Regional Director, Patient Experience - Wilmington, NC

Novant Health; North Carolina; On-site; USD 140,000 - 190,000; Full time

Job summary

Novant Health is seeking a Regional Patient Experience Leader to drive a unified, patient-centered strategy across the Wilmington, NC region. You will lead regional teams, translate insights into actionable improvements, and partner with clinical and operational leaders to elevate patient trust and service quality.

The role requires a visionary, inclusive leader with 7+ years in patient experience leadership, MBA/related degree preferred, and the ability to operate across multiple markets while

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree required.
• MBA, MHA or related field preferred.
• 7 years of progressive leadership in patient experience, service excellence or operations required.
• Strong business acumen and ability to drive change in a large organization.

Responsibilities

• Lead regional execution of the systemwide patient experience strategy aligned with Novant Health’s mission and values.
• Translate system insights into regional action plans driving measurable patient experience improvements.
• Serve as strategic advisor to regional leadership on performance and opportunities.
• Ensure regional processes are evidence‑based and aligned with best practices.
• Establish a robust ecosystem for capturing and acting on patient insights.
• Oversee regional operations for Advisory, Patient Partnership, Guest Services, and Volunteer Services.
• Maintain consistent service standards across facilities within the region.
• Recruit, develop, and lead high‑performing regional teams and manage budgets.

Skills

Business acumen

Healthcare policies

Deadline management

Customer service

Complex support systems

Team leadership

Emotional intelligence

Communication skills

Problem solving

Conflict resolution

Stakeholder management

Networking

Databases

Reporting tools

Education

Bachelor's Degree

MBA

Tools

Databases

Reporting tools

Job description

What We Offer

The Regional Patient Experience Leader is responsible for driving a unified, patient centered strategy across the region by integrating patient experience advisory, patient partnership, guest services, and volunteer services into a cohesive operational model. This role ensures that patient and consumer insights translate into actionable improvements, fosters a culture of compassion and service excellence, and leads regional teams in delivering remarkable experiences aligned with Novant Health’s mission, vision, values, and promise. The leader serves as a strategic partner to system level Patient Experience Office leadership, regional executives, clinical leaders, and operational teams. They oversee regional implementation of system strategies, ensure alignment across markets, and build high performing teams that elevate patient trust, service recovery, and experience outcomes. This role requires a visionary, inclusive leader who can operationalize insights, influence cross functional collaboration, and champion continuous improvement across the patient journey.

This Regional Director will require residence in the Wilmington, NC (Coastal) region.

What You’ll Do

• Lead regional execution of the systemwide Patient Experience strategy, ensuring alignment with Novant Health’s mission, vision, values, and strategic priorities.
• Translate system insights, goals, and KPIs into regional action plans that drive measurable improvements in patient experience.
• Serve as a strategic advisor to regional leadership, providing insight, recommendations, and guidance on patient experience performance and opportunities.
• Ensure regional processes, structures, and initiatives are aligned with patient truth and grounded in evidence‑based best practices.
• Establish a robust regional ecosystem for capturing, interpreting, and acting on patient insights.
• Partner with safety & quality, health equity, people & culture, and system Patient Experience Office to ensure the authentic voice of patients informs decision‑making.
• Identifie emerging trends, risks, and opportunities to enhance patient experience and drive regional performance.
• Influence cross‑company alignment on what patients’ value and how to deliver remarkable care consistently across the region.
• Oversee regional operations for Advisory, Patient Partnership, Guest Services, and Volunteer Services.
• Ensure consistent service standards, operational excellence, and alignment across all facilities within the region.
• Delegate operational responsibilities to department leaders while maintaining accountability for outcomes, quality, and performance.
• Ensure timely and effective decision‑making using appropriate strategies (command, consultative, consensus).
• Oversee regional grievance processes, ensuring accurate documentation, trend analysis, and timely resolution of complaints and pre‑claim grievances.
• Partner with clinical and operational leaders to address patient concerns, implement service recovery, and prevent recurrence.
• Ensure teams uphold customer service standards and treat patients and families with compassion, dignity, and respect.
• Create an inclusive, psychologically safe environment where all team members feel valued, respected, and empowered to contribute.
• Model culturally competent communication and fosters a culture that embraces diversity and creative problem‑solving.
• Maintain transparent, ongoing communication with regional teams, providing updates, feedback, and clarity on priorities.
• Engage in cross‑industry networking to bring innovative ideas and best practices into the organization.
• Apply process improvement methodologies to enhance regional workflows, service delivery, and patient experience outcomes.
• Review core processes regularly to identify opportunities for efficiency, consistency, and innovation.
• Act as a change agent, leading teams through transitions and adopting new knowledge, tools, and practices.
• Support cross‑functional projects by identifying interdependencies, escalating risks, tracking decisions, and managing stakeholders.
• Recruit, develop, and lead high‑performing regional teams across patient experience advisory, partnership, guest services, and volunteer services.
• Provide coaching, feedback, and performance evaluation consistent with organizational policies.
• Support team members in achieving career development goals and building leadership capability.
• Develop and implements onboarding, education, and competency programs for regional experience teams.
• Manage regional staffing, resources, and budgets to achieve quality, productivity, and financial goals.
• Prepare and oversee annual operating budgets for regional experience functions.
• Ensure efficient use of resources while maintaining high standards of service and operational excellence.
• Represent the region and organization in forums, conferences, and professional networks.
• Bring forward innovative ideas, research, and best practices from healthcare and non‑healthcare industries.
• Contribute to the advancement of patient experience as a discipline within and beyond Novant Health.

What We’re Looking For

• Education:
  • Bachelor's Degree, required.
  • Business, Communications, or other related field, preferred.
• Graduate Degree:
  • MBA, MHA, or related field preferred.
• Experience:
  • 7 years of progressive leadership in patient experience, service excellence, operations, or related areas, required.
• Additional Skills/Requirements (required):
  • Strong business acumen with ability to drive change in large, complex organizations with matrix reporting relationships.
  • Knowledge of healthcare policies, procedures and regulatory standards.
  • Ability to adhere to fixed deadlines with flexibility to adapt to changing priorities while managing a complex and varied workload.
  • Passion for helping individuals improve their customer service.
  • Demonstrated ability to build and manage complex support systems.
  • Successful building and management of high‑performing teams.
  • High emotional intelligence and demonstrated experience with change and conflict management.
  • Excellent verbal and written communication skills.
  • Excellent problem solving, decision making, conflict resolution and critical thinking skills.
  • Effectively interact with diverse individuals of all levels of authority.
  • Ability to network and access resources across the organization.
  • Technical skills including experience with relevant databases and reporting tools.

Why Choose Novant Health?

At Novant Health, we believe remarkable care starts with compassion for our patients, our communities, and each other. We value belonging, courage, personal growth, and teamwork, creating a space where everyone is respected, supported, and safe to show up as their full selves.