Chief Quality Officer- System

City of Hope•Duarte, CA

About The Position

The Chief Quality Officer (CQO) is a senior executive leader responsible for advancing clinical excellence, patient safety, and high-reliability performance across the City of Hope system. Reporting to the System Chief Operating Officer, this role sets and executes a unified, enterprise-wide quality strategy to ensure safe, equitable, and evidence-based care. The CQO serves as the principal clinical quality expert and strategic advisor to executive leadership and the Board, integrating quality, safety, regulatory readiness, analytics, and continuous improvement into the organization’s operating model. This leader partners closely with physicians, nursing, operational, and academic leaders to translate strategy into measurable outcomes across all care settings.

Requirements

Advanced degree (PhD, MD, MSN, or equivalent).
Minimum of 10 years of experience in quality, quality improvement, and patient safety within a complex health system, including at least 5 years in an executive leadership role.
Certification in quality (CPHQ).
Proven executive leadership in complex healthcare systems.
Ability to translate strategy into measurable, sustained outcomes.
Strong analytical and data-driven decision-making capabilities.
Exceptional communication skills with executive presence.
Demonstrated success leading in matrixed environments.
Expertise in change management and organizational transformation.
Ability to collaborate across clinical, operational, academic, and technology domains.

Nice To Haves

Master’s degree in public health, business administration, or a related field.
Clinical licensure (MD, DO, RN, PharmD, CLS).
Experience in large, multi-site academic medical centers.

Responsibilities

Establish and execute a national quality and patient safety strategy aligned with organizational goals.
Define systemwide priorities, standards, and performance targets, and embed quality and safety into enterprise-wide strategic decision-making.
Elevate clinical outcomes and reduce preventable harm.
Build strong partnerships with physician, nursing, and operational leaders; mentor and develop future leaders in quality and patient safety.
Foster a culture of transparency, collaboration, and continuous learning, and represent the organization in national quality forums and associations.
Oversee quality standards, governance structures, and performance scorecards.
Lead systemwide initiatives to reduce variation and improve care reliability; implement evidence-based practices, clinical pathways, and outcome measurement.
Identify gaps and drive targeted improvement strategies.
Direct system quality analytics strategy, including governance and data integrity.
Advance dashboards, predictive models, and real-time safety monitoring tools; partner with technology teams to leverage AI and advanced analytics responsibly.
Ensure ethical and equitable use of digital tools in clinical workflows.
Maintain compliance with CMS, The Joint Commission, and other regulatory bodies.
Lead systemwide survey readiness and risk mitigation strategies.
Advise executive leadership and the Board on quality and safety performance; monitor external ratings and benchmarks.
Lead enterprise patient safety programs and serious event response.
Drive root cause analysis and system-level learning; promote high-reliability principles and a just culture.
Embed safety practices into daily operations and leadership expectations.