Interim - Director of Nursing

Full Spectrum Search Group; Cedar Rapids (IA); On-site; USD 110,000 - 150,000; Full time

Job summary

Full Spectrum Search Group is representing a well-regarded life plan community in Cedar Rapids, IA, seeking both interim and permanent Directors of Nursing to lead a rehab-focused SNF unit. The role demands swift on-site leadership, regulatory readiness, and collaborative oversight of staff and resident care.

The successful candidate will have proven SNF DON experience, strong regulatory knowledge, and the ability to navigate change while maintaining survey readiness and high-quality outcomes.

Qualifications

• Must hold current Iowa RN license.
• Proven SNF leadership with meaningful operational responsibility.
• Strong knowledge of SNF survey processes and regulations.
• Ability to assess a building quickly and provide stable leadership during change.
• Experience in rehab-focused SNF with interdisciplinary coordination.

Responsibilities

• Lead day-to-day clinical operations for the SNF and rehab unit.
• Provide calm, constructive leadership during transition and reinforce accountability.
• Maintain ongoing survey readiness and regulatory compliance.
• Collaborate with ADON-level leaders and RN MDS nurse to ensure workflows.
• Oversee admissions, discharges, changes in condition, wound care.
• Support appropriate use of agency staff while ensuring consistency with standards.
• Coordinate with Executive Director and department heads on priorities.
• Guide staffing-structure changes and scheduling system transitions.
• Use PCC and other systems to monitor documentation and resident needs.
• Maintain visible onsite presence as a resource for staff, residents, families, surveyors.

Skills

RN license

Leadership

Interdisciplinary collaboration

Change management

Regulatory compliance

Education

RN degree (BSN preferred)

Tools

PCC system

Job description

Director of Nursing Interim & Permanent

Skilled Nursing | Cedar Rapids, IA

Full Spectrum Search Group is a full-service healthcare recruiting agency specializing in post-acute leadership and healthcare administration, serving skilled nursing, senior living, home health, hospice, home care, and the providers and technologies that support the post-acute space.

We are representing a well-regarded life plan community seeking both an Interim Director of Nursing and a permanent Director of Nursing to lead its skilled nursing operation in the Cedar Rapids, IA area.

This is a hands-on interim leadership opportunity for an experienced SNF nursing leader who can step in quickly, bring calm clinical direction, and maintain consistency through a period of leadership transition. You will lead a stable rehab-focused skilled nursing unit with regular admissions, discharges, and survey-readiness expectations.

Five Uniques

• Lead a mid-sized skilled nursing unit within an established full-continuum life plan community serving residents across independent living, assisted living, memory care, and skilled nursing.
• Take over a clinically stable SNF operation with no known immediate jeopardy concerns, major unresolved clinical issues, or pending regulatory crises.
• Join a community with nursing staffing levels reported above the Iowa average and a four-star staffing rating.
• Partner with an experienced interdisciplinary leadership team, including strong ADON-level support and a stable RN MDS nurse.
• Work in a clean, well-maintained SNF environment with mostly private rooms, a newer skilled nursing wing, and potential weekday housing support for a traveling interim.

Interested?

Text or call: [phone]

Email: [e-mail]

Position Summary

The Interim Director of Nursing will provide steady, visible clinical leadership for the skilled nursing unit only. This leader will guide nursing operations, support and stabilize the clinical team, maintain regulatory readiness, and ensure residents receive safe, consistent care during a period of management and nursing leadership change.

The right candidate is an experienced SNF DON or senior clinical leader who can quickly assess a building's priorities, establish trust with staff, and operate independently without creating unnecessary disruption.

Key Responsibilities

• Lead day-to-day clinical operations for the skilled nursing and rehabilitation unit, including nursing oversight, staffing support, clinical compliance, and resident care quality.
• Provide calm, constructive leadership to nursing staff during a period of transition, reinforcing accountability, communication, and team stability.
• Maintain ongoing survey readiness and ensure compliance with federal, state, and facility requirements for skilled nursing operations.
• Partner with ADON-level leaders and the RN MDS nurse to maintain strong clinical workflows, documentation practices, care planning, and resident outcomes.
• Oversee nursing practices related to admissions, discharges, change in condition, incident follow-up, infection prevention, medication management, and wound care.
• Support appropriate use of nurse agency staff while promoting consistency, accountability, and integration with the facility's clinical standards.
• Collaborate with the Executive Director and department heads to address operational priorities, staffing needs, resident and family concerns, and interdisciplinary care coordination.
• Guide the nursing team through applicable operational changes, including potential staffing-structure adjustments and timekeeping or scheduling system transitions.
• Use PCC and other available systems to monitor clinical documentation, compliance, resident needs, and performance priorities.
• Maintain a visible onsite presence and serve as a credible resource for staff, residents, families, and surveyors.

Qualifications

• Current Iowa RN license required.
• Proven skilled nursing leadership experience, ideally as a Director of Nursing or in a senior SNF clinical leadership role with meaningful operational responsibility.
• Strong working knowledge of SNF survey processes, state and federal regulations, clinical compliance, and quality oversight.
• Demonstrated ability to enter a new building, assess immediate priorities, and provide stable leadership during change or turnover.
• Experience managing nursing teams in a rehab-focused SNF environment with routine admissions, discharges, and interdisciplinary care coordination.
• Strong interpersonal judgment, with a calm, encouraging, accountable leadership style.
• Prior interim DON experience is preferred, though experienced SNF DONs with the ability to adapt quickly will be considered.
• Experience with PCC is preferred.
• Ability to work onsite consistently in Cedar Rapids, IA. Local candidates are preferred; weekday housing or travel support may be available for the right interim leader.

Full Spectrum Search Group builds leadership and management teams for the country's most prominent post-acute operators. As part of the Sanford Rose Associates International network, the 9th largest executive search firm in the US, our clients get boutique-level attention backed by national resources. We're ranked among the Top 10 U.S. & Americas search firms, have been featured in The Wall Street Journal, Fortune, Business Week, and CNN, and have completed over 112,500 searches.

Ready to learn more?

Text or call: [phone]

Email: [e-mail]

Full Spectrum is an equal opportunity search firm. We recruit candidates without regard to race, color, religion, sex, pregnancy, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, national origin, age, disability, genetic information, medical condition, marital status, veteran status, or any other protected characteristic under local, state or federal law. #IND1