Senior Director of Nursing Operations (RN)

MedStar Health; Leonardtown (MD); On-site; USD 142,000 - 288,000; Full time

Job summary

MedStar Health seeks a Senior Director of Nursing Operations & Patient Care Services to lead multiple nursing and patient care areas with 24‑hour accountability for clinical, workforce, quality, safety, experience and financial outcomes. Work with the CNO and hospital leaders to translate strategy into measurable improvements in care, workforce engagement, and operational performance.

The ideal candidate combines clinical credibility, operational discipline, financial acumen, and the ability

Qualifications

• BSN from a nationally accredited program.
• Master’s in Nursing or health-related field from a nationally accredited program.
• Current Maryland RN licensure and/or Compact State Licensure.
• 5–7 years of progressively responsible nursing leadership experience.
• Experience leading complex nursing operations and clinical teams.
• Strong financial management, staffing, quality, safety, and operational improvement.

Responsibilities

• Provide strategic and operational leadership for assigned nursing services with 24‑hour accountability.
• Partner with CNO and senior leaders to develop nursing strategy and priorities.
• Drive quality, patient safety, patient experience, and associate engagement.
• Lead fiscal planning, budget management, staffing, and resource utilization.
• Advance patient flow, capacity management, and care delivery improvements.
• Develop nursing leaders and foster a culture of accountability and collaboration.

Skills

Leadership

Strategic thinking

Communication

Collaboration

Decision making

Operational excellence

People management

Education

BSN

MSN or health-related master's

Job description

About the Job

Senior Director, Nursing Operations & Patient Care Services

Lead Nursing Operations. Advance Patient Care. Shape the Future of Nursing.

MedStar Health is seeking an accomplished nursing executive to serve as Senior Director of Nursing Operations & Patient Care Services.

As a key member of the entity's Division of Nursing leadership team, the Senior Director provides strategic and operational leadership for multiple nursing and patient care areas, with 24-hour accountability for clinical operations, workforce performance, quality, safety, patient experience, and financial outcomes.

Working closely with the Chief Nursing Officer, hospital executives, physician leaders, and nursing leadership, this individual will translate organizational and nursing strategy into measurable improvements in patient care, workforce engagement, operational performance, and clinical outcomes.

We're looking for a nursing leader who combines clinical credibility, operational discipline, financial acumen, and an ability to inspire and develop high-performing teams.

What You’ll Lead

• Provide strategic and operational leadership for assigned nursing and patient care services, including 24-hour accountability for clinical, workforce, financial, and administrative performance.
• Partner with the CNO and senior leadership to develop and execute nursing strategy, annual goals, and organizational priorities.
• Drive excellence in quality, patient safety, nursing-sensitive outcomes, patient experience, and associate engagement.
• Lead fiscal planning, budget management, productivity, staffing, and effective utilization of clinical resources.
• Advance patient flow, capacity management, throughput, and other operational initiatives that improve care delivery and organizational performance.
• Partner with physicians, interdisciplinary leaders, and operational teams to improve clinical outcomes and strengthen models of care.
• Build and sustain a strong nursing workforce through recruitment, retention, succession planning, leadership development, and workforce planning.
• Develop and mentor nursing leaders while creating a culture of accountability, collaboration, professional growth, and shared decision-making.
• Champion evidence-based practice, performance improvement, innovation, and effective change management.
• Support Magnet Recognition/Pathway to Excellence standards, professional nursing practice, collaborative governance, and nursing excellence.
• Represent Nursing on entity and system-wide strategic initiatives, committees, and performance improvement efforts.
• Serve as a senior nursing executive and provide leadership coverage in the absence of the Vice President of Nursing/Chief Nursing Officer as needed.

What We’re Looking For

Required

• Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN) from a nationally accredited program.
• Master’s degree in Nursing or a health-related field from a nationally accredited program.
• Current Registered Nurse licensure in Maryland and/or appropriate Compact State Licensure.
• 5-7 years of progressively responsible nursing leadership experience, including experience at the Director of Nursing level or equivalent and above.
• Demonstrated experience leading complex nursing operations, clinical teams, and patient care services.
• Strong experience with financial management, staffing/productivity, quality and safety, workforce performance, and operational improvement.
• Exceptional leadership, communication, collaboration, and decision-making capabilities.

Preferred

• Doctoral degree in Nursing Leadership, Health Services Administration, or related discipline.
• Experience leading multiple nursing departments, service lines, or complex clinical operations.
• Experience with organizational transformation, performance improvement, capacity management, or major strategic initiatives.

Certification

Nursing administration certification from a nationally recognized organization, such as NEA-BC or CENP, required within one year of hire, along with other applicable clinical certification requirements.

The Leadership Opportunity

This is more than oversight of nursing departments. It is an opportunity to help shape the clinical, operational, workforce, and cultural performance of nursing across a MedStar Health entity.

The ideal candidate will be a visible and collaborative nursing executive-someone who understands the realities of frontline patient care while also thinking strategically about people, performance, quality, growth, and the future of nursing.

This position has a hiring range of

USD $142,064.00 - USD $287,996.00 /Yr.