The Role:

In this leadership role, the Lead Doula provides hands-on patient support and oversees day‑to‑day coordination of the doula team, ensuring smooth workflow, consistent coverage, and ongoing alignment with hospital procedures.

In this leadership role, the Lead Doula will provide hands-on support to birthing patients, while also coordinating day-to-day doula coverage, assisting with staffing decisions in collaboration with the Charge Nurse, and serving as the on-site point person between the hospital and Partum Health. This doula will play a key role in ensuring seamless integration of doula services into the clinical care environment, supporting both patients and the doula team.

This is a full-time position paid hourly with benefits, and consistent scheduling. You will be employed by Partum Health and deployed exclusively at the hospital’s South Side location. Candidates must feel comfortable working in a hospital setting and collaborating closely with nurses, OBs, midwives, and other healthcare professionals. Leadership experience and effective communication skills are essential.

What You will Do

As the Hospital-Based Lead Doula, you will serve in both a leadership and direct care role. Your key responsibilities will include:

Leadership & Coordination

• Serve as the on-site lead for a team of four hospital-based doulas, providing day-to-day guidance, mentorship, and real-time support.
• Act as the primary liaison between the doula team and Partum Health, sharing updates, needs, and feedback to support program success.
• Assist with onboarding and training of new doulas and maintain team cohesion through regular check-ins and supportive coaching.
• Create and sustain a collaborative, respectful, and learning-focused team culture.
• Attend clinical huddles or relevant hospital meetings to support integration of doula care into the hospital’s care model.
• Support documentation and data collection requirements in accordance with hospital and Partum Health protocols.

Clinical Support & Direct Patient Care

• Provide in-person labor support to birthing patients, delivering emotional, physical, and educational care in collaboration with the clinical team.
• Use hands-on comfort measures (e.g., massage, positioning tools, breathing techniques) and evidence-informed strategies to support patients through labor and birth.
• Help birthing people advocate for themselves by reinforcing birth preferences and supporting respectful, clear communication with medical staff.
• Build trust and rapport with patients and families through warmth, empathy, and attentive presence.
• Anticipate and respond to emotional and physical needs with compassion and calm under pressure.
• Ability to pivot from L&D to Postpartum (Mother/Baby) based on client flow.
• Support the birthing person during epidural anesthesia placement, should they desire regional anesthesia.
• Support the birthing person in the operating room should a Cesarean Delivery be required, including emotional support and initiating skin-to-skin contact.
• Round on postpartum patients to provide education, support, and lactation guidance in collaboration with the nurses and lactation consultants.
• Maintain charting notes following HIPAA protocols. Must complete all hospital-required learning modules annually, including HIPAA, infection control, and patient safety.

Communication, Professionalism & Growth

• Demonstrate strong interpersonal and communication skills, including the ability to give and receive feedback respectfully.
• Work closely and collaboratively with nurses, OBs, midwives, and residents in a high-acuity hospital environment.
• Offer evidence-based, non-medical guidance in a non-judgmental, supportive manner to clients and their families.
• Stay current on hospital protocols and doula best practices through continuing education, research, and professional development.

Success (performance measures) in the role defined by: leadership and team coordination evaluation, patient satisfaction, collaboration feedback, attendance, and documentation quality.

Schedule

• Work 2 x 12-hour shifts per week (Two clinical shifts) plus provide administrative support for an additional 12-16 hours weekly - this time may be partially in the hospital and may be partially remote
• Includes: One clinical day shift and one clinical night shift per week.
• Role may require holiday/weekend rotations, attendance at meetings, and shift extensions for active labor support.

Qualifications

• Certified as an Illinois Medicaid Certified (IMC) doula through SIU in the State of Illinois or willingness to become certified (support available through Partum Health). If not certified must hold all requirements to certify at time of hire
• CPR Certified
• Comfortable in a clinical hospital setting and experienced working with interdisciplinary teams.
• Strong understanding of hospital workflows and clinical communication processes, especially within labor & delivery settings.
• Proven ability to collaborate effectively with interdisciplinary clinical teams, including nurses, OBs, and midwives.
• Demonstrated leadership, organization, and scheduling skills—experience with shift planning or care team coordination a plus.
• Excellent interpersonal and communication skills; ability to offer and receive feedback with professionalism and compassion.
• Comfortable acting as a liaison between a doula team and hospital clinical or administrative leadership, including escalating needs or resolving issues as they arise.
• Comfortable acting as a liaison between a doula team, hospital clinical or administrative leadership, and Partum Health’s leadership, including escalating needs or resolving issues as they arise.
• Emotionally intelligent, calm under pressure, and able to model a supportive and inclusive care approach for the doula team.
• Commitment to equity, birth justice, and serving underserved populations.
• Able to complete onboarding and training through both Partum Health and the hospital system.
• Effective communication, teamwork, and patient-centered clinical care skills
• Familiarity with clinical charting, and willingness to conduct audits.
• Willing to maintain Doula Certification
• Ability to maintain updated hospital mandated vaccination status.

Physical Requirements and Working Conditions:

• May be exposed to hazardous materials. Services are provided in a hospital setting.
• The position has direct patient care. Candidates must have the ability to lift up to thirty-five pounds without assistance. Unique patient lifting/movement situations will be assessed on a case-by-case basis. Requires prolonged standing, kneeling, squatting, pushing/pulling equipment, and supporting laboring individuals in various positions.

Bonus Qualifications

• Currently enrolled in IMPACT
• Spanish-speaking doulas highly encouraged to apply.
• Previous experience working in a clinical setting.
• Prior experience mentoring or supervising other doulas or birth workers strongly preferred.

What We Offer

• Consistent scheduling, $32/ hr ($60,000 base salary equivalent) + Benefits
• Paid time off, sick leave, and professional development.
• Employer-paid certification/training support
• Mission-driven, equity-focused team
• Opportunity to be part of a groundbreaking partnership redefining maternal health care.