Director of Clinical Practice Education

LE0050 University HealthCare Alliance; Newark (CA); On-site; USD 92,299 - 123,984; Full time

Job summary

Stanford Health Care seeks a Director of Clinical Practice Education to lead ambulatory education, competency management, and staff development, reporting to the Sr Dir of Clinical Operations and Education. The role standardizes clinical practices, advances evidence‑based care, and ensures patient safety across sites.

Responsibilities include developing programs, mentoring, budgeting, and partnering with clinical and administrative leaders to align education with regulatory requirements and

Qualifications

• Five+ years of progressive leadership experience in healthcare/ambulatory operations.
• Experience leading clinical education, workforce development, or quality improvement initiatives.
• Academic teaching, curriculum development, or instructional design in healthcare education preferred.

Responsibilities

• Demonstrates and promotes C‑I‑CARE principles in all interactions.
• Promotes interdisciplinary collaboration and team building across departments.
• Provides strategic leadership for orientation, competency management, continuing education, and resource development.
• Ensures educational programs align with regulatory updates, policy changes, and patient safety goals.
• Oversees ambulatory clinical education teams, including hiring, coaching, and performance management.
• Manages budgets and staffing for educational programs and resources.
• Partners with leaders to design onboarding, coaching, remediation, and mentoring processes.
• Uses quality and operational data to identify learning needs and drive interventions.
• Collaborates with regulatory and quality teams to align education initiatives with accreditation standards.

Education

Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN)

Master’s degree preferred

Tools

Leadership tools

Job description

Job Overview

Director of Clinical Practice Education serves as a key leadership partner reporting to the Sr Dir of Clinical Operations and Education, providing strategic direction, management, and oversight for ambulatory clinical practice. The role evaluates, advances, and standardizes clinical practices to ensure alignment with regulatory requirements, organizational policies, evidence‑based practice, and patient safety initiatives. The Director is responsible for developing and implementing educational programs, competency‑based training, and professional development initiatives.

Location

Stanford Medicine Partners

What You Will Do

• Demonstrates and promotes the principles of C‑I‑CARE in all interactions, fostering a culture of respect, inclusion, accountability, and service excellence.
• Promotes interdisciplinary collaboration and team building to strengthen partnerships across clinical, operational, and administrative departments.
• Serves as a strategic resource to clinical and operational leadership by providing a clear understanding of the Clinical Practice Education Department’s role and responsibilities, including orientation, competency management, skills assessment, remediation, continuing education, and educational resource development.
• Ensures the Clinical Practice Education team remains informed of organizational priorities, regulatory updates, policy changes, and operational developments that impact clinical practice and patient care.
• Provides leadership, oversight, and direction for Clinical Practice Education programs in partnership with clinical and operational leaders to support patient safety, regulatory compliance, and clinical excellence.
• Participates in recruitment, interviewing, selection, and onboarding of clinical staff and educational personnel, as appropriate.
• Ensures availability of comprehensive educational programs and training opportunities for all staff within areas of responsibility, including new employee orientation, competency validation, continuing education, and specialty‑specific training.
• Leads the development, implementation, and evaluation of competency‑based education, orientation, ongoing training, remediation, and professional development programs across ambulatory settings.
• Collaborates with clinical and operational leaders to establish appropriate orientation, training, coaching, remediation, and mentoring processes to support employee success and professional growth.
• Uses quality and operational data (e.g., safety events, audit findings, performance metrics, patient outcomes) to identify learning needs and drive targeted education interventions.
• Oversees and develops the ambulatory clinical education team, including hiring, coaching, performance management, and succession planning.
• Conducts performance evaluations and provides ongoing coaching, feedback, and development planning for direct reports.
• Manages budgetary responsibilities as assigned and supports fiscally responsible decision‑making related to educational programs, resources, and staffing.
• Maintains expertise in evidence‑based practice, regulatory requirements, accreditation standards, organizational policies, and ambulatory clinical operations, including both front‑office and back‑office workflows across multiple specialties.
• Partners closely with Ambulatory Operations leaders to design and implement education, onboarding, and competency programs that support efficient workflows, standard work, and clinical performance.
• Partners with physicians, advanced practice providers, nursing, and interdisciplinary leaders to support clinical excellence, change management, and adoption of new care models.
• Leads the development, implementation, review, and revision of policies, procedures, and clinical practice standards that support safe, effective, and compliant patient care while aligning with organizational goals and regulatory requirements.
• Partners with site and organizational leadership to establish strategic goals, initiatives, and programs that promote patient safety, quality improvement, and operational excellence.
• Develops and implements systems, processes, and collaborative partnerships that align educational services with clinical care delivery, organizational priorities, and patient care outcomes.
• Ensures standardization of clinical education practices across sites while allowing for specialty‑specific and operationally appropriate customization.
• Collaborates with Quality, Patient Safety, Infection Control and Regulatory teams to align education initiatives with quality metrics, accreditation standards, risk mitigation, and continuous improvement efforts.
• Fosters effective working relationships and collaboration across departments and disciplines to advance organizational goals, improve communication, and enhance operational effectiveness.
• Champions professional role development and lifelong learning by creating opportunities for staff to advance clinical knowledge, technical skills, leadership capabilities, and professional competencies as they progress from novice to expert practitioners.
• Partners with the senior leadership to share responsibility for supporting and advancing Stanford Operating System (SOS) goals and initiatives.
• Leads and participates in organizational initiatives, committees, process improvement efforts, and special projects that support the strategic objectives of the organization.
• Serves as a subject matter expert and advisor to clinical and operational leaders on clinical practice standards, scope of practice, and workforce readiness.
• Performs additional duties and responsibilities as assigned.

Education Qualifications

• Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN).
• Master’s degree in Nursing, HealthCare Administration, Business Administration, Education, or a related healthcare field preferred.

Experience Qualifications

• Minimum of five (5) years of progressive leadership experience in healthcare, clinical services, or ambulatory operations within a mid‑sized to large healthcare organization, medical group, or hospital environment.
• Demonstrated experience leading organizational change, clinical practice standardization, and interdisciplinary collaboration initiatives.
• Experience leading clinical education, workforce development, competency management, quality improvement, or professional practice initiatives preferred.
• Academic teaching, curriculum development, instructional design, or healthcare education experience preferred.

Required Knowledge, Skills and Abilities

Leadership and Strategic Management

• Demonstrated leadership, team‑building, and consensus‑building skills with the ability to foster collaboration across multidisciplinary teams.
• Proven ability to influence, engage, and align stakeholders toward achieving organizational, operational, and patient care goals.
• Strong management, coaching, mentoring, and employee development skills with the ability to attract, develop, and retain high‑performing teams.
• Ability to serve as a trusted advisor, role model, and change leader within a complex healthcare environment.

Regulatory and Clinical Practice Expertise

• Comprehensive knowledge of applicable federal, state, and regulatory requirements governing ambulatory healthcare practice, including scope of practice regulations and competency requirements.
• Demonstrated knowledge of California healthcare regulatory agencies and professional boards, including:
  • California Board of Registered Nursing (BRN)
  • California Board of Vocational Nursing and Psychiatric Technicians (BVNPT)
  • California Medical Board
  • California Department of Consumer Affairs
  • California Business and Professions Code
  • California Department of Public Health (CDPH)
  • Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS)
  • Medi‑Cal requirements
  • The Joint Commission (TJC)
  • National Committee for Quality Assurance (NCQA)
  • Title 22 regulations
• Thorough understanding of ambulatory clinical practice standards, patient safety principles, quality improvement methodologies, and evidence‑based care delivery.

Education and Professional Practice

• Knowledge of adult learning principles, instructional design methodologies, competency‑based education, professional development frameworks, and clinical education best practices.
• Understanding of professional nursing practice, accountability, ethical decision‑making, and responsibility for clinical outcomes.
• Ability to develop, implement, and evaluate educational programs that support workforce development, clinical excellence, and regulatory compliance.

Operational and Process Improvement Leadership

• Knowledge of healthcare operations, organizational effectiveness, and current industry trends sufficient to provide strategic leadership and operational direction.
• Strong organizational, analytical, and planning skills with the ability to lead large‑scale educational initiatives, process improvement projects, and organizational change efforts.
• Experience utilizing quality improvement methodologies, including Lean principles, A3 problem solving, process standardization, and performance improvement strategies.

Communication and Collaboration

• Exceptional verbal, written, and interpersonal communication skills.
• Ability to effectively collaborate with physicians, advanced practice providers, senior leadership, clinic management, and interdisciplinary healthcare teams.
• Ability to contribute to policy development, strategic planning, and organizational decision‑making in partnership with clinical and operational leaders.

Staff Development and Performance Management

• Ability to appropriately delegate responsibilities based on competency, licensure, scope of practice, and regulatory requirements.
• Ability to supervise, coach, mentor, train, and evaluate staff performance while fostering accountability, professional growth, and continuous improvement.
• Ability to identify educational needs, implement remediation plans, and support employee development across multiple disciplines and specialties.

Licenses and Certifications

CA‑RN (Registered Nurse)

Physical Demands and Work Conditions

• Constant Sitting; Occasional Walking, Standing, Bending, Squatting, Kneeling, Crawling, Repetitive hand use, Grasping, Fine Manipulation, Pushing, Pulling, Reaching (above shoulder), Twisting, Turning.
• Lifting: 0‑10lbs (Frequent), 11‑20lbs (Frequent), 21‑30lbs (Occasional), 31‑40lbs (Occasional), >40lbs (Seldom).
• Carrying: same weight ranges as lifting.
• Driving: Occasional driving of vehicles; may be required to drive personal vehicle to sites.
• Working around equipment and machinery; Excessive noise, temperature extremes, dust, gas, fumes, chemicals, heights, foot controls, protective equipment, respirator, biohazards rarely.

Travel Requirements

20% travel.

Compensation

General pay range: $67.70 - $89.71 per hour. Final salary determined based on internal equity, experience, education, specialty and training.

Equal Opportunity Employer

Stanford Health Care (SHC) strongly values diversity and is committed to equal opportunity and non‑discrimination in all of its policies and practices. Accordingly, SHC does not discriminate against any person on the basis of race, color, sex, sexual orientation or gender identity, religion, age, national or ethnic origin, political beliefs, marital status, medical condition, genetic information, veteran status, disability, or perception of the above. Qualified applicants with criminal convictions will be considered after an individualized assessment of the conviction and the job requirements.