JobsAdvocate Health

Associate Director Laboratory Logistics Operations

Advocate Health · Rosemont, IL

Posted Sep 7, 2026 · We last checked this listing on Sep 20, 2026

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Likely interview questions for this role

Written from this job description, not a generic list. Each one notes what the interviewer is really checking.

Behavioral

Tell me about a time you had to redesign a courier route network to handle growth or a new site going live. What did you do and how did it turn out?

whether the candidate has real experience scaling specimen transport logistics, not just managing an existing static route

Tell me about a time you caught a billing discrepancy with a vendor, maybe against contract pricing for new business or service changes. How did you find it and what did you do?

attention to financial detail and willingness to hold vendors accountable on invoicing

Tell me about a time you had to bring together internal stakeholders, maybe hospital lab staff and outreach customers, who had conflicting priorities about pickup timing or service levels.

stakeholder management skill across a system as sprawling as a multi-hospital lab network

Tell me about a time you had to manage a performance issue with someone on your team, maybe a courier or dispatcher, all the way through to resolution.

comfort with the full HR cycle from coaching through corrective action, since this role owns that directly

Tell me about a process improvement project you led that changed how a courier or logistics operation actually ran day to day, not just on paper.

evidence of continuous improvement work translating into operational change, as called out in the quality plan responsibility

Technical

Walk me through how you would set up SLAs and quality metrics for a third-party courier vendor from scratch.

depth of hands-on experience building and enforcing vendor performance frameworks, not just referencing that SLAs exist

How would you go about validating that a courier's charges actually match what was agreed in the contract when a new hospital or clinic gets added to the route?

practical process for auditing vendor spend, since this is called out explicitly in the job

What experience do you have with laboratory information systems and routing management software, and can you give an example of using one to solve a real logistics problem?

whether the systems knowledge is genuine or just checked off a resume

How do you stay current on compliance requirements like DOT, OSHA, CLIA, or state health department rules that apply to specimen transport, and how have you built that into daily operations?

whether the candidate treats regulatory compliance as a living operational practice versus a one-time training

If you were handed the capital and operating budget for this courier network today, how would you decide where to spend versus where to cut?

financial judgment and budget ownership experience appropriate to a director-level logistics role

Situational

Say a third-party courier is consistently missing pickup windows and it's starting to affect specimen integrity. Walk me through what you'd do in the first week.

ability to triage a vendor performance crisis without immediately escalating to contract termination or panic

A new outreach client needs specimen pickup added to an existing route within two weeks, but your current couriers are already at capacity. What do you do?

resourcefulness and tradeoff thinking under a real capacity constraint typical to this business

This role requires frequent travel across multiple states to different Advocate Health locations. How do you manage relationships and oversight for teams or sites you aren't physically at most of the week?

realistic plan for remote or distributed oversight, since this isn't a desk-bound single-site job

Practice this interview out loud.

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The full job description

As published by Advocate Health.

Department: 60315 IL ACL Laboratories - IL Logistics Status: Full time Benefits Eligible: Yes Hou rs Per Week: 40 Schedule Details/Additional Information: On-site position working Monday - Friday 8:00 a.m. - 4:30 p.m. Pay Range: $59.00 - $88.50 Major Responsibilities: • Ensures an efficient internal route courier/dispatch infrastructure to meet current operation requirements for timely pickup and transportation of specimens within the AAH footprint. Develops and recommends operating and capital expenditures within approved budget objectives.  Meets with internal and external stakeholders on internal courier efficiency, spend, and service issues.  • Ensures an efficient, safe, and cost-effective infrastructure related to all 3rd party courier services. Develops and manages metrics related to SLA’s (Service Level Agreements) and quality metrics. Meets with internal and external stakeholders on 3rd party courier efficiency, spend, and service issues.  Validates 3rd party courier charges related to new business or changes in services according to contract pricing.  • Establish and maintain strong professional working relationships with key stakeholders to facilitate and support rapid and changing initiatives. Develops a culture where change occurs rapidly as documented by project plans and timelines of new sites and pickup locations. Represents logistics at system level meetings to support ACL and Advocate Health related to integrated logistics services for hospitals, clinics, and outreach customers.  • Maintains working knowledge of technology and computer software for the operations, implement new technology to maximize organization efficiency and cost savings when applicable.  • Implement ACL quality plan, performance and productivity indicators and drive consistent monitoring and continuous improvement efforts that align with department and organization objectives.  Ensures compliance to all government and mandated requirements including but not limited to HIPPA, OSHA, DOT, IDPH, WDPH, and CLIA.  • Collaborates with supervisors in all human resource responsibilities for team members including: interviewing, selection, promotions, development, performance evaluations, compensation changes, resolution of concerns, corrective actions, terminations, and overall team morale.  • Designs and directs the work of the team(s). Selects, coaches, and develops team(s). Sets clear expectations to inspire and motivate the team. Manages performance by recognizing achievement, providing feedback, and administering progressive discipline when necessary. • May develop and/or recommend operating and capital budgets and controls expenditures within approved budget objectives. • Responsible for understanding and adhering to the organization's Code of Ethical Conduct and for ensuring that people actions, and the actions of employees supervised, comply with the policies, regulations, and laws applicable to the organization's business.   Education Required: • Bachelor's Degree in Business, Health Care Administration or related field. Experience Required: • Typically requires 7 years of experience in project management, process improvement, decision making, delegation, team building, customer service and conflict resolution. Knowledge, Skills & Abilities Required: • Strong analytical and computer skills including knowledge of Microsoft office, laboratory information systems and routing management software. • Demonstrated leadership skills including project management, decision making, delegation, team building, customer service, and conflict resolution.  • Proven ability to simultaneously handle multiple tasks. • Process improvement experience. • Proficient verbal, written and interpersonal communication skills.   Physical Requirements and Working Conditions: • This position will require frequent travel to Advocate Health’s locations in multiple states • Frequently lifts to 10 lbs., and occasionally lifts to 50 lbs. Operates all equipment necessary to perform the job. • Exposed to a normal office environment. • Maybe exposed to the following hazards: mechanical, electrical, chemical, infectious agents, as well as human and body fluids.    This job description indicates the general nature and level of work expected of the incumbent. It is not designed to cover or contain a comprehensive listing of activities, duties or responsibilities required of the incumbent. Incumbent may be required to perform other related duties. Our Commitment to You: Advocate Health offers a comprehensive suite of Total Rewards: benefits and well-being programs, competitive compensation, generous retirement offerings, programs that invest in your career development and so much more – so you can live fully at and away from work, including: Compensation • Base compensation listed within the listed pay range based on factors such as qualifications, skills, relevant experience, and/or training • Premium pay such as shift, on call, and more based on a teammate's job • Incentive pay for select positions • Opportunity for annual increases based on performance Benefits and more • Paid Time Off programs • Health and welfare benefits such as medical, dental, vision, life, and Short- and Long-Term Disability • Flexible Spending Accounts for eligible health care and dependent care expenses • Family benefits such as adoption assistance and paid parental leave • Defined contribution retirement plans with employer match and other financial wellness programs • Educational Assistance Program Note: Eligibility for programs listed above may depend on your FTE or status (e.g., full-time, part-time, per diem, temporary, etc.); please ask a Recruiter for more information during an interview. About Advocate Health  Advocate Health is the third-largest nonprofit, integrated health system in the United States, created from the combination of Advocate Aurora Health and Atrium Health. Providing care under the names Advocate Health Care in Illinois; Atrium Health in the Carolinas, Georgia and Alabama; and Aurora Health Care in Wisconsin, Advocate Health is a national leader in clinical innovation, health outcomes, consumer experience and value-based care. Headquartered in Charlotte, North Carolina, Advocate Health services nearly 6 million patients and is engaged in hundreds of clinical trials and research studies, with Wake Forest University School of Medicine serving as the academic core of the enterprise. It is nationally recognized for its expertise in cardiology, neurosciences, oncology, pediatrics and rehabilitation, as well as organ transplants, burn treatments and specialized musculoskeletal programs. Advocate Health employs 155,000 teammates across 69 hospitals and over 1,000 care locations, and offers one of the nation’s largest graduate medical education programs with over 2,000 residents and fellows across more than 200 programs. Committed to providing equitable care for all, Advocate Health provides more than $6 billion in annual community benefits.

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