Director of Nursing - Behavioral Health
About The Position
The Director of Nursing, Inpatient Behavioral Health provides strategic and operational leadership across inpatient units, ensuring safe, high-quality, patient-centered care. Reporting to the Executive Director, this role supports Nurse Managers and drives consistency in clinical standards, staffing, regulatory compliance, quality outcomes, and financial performance. In partnership with clinical and administrative leaders, the Director ensures care aligns with professional and regulatory standards while fostering a collaborative, high-performing team. This is a leadership-focused role with indirect patient care oversight.
Requirements
- Master’s degree in Nursing (required)
- RN license in Massachusetts (required)
- 7+ years progressive nursing leadership
- 5+ years in management
- On-call required
Nice To Haves
- Behavioral health and multi-unit experience preferred
- Experience in unionized settings preferred
Responsibilities
- Maintain expertise in psychiatric nursing and inpatient regulations
- Lead development and standardization of nursing policies and practices
- Ensure compliance with DMH, DPH, CMS, and Joint Commission standards
- Translate regulatory changes into operational practice
- Promote trauma-informed, patient-centered care
- Oversee patient safety systems and clinical risk trends
- Lead quality and safety initiatives (restraints, falls, medication safety)
- Drive corrective action plans and sustained improvements
- Partner to ensure survey readiness
- Manage nursing budgets and labor expenses across six units
- Analyze productivity, census, and staffing models
- Conduct variance analyses and implement solutions
- Support financial decision-making among nursing leaders
- Supervise Nurse Managers and oversee hiring and performance management
- Support succession planning and leadership development
- Ensure compliance with HR policies and union agreements
- Evaluate service line performance and set strategic direction
- Standardize processes and align with system initiatives
- Use data and benchmarking to drive improvements
- Partner with interdisciplinary and executive teams
- Serve as liaison for nursing
- Facilitate communication, decision-making, and conflict resolution
- Mentor Nurse Managers and lead change initiatives
- Promote accountability, ethics, and evidence-based practice
Benefits
- Vaccinated against influenza (flu)
Stand Out From the Crowd
Upload your resume and get instant feedback on how well it matches this job.
What This Job Offers
Job Type
Full-time
Career Level
Director
Number of Employees
5,001-10,000 employees
