Position: Healthcare Planner
Location: Royal Oak, Michigan
Work Type: On-site / Office-Based
Years of Experience: 5+ Years
Salary: Pay based on experience
Job Type: Full-Time / Exempt
Position Overview
We are seeking an experienced and highly collaborative Healthcare Planner to support a
growing healthcare and institutional practice. This role will lead the planning and
programming process for healthcare projects from early pre-design and operational
assessment phases through occupancy and project completion.
The Healthcare Planner will serve as a primary liaison between healthcare clients, medical
staff, operational leadership, consultants, and architectural teams to ensure planning solutions
align with clinical workflows, operational efficiency, patient experience, regulatory
compliance, and long-term healthcare facility goals.
The ideal candidate will possess strong expertise in healthcare planning, facility
programming, operational workflow analysis, and occupied-facility renovation planning.
Candidates should have a deep understanding of healthcare environments, healthcare
regulations, infection control considerations, and evidence-based planning methodologies.
This is a highly visible role offering the opportunity to contribute directly to healthcare
strategy, client engagement, business development initiatives, and the continued expansion of
healthcare-focused project delivery capabilities.
KEY RESPONSIBILITIES
Healthcare Planning and Programming
▪ Lead facility programming, operational workflow analysis, and space planning for
healthcare clients including:
- Hospitals
- Outpatient facilities
- Behavioral health environments
- Specialty clinical settings
▪ Assist in creating, reviewing, and coordinating: - Architectural plans
- Elevations
- Equipment plans
- Space utilization layouts
▪ Conduct pre-design assessments through: - Site visits
- Stakeholder interviews
- Functional adjacency analysis
- Existing conditions evaluations
- Benchmarking against FGI Guidelines and industry standards
▪ Develop and validate healthcare facility project scope and functional programs in
collaboration with: - Client leadership
- Medical staff
- Clinical users
- Facilities teams
- Administrative stakeholders
▪ Apply FGI Guidelines, NFPA life safety codes, building codes, and applicable state and
federal healthcare regulations throughout all planning and programming activities.
Project Delivery
▪ Serve as the planning and programming coordinator throughout all design phases while
ensuring programming intent is maintained through: - Schematic Design
- Design Development
- Construction Documents
- Construction Administration
▪ Assist project teams with: - ICRA (Infection Control Risk Assessment)
- ILSM (Interim Life Safety Measures)
- Occupied-facility renovation planning
- Phased construction coordination
▪ Provide infection control risk guidance for occupied healthcare facilities undergoing
renovation or phased construction activities.
▪ Coordinate with: - Architects of record
- MEP consultants
- Structural consultants
- Specialty healthcare vendors
- Medical equipment planners
- External subconsultants
▪ Align planning decisions with operational workflows, medical technologies, and facility
infrastructure requirements.
▪ Participate in construction administration activities including: - Site observations
- RFI review
- Medical equipment coordination
- Healthcare systems commissioning support
Client and Stakeholder Engagement
▪ Serve as the primary point of contact for: - End-users
- Department directors
- Medical staff
- Nursing leadership
- Operational leadership teams
▪ Translate complex healthcare workflows and operational needs into clear and functional
architectural programs.
▪ Facilitate: - User group meetings
- Planning workshops
- Stakeholder interviews
- Design review sessions
- Operational planning discussions
▪ Build and maintain strong relationships with: - Health system leadership
- Facilities management teams
- Clinical staff
- Administrative stakeholders
▪ Support collaborative decision-making processes while balancing operational, technical,
and design considerations.
Business Development Support
▪ Participate in: - Client presentations
- Healthcare interviews
- RFP/RFQ responses
- Proposal development activities
▪ Contribute to healthcare market positioning through: - Project narratives
- Case studies
- Healthcare planning content
- Thought leadership support
▪ Support identification of healthcare market opportunities and contribute to long-term
healthcare growth initiatives.
▪ Assist with internal knowledge development including: - Planning templates
- Healthcare standards documentation
- Best practice guidelines
- Operational planning resources
QUALIFICATIONS
Required
▪ 5+ years of experience in: - Healthcare architecture
- Healthcare planning
- Clinical operations
- Healthcare facility design environments
▪ EDAC (Evidence-Based Design Accreditation and Certification) credential from The
Center for Health Design, or active pursuit of certification.
▪ Strong working knowledge of current FGI Guidelines and familiarity with upcoming
revisions and industry trends.
▪ ICRA certification or demonstrated experience with infection control risk planning within
occupied healthcare facilities.
▪ Strong written and verbal communication skills with the ability to present effectively to: - C-suite leadership
- Medical staff
- Clinical leadership teams
- Design review boards
- Project stakeholders
▪ Proficiency in: - Revit
- AutoCAD
- Healthcare space planning workflows
- Medical presentation coordination
Preferred Qualifications
▪ Experience with: - Lean process design
- Patient flow optimization
- Healthcare transformation initiatives
- Operational efficiency studies
▪ Familiarity with healthcare approval and regulatory processes related to healthcare facility
design and construction projects.
▪ Experience supporting or leading healthcare business development pursuits including
SF330 submissions.
▪ ACHA (American College of Healthcare Architects) membership or active pursuit
preferred.
▪ Experience working with healthcare systems, institutional clients, or large-scale medical
facility environments preferred.
CORE COMPETENCIES
▪ Strong healthcare planning and operational workflow analysis capabilities.
▪ Deep understanding of healthcare environments, clinical operations, and patient-centered
design principles.
▪ Excellent facilitation, communication, and stakeholder engagement skills.
▪ Strong multidisciplinary coordination and problem-solving abilities.
▪ Ability to manage complex planning processes while balancing operational, technical, and
regulatory considerations.
▪ High attention to detail and commitment to quality planning and documentation.
▪ Strong organizational and project management skills with the ability to manage multiple
priorities and deadlines.
▪ Professional demeanor with strong client-facing presentation and leadership capabilities.
▪ Ability to work independently while contributing collaboratively within multidisciplinary
project teams.
WORK ENVIRONMENT
This position operates within a collaborative architectural and healthcare planning
environment involving frequent interaction with architects, engineers, healthcare
administrators, clinical staff, consultants, contractors, and project stakeholders.
The role may include: - Office-based planning and coordination work
- Healthcare facility walkthroughs
- Client meetings
- Stakeholder workshops
- Site visits
- Construction phase coordination activities
The Healthcare Planner will contribute across multiple active healthcare and institutional
projects while supporting planning, programming, coordination, and client engagement
activities throughout all phases of project delivery.
CAREER OPPORTUNITY
This is an exceptional opportunity for an experienced Healthcare Planner seeking a highly
visible and impactful role within a growing healthcare-focused design practice. The position
offers the opportunity to lead complex healthcare planning initiatives, collaborate directly
with clinical and operational leadership teams, influence healthcare facility strategy, and
contribute to the continued growth and advancement of healthcare project delivery
capabilities.