Director, Inpatient Advanced Practice Providers (Neurosurgery)

Korn Ferry; Albuquerque (NM); On-site; USD 180,000 - 220,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Direct partnership with department chair

Opportunity for leadership growth

Visibility and influence in strategic initiatives

Job summary

A leading recruitment firm has partnered with a prominent hospital in Albuquerque, New Mexico, to find a Director for Inpatient Advanced Practice Providers specializing in Neurosurgery. This senior leadership role combines clinical practice with operational management, overseeing a high-acuity APP service line. The ideal candidate should have a strong background in neurosurgery, proven leadership in clinical operations, and experience in dynamic, high-stakes environments. This is a unique opportunity to lead a transformative neurosurgical team and implement strategic changes effectively.

Qualifications

• Required NP or PA with strong experience in neurosurgery.
• Proven leadership experience in complex clinical operations.
• Skilled in change management and culture building.
• Ability to operate at tactical and strategic levels.

Responsibilities

• Provide strategic leadership for a neurosurgical APP team.
• Maintain active clinical practice within neurosurgery.
• Oversee complex staffing and scheduling across multiple systems.
• Partner with faculty for optimal care models and service coverage.
• Oversee staffing, scheduling, recruitment, onboarding, retention, and professional development.

Skills

Neurosurgery and/or neurocritical care experience

Leadership in APP program management

Strong communication skills

Experience in high-acuity environments

Ability to navigate stakeholder dynamics

Education

NP or PA qualification

Job description

Korn Ferry has partnered with the University of New Mexico Hospital (UNMH) to lead the search for their next Director, Inpatient Advanced Practice Providers (Neurosurgery). This position is based on-site in Albuquerque, New Mexico.

Position Overview

The Director, Inpatient Advanced Practice Providers (APPs) for Neurosurgery serves as the senior operational and clinical leader for the neurosurgical APP service line at University of New Mexico Hospital, the state’s only Level I Trauma Center and academic medical center. This role is responsible for leading, integrating, and advancing a high-acuity neurosurgical APP program that spans inpatient care, critical care, operative services, and ambulatory practice.

This is a rare opportunity to lead one of the highest-acuity neurosurgical APP teams in the region while maintaining an active clinical footprint. The Director partners directly with the Chair of Neurosurgery, Executive Director of Inpatient APPs, faculty leadership, and health system stakeholders to drive service line strategy, workforce integration, clinical excellence, and cultural transformation.

The service line supports approximately 2,000 neurosurgical cases annually, with ~70 percent trauma, a strong mix of elective and non-elective neurosurgery, and a 24-bed collaborative Neuro ICU. APPs are fully integrated across ICU, inpatient, OR, and clinic environments, practicing at the top of their licensure in a team-based academic model.

Key Responsibilities

Clinical Leadership & Integration

• Provide strategic and operational leadership for a 22-member neurosurgical APP team(employed and locum providers)
• Maintain active clinical practice within neurosurgery (clinic, inpatient rounding, and/or ICU coverage)
• Lead APP integration across Neuro ICU, inpatient neurosurgery, OR first-assist services, and ambulatory clinics
• Partner with neurosurgery faculty to optimize team-based care models and service coverage structures
• Support high-acuity care delivery in trauma, neurocritical care, spine, cranial, tumor, and endovascular services

Operational & Workforce Management

• Oversee complex staffing, scheduling, and coverage models across multiple employment structures and payroll systems
• Ensure reliable shift coverage, particularly for high-acuity night coverage and trauma services
• Lead workforce planning, recruitment, onboarding, retention, and professional development strategies
• Manage performance management, conflict resolution, and interdisciplinary team dynamics
• Build sustainable staffing models aligned with clinical volume, acuity, and residency expansion

Strategic Partnership & Change Leadership

• Partner directly with the Chair of Neurosurgery and senior leadership on long-range service line planning and growth strategy
• Play a central leadership role in UNMH’s transition to a modern, integrated, team-based model aligning APPs, residents, and faculty
• Lead cultural transformation efforts focused on collaboration, accountability, communication, and shared governance
• Serve as a change agent in a complex academic environment undergoing structural and operational evolution

Education, Quality & Academic Mission

• Support the expanding neurosurgery residency program and evolving resident-APP integration model
• Promote clinical excellence, quality improvement, patient safety, and evidence-based practice
• Serve as a clinical and educational resource for APPs, residents, nurses, and interdisciplinary teams
• Contribute to research, education, and academic mission advancement

Clinical Environment

• Neurosurgery volume: ~2,000 cases annually
• Trauma: ~70 percent of total volume
• Daily neuro census: 25–50 patients
• Service scope: trauma, neurocritical care, tumor, spine, cranial surgery, endovascular services

Ideal Candidate Profile

Required Background

• NP or PA with strong neurosurgery and/or neurocritical care experience
• Experience in high-acuity academic or tertiary care environments
• Deep understanding of service coverage models, multidisciplinary care teams, and complex clinical operations
• Proven leadership experience in APP or clinical program management
• Ability to operate at both tactical and strategic levels
• Skilled in change management, culture building, and team integration
• Strong communicator with the ability to navigate complex stakeholder dynamics
• Decisive, persuasive, resilient leader comfortable leading through transformation

Personal Attributes

• High emotional intelligence and resilience
• Comfortable in ambiguity and complexity
• Strategic thinker with operational discipline
• Trusted relationship builder across clinical, academic, and administrative teams

Why This Role Is Unique

• Rare .7 administrative / .3 clinical leadership model
• High-acuity academic neurosurgery environment
• Real authority and mandate for structural change
• Direct partnership with department chair and executive leadership
• Opportunity to build a new culture and care model
• Visibility, influence, and long-term leadership growth potential
• One of the most autonomous and advanced APP practice environments in the region