Director Nursing, Neonatal and Critical Care

Akron Children's Hospital•Akron, OH

3d•Onsite

About The Position

The Director of Nursing, Neonatal and Critical Care advances Akron Children’s delivery of integrated, high-quality nursing and provider-supported care across neonatal, newborn, breastfeeding medicine, and pediatric critical care services. The role’s scope includes Special Care Nurseries (SCNs), Neonatal Intensive Care Units (NICUs), Breastfeeding Medicine clinics, the Newborn Medicine program, the NICU Follow-Up Clinic, the Pediatric Intensive Care Unit (PICU), and the Heart Unit, as well as administrative partnership for related providers. The Director develops and translates strategy into action across inpatient, outpatient, and follow-up care for critically ill children, neonates, newborns, and their families. Operating within a complex, highly matrixed health system, the role aligns nursing practice, provider administration, clinical operations, program development, business planning, and financial performance. Key areas of focus include access, capacity, patient flow, care design and standardization, patient and family experience, workforce planning, quality, safety, and outcomes. The position oversees strategic planning, nursing operations, provider administrative support, clinical program development, financial stewardship, regulatory compliance, talent development, and partnership with physician, advanced practice provider, and interdisciplinary leaders.

Requirements

Master’s degree in nursing.
Current license to practice professional nursing in the state of Ohio.
Five years of progressive nursing leadership experience.
Three years of formal leadership experience.
Demonstrated nursing leadership within a large, complex healthcare system.
Advanced expertise in nursing operations, provider administrative partnership, financial management, workforce planning, capacity management, patient flow, and performance analytics.
Strong knowledge of regulatory, accreditation, quality, and patient safety standards applicable to neonatal and pediatric acute and critical care environments, including CMS and The Joint Commission requirements.
Demonstrated ability to partner with physicians, advanced practice providers, nursing leaders, and interdisciplinary teams and lead through influence in a highly matrixed environment.
Expertise in operational excellence and performance improvement, including evidence-based practice, care standardization, high reliability, and patient and family experience.

Nice To Haves

Direct experience in neonatal, pediatric critical care, women’s and children’s services, or a comparable high-acuity service line.
Experience leading and integrating inpatient, ambulatory, and follow-up care models across neonatal, newborn, breastfeeding medicine, and pediatric critical care programs.
Master’s degree in healthcare administration, business administration, or healthcare leadership.
Nurse Executive Advanced-Board Certified (NEA-BC) or Fellow of the American College of Healthcare Executives (FACHE) certification.
Experience supporting neonatal and/or pediatric critical care services.

Responsibilities

Develop and execute strategy for neonatal, newborn, breastfeeding medicine, and pediatric critical care services in collaboration with nursing, physician, and advanced practice provider leadership, aligning with organizational goals, community needs, and evolving models of pediatric care.
Provide operational nursing leadership across SCNs, NICUs, PICU, and the Heart Unit, promoting safe staffing, effective capacity management, patient flow, care coordination, and consistent standards of practice across sites and programs.
Provide administrative partnership and operational support for neonatal, newborn medicine, breastfeeding medicine, and critical care providers, strengthening provider engagement, practice operations, access, scheduling, resource planning, and program performance.
Lead strategic and financial planning, including business case development, budget management, productivity, capital and resource planning, and performance monitoring.
Advance program development and integration across Breastfeeding Medicine clinics, the Newborn Medicine program, and the NICU Follow-Up Clinic to improve access, continuity, family-centered care, and outcomes.
Partner with clinical leaders to design, implement, and evaluate evidence-based care models, clinical programs, and quality initiatives for high-acuity neonatal and pediatric populations.
Ensure operational excellence and regulatory readiness, with a focus on patient safety, quality, high reliability, accreditation, standardization, and patient and family experience.
Use data and performance analytics to identify opportunities, establish priorities, monitor outcomes, and lead continuous improvement in access, throughput, workforce, quality, safety, experience, and financial performance.
Build and sustain collaborative relationships with internal departments, regional partners, referral networks, and community stakeholders to support coordinated care and appropriate utilization of services.
Lead and develop leaders and team members through workforce planning, coaching, succession planning, development, and performance management, while contributing to enterprise initiatives and organizational strategy execution.