(RN) Heart Transplant Program Manager

UC San Diego Health; San Diego (CA); On-site; USD 120,000 - 150,000; Full time

Job summary

UC San Diego Health is seeking a strategic Organ Transplant Program Manager to lead the Heart Transplant Program, oversee clinical operations, and ensure regulatory compliance with UNOS, CMS, and HRSA. The role drives program growth, quality outcomes, and cross-functional collaboration with physicians, administrators, and staff.

The ideal candidate has nursing leadership experience, a strong operations background, and a track record of managing complex transplant programs in an academic medical

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in nursing from an accredited institution.
• RN license issued by the State of California.
• Current UCSD BART certification, or BLS certification at time of hire with commitment to get BART within six months of hire date.
• Seven (7+) or more years of progressive clinical experience, including three (3+) or more years of RN experience within a complex transplant and/or ICU environment.
• Four (4+) or more years of formal leadership experience, with demonstrated ability to lead teams, drive accountability, and navigate difficult conversations.
• Proven leadership capability in healthcare operations, including strategic planning, clinical operations management, quality, and regulatory compliance.
• Demonstrated experience leading teams through change, fostering a growth mindset, and supporting culture transformation in a fast-paced environment.
• Strong working knowledge of CMS Conditions of Participation and OPTN/UNOS regulatory requirements.
• Experience partnering with multidisciplinary stakeholders, including physicians, administrators, and frontline staff.
• Knowledge of workforce management principles, including performance management and accountability in a unionized or highly regulated environment.

Responsibilities

• Develop and execute transplant program growth and service expansion.
• Partner with medical, surgical, and administrative leaders to align program goals with organizational priorities.
• Maintain compliance with UNOS, CMS, HRSA, and other regulatory entities.
• Support accreditation processes and participate in inspections and surveys.
• Collaborate with Quality leadership on transplant-specific policies and procedures.
• Direct daily transplant operations across the entire care continuum.
• Optimize workflows, staffing, and resources to ensure efficiency and clinical quality.
• Oversee patient flow, transplant personnel, and external partnerships.
• Lead operational improvement initiatives.
• Build and develop high-performing interdisciplinary teams.
• Provide performance management, professional development, and succession planning.
• Manage recruitment, evaluation, and corrective action processes.
• Foster a collaborative culture focused on quality care and staff engagement.
• Monitor UNOS metrics, patient outcomes, readmissions, and other quality indicators.
• Participate in adverse event reviews and implement corrective actions.
• Track clinical, operational, and financial performance against benchmarks.
• Develop and manage program budgets.
• Monitor payer mix, reimbursement trends, and cost structures.
• Support vendor contract discussions and business development.

Skills

Regulatory compliance

Healthcare operations

Staff development

Strategic planning

Budget management

Team leadership

Change management

Quality improvement

Cross-functional collaboration

Performance management

Education

Bachelor’s degree in nursing

Master's Degree in Nursing

Job description

UC San Diego Health is proud to be a four-time Magnet-designated organization and has now earned Magnet with Distinction from the American Nurses Credentialing Center (ANCC). Magnet is the gold standard for nursing excellence, achieved by only about 10% of hospitals worldwide. Magnet with Distinction is awarded to the highest-performing Magnet organizations, with only a select few earning this prestigious honor. This recognition reflects our commitment to transformational leadership, professional nursing excellence, innovation, exceptional patient outcomes, and an empowering practice environment where nurses thrive.

Under the direction of the Transplant Administrative Directors and in close collaboration with Medical and Surgical Directors, the Organ Transplant Program Manager provides strategic, clinical, and operational leadership for the transplant program, optimizing patient outcomes to drive program growth. This role participates in developing and executing comprehensive strategic plans for program expansion while ensuring full regulatory compliance with UNOS, CMS, HRSA, and other governing bodies. The successful candidate will oversee all aspects of transplant operations from initial patient referral through post-transplant care, managing resources, workflows, interdisciplinary teams, and external partnerships. The Transplant Manager will consult and collaborate with healthcare professionals to optimize patient care coordination, serving as a resource to staff and physicians while ensuring sustainable program growth through effective resource utilization and operational excellence.

The ideal candidate will bring proven expertise in healthcare operations management, regulatory compliance, and staff development to foster a collaborative, growth-oriented culture. This position demands strong analytical skills to monitor quality metrics, implement performance improvement plans, and manage financial performance.

This position provides operational oversight to UC San Diego Health's Heart Transplant Program.

KEY RESPONSIBILITIES

Strategic Leadership

• Develop and execute transplant program growth and service expansion
• Partner with medical, surgical, and administrative leaders to align program goals with organizational priorities

Regulatory Compliance

• Maintain compliance with UNOS, CMS, HRSA, and other regulatory entities
• Support accreditation processes and participate in inspections and surveys
• Collaborate with Quality leadership on transplant-specific policies and procedures

Clinical Operations

• Direct daily transplant operations across the entire care continuum
• Optimize workflows, staffing, and resources to ensure efficiency and clinical quality
• Oversee patient flow, transplant personnel, and external partnerships
• Lead operational improvement initiatives
• Build and develop high-performing interdisciplinary teams
• Provide performance management, professional development, and succession planning
• Manage recruitment, evaluation, and corrective action processes
• Foster a collaborative culture focused on quality care and staff engagement

Quality & Outcomes

• Monitor UNOS metrics, patient outcomes, readmissions, and other quality indicators
• Participate in adverse event reviews and implement corrective actions
• Track clinical, operational, and financial performance against benchmarks
• Develop and manage program budgets
• Monitor payer mix, reimbursement trends, and cost structures
• Support vendor contract discussions and business development

Productivity & Performance Management

• Monitor and optimize staff productivity
• Track and improve program productivity metrics
• Monitor case costs, revenue and overall financial performance

While not required, a cover letter is highly recommended when applying to this position.

MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS

• Bachelor’s degree in nursing from an accredited institution.
• Registered Nurse (RN) license issued by the State of California.
• Current UCSD BART certification, or BLS certification at time of hire with commitment to get BART within six months of hire date.
• Seven (7+) or more years of progressive clinical experience, including three (3+) or more years of RN experience within a complex transplant and/or ICU environment.
• Four (4+) or more years of formal leadership experience, with demonstrated ability to lead teams, drive accountability, and navigate difficult conversations.
• Proven leadership capability in healthcare operations, including strategic planning, clinical operations management, quality, and regulatory compliance.
• Demonstrated experience leading teams through change, fostering a growth mindset, and supporting culture transformation in a fast-paced environment.
• Strong working knowledge of CMS Conditions of Participation and OPTN/UNOS regulatory requirements.
• Experience partnering with multidisciplinary stakeholders, including physicians, administrators, and frontline staff.
• Knowledge of workforce management principles, including performance management and accountability in a unionized or highly regulated environment.

PREFERRED QUALIFICATIONS

• Master's Degree in Nursing or relevant area.
• Current experience working within an organ transplant program or transplant-related clinical operations.
• Prior transplant leadership or management experience.
• Experience working in an academic medical center or teaching hospital environment.
• Knowledge of labor relations and experience working within a unionized workforce.
• CPHQ (Certified Professional in Healthcare Quality) certification.