Founding Department Chair and Program Director Nursing CA, Open Rank

A T Still University of Health Sciences; San Luis Obispo (CA); On-site; USD 116,000 - 210,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Relocation assistance up to $12,000

Clinical practice one day a week

Job summary

A T Still University of Health Sciences seeks a Founding Department Chair and Program Director to lead ATSU-CHC's new Bachelor of Science in Nursing program in San Luis Obispo. This full-time role oversees program development, BRN approval, CCNE accreditation, and ongoing operation.

The position requires an RN license in California, an advanced nursing degree (DNP or PhD), and substantial leadership experience in nursing education, curriculum design, accreditation, and budget management.

Qualifications

• Must hold an RN license in California with an advanced nursing degree.
• Doctoral degree (DNP or PhD) required for program leadership.
• Experience leading nursing education programs, accreditation, and curriculum development preferred.

Responsibilities

• Lead development and accreditation of the BSN program, including BRN approval and CCNE accreditation.
• Direct regulatory documentation, self-studies, reporting, and site-visit readiness.
• Oversee program governance, outcomes, budgets, and resource planning.
• Recruit, manage, and evaluate program staff and faculty; ensure appropriate workload and qualifications.
• Provide executive academic oversight for clinical education and placement processes.
• Collaborate with Simulation and Clinical Skills to align curriculum with BRN/CCNE requirements.
• Oversee admissions, enrollment, progression, and graduation readiness; drive continuous improvement.

Skills

Leadership

Regulatory compliance

Curriculum design

Budgeting

Strategic planning

Faculty development

Education

DNP or PhD in Nursing

California RN license

Job description

Description

The Founding Department Chair and Program Director provide full-time academic and administrative leadership for development, California Board of Registered Nursing (BRN) approval, launch, CCNE accreditation, and ongoing operation of ATSU-CHC's Bachelor of Science in Nursing program in San Luis Obispo. The position serves as the BRN-approved Program Director and chief nurse administrator of the nursing unit, with authority and responsibility for program administration, fiscal planning, faculty and staff leadership, mission and governance, curriculum, student and faculty outcomes, regulatory and accreditation compliance, academic quality, and continuous improvement.

• Lead BSN program development, California BRN approval, launch, continuing approval, and CCNE accreditation; direct regulatory/accreditation documentation, self-study, reporting, and site-visit readiness.
• Lead development, periodic review, and revision of the nursing unit's mission, goals, expected program outcomes, and academic policies to ensure congruence with ATSU, professional nursing standards, and the needs of the community of interest.
• Ensure meaningful faculty and student participation in program governance and continuous quality improvement, and engage relevant communities of interest in program planning and evaluation.
• Lead completion, implementation, evaluation, and continuous improvement of the prelicensure BSN curriculum, ensuring clear incorporation of the AACN 2026 Essentials as well as other applicable professional standards and guidelines.
• Develop and manage the program budget and long-range resource plan; advocate for and monitor sufficiency of faculty, staff, fiscal, physical, technological, clinical, simulation, academic-support, and other resources needed to achieve program outcomes.
• Recruit, hire, supervise, mentor, develop, and evaluate the Assistant Director, core faculty, Program Manager, and other program personnel; ensure faculty number, qualifications, workload, clinical expertise, licensure, and development support regulatory and accreditation requirements.
• Provide executive academic oversight for clinical education, including clinical placement sufficiency, affiliation agreements, student supervision/evaluation, clinical faculty/preceptor quality, and integration of practice experiences with the curriculum.
• Collaborate with the College Director of Simulation and Clinical Skills to ensure simulation, clinical skills, OSCE, standardized patient activities, faculty development, scheduling, assessment practices, and shared resources support BSN outcomes, BRN requirements, and CCNE expectations.
• Oversee admissions, enrollment, orientation, student progression, retention, remediation, professional development, graduation readiness, and outcomes; ensure policies are fair, published, consistently implemented, and regularly reviewed.
• Establish and maintain a written, comprehensive, ongoing systematic program-evaluation process addressing student, faculty, and other program outcomes, including completion, NCLEX-RN licensure, employment, and other identified measures; use aggregate data and trend analysis for improvement.
• Ensure regular evaluation of curriculum and teaching-learning practices and use student, faculty, clinical, and other evaluation data to guide improvement.
• Develop regional healthcare, academic, professional, and community partnerships supporting clinical education, workforce development, recruitment, and community engagement.
• Participate in teaching, scholarship, service, and governance consistent with faculty rank and assigned workload; perform other duties assigned by the Dean.

Requirements

• As chief nurse administrator, the Program Director must be an RN and hold an advanced degree in nursing. An earned doctoral degree (DNP or PhD) is required. The successful candidate must demonstrate the academic and administrative experience necessary to lead development, accreditation, and ongoing administration of a prelicensure nursing program.
• The Program Director must hold and maintain a clear, active California RN license, obtain and maintain California BRN approval as Program Director, and continuously meet all applicable BRN qualifications.
• At least 1 year of qualifying nursing-program administrative experience including fiscal planning; at least 2 years teaching in pre- or post-licensure RN programs; and at least 1 year continuous full-time or equivalent direct-patient-care experience as an RN, subject to BRN equivalency provisions.
• Demonstrated administrative authority and effective leadership of nursing education are required. Experience leading prelicensure nursing education, curriculum and faculty development, systematic program evaluation, BRN approval, CCNE accreditation, AACN Essentials implementation, and program development is strongly preferred.
• Executive and academic leadership; nursing-unit administration; mission/governance; curriculum design and evaluation; AACN Essentials implementation and curricular mapping; faculty recruitment, mentoring, evaluation, and workload planning; BRN/CCNE regulatory and accreditation management; budget and resource advocacy/allocation; systematic program evaluation; analysis of completion, NCLEX-RN, employment, faculty, and other outcomes; student progression/advocacy; clinical education oversight; integration of simulation, clinical skills, OSCE, and standardized-patient methodologies; communication; relationship development; negotiation; conflict management; strategic planning; and change management.

Full-time, 12-month faculty-administrative appointment at ATSU's San Luis Obispo campus. Rank is limited to Associate Professor or Professor based on qualifications and ATSU faculty policy.

The position has administrative authority to accomplish the nursing unit's mission, goals, and expected outcomes and provides effective leadership in doing so. The BSN program will use shared College simulation, clinical-skills, OSCE, and standardized-patient resources under the College Director of Simulation and Clinical Skills. The Program Director remains accountable for curricular integration and achievement of BSN outcomes.

The Program Director is responsible for readiness for CCNE review under the 2026 Standards, including alignment with the AACN 2026 Essentials and maintenance of a systematic, written, ongoing process for determining program effectiveness.

Appointment is targeted for Q1 of calendar year 2027 to support curriculum completion, BRN self-study, staffing, operational readiness, BRN site-visit readiness, and the planned July 10, 2028 inaugural cohort, subject to regulatory approval.

Administrative workload will be prioritized during development and candidacy; teaching, scholarship, service, and governance expectations will be assigned consistently with faculty rank, accreditation needs, and institutional workload policy.

• The salary range for this position is $116,424 to $174,636 at the Associate Professor level and $139,744 to $209,616 at the Professor level.
• Relocation assistance provided up to $12,000.
• Opportunity to practice clinically one day a week to supplement income.
• Compensation is determined based on the requirements of the job description with consideration given to the candidate's education, experience, and qualifications, internal equity, budgetary consideration, and external competitiveness.

ATSU offers a comprehensive benefits package including medical, dental, and vision coverages, among more. If eligible, employee-elected benefits would begin the first of the month following hire date. For more information, please visit: atsu.edu/employment/benefits.

A.T. Still University (ATSU) does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, ethnicity, national origin, sex (including pregnancy), sexual orientation, age, disability, or veteran status in admission or access to, or treatment or employment in its programs and activities.