Associate Director Time-Critical Disease Programs

Ohio State University; Columbus (OH); On-site; USD 140,000 - 210,000; Full time

Job summary

The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center seeks an Associate Director for Time-Critical Disease Programs to provide enterprise-wide strategic and operational leadership for high-acuity services. The role coordinates across emergency, inpatient, procedural, nursing, medical staff, and regional partners to deliver timely, evidence-based care.

Reporting to senior nursing leadership, the incumbent drives performance improvement, regulatory readiness, patient access, and program growth within a

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Health Care, Business Administration, or related field is required; clinical degree preferred.
• Minimum 6 years of progressive leadership experience in healthcare operations.
• Preferred experience in trauma, stroke, cardiac, or surgical services within an academic medical center.

Responsibilities

• Provide enterprise-wide strategic and operational leadership for time-critical programs (trauma, stroke, burn, STEMI, vascular emergencies).
• Ensure timely access, high-quality evidence-based care and regulatory readiness across departments.
• Drive performance improvement, standardize processes, and coordinate regional partnerships and referrals.

Skills

Leadership experience

Healthcare operations

Time-critical programs

Education

Bachelor's degree in Health Care, Business Administration, or related field

Clinical degree preferred

Job description

Associate Director Time-Critical Disease Programs## Department:Health System Shared Services | Health System Nursing Administration**Scope of Position**The Associate Director, Time-Critical Disease Programs provides enterprise-wide strategic and operational leadership for a portfolio of highly specialized, high-acuity, time-sensitive clinical programs requiring seamless coordination across the emergency department, inpatient and procedural services, diagnostic areas, nursing, medical staff, pre-hospital providers, and regional healthcare partners.The Associate Director oversees the operational and programmatic performance of the Trauma Program, Burn Program, Emergency General Surgery Program, Comprehensive Stroke Center, STEMI Program, and Vascular Emergency Program. The position is accountable for the integration, performance, and continuous advancement of these programs, ensuring the delivery of timely, high-quality, evidence-based, and reliable care while maintaining compliance with applicable regulatory, accreditation, and certification requirements.The role has accountability for daily program operations, quality and performance improvement, accreditation and regulatory readiness, patient access and flow, program development, and strategic growth. The Associate Director works across clinical and operational boundaries to identify barriers, align resources, standardize processes, and establish sustainable systems that support high-reliability care and continued program growth.The Associate Director reports to the Associate Chief Nursing Officer for Emergency Services and Women and Infants, with matrixed accountability to the Director of Patient Flow for patient access, throughput, capacity management, transfer performance, and system-level coordination. The position also partners closely with relevant physician and service line leadership to ensure alignment of clinical, operational, and strategic priorities.**Position Summary**The Associate Director, Time-Critical Disease Programs provides enterprise-wide strategic, operational, and programmatic leadership across a portfolio of high-acuity, time-sensitive services, including Trauma, Burn, Comprehensive Stroke, STEMI, Emergency General Surgery, and Vascular Emergencies. The role is responsible for integrating the clinical, operational, and strategic components of these programs to ensure reliable, coordinated, and evidence-based care across the continuum—from pre-hospital recognition and activation through timely access, definitive treatment, inpatient care, and post-acute transition.The Associate Director is responsible for ensuring effective and efficient entry into the OSUWMC clinical enterprise, coordinating high-quality and compliant care, advancing program performance, and developing strategies to support sustainable programmatic growth. The role translates clinical and operational priorities into measurable performance improvement, establishes systems to reduce variation and delay, and ensures that program infrastructure and resources evolve with patient demand and regional needs.A central focus of the position is to strengthen and expand OSUWMC's role as a regional destination for time-critical disease through improved clinical outcomes, high-reliability care delivery, operational excellence, and strategic partnerships with pre-hospital EMS agencies, referring hospitals, and other regional healthcare organizations. This includes strengthening referral and transfer pathways, improving regional access to definitive care, developing EMS and community partnerships, and identifying opportunities to expand the reach and capabilities of the programs.This position reports directly to the Associate Chief Nursing Officer for Emergency Services and Women and Infants, with matrixed accountability to the Director of Patient Flow and partnership with relevant physician and service line clinical leadership.The Associate Director serves as a key integrator across physician leadership, nursing, patient flow, hospital operations, quality, and regional partners to drive program excellence, regulatory and accreditation readiness, quality and performance improvement, operational reliability, and strategic growth within a complex academic medical center environment.**Minimum Qualifications****For Hire**: Bachelor's Degree in Health Care, Business Administration, or related field. Clinical degree preferred. 6 years of progressive leadership experience in healthcare operations required. Preferred demonstrated experience in one or more time-critical programs (trauma, stroke, cardiac, surgical services). Preferred experience in an academic medical center or complex tertiary/quaternary environment preferred.Function: Health Care AdministrationSub-Function: Service Line AdministrationCareer Band: ManagerialCareer Level: M3## Additional Information:## Location:University Hospital - Rhodes Hall (0354)## Position Type:Regular## Scheduled Hours:40## **Shift:**First Shift***Final candidates are subject to successful completion of a background check. A drug screen or physical may be required during the post offer process.***