Chief Nursing Officer

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Department

Job Summary

Reporting to the CEO, this position leads the strategic direction and operational oversight of nursing services, ensuring high-quality patient care through collaboration with multidisciplinary leadership. Establishes and refines policies, procedures, and organizational frameworks that drive clinical excellence, regulatory compliance, and optimal patient outcomes. Designs and implements targeted orientation, in-service training, and development programs to foster a skilled, adaptable nursing workforce aligned with organizational goals. Partners with the executive team in strategic planning, budget alignment, and resource management. Champions professional growth, succession planning, and leadership development among nursing staff, cultivating a resilient pipeline of future nursing leaders. Actively engages in professional networks and stays current with industry trends through local, regional, and national conferences and affiliations.

Essential Functions:

General Operations (20%):

• Drives the strategic vision and operational leadership for the nursing organization, fostering a culture of excellence, accountability, and innovation.
• Ensures nursing service areas consistently meet and exceed regulatory standards through rigorous compliance oversight and adherence to best clinical practices.
• Leverages advanced quality models and data-driven insights to evaluate system-wide performance, proactively enhancing patient outcomes and optimizing care delivery.

Specific Major Functions (20%):

• Ensures efficient administrative oversight and accurate record-keeping, establishing streamlined processes that enhance operational transparency and accountability.
• Prepares and delivers comprehensive reports to the CEO and Executive team, providing actionable insights to support informed decision-making and strategic planning.
• Engages in departmental studies and leads project initiatives to drive continuous improvement and operational effectiveness.
• Strategically manages inventory of medications, medical supplies, and equipment, maintaining optimal levels to support uninterrupted, high-quality patient care.
• Leverages internal and external resources to stay ahead of evolving standards and regulatory requirements, ensuring the organization remains compliant and competitive.

Financial Management (20%):

• Strategically forecasts, develops, and oversees the nursing budget, conducting in-depth analysis of expenditure variances to ensure optimal resource allocation within organizational priorities.
• Establishes and prioritizes productivity standards, collaborating with executive leadership to secure necessary resources, and rigorously evaluates outcomes to drive efficiency and cost-effectiveness.
• Implements revenue optimization strategies within the current charge capture framework, aligning financial practices with the agency's mission and values.
• Champions financial accountability across the nursing leadership team, providing targeted education and holding leaders responsible for effective fiscal management.
• Leads nursing department initiatives to enhance patient flow and minimize diversions, ensuring resource availability aligns with quality care and operational efficiency goals.

Planning and Strategy (10%):

• Leads the formulation, evaluation, and continuous refinement of policies, procedures, goals, and strategic plans for the Nursing Division, ensuring alignment with organizational vision and best practices.
• Strategically mobilizes resources to enhance the effectiveness and quality of the patient care system, driving innovation and sustainable improvements in nursing services.
• Advocates for and integrates evidence-based patient care plans and nursing practice guidelines, promoting a high standard of clinical excellence and consistency in care delivery.
• Provides strategic leadership in fostering a patient- and family-centered approach, actively engaging them in setting care objectives and goals to elevate the overall patient experience.

Quality Review and Customer Orientation/Engagement (10%):

• Aligns Nursing Department strategies with Denver Health's strategic imperatives, ensuring that policies, procedures, and priorities drive impactful, efficient, and patient-centered nursing care.
• Champions the safeguarding of patient rights, upholding fair and equitable treatment, privacy, autonomy, and civil rights, and establishing robust processes for addressing patient concerns and complaints.
• Actively participates in Board of Director meetings and key committees, including Education and Quality Assurance, contributing strategic insights and supporting executive decision-making.
• Leads the Nursing Executive Council as chair, setting policies and strategic direction that elevate the standard of care and reinforce nursing's role in achieving organizational goals.

Commitment to Learning and Innovation (10%):

• Ensures adherence to Denver Health's mandatory education requirements, fostering a culture of continuous learning and professional excellence across the Nursing Department.
• Actively engages in formal education and professional development, proactively seeking opportunities to advance personal and organizational performance.
• Maintains and upholds professional credentials relevant to program areas, setting a standard for credentialing excellence within the department.
• Stays at the forefront of healthcare advancements, integrating emerging trends and innovations to enhance nursing practices and patient outcomes.
• Champions a culture of performance improvement and agile change management, utilizing Lean principles and other strategic tools to drive impactful, sustainable innovations.

Talent Management (10%):

• Drives employee engagement by strategically allocating resources, support, and tools that enhance efficiency, foster innovation and strengthen teamwork across the nursing organization.
• Actively mentors and develops direct reports, cultivating leadership depth and readiness to support succession planning and organizational resilience.
• Oversees the design and implementation of an organizational approach for nursing orientation, in-service education, and ongoing training, ensuring that new employees are equipped to contribute effectively to organizational goals.
• Strategically manages staffing levels, ensuring that the nursing team is consistently equipped with the appropriate number of qualified professionals to meet the holistic needs of patients and families.
• Ensures all nursing personnel maintain current, valid Colorado licenses, reinforcing professional standards and regulatory compliance within the department.

Education:

• Master's Degree In Nursing/Administration from an accredited college or university. Required

Work Experience:

• 10+ years Typically, ten years of directly related experience is required and
• 7-9 years Minimum eight years as Director or equivalent title of units in a complex organization Required

Licenses:

• RN-Registered Nurse - DORA - Department of Regulatory Agencies Required

Knowledge, Skills and Abilities:

• Communication skills to interact effectively with Denver Health's current service/client base, prospective customers, and all levels of Denver Health management.
• The ability to understand and apply financial analyses including forecasting, assist exploring strategic options and develop creative solutions to complex government and business issues.
• The ability to interpret and analyze financial and statistical information.
• Knowledgeable regarding clinical practice guidelines, quality, patient safety, and regulatory standards.
• The ability to systematically gather information from a variety of sources, analyze information, identify implications of data, draw appropriate conclusions, generate viable alternative solutions to a question or problem and evaluate the consequences of choosing each alternative.
• Knowledge of Federal, State and Local regulations pertaining to facility functions.
• The ability to establish, implement and continually update competency/skills checklist for nursing staff.

Starting pay range for this position is between $345,000-$378,000

Shift

Work Type

Salary

Benefits

• Outstanding benefits including up to 27 paid days off per year, immediate retirement plan employer contribution up to 9.5%, and generous medical plans

• Free RTD EcoPass (public transportation)

• On-site employee fitness center and wellness classes

• Childcare discount programs & exclusive perks on large brands, travel, and more

• Tuition reimbursement & assistance

• Education & development opportunities including career pathways and coaching

• Professional clinical advancement program & shared governance

• Public Service Loan Forgiveness (PSLF) eligible employer+ free student loan coaching and assistance navigating the PSLF program

• National Health Service Corps (NHCS) and Colorado Health Service Corps (CHSC) eligible employer

Our Values

• Respect

• Belonging

• Accountability

• Transparency

All job applicants for safety-sensitive positions must pass a pre-employment drug test, once a conditional offer of employment has been made.

Denver Health is an integrated, high-quality academic health care system considered a model for the nation that includes a Level I Trauma Center, a 555-bed acute care medical center, Denver's 911 emergency medical response system, 10 family health centers, 19 school-based health centers, Rocky Mountain Poison & Drug Safety, a Public Health Institute, an HMO and The Denver Health Foundation.

As Colorado's primary, and essential, safety-net institution, Denver Health is a mission-driven organization that has provided billions in uncompensated care for the uninsured. Denver Health is viewed as an Anchor Institution for the community, focusing on hiring and purchasing locally as applicable, serving as a pillar for community needs, and caring for more than 185,000 individuals and 67,000 children a year.

Located near downtown Denver, Denver Health is just minutes away from many of the cultural and recreational activities Denver has to offer.

We strongly support diversity in the workforce and Denver Health is an equal opportunity employer (EOE).

Denver Health values the unique ideas, talents and contributions reflective of the needs of our community. For more about our commitment to diversity visit: https://www.denverhealth.org/for-professionals/careers/diversity-and-inclusion

Applicants will be considered until the position is filled.