Chief Medical Officer

Northwestern Medical Center; St. Albans (VT); On-site; USD 240,000 - 300,000; Full time

Job summary

Northwestern Medical Center in Vermont seeks a Chief Medical Officer to lead clinical care, quality, safety, and medical staff engagement. The CMO reports to the CEO and collaborates with hospital leadership to shape strategy and ensure excellence across inpatient and outpatient services.

The role emphasizes physician governance, recruitment and development, regulatory compliance, and fostering a culture of continuous improvement within a community hospital setting.

Qualifications

• MD/DO degree from an accredited medical school.
• Board Certification in a recognized medical specialty.
• Five+ years of clinical practice experience preferred.
• Physician leadership experience required, preferably in a hospital or integrated healthcare system.

Responsibilities

• Provide clinical leadership across Northwestern Medical Center, ensuring quality, safety, and regulatory compliance.
• Lead Medical Staff governance and collaboration with Medical Staff officers and committees.
• Champion quality improvement, patient safety, and performance improvement initiatives.
• Oversee physician recruitment, onboarding, and retention strategies.
• Engage senior leadership to align clinical strategy with organizational goals.

Skills

Leadership

Communication

Strategic thinking

Change management

Collaboration

Education

MD/DO degree

Board Certification

Job description

Lead Clinical Excellence. Shape Strategy. Strengthen Community Health.

Northwestern Medical Center (NMC) is seeking an experienced, collaborative, and visionary physician leader to serve as its next Chief Medical Officer (CMO).

As a key member of the Senior Leadership Team reporting directly to the CEO, the CMO will provide clinical leadership across the organization, ensuring the highest standards of patient care, quality, safety, physician engagement, and medical staff leadership. The CMO will play a critical role in advancing NMC's mission while contributing to the overall performance, sustainability, and strategic direction of the organization.

This position offers the opportunity to help shape healthcare delivery within a respected community hospital while working closely with hospital leadership and the Medical Staff.

Position Overview

The Chief Medical Officer is responsible for the overall medical integrity of Northwestern Medical Center's inpatient and outpatient services, ensuring patients receive exceptional care and service throughout the continuum of care. As a trusted leader and physician advocate, the CMO serves as a liaison between the Medical Staff and hospital leadership, fostering collaboration, engagement, accountability, and continuous improvement.

The successful candidate will champion clinical quality, patient safety, regulatory compliance, medical staff development, physician recruitment and retention, and a culture of excellence across the organization.

Key Responsibilities

Medical Staff Leadership & Governance

• Partners with the Medical Staff Office in support of the independent Medical Staff structure and its officers and chiefs in their obligations.
• Attends and participates in meetings of the Medical Staff, Medical Executive Committee, Credentialing Committee, Ethics Committee, Bylaws Committee, Peer Review Committee, and applicable service line meetings.
• Supports Medical Staff officers and department chiefs in fulfilling their leadership responsibilities.
• Ensures effective processes exist for physician onboarding, credentialing, FPPE, OPPE, and peer review activities.
• Works collaboratively with Medical Staff Officer team, Medical Staff leaders, and legal counsel regarding physician behavioral, quality, and patient safety concerns.

Quality, Patient Safety & Regulatory Compliance

• Is or becomes knowledgeable regarding the implications to the care of patients and the success of the hospital relating to quality improvement, risk, patient safety, risk management, utilization review, patient relations, and clinical documentation integrity initiatives.
• Champions and recruits champions from within Medical staff to inform and ensure engagement of the Medical Staff in quality improvement, risk, patient safety, risk management, utilization review, patient relations, and clinical documentation integrity initiatives.
• Promotes physician participation in organizational quality and safety efforts.
• Monitors key clinical quality indicators and supports action plans to address as needed.
• Ensures physician engagement in achieving regulatory and accreditation requirements.

Clinical Leadership

• Provides leadership and direction to Medical Directors.
• Promotes collaboration among physicians, advanced practice providers, nursing leadership, and operational leaders.
• Serves as a liaison for the Medical Staff in their function within hospital departments, practices, and units: helping communicate hospital direction, initiatives, and strategy; sharing Medical Staff perspectives and input with Senior Leadership; and fostering Medical Staff engagement in improvement efforts, issue resolution, and cultural alignment.

Organizational Leadership

• Participates in strategic planning and organizational decision-making.
• Collaborates with senior leaders to achieve organizational goals and objectives.
• Supports cultural alignment, physician engagement, and organizational effectiveness initiatives.
• Contributes to the hospital's long-term success and sustainability.

Physician Recruitment & Retention

• Participates in physician workforce planning initiatives.
• Supports recruitment, selection, onboarding, and retention of physicians and advanced practice providers.
• Promotes physician engagement, effective performance, and professional satisfaction.
• Helps develop strategies to attract and retain high-quality medical talent.

Qualifications

Education:

• Doctor of Medicine (MD) or Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine (DO) degree from an accredited medical school.
• Board Certification in a recognized medical specialty.

Experience:

• Five (5) years or more of clinical practice experience preferred.
• Physician leadership experience required, preferably within a hospital or integrated healthcare system.
• Demonstrated experience working with quality improvement initiatives, medical staff governance, and hospital operations preferred.

Other Skills:

• Excellent communication, relationship-building, leadership, and conflict-resolution skills.
• Strong understanding of hospital and clinic operations, quality, patient safety, risk management, and regulatory compliance or a willingness and plan to learn to create a strong understanding.
• Demonstrated ability to build physician engagement and foster collaboration across disciplines.

Certifications:

• Current unrestricted physician license, or eligibility for licensure, in the State of Vermont.
• Current DEA registration, as applicable.

Compensation:

NMC prefers a blended clinical and administrative role if that proves practical and is open to structuring this opportunity as a full-time administrative leadership role if that is what is required to achieve the role's duties.

Compensation will be commensurate with experience and will vary based on the percentage of time dedicated to administrative CMO responsibilities versus direct clinical practice. Candidates who wish to maintain a clinical practice while serving in the CMO role are encouraged to apply. Compensation will be structured accordingly to reflect both administrative leadership responsibilities and clinical service commitments.

Why Northwestern Medical Center?

Northwestern Medical Center is deeply committed to providing exceptional healthcare services to the communities it serves. As CMO, you will have the opportunity to influence clinical strategy, strengthen physician engagement, improve patient outcomes, and help shape the future of healthcare delivery in northern Vermont.

If you are a physician leader passionate about clinical excellence, collaboration, physician engagement, and community healthcare, we welcome the opportunity to speak with you.

Qualified candidates are encouraged to apply confidentially.

Equal Employment Opportunity Statement

Northwestern Medical Center is an Equal Opportunity Employer. We are committed to creating and maintaining a workplace that values diversity, inclusion, and belonging. All employment decisions are made without regard to race, color, religion, sex, pregnancy, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, national origin, age, disability, genetic information, veteran status, marital status, or any other characteristic protected by applicable federal, state, or local law.

Northwestern Medical Center is dedicated to fostering a respectful, inclusive, and supportive work environment where all employees have the opportunity to contribute, grow, and succeed. We encourage qualified individuals from all backgrounds and experiences to apply.

Reasonable accommodations are available for qualified individuals with disabilities throughout the application and employment process. Applicants requiring accommodation are encouraged to contact Human Resources for assistance.

Equal Opportunity Employer

This employer is required to notify all applicants of their rights pursuant to federal employment laws. For further information, please review the Know Your Rights notice from the Department of Labor.