System Director, Clinical Documentation Integrity

B.E. Smith in partnership with University of California San Francisco Health System (AKA UCSF Health; San Francisco (CA); On-site; USD 148,000 - 300,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Health insurance

Retirement benefits

Bonuses

Job summary

UCSF Health in San Francisco seeks a System Director, Clinical Documentation Integrity (CDI) to lead system-wide CDI best practices, ensuring accurate reflection of patient severity, complexity, resource use, and quality outcomes across the health system.

This leader will oversee ~35 FTEs, report to the Chief Quality Officer, and drive strategic hiring, data platform transitions, and implementation of new resources and methodologies to enhance department performance while fostering physician

Qualifications

• BSN required; Master’s degree preferred.
• Active California RN license required.
• Certified Clinical Documentation Specialist (CCDS) preferred.
• Eight years of experience leading quality-improvement initiatives with regulatory compliance.
• Experience in a critical care environment; unionized settings a plus.

Responsibilities

• Lead system-wide CDI governance and best practices across the health system.
• Oversee ~35 FTEs and plan future team structure and hiring.
• Collaborate with physicians and stakeholders to optimize documentation workflows.
• Drive transitions to new data platforms and implement new resources and methodologies.

Skills

Leadership

Communication

Strategic planning

Clinical documentation

Education

BSN

Master's degree

Tools

EHR systems

Clinical documentation software

Job description

Advance clinical documentation excellence, quality outcomes, and system-wide performance as the next System Director, Clinical Documentation Integrity (CDI) at UCSF Health in beautiful San Francisco!

The Position

• The System Director, Clinical Documentation Integrity (CDI) oversees system-wide clinical documentation best practices and leads a cohesive documentation strategy to ensure an accurate reflection of patient severity, complexity of illness, resource utilization, and quality outcomes across the health system.
• Reporting to the Chief Quality Officer, this leader will oversee approximately 35 FTEs, including nine direct reports.
• This leader will be expected to assess the current team structure and develop a plan for future reorganization and strategic hiring. They will play a key role in the transition to new data platforms while implementing new resources, tools, and methodologies to enhance department performance. Additionally, this leader will ensure best practices are established, adopted, and consistently followed across the department.
• The ideal candidate will be a collaborative, relationship-focused leader with exceptional communication skills and a demonstrated ability to build strong partnerships, particularly with physicians. This individual should be a hands‑on leader who is equally comfortable rolling up their sleeves to support day‑to‑day operations while thinking strategically and paying close attention to detail.

Requirements

• BSN required; Master’s degree preferred.
• Active California RN license required.
• Certified Clinical Documentation Specialist (CCDS) preferred.
• A minimum of eight years of relevant experience required, with demonstrated success leading quality improvement initiatives and ensuring regulatory compliance with accreditation standards, including those of the Joint Commission.
• Experience working within a critical care environment will be essential to understanding complex patient documentation and clinical workflows. Prior experience in a unionized environment is a plus.

Compensation Range

• The base salary range for this position is $148,000 to $300,000 annually. In addition, a leader may be eligible for other benefits, including but not limited to health insurance coverage, retirement benefits, and bonuses. The total compensation for the finalist selected for this role will be determined based on various factors, including but not limited to scope of role, level of experience, education, accomplishments, internal equity, budget, and subject to Fair Market Value evaluation. The base salary range listed above is a good faith determination of potential base compensation at the time of this job advertisement and may be modified in the future.

The Organization

• UCSF Health is one of the nation’s premier academic health systems, recognized worldwide for excellence in patient care, groundbreaking research, medical education, and innovation. As the clinical enterprise of the University of California, San Francisco, UCSF Health is dedicated exclusively to the health sciences and advancing the future of medicine.
• The integrated health system includes UCSF Medical Center, UCSF Benioff Children’s Hospitals, Langley Porter Psychiatric Hospital and Clinics, the UCSF Faculty Practice, and an extensive network of specialty, primary care, and outpatient locations throughout Northern California.
• Consistently ranked among the nation’s top hospitals, UCSF Medical Center is nationally recognized for clinical excellence across numerous specialties, including cancer care, neurosciences, orthopedics, pulmonology, geriatrics, psychiatry, and rheumatology.
• As a leading academic health system, UCSF Health fosters collaboration among physicians, researchers, educators, and healthcare professionals to accelerate scientific discoveries into innovative treatments while delivering compassionate, equitable, and evidence‑based care. Guided by a mission of advancing health worldwide, the organization continues to shape the future of healthcare through research, education, clinical excellence, and a commitment to improving patient outcomes.

The Community

• San Francisco offers a vibrant urban lifestyle, combining world‑renowned cultural attractions, diverse neighborhoods, and stunning views of the Pacific Ocean and San Francisco Bay.
• Residents enjoy access to iconic landmarks such as the Golden Gate Bridge, Golden Gate Park, and Fisherman’s Wharf, along with miles of waterfront trails, beaches, and outdoor recreational opportunities.
• The city is known for its thriving arts and culture scene, featuring world‑class museums, theaters, music venues, and professional sports, as well as a celebrated culinary landscape that reflects its rich diversity.
• San Francisco serves as a hub for innovation and higher education, with close proximity to leading technology companies, research institutions, and prestigious universities throughout the Bay Area.
• Outdoor enthusiasts enjoy easy access to hiking, cycling, sailing, and weekend destinations including Muir Woods National Monument, Napa Valley, and the scenic Northern California coastline.