Executive Director, Emergency Services & Patient Care

UnityPoint Health; Des Moines (IA); On-site; USD 180,000 - 250,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Paid time off

401K matching

Employee recognition program

Health insurance

Paid holidays

Short and long-term disability

Pet insurance

Daily Pay access to earned wages

Tuition reimbursement

Adoption assistance

Job summary

UnityPoint Health – Des Moines seeks an Executive Director for Emergency Services (ED & EMS) to provide strategic, operational, and clinical leadership across Iowa Methodist Medical Center, Iowa Lutheran Hospital, and Methodist West Hospital.

Lead risk, quality, patient experience, and regulatory compliance while partnering with physicians and leaders to drive care coordination and performance in a complex multi-campus environment.

Qualifications

• Master's degree in healthcare, nursing, or business.
• At least 5 years of progressive healthcare leadership experience in hospital, outpatient, or clinical settings.
• Demonstrated success improving operational, clinical, quality, and/or patient experience outcomes.
• Proven ability to lead leaders, develop high-performing teams, manage change, and build cross-functional partnerships.
• Strong communication, relationship-building, and executive leadership skills.
• Current RN license in the State of Iowa or ability to obtain before start date.
• Professional certification in nursing or healthcare leadership preferred.
• Valid driver’s license required if operating a vehicle for work-related responsibilities.

Responsibilities

• Provide strategic, operational, and financial leadership for Emergency Services, Nursing Operations, and assigned clinical/support departments.
• Lead departmental budgeting, resource allocation, operational planning, and performance management.
• Partner with physicians, clinical leaders, and service line stakeholders to advance organizational goals and strengthen care delivery.
• Develop and support high-performing leaders through coaching, mentorship, and succession planning.
• Align and standardize care delivery across multiple campuses while recognizing the unique needs of each patient population.
• Drive operational improvement initiatives using evidence, performance metrics, and outcomes data.
• Collaborate across service lines to enhance patient flow, care coordination, and organizational performance.
• Ensure compliance with specialty program standards and accreditation requirements, including Trauma, Stroke, Residency, and other regulatory distinctions.
• Foster a culture of safety, innovation, accountability, and continuous improvement.
• Support emergency preparedness and organizational response efforts as part of the hospital incident command structure.

Skills

Executive leadership

Strategic planning

Budgeting

Partnership building

Change management

Communication

Regulatory compliance

Education

Master's degree in healthcare, nursing, or business

Job description

UnityPoint Health – Des Moines seeks an Executive Director for Emergency Services (ED & EMS) to provide strategic, operational, and clinical leadership across Iowa Methodist Medical Center, Iowa Lutheran Hospital, and Methodist West Hospital.

Lead risk, quality, patient experience, and regulatory compliance while partnering with physicians and leaders to drive care coordination and performance in a complex multi-campus environment.