Director of Emergency Services

University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center; Dallas (TX); On-site; USD 120,000 - 180,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Healthcare benefits

Paid time off

On-site childcare

Merit increases

Job summary

UT Southwestern Medical Center in Dallas, TX seeks an experienced Emergency Department leader to direct 24/7 operations, improve patient flow, and coordinate admissions and discharges. The role emphasizes quality, safety, regulatory compliance, and budget oversight.

Strong leadership and collaboration with medical leadership are essential. The ideal candidate holds a Bachelor's in Nursing with at least 5 years in ED leadership, and BLS certification.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's Degree in Nursing or related field.
• Minimum 5 years of leadership experience in an emergency department or acute care operations.
• BLS certification from AHA or ARC.

Responsibilities

• Directs 24/7 Emergency Department operations, ensuring safe, timely, and efficient patient care across nursing, registration, and support services.
• Leads throughput and capacity management, including triage, bed assignment, length of stay, and surge response.
• Coordinates admissions, transfers, and discharges with medical leadership and hospital operations.
• Develops and evaluates initiatives to improve quality, safety, and regulatory compliance in the ED.
• Oversees staffing models, scheduling, and workforce deployment to match patient volume and acuity.
• Manages ED budget, labor productivity, and resource utilization.
• Ensures compliance with EMTALA, CMS Conditions of Participation, and Joint Commission standards.
• Leads disaster preparedness and mass casualty planning with internal and external partners.
• Builds cross-department collaboration to support organizational priorities.
• Uses performance data to identify trends and guide improvements.
• Supervises managers, sets expectations, and promotes staff development and engagement.
• Performs other duties to support emergency services leadership.

Skills

Nursing leadership

ED operations

Staff management

Budgeting

Quality improvement

Regulatory compliance

Performance metrics

Coaching & development

Education

Bachelor's Degree in Nursing

Tools

EMR/EHR systems

Scheduling software

Data analytics tools

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!

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 or related field.
• Experience 5 years of progressively responsible leadership experience in an emergency department or acute care operations.
• Licenses and Certifications (BLS) BASIC LIFE SUPPORT course accredited by the American Heart Association (AHA) or American Red Cross (ARC)

Preferred

• Licenses and Certifications (RN) REGISTERED NURSE

JOB DUTIES

• Directs 24/7 Emergency Department operations, ensuring safe, timely, and efficient patient care across nursing, registration, ancillary services, and patient flow functions.
• Leads emergency department throughput and capacity management, including oversight of patient arrival patterns, triage processes, bed assignment, length of stay, boarding, left-without-being-seen rates, and surge response.
• Partners with medical leadership and hospital operations to coordinate admissions, transfers, and discharges, resolving system constraints that affect emergency department flow.
• Develops, implements, and evaluates clinical and operational initiatives to improve quality, safety, patient experience, and regulatory compliance within the emergency department.
• Oversees emergency department staffing models, scheduling, and workforce deployment to align labor resources with patient volume, acuity, and operational demand.
• Maintains accountability for emergency department financial performance, including budget development, labor productivity, resource utilization, and cost containment.
• Ensures compliance with all applicable regulatory, accreditation, and legal requirements, including EMTALA, CMS Conditions of Participation, and Joint Commission standards.
• Leads emergency preparedness, disaster response planning, and coordination with hospital and community partners during mass casualty events or system disruptions.
• Builds collaborative relationships with internal departments and external stakeholders to support operational integration and organizational priorities.
• Uses performance data and quality metrics to identify trends, monitor outcomes, and guide continuous improvement initiatives.
• Supervises managers and supervisors, establishes performance expectations, provides coaching and development, and promotes workforce engagement and retention.
• Performs other duties as assigned in support of emergency services leadership.

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.