(RN) Assistant Director, ECMC Inpatient Nursing - 141643

University of California San Diego; San Diego (CA); On-site; USD 218,000 - 253,000; Full time

Job summary

UC San Diego Health is seeking an Assistant Director of ECMC Inpatient Nursing Services to lead clinical operations at East Campus Medical Center in San Diego. This role oversees staffing, fiscal and material resources, and program implementation to ensure high-quality patient care.

The position requires strong leadership, regulatory knowledge, and collaboration with multiple units to sustain operational excellence.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Nursing and eight+ years of relevant experience.
• Registered Nurse licensed in California.
• Strong hospital management experience with progressive leadership.
• Excellent communication and interpersonal skills for collaboration across units.
• Knowledge of healthcare information technology and patient care workflows.

Responsibilities

• Provide oversight for inpatient nursing services and clinical operations.
• Develop and lead nursing leaders through workforce planning and engagement strategies.
• Drive performance improvement focusing on quality outcomes and patient safety metrics.
• Oversee budgeting, productivity, resource allocation, and throughput optimization.
• Partner with physicians and interdisciplinary leaders to advance strategic initiatives.

Skills

Nursing leadership

Hospital management

Regulatory compliance

Strategic planning

Communication skills

Team development

Operational budgeting

Education

Bachelor's degree in Nursing

Registered Nurse in California

Master’s degree in nursing (preferred)

Job description

#141643 (RN) Assistant Director, ECMC Inpatient Nursing

Filing Deadline: Tue 10/27/2026

UC San Diego values and welcomes people from all backgrounds.

Payroll Title: NURSE SVC MGR 2

Department: EC Administration

Hiring Pay Scale: $218,300 - $252,700 / Year

Worksite: East Campus Medical Center (Alvarado Road)

Appointment Type: Career

Appointment Percent: 100%

Union: Uncovered

Total Openings: 1

Work Schedule: Days, Monday-Friday

DESCRIPTION

The Assistant Director, ECMC Inpatient Nursing Services is responsible for the strategic leadership, operational management, and clinical oversight of inpatient nursing departments. This role ensures the delivery of high-quality, safe, patient-centered care while maintaining regulatory compliance, operational efficiency, staff engagement, and financial stewardship. The Assistant Director collaborates with physicians, interdisciplinary teams, senior leadership, and external stakeholders to achieve organizational goals and improve patient outcomes.

Designs and oversees nursing and administrative operations in assigned patient care areas. Accountable for the overall administrative planning and coordination of the staffing, fiscal and material resources. Assists with the development and implementation of new programs and policies. Direct reports are typically supervisors and managers. Performs other duties as assigned.

Key Responsibilities:

• Provide oversight for inpatient nursing services, ensuring excellence in clinical operations, patient care delivery, and nursing practice.
• Develop and lead nursing leaders through workforce planning, talent development, succession planning, and employee engagement strategies.
• Drive performance improvement through accountability for quality outcomes, patient safety metrics, patient experience, and regulatory readiness.
• Oversee financial and operational performance, including budgeting, productivity management, resource allocation, and throughput optimization.
• Partner with physicians and interdisciplinary leaders to advance strategic initiatives, enhance care delivery, and achieve organizational goals.

MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS

• Bachelor's degree in Nursing and eight or more years of relevant experience.
• Registered Nurse in the State of California.
• Strong hospital management experience, with progressive and in-depth expertise in patient care services. Knowledge of operations in a hospital or medical center setting; knowledge of appropriate professional standards for the department and team.
• Excellent communications and interpersonal skills to foster and promote an environment for effective communication and collaborative decision making across multiple units and disciplines.
• Excellent leadership, fiscal and operations management skills, with the ability to collaborate effectively with physicians, management and staff from all disciplines. Ability to create and maintain a goal-oriented climate of teamwork, collaboration and consistent achievement of objectives.
• Strong knowledge of relevant healthcare information technology and patient care workflows and processes.
• Strong knowledge of relevant regulatory requirements, as well as related legislative, accreditation, licensing and compliance environments.
• Four or more years in a formal Supervisory role, with demonstrated expertise in leadership, change-management, development, and quality.
• Ability to solve problems when no precedent exists. Demonstrated skill to continuously evaluate current states and identify viable options for resolution.
• Organizational skills include simplifying, increasing efficiency, managing multiple priorities and delegating tasks to ensure deadlines are met. Proven ability to set goals, implement training programs, evaluate results, and promote and develop others.
• In depth knowledge of nursing, organization, HR and UC policies and processes, and all accreditation, licensing, and compliance requirements. In depth knowledge of all relevant nursing industry laws and regulations at the local, state, and federal levels.
• Knowledge of clinical and relevant health care information technology and ability to notice technological inefficiencies and improve usage and improvement of such technology.

PREFERRED QUALIFICATIONS

• Master’s degree in nursing or relevant area
• Certification in relevant area
• Current UC San Diego Health employee
• Strong operational and clinical experience
• Strong communication skills and able to manage and navigate difficult conversations
• Lean Six Sigma and experience leading change initiatives
• Experience managing a unionized workforce

SPECIAL CONDITIONS

• Must pass a background check.
• Must pass a pre-employment physical, drug screen and TB test.
• Must be able to work various hours and locations based on business needs.

Pay Transparency Act

Annual Full Pay Range: $173,900 - $351,500 (will be prorated if the appointment percentage is less than 100%)

Hourly Equivalent: $83.29 - $168.34

Factors in determining the appropriate compensation for a role include experience, skills, knowledge, abilities, education, licensure and certifications, and other business and organizational needs. The Hiring Pay Scale referenced in the job posting is the budgeted salary or hourly range that the University reasonably expects to pay for this position. The Annual Full Pay Range may be broader than what the University anticipates to pay for this position, based on internal equity, budget, and collective bargaining agreements (when applicable).

If employed by the University of California, you will be required to comply with our Policy on Vaccination Programs, which may be amended or revised from time to time. Federal, state, or local public health directives may impose additional requirements.

If applicable, life-support certifications (BLS, NRP, ACLS, etc.) must include hands-on practice and in-person skills assessment; online-only certification is not acceptable.

UC San Diego Health is the only academic health system in the San Diego region, providing leading-edge care in patient care, biomedical research, education, and community service. Our facilities include two university hospitals, a National Cancer Institute-designated Comprehensive Cancer Center, Shiley Eye Institute, Sulpizio Cardiovascular Center, the only Burn Center in the county, and dozens of outpatient clinics. We invite you to join our team!

Applications/Resumes are accepted for current job openings only. For full consideration on any job, applications must be received prior to the initial closing date. If a job has an extended deadline, applications/resumes will be considered during the extension period; however, a job may be filled before the extended date is reached.

To foster the best possible working and learning environment, UC San Diego strives to cultivate a rich and diverse environment, inclusive and supportive of all students, faculty, staff and visitors. For more information, please visit UC San Diego Principles of Community.

The University of California is an Equal Opportunity Employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability, age, protected veteran status, or other protected status under state or federal law.

For the University of California’s Anti-Discrimination Policy, please visit: https://policy.ucop.edu/doc/1001004/Anti-Discrimination

UC San Diego is a smoke and tobacco free environment. Please visit smokefree.ucsd.edu for more information.

UC San Diego Health maintains a marijuana and drug free environment. Employees may be subject to drug screening.

Misconduct Disclosure Requirement: As a condition of employment, the final candidate who accepts an offer of employment will be required to disclose if they have been subject to any final administrative or judicial decisions within the last seven years determining that they committed any misconduct; or have filed an appeal of a finding of substantiated misconduct with a previous employer.

a. "Misconduct" means any violation of the policies governing employee conduct at the applicant’s previous place of employment, including, but not limited to, violations of policies prohibiting sexual harassment, sexual assault, or other forms of harassment, or discrimination, as defined by the employer. For reference, below are UC’s policies addressing some forms of misconduct:

• UC Sexual Violence and Sexual Harassment Policy
• UC Anti-Discrimination Policy
• Abusive Conduct in the Workplace