Associate Chief Quality Officer - Acute Care

Denver Health Medical Center; Denver (CO); On-site; USD 180,000 - 300,000; Full time

Job summary

Denver Health Medical Center seeks an Associate Chief, Quality Officer to lead enterprise quality, safety and performance improvement initiatives. In partnership with the CQO, design and sustain programs driving measurable outcomes across care settings, collaborating with executives, clinicians, and staff to advance high-reliability care.

The role supports non-clinical, nursing or physician backgrounds, with a broad salary range reflecting experience.

Qualifications

• 10+ years progressive leadership in healthcare quality and patient safety.
• Experience leading large-scale quality improvement initiatives.
• CPHQ certification or equivalent competency preferred; Lean certification desirable.

Responsibilities

• Develop and drive system-wide quality and patient safety strategy with CQO.
• Lead large-scale change initiatives to improve outcomes and value.
• Support accreditation readiness and regulatory compliance efforts.
• Translate data into actionable insights for leaders and teams.
• Mentor quality and safety leaders across the system.

Skills

Strategic leadership

Quality improvement

Data interpretation

Communication

Regulatory knowledge

Education

Master's in healthcare administration / related field

Doctorate in medicine or DO (MD/DO)

CPPS or related certification

LEAN certification

Job description

The Associate Chief, Quality Officer provides strong, enterprise strategic leadership for Denver Health's system's quality, safety, and performance improvement initiatives. In partnership with the Chief Quality Officer, this role is responsible for designing, implementing, and sustaining programs that drive measurable outcomes across all care settings. The Associate Chief collaborates with executive leadership, physicians, nursing, residents and staff, and operational leaders to ensure high-reliability care and continuous improvement to advance Denver Health's vision of being the Most Trusted provider in Colorado.

Denver Health is seeking a strong candidate for this role, with consideration given to individuals from non-clinical, nursing, or physician backgrounds. The salary range is intentionally broad to allow flexibility based on the selected candidate’s experience and qualifications.

Please note the application period for this role will be from 9/2/2026 to 9/25/2026.

Essential Functions

• Strategic Leadership
  With the CQO, develop and drive system-wide quality and patient safety strategy aligned with organizational goals
  Serve as a subject matter expert in quality improvement, patient safety science, and high-reliability healthcare
  Advise and influence executive leadership and the Board on quality, safety, and performance trends (20%)
• Quality and Performance Improvement
  Lead large scale change initiatives to improve outcomes, reduce variation, and enhance value across settings and organizational units; including care transitions and value-based care.
  Drive attainment of key performance indicators for Ambulatory and Acute Care Quality
  Advance the deployment of evidenced-based practice across Denver Health. (20%)
• Patient Safety & Risk Reduction
  Support the patient safety team in developing and deploying initiatives to promote patient and workforce safety which may include teamwork communication, just culture and proactive system-based approach to error prevention
  Support reactive patient safety and risk reduction programs, including event reporting, root cause analyses, and corrective action plans
  Sponsor or lead efforts to reduce harm events (20%)
• Data, Analytics & Reporting
  Partner with analytics teams to use data for quality improvement and decision-making
  Translate data into actionable insights for leaders and frontline teams
  Make proactive, data-driven strategic recommendations (20%)
• Leadership, Mentorship & Collaboration
  Lead and mentor quality and safety leaders and staff in the department of Patient Safety, Quality and Experience and across the system;
  Collaborate with clinical, operational, and support service leaders to integrate quality into daily operations
  Engage physicians, nurses, and frontline staff in improvement initiatives
  Lead meetings and initiatives, including support of organizational leadership and governance. (15%)
• Accreditation & Regulatory Compliance
  Support accreditation readiness and survey activities
  Ensure policies, processes, and practices meet regulatory and accreditation standards (5%)
• May maintain an active clinical practice. Lead by example in achieving own clinical practice organizational productivity and quality goals. (0%)

Education

• Master's Degree in healthcare administration, nursing, public health, quality, or related field with clinical background (RN, PharmD, or other licensed clinician) Required or
• Doctorate Degree MD or DO. Graduate of an approved medical school and completion of an approved residency. Further research training, such as an MPH/MSPH or primary care fellowship desirable. Required and
• Post Graduate Diploma or Certificate Program MD/DO and Board Certificates in their area of specialty. Patient safety training and/or certification (e.g. CPPS or related coursework) Preferred Required

Work Experience

• 10+ years progressive leadership experience in healthcare quality and patient safety Required Preferred
• Demonstrated experience leading large-scale quality improvement initiatives Required

Licenses

• CPHQ-Certified Professional Healthcare Quality - NAHQ - National Association for Healthcare Quality
• LEAN-Lean Certified - SSGI - Six Sigma Global Institute Preferred

Knowledge, Skills and Abilities

• Communication skills to interact effectively with Denver Health’s current service/client base, prospective customers, and all levels of DH management
• Ability to interpret and analyze financial and statistical information
• 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 scientific and medical literature, standards of medical care and professional care established by various task forces and accrediting agencies
• Strong public speaking/presentation skills
• Skill in facilitating a collegial relationship between practicing clinicians, healthcare workers, and hospital administration
• Knowledge of ongoing activity in a clinical area of expertise
• Working knowledge of general hospital operations, the Joint Commission, Medicare COP, and state requirements, preferred
• Strong written and verbal communication skills

Aaron Ortiz, Director of Provider Recruitment

Denver Health & Hospital Authority

[e-mail]

W: 303-602-4992

C: 207-232-5294