Chief Nursing Officer - Central Office

son; Lincoln (NE); On-site; USD 71,387,000 - 101,982,000; Full time

Job summary

The Nebraska Department of Correctional Services (NDCS) seeks a Chief Nursing Officer to lead nursing and treatment services across facilities and clinics in Nebraska. The role requires directing nursing staff, policy implementation, and alignment with accreditation standards.

Candidates must hold an active Nebraska RN license with leadership experience, preferably in corrections or healthcare administration, and a strong grounding in data usage and Excel.

Qualifications

• Minimum Qualifications: A current license to practice as a Registered Nurse in Nebraska or authority under the Nurse Licensure Compact, plus two years of supervising others.
• Preferred Qualifications: Five years of corrections experience; Master's degree in public health or public administration; director level experience; NCCHC/ACA audits knowledge; data and Excel familiarity.

Responsibilities

• Oversee nursing and treatment services across NDCS facilities and clinics; ensure compliance with accreditation, licensing, and regulations.
• Provide leadership to nursing staff and facility Directors of Nursing; handle hiring, evaluation, scheduling, on-call, and emergency response.
• Direct nursing care planning, policy interpretation, and budgeting collaboration.
• Oversee quality assurance and CQI processes including mortality reviews to ensure high care standards.
• Represent nursing services in administrative and interdepartmental settings to improve care quality and efficiency.

Skills

Nursing leadership

Corrections experience

Regulatory compliance

Budget oversight

Education

Master's degree in health/public admin

Nebraska RN license

Job description

The work we do matters!

Hiring Agency

Correctional Services - Agency 46

Location

Lincoln, NE

Hiring Rate

$51.820

Job Posting

JR2026-00029449 Chief Nursing Officer - Central Office (Open)

Applications No Longer Accepted On

(If no date is displayed, job is posted as open until closed)

Job Description

The Nebraska Department of Correctional Services (NDCS) employs nearly 2,300 team members operating institutions statewide, which house approximately 5,800 inmates. The department's focus includes inmate programming and education, physical and behavioral health care, re-entry services, and community programs, and is accredited by the American Correctional Association (ACA). Candidates will model the NDCS values of integrity, respect, compassion, growth, and excellence as we accomplish our mission, "Keep people safe."

For additional information, call 402-479-3094. For Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) accommodations, please contact Megan Jones at [e-mail].

Hiring range is $51.820-$74.029/hour. Pay rate may be commensurate with education and/or experience within fiscal constraints, if approved.

DUTIES

• Oversees all nursing and treatment services across NDCS facilities and clinics, ensuring compliance with accreditation, certification, licensing standards, and regulations.
• Provides leadership and supervision to nursing staff and facility Directors of Nursing, including hiring, evaluation, scheduling, on-call coverage, and emergency response.
• Plans, organizes, and directs nursing care services; interprets regulations; establishes policies and procedures; and communicates nursing philosophy, goals, and objectives.
• Manages nursing services budget and collaborates in overall budget preparation.
• Oversees quality assurance, CQI, and related committees; to include mortality review committee, to ensure high standards of patient care.
• Represents nursing services in administrative, professional, public, and interdepartmental settings while coordinating activities across departments to improve care quality and efficiency.
• Oversees nursing onboarding, continuing education, and competency training and tracking to ensure NDCS maintains evidence-based practices.
• Expands the vision of nursing care to best practices in the 21st century.

Requirements/Qualifications

Minimum Qualifications: A current license to practice as a Registered Nurse in Nebraska or authority based on the Nurse Licensure Compact to practice as a registered nurse in Nebraska and two years of experience assigning, reviewing, leading, or supervising the work of others.

Preferred Qualifications: Five years of corrections experience. Master's degree in public health, public administration or similar training. Experience as a director of nursing, chief nursing officer, or a regional nurse who has experience with multi-facility management. Three years of working knowledge of NCCHC and ACA guidelines and audits. Experience caring for patients with serious medical illnesses. Working knowledge of Excel spreadsheets and data tracking.

Other

Applicants accepting a job offer must pass the following pre-employment exams in this order: medical exam, and at a randomly announced time, pass a drug test. Once at the Staff Training Academy, must successfully complete the fully paid Nebraska Corrections Training Program.

If you're currently employed by the State of Nebraska, please don't apply through this external career site. Instead, log in to Workday and open the Jobs Hub - Internal Apply app from your home landing page. You can access Workday anytime through the Link web page: https://link.nebraska.gov/

Benefits

We offer a comprehensive package of pay, benefits, paid time off, retirement and professional development opportunities to help you get the most out of your career and life. Your paycheck is just part of your total compensation.

Check out all that the State of Nebraska has to offer! Benefit eligibility may vary by position, agency and employment status. For more information on benefits, please visit: https://statejobs.nebraska.gov/index.html#benefits

Equal Opportunity Statement

The State of Nebraska values our teammates as well as a supportive environment that strives to promote diversity, inclusion, and belonging. We recruit, hire, train, and promote in all job classifications and at all levels without regard to race, color, religion, sex. age, national origin, disability, marital status or genetics.