program. They will help build one. They will make decisions that shape care for 20,000 patients across three clinic sites on the South, North and West sides of Chicago. That is not a responsibility to be managed. It is a calling to be answered.

The Role

The Chief Medical Officer serves as the clinical conscience of the organization, responsible for clinical quality, population health strategy, provider leadership, and the integration of evidence-based practice across all care settings. The CMO reports to the CEO and serves as an equal partner in the Triad leadership model alongside the Chief Operating Officer.

This is not a role where clinical leadership is separate from organizational leadership. At Near North Health, those things are the same. The CMO shapes strategy, carries culture, and is present in the life of the organization in ways that extend well beyond clinical outcomes dashboards.

What You Will Lead

• Clinical quality strategy, including oversight of the Quality, Patient Safety, and Risk Committee structure and performance workgroups spanning population health, care management, patient access, and infection control
• Provider recruitment, retention, credentialing, and performance, building a medical staff that reflects both clinical excellence and deep commitment to the communities we serve
• Population health and value-based care strategy in partnership with managed care leadership, with a focus on closing gaps for our highest-risk patient populations
• Integration of care coordination, behavioral health, dental and primary care into a seamless patient experience, moving from siloed programs to a genuine care continuum
• Clinical representation in community, regulatory, and payer relationships, including with Illinois Medicaid managed care organizations and HRSA
• A culture of continuous clinical improvement grounded in data, humility, and relentless focus on patient outcomes

The Physician We Are Looking For

We have been deliberate about this. The CMO who will thrive here is not the standard profile.

You practice, or you have not been gone long enough to forget what it means.

We want a CMO who maintains clinical presence, even if limited. Not because we need the FTE hours. Because a physician who still sees patients remembers what the system feels like from inside an exam room. That memory is irreplaceable in a leadership role at a community health center.

You understand quality as a system problem, not a compliance exercise.

UDS measures, HEDIS rates, and HRSA site visit readiness matter here, but they are not the goal. The goal is that Mrs. Garcia's diabetes is well-managed, that her follow-up actually happens, that the handoff between her care coordinator and her provider does not drop her. You know the difference between reporting on quality and building systems that produce it.

You lead physicians without losing them.

Provider cultures are specific and sometimes fragile. You know how to hold a medical staff accountable without creating the conditions for exodus. You have had hard conversations with clinicians, about performance, about culture, about what it means to practice here and not somewhere easier, and you have navigated them with honesty and care.

You see health equity as clinical strategy, not a statement.

Our patient population is predominantly Black and Latino, many living in neighborhoods shaped by decades of disinvestment. Closing the gaps in their care outcomes is not a values exercise. It is the clinical mission. You understand the social determinants of health not as a phrase but as a daily operational reality, and you design care models accordingly.

You are comfortable not having all the answers in the room.

The Triad model works because each leader brings a different lens and all three are willing to be challenged. We need a CMO who is secure enough to say what they do not know, curious enough to ask what the COO or CEO sees that they are missing, and confident enough to push back when clinical judgment requires it.

What Near North Health Brings

We are building from strength. That matters for a CMO who wants to lead transformation, not manage crisis.

• Financial stability well above the FQHC median, giving us the runway to invest in what we are building
• A Dramatic Performance Improvement pilot at our Oakwood Shores site that achieved a 44% reduction in missed care opportunities, proof that our nee teams based model works when it is properly resourced and supported
• A clinical quality infrastructure, including a robust committee structure and dedicated quality staff, that is ready to be elevated, not rebuilt from scratch
• A CEO who is invested in your success and in creating the conditions for clinical and operational leadership to function as genuine partners
• 20,000 or more patients across Chicago's North and West sides who deserve a CMO who sees them as the measure of everything

Qualifications

Required

• MD or DO with board certification in a primary care specialty. Family Medicine, Internal Medicine, Pediatrics, or Med-Peds strongly preferred
• Active Illinois medical license in good standing
• Five or more years of progressively responsible clinical leadership, including direct supervision of providers
• Demonstrated experience in quality improvement, population health management, or value-based care strategy
• Track record of leading change in complex, multi-site clinical environments

Strongly Preferred

• Experience in Federally Qualified Health Centers or community health settings serving underserved populations
• Familiarity with HRSA UDS reporting, PCMH standards, or FTCA compliance
• Experience with Baldrige, Lean, or comparable performance excellence frameworks
• MPH, MBA, or equivalent graduate training in health systems leadership
• Illinois Medicaid managed care contracting or value-based care experience
• Chicago-based or committed to Chicago relocation

On What This Work Requires

"I am Near North Health. I see you, respect you, and follow through."

Near North Health Organizational Promise

That promise belongs to every person in this organization, clinical and administrative, frontline and executive. The CMO is not exempt from it. In fact, the CMO may carry it more visibly than anyone else, because patients and providers alike look to clinical leadership to know what this organization actually believes about the work.

We are looking for a physician who has something at stake in this: not just professionally, but personally. Someone for whom the question of whether these 20,000 patients get excellent care is not an abstract organizational metric but a real and pressing responsibility.

If that is you, we want to hear from you.

To view full job description: Click here

Our Amazing Benefits Package

At Near North Health, we care for our team as much as we care for our community. We offer an exceptional benefits package designed to support your health, financial security, and overall well-being, including:

• Health and Wellness: Enjoy premium health, dental, and vision coverage, along with Health Savings Account (HSA) and Flexible Spending Account (FSA) options to support the health and well-being of you and your family.

• Financial Security: Benefit from generous retirement plans with company contributions, a tax-deferred annuity for additional savings, life insurance options, AD&D coverage, critical illness coverage, and a 24-hour accident plan that protects you both on and off the job.

• Work-Life Balance: Take advantage of ample paid time off, including vacation, sick days, and 9 paid holidays, to recharge and spend meaningful time with loved ones. Commuter benefits are also available to ease your daily travel.

• Professional Growth: Access ongoing training, development programs, and tuition reimbursement to help you achieve your career aspirations.

• Employee Wellness: Prioritize your emotional and psychological well-being with our Employee Assistance Program (EAP) and access to mental health resources through Modern Health.

Compensation

Compensation is determined based on each candidate’s experience, skills, and education, within the established range for the role. Candidates who meet the minimum requirements will typically start at the entry level of the range, with additional qualifications reflected in the final compensation package.

Near North Health is an equal opportunity employer and welcomes candidates from diverse backgrounds to apply. Let's work together to make a difference in the lives of our community members!