Director Infection Prevention

University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center; Dallas (TX); On-site; USD 180,000 - 230,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

PPO medical plan

100% coverage for preventive care

Paid Time Off

Retirement Programs TRS

Paid Parental Leave

Wellness programs

Tuition Reimbursement

PSLF Qualified Employer

Job summary

UT Southwestern Medical Center in Dallas seeks a Director of Health System Infection Prevention to lead system-wide strategies reducing HAIs and promoting a culture of safety. You will translate performance excellence and high reliability principles into standard work across inpatient, ambulatory, and procedural settings.

The role requires advanced experience in infection prevention, epidemiology, and quality improvement, with senior leadership responsibilities and enterprise-level program

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree required; 10 years in infection prevention, epidemiology, or quality improvement with a Bachelor's.
• 7 years with a Master's; 5 years leading infection prevention or quality professionals.
• Proven success leading enterprise or system-level initiatives in complex healthcare.

Responsibilities

• Develop and execute a system-wide infection prevention strategy aligned with performance excellence and high reliability.
• Standardize enterprise policies and expectations for infection prevention across care settings.
• Drive adherence to infection prevention across sites and translate priorities into executable actions.
• Lead system-wide performance improvement, monitoring, and accountable improvement initiatives.
• Ensure regulatory and accreditation readiness and compliance across the health system.
• Oversee IP policy, risk assessment, and product safety within the value-analysis framework.
• Foster a culture of safety, accountability, and ongoing workforce development.

Skills

Infection prevention

Epidemiology

Quality improvement

Leadership

Education

Bachelor's Degree in Nursing, Public Health, Microbiology, or related field

Master's Degree in Nursing, Public Health, Microbiology, or related field

Job description

WHY UT SOUTHWESTERN?

With over 75 years of excellence in Dallas-Fort Worth, Texas, UT Southwestern is committed to excellence, innovation, teamwork, and compassion. As a world-renowned medical and research center, we strive to provide the best possible care, resources, and benefits for our valued employees. Ranked as the number 1 hospital in Dallas-Fort Worth according to U.S. News & World Report, we invest in you with opportunities for career growth and development to align with your future goals. Our highly competitive benefits package offers healthcare, PTO and paid holidays, on-site childcare, wage, merit increases and so much more. We invite you to be a part of the UT Southwestern team where you'll discover a culture of teamwork, professionalism, and a rewarding career!

JOB SUMMARY

The Director, Health System Infection Prevention provides recommendations, to enterprise leadership, for the design, execution, and sustained advancement of infection prevention and control across UT Southwestern Health System. This role reports to the Associate Vice President of Quality & Operational Excellence and is accountable for translating the Performance Excellence System and High Reliability principles into consistent, measurable, and reliable infection prevention practices across all sites of care. Serving as the system's subject matter expert in infection prevention, the Director leads a coordinated, system-wide approach to reducing healthcare-associated infections (HAIs), mitigating transmission risk, and strengthening a culture of safety and accountability. This role ensures that strategy is operationalized through aligned systems, standard work, and disciplined execution, advancing UT Southwestern's mission, academic distinction, and commitment to exceptional patient care.

BENEFITS

UT Southwestern is proud to offer a competitive and comprehensive benefits package to eligible employees. Our benefits are designed to support your overall wellbeing, and include:

• PPO medical plan, available day one at no cost for full-time employee-only coverage
• 100% coverage for preventive healthcare-no copay
• Paid Time Off, available day one
• Retirement Programs through the Teacher Retirement System of Texas (TRS)
• Paid Parental Leave Benefit
• Wellness programs
• Tuition Reimbursement
• Public Service Loan Forgiveness (PSLF) Qualified Employer
• Learn more about these and other UTSW employee benefits!

EXPERIENCE AND EDUCATION

Required

• Education Bachelor's Degree in Nursing, Public Health, Microbiology, or related field required
• Experience 10 years of progressive experience in infection prevention, epidemiology, or quality improvement with a Bachelor's degree or
  7 years of progressive experience with a Master's degree
  5 years leading infection prevention or quality professionals
  Demonstrated success leading enterprise or system-level initiatives in complex, matrixed healthcare environments

Preferred

• Education Master's Degree in Nursing, Public Health, Microbiology, or related field required
• Licenses and Certifications MT (ASCP) or M (ASCP)
  (CIC) Cert in Infection Control within 2 Years or
  (A-IPC) Associate Infection Prevention and Control within 2 Years

JOB DUTIES

• Enterprise Infection Prevention Strategy & System Alignment
  • Recommend the development and execution of a comprehensive, system-wide infection prevention strategy aligned with the Performance Excellence System, High Reliability principles, and organizational priorities.
  • Establish and standardize enterprise policies, frameworks, and expectations for infection prevention across inpatient, ambulatory, and procedural settings.
  • Integrate infection prevention into the broader Performance Excellence System, ensuring alignment with quality, patient safety, workforce, and operational priorities.
  • Translate strategic priorities into clear execution pathways, enabling consistency across a complex, matrixed academic health system.
  • Partner with Quality & Operational Excellence leaders, entity leadership, and Infection Prevention teams to ensure alignment and disciplined execution of infection prevention priorities, driving consistency, reducing variation, and advancing system-wide performance.
• Execution of the Performance Excellence System
  • Drive consistent application of the Performance Excellence System within infection prevention across all sites of care.
  • Assess system and entity performance to identify variation, emerging risks, and improvement opportunities related to HAIs and transmission prevention.
  • Recommend enterprise and entity-level initiatives that translate surveillance and learning into standard work, measurable outcomes, and sustained results.
  • Enable the spread and adoption of effective infection prevention practices and innovations across the health system.
• System-Wide Performance Improvement & Monitoring
  • Establish and oversee a comprehensive, system-wide infection prevention performance monitoring structure aligned with the Balanced Scorecard.
  • Monitor and trend key infection metrics (e.g., CLABSI, CAUTI, SSI, C. difficile, respiratory infections), identifying variation and opportunities for targeted intervention.
  • Ensure performance data drives action, accountability, and sustained improvement at the entity and service line level.
  • Lead ongoing evaluation of interventions to ensure reliability and durability of outcomes.
• Regulatory & Accreditation Oversight
  • Ensure system-wide compliance with applicable regulatory and accreditation requirements, including:
    • Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) guidance
    • Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) Conditions of Participation
    • The Joint Commission standards
    • Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) requirements
  • Maintain continuous system survey readiness, ensuring alignment of policies, practices, and documentation.
  • Oversee responses to regulatory citations, infection-related findings, and corrective action plans, ensuring timely and sustainable resolution.
• Infection Prevention Operations, Surveillance & Standardization
  • Oversee the design and execution of comprehensive infection prevention programs to reduce healthcare-associated infections.
  • Establish standardized surveillance methodologies, definitions, and reporting processes, maintaining oversight as NHSN system administrator.
  • Ensure data accuracy, validation, and timely reporting of infection metrics.
  • Standardize and hardwire evidence-based practices (e.g., hand hygiene, isolation, device utilization, environmental cleaning) into daily management systems.
  • Align infection prevention plans with broader organizational performance improvement priorities.
• Outbreak, Exposure & Emergency Preparedness Leadership
  • Recommend system-wide outbreak and exposure management, including consultation on high-risk or complex cases.
  • Serve as co-leader, with the Medical Director of Infection Prevention, of the Health System Infection Prevention & Epidemiology (HIEP) response, driving coordinated response efforts.
  • Recommend enterprise preparedness for emerging infectious diseases, pandemics, and surge scenarios.
  • Coordinate with public health authorities to ensure timely communication, reporting, and response alignment.
  • Ensure lessons learned are translated into standard work and system-level improvements.
• IP Policy, Product Risk & Value Analysis Oversight
  • Oversee development, standardization, and governance of infection prevention policies, procedures, and documentation.
  • Conduct infection risk assessments for new products, equipment, and vendor proposals.
  • Review Instructions for Use (IFUs) and evaluate infection risk associated with new technologies.
  • Partner with vendors and internal stakeholders to assess infection risks and mitigation strategies.
  • Participate in system Value Analysis and product standardization committees, ensuring alignment with evidence-based and regulatory requirements.
  • Monitor infection trends following product implementation to ensure safety and effectiveness.
• Culture of Safety, Accountability & Organizational Influence
  • Promote a culture where infection prevention is a shared responsibility across all levels of leadership and frontline staff.
  • Integrate infection prevention into the broader quality, patient safety, and operational excellence infrastructure.
  • Serve as the enterprise subject matter expert for infection risk, influencing system strategy and decision-making.
  • Reinforce that reliability in infection prevention is achieved through consistent systems, leadership behaviors, and disciplined execution.
• Measurement, Governance & Executive Engagement
  • Define and steward enterprise infection prevention metrics, targets, and performance thresholds, aligned with the system Balanced Scorecard.
  • Provide executive leadership, governance committees, and boards with integrated insights on infection performance, trends, and risks.
  • Translate complex surveillance data into clear, actionable insights that drive decision-making and accountability.
• Team Leadership & Workforce Development
  • Lead, mentor, and develop Infection Prevention Managers and Infection Preventionists (IPs) across the system.
  • Establish competency standards, role clarity, and performance expectations.
  • Support professional development, including certification (CIC) and ongoing education.
  • Ensure appropriate staffing models and resource allocation across sites of care.
  • Build system capability to ensure teams can execute infection prevention practices reliably and consistently.

SECURITY AND EEO STATEMENT

Security This position is security-sensitive and subject to Texas Education Code 51.215, which authorizes UT Southwestern to obtain criminal history record information.

EEO UT Southwestern Medical Center is committed to an educational and working environment that provides equal opportunity to all members of the University community. As an equal opportunity employer, UT Southwestern prohibits unlawful discrimination, including discrimination on the basis of race, color, religion, national origin, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, age, disability, genetic information, citizenship status, or veteran status.