Director, IT Clinical Systems Integration

Hackensack Meridian Health; Woodbridge Township (NJ); On-site; USD 180,000 - 260,000; Full time

Job summary

Hackensack Meridian Health in New Jersey seeks a Director of IT Clinical Systems Integration to lead clinical systems initiatives, optimize Epic environments, and drive enterprise integration strategies across IT and clinical teams.

The role oversees the full SDLC for system integration, interface design, and ITIL-aligned change management, with quarterly Epic upgrades and ongoing optimization to improve clinical outcomes and operational efficiency.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in computer science, information systems, or related field; or equivalent experience.
• Minimum 12 years progressive IT leadership, 7+ years in healthcare IT.
• Proven ability to lead large cross-functional technical teams and influence executives.
• Deep expertise in integration platforms and release/change management.
• Extensive Epic applications knowledge and enterprise integration experience.

Responsibilities

• Direct cross-functional managers and technical teams to deliver system solutions.
• Oversee SDLC for projects, data conversions, standards, and quality.
• Provide strategic direction for application integration between Epic and third-party systems.
• Establish enterprise integration standards and 24/7 reliability alignment.
• Direct Epic environments management and release management processes.
• Govern Epic change management and ITIL-aligned processes.
• Lead Epic upgrades, updates, and migrations to minimize disruption.
• Drive application optimization and continuous improvement for efficiency.
• Manage enterprise application lifecycle and coordinate upgrades and resources.
• Prioritize optimization backlogs with clinical leaders and strategic goals.
• Serve as escalation point for complex integration issues across IT and vendors.
• Stay current with industry trends and implement enhancements in integration.
• Mentor staff, support hiring/training, and uphold accountability.
• Provide operating and capital budget input for systems and changes.

Skills

HL7

FHIR

API integration

Epic systems

Leadership

Cross-functional teams

ITIL processes

Education

Bachelor's degree in CS/IS

Healthcare IT leadership 5+ yrs

Tools

Bridges

Rhapsody

Mirth

Cloverleaf

Job description

Overview

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.

The Director of IT Clinical Systems Integration provides strategic leadership for Hackensack Meridian Health 's (HMH) clinical systems. This role is responsible for System Optimization, Lifecycle Management, Epic Change Management, and Integrations to ensure portfolio stability, scalability, and interoperability. By fostering strong collaborative partnerships across clinical, operations, and IT teams, the Director champions innovation within a well-governed technology environment. Guiding both technical and business resources, the Director takes full ownership of outcomes, proactively mitigates risks, and drives strategic decisions to successful completion.

Responsibilities

A day in the life of a Director of IT Clinical Systems Integration at Hackensack Meridian Health includes:

• Direct cross-functional managers and technical teams, including integration and release teams, to deliver short- and long-term system solutions.
• Oversee the full systems development life cycle for projects, managing system integration, data conversions, standards development, and quality from inception to acceptance.
• Provide strategic direction for application integration, overseeing the reliable design, build, testing, and maintenance of interfaces between Epic and third-party systems.
• Establish enterprise integration standards, governance, and engine strategy to ensure 24/7 reliability and alignment with broader architecture roadmaps.
• Direct the management of all Epic environments and oversee release management processes for orderly code and configuration deployments.
• Govern Epic change management operations and implement Information Technology Infrastructure Library (ITIL) -aligned processes for environments, releases, complex cutovers, and downtimes.
• Direct the strategic planning and execution of Epic quarterly upgrades, special updates, and version migrations to minimize operational disruption.
• Lead application optimization initiatives and establish a continuous improvement framework to boost efficiency, end-user satisfaction, and clinical outcomes.
• Manage the enterprise application lifecycle, focusing on technical debt reduction, system modernization, and the coordination of upgrades and consulting resources.
• Partner with operational and clinical leaders to prioritize optimization backlogs and demand pipelines in alignment with strategic organizational goals.
• Serve as the senior-level escalation point for complex application and integration problems, coordinating across IT, vendors, and end-users to drive swift resolution.
• Stay current with industry trends to recommend and implement technology enhancements in integration, virtualization, and enterprise application frameworks.
• Mentor team members, facilitate knowledge transfer to analysts, and contribute to departmental hiring, performance, and training plans to build a culture of accountability.
• Provide operating and capital budgetary input for systems, integration, environment, and change management functions.
• Collaborate with IT leadership to review projects, manage cross-functional dependencies, coordinate release schedules, and prepare comprehensive activity reports.
• Ensure all project and system documentation, including functional diagrams, roadmaps, and reference materials, is complete, current, and appropriately stored.
• Perform other duties and execute additional projects as assigned.
• Adhere to HMH organizational competencies and standards of behavior.

Qualifications

Education, Knowledge, Skills and Abilities Required:

• Bachelor's degree in Computer Science, Information Systems, or other related field; or equivalent (4 years) relevant experience may be accepted in place of a bachelor's degree.
• Minimum of 12 years of experience (16 years of experience if no degree) of progressive IT leadership experience, with 7 or more years in healthcare IT.
• Minimum of 5 years of leadership experience managing multiple, large, cross-functional technical teams, and influencing senior-level management and key stakeholders.
• Advanced technical and business knowledge in the software development life cycle, quality assurance, project management, and other related disciplines/processes.
• Deep expertise in integration platforms (i.e., HL7, FHIR, API, integration engines such as Bridges, Rhapsody, Mirth, Cloverleaf), environment management, and release/change management methodologies.
• Extensive experience with Epic applications, including a proven tr