Director, Internal Occupational Health

Hackensack Meridian Health Inc.; Eatontown (NJ); On-site; USD 140,000 - 190,000; Full time

Job summary

Hackensack Meridian Health seeks a Director of Internal Occupational Health to lead surveillance, injury prevention, and regulatory readiness across hospital sites. You will develop policies, SOPs, and data-driven strategies to support safe work environments.

The role requires advanced degrees and extensive healthcare leadership experience, with close collaboration across clinical, operational, safety, and education teams to drive continuous improvement and accountability.

Qualifications

• Master's degree in a relevant field required.
• 7 years of proven healthcare experience.
• Minimum 2 years in a healthcare leadership role.
• Strong knowledge of OSHA, CDC, NJDOH regulatory requirements.
• Ability to translate regulatory changes into policy updates.
• Experience leading injury prevention initiatives across multiple sites.
• Willingness to travel to various facilities.

Responsibilities

• Oversee surveillance programs and outbreak response across sites.
• Lead development and execution of policies, SOPs, and data-driven strategies.
• Provide oversight to surveillance, screening, and reporting dashboards.
• Collaborate with clinical, operational, safety, and education teams to align goals.

Skills

Healthcare leadership

Regulatory compliance

OSHA knowledge

CDC knowledge

Data reporting

Communication

Travel readiness

Program management

Education

Master's degree in Public Health (MPH), Nursing, Healthcare Administration, Business Administration, or related field

Tools

Google Suite

Microsoft Office

Data dashboards/tools

Job description

Our team members are the heart of what makes us better.

At Hackensack Meridian Health we help our patients live better, healthier lives — and we help one another to succeed. With a culture rooted in connection and collaboration, our employees are team members. Here, competitive benefits are just the beginning. It’s also about how we support one another and how we show up for our community.

Together, we keep getting better - advancing our mission to transform healthcare and serve as a leader of positive change.

In this strategic leadership role, the Director, Internal Occupational Health is responsible for advancing team member health and safety by overseeing surveillance programs, injury prevention efforts, regulatory compliance, outbreak response, and operational performance. This role leads the development and execution of policies, standard operating procedures, and data-driven strategies that support safe and healthy work environments. The Director provides oversight to surveillance and contact tracing operations, guides team member screening and risk-based compliance programs, and manages data reporting dashboards including OSHA-required submissions. They serve as the subject matter expert for internal regulatory readiness and collaborate across disciplines to ensure alignment with current standards and best practices. Additionally, the Director leads injury prevention initiatives across designated hospital sites in close collaboration with the Vice President of Safety, site Chief Nursing Officers (CNOs), and the Workplace Injury Prevention Committee (WIPC). The Director provides strategic and operational oversight to site-based Injury Prevention Officers, ensuring the consistent implementation of evidence-based prevention strategies, ergonomic assessments, safe patient handling initiatives, and workforce training. This role partners across clinical, operational, safety, and education teams to align injury prevention work with network goals and to foster a culture of safety, accountability, and continuous improvement throughout the organization.

Education, Knowledge, Skills and Abilities Required:

• Master`s degree in Public Health (MPH), Nursing, Healthcare Administration, Business Administration, or related field
• 7 years proven effective and progressive experience in healthcare.
• Minimum 2 years of experience in a healthcare leadership role, leading programs, projects and teams.
• Strong knowledge of OSHA, CDC, NJDOH, and other regulatory requirements relevant to occupational and employee health
• Demonstrated knowledge of OSHA recordkeeping, reporting requirements, and regulatory compliance standards
• Ability to translate complex regulatory changes into operational and policy updates, and communicate those updates to leaders, peers, and front-line staff
• Experience designing and leading injury prevention initiatives across multiple hospital or clinical sites
• Working knowledge of ergonomic principles, musculoskeletal injury prevention, and safe patient handling programs
• Familiarity with healthcare employee screening, surveillance, and immunization programs (e.g., flu, TB, fit testing, hazardous drug monitoring)
• Experience leading outbreak and exposure response efforts within a healthcare or similarly complex environment
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills.
• Proficient computer skills that include but are not limited to Google Suite and/or Microsoft Office platforms.
• Ability to travel to various HMH and non-HMH facilities.

Education, Knowledge, Skills and Abilities Preferred:

• Proven ability to manage call center operations, including oversight of workflows, service standards, and metrics
• Experience participating in or supporting system-level committees or initiatives, with responsibility for executing related plans of action
• Demonstrated ability to develop and implement data-driven programs, dashboards, and reporting tools to improve compliance and inform strategy
• Knowledge of employee engagement strategies, leadership development, and accountability frameworks
• Working knowledge of customer relationship management, service recovery, and experience strategies
• Experience developing policies, standard operating procedures (SOPs), and education/training programs aligned with organizational goals
• Strong change management and project management skills, particularly in healthcare or regulatory environments
• Excellent communication, collaboration, and relationship-building skills with the ability to engage cross-functional stakeholders at all levels
• Familiarity with occupational health or EHR software platforms such as Cority or equivalent systems

Licenses and Certifications Required:

• OSHA 30 Hour Training within 6 months of entering position.

Licenses and Certifications Preferred:

• NJ State Professional Registered Nurse License.
• National certification in Occupational Health Nursing (COHN or COHN-S) or other relevant health/safety credential (e.g., Certified Safety Professional [CSP], Certified Industrial Hygienist [CIH], Certified Hazardous Materials Manager [CHMM])
• Certification in Public Health (CPH), Project Management (PMP), or other relevant certification
• Certification in ergonomics, injury prevention, or safe patient handling (e.g., CEAS, ASP, or equivalent)
• Certification or formal training in infection prevention, outbreak management, or contact tracing (e.g., APIC, CDC)