ECMO Program Manager

Methodist Health System•Dallas, TX

About The Position

The ECMO Program Manager provides administrative, operational, educational, quality, and clinical leadership for the Methodist Dallas Medical Center Extracorporeal Membrane Oxygenation (ECMO) Program. In partnership with the ECMO Medical Director and leaders across critical care, cardiovascular services, respiratory care, perfusion, and nursing, this role develops, implements, maintains, and grows a high-performing program aligned with Extracorporeal Life Support Organization (ELSO) guidelines and industry best practices. The manager is the program’s primary operational leader and is accountable for program quality, staff competency, regulatory readiness, data management, process improvement, and strategic advancement. The role oversees ECMO program operations across applicable patient populations and care settings; supports clinical practice and multidisciplinary collaboration; and develops and maintains education, training, and competency programs. It leads ECMO quality and safety initiatives, ensures regulatory and accreditation readiness, manages registry participation and outcomes reporting, and coordinates equipment and resource readiness. The manager also identifies opportunities for program growth, service expansion, regional partnerships, and development of future ECMO capabilities, while providing leadership and professional development for ECMO specialists and program staff. Methodist Dallas Medical Center is the 595-bed flagship hospital of Methodist Health System and an acute care teaching and referral hospital. It is home to the only adult Level I Trauma Center and the first and only Certified Comprehensive Stroke Center in southern Dallas. The hospital describes itself as an award-winning employer and states that it strives to have a diverse workforce reflecting the communities it serves.

Requirements

Bachelor's degree in Nursing, Respiratory Therapy, Perfusion Science, or a related healthcare field.
Minimum five years of critical care experience.
Minimum three years of ECMO specialist experience.
Demonstrated experience in program leadership, education, quality improvement, or clinical operations.
One of the following current credentials: Registered Nurse license, Registered Respiratory Therapist credential, or Certified Clinical Perfusionist credential.
Current BLS certification.
Current ACLS certification.

Nice To Haves

Experience in an ELSO-recognized ECMO program.
Experience with ECMO registry management and outcomes reporting.
Experience leading quality improvement and patient safety initiatives.
Experience supporting ELSO Center of Excellence activities.
CCRN, CSC, CMC, FCCS, CHSE, or another applicable specialty certification.
Adult Certified ECMO Specialist (CES-A) or ELSO Adult ECMO Practitioner Certification (E-AEC).

Responsibilities

Provide operational leadership for the ECMO program across applicable patient populations and care settings.
Collaborate with the ECMO Medical Director to establish strategic goals, annual objectives, and program priorities.
Oversee daily program operations and align them with organizational goals and service line strategies.
Facilitate multidisciplinary collaboration among physicians, advanced practice providers, nurses, respiratory therapists, perfusionists, pharmacists, rehabilitation specialists, and ancillary departments.
Coordinate ECMO committee activities, including agenda development, meeting facilitation, and follow-up action plans.
Represent the ECMO program on hospital and system committees.
Support business planning, resource allocation, capital equipment planning, and budget development.
Serve as a clinical expert and resource for ECMO patient management and ECMO specialist practice.
Promote evidence-based care and standardized ECMO management practices; participate in rounds and case discussions as appropriate.
Collaborate with physician leadership on patient selection criteria, clinical pathways, and best practices.
Support safe ECMO initiation, maintenance, transport, and decannulation processes.
Assist with implementation of new ECMO technologies, equipment, and clinical innovations.
Develop and maintain ECMO education for specialists and multidisciplinary care teams.
Oversee initial training, onboarding, annual competency validation, continuing education, and remediation.
Coordinate simulation training, emergency response drills, water-drill exercises, and professional development.
Maintain competency records and regulatory-readiness documentation; work with educators and leaders to ensure competency standards are met.
Promote certification and professional advancement among ECMO team members.
Lead ECMO-specific quality improvement initiatives to improve outcomes and reduce complications.
Establish and monitor program performance indicators and outcome metrics; coordinate case reviews, mortality reviews, debriefings, and improvement activities.
Conduct trend analysis and develop action plans; maintain ECMO policies, procedures, protocols, and clinical practice guidelines.
Ensure compliance with hospital policies, accreditation standards, regulatory requirements, and ELSO recommendations, and support ELSO Center of Excellence designation goals.
Oversee ECMO registry participation and submissions, ensuring data accuracy, completeness, and timeliness.
Perform outcome analysis, benchmarking, and performance reporting; develop dashboards and reports for organizational leaders and clinical teams.
Use data to drive program improvement and strategic initiatives; support ECMO-related research, publication, and scholarly activities.
Coordinate with Supply Chain, Biomedical Engineering, Respiratory Care, and Perfusion Services to ensure equipment readiness.
Oversee equipment inventory, maintenance schedules, disposable supplies, and emergency preparedness; evaluate equipment, technologies, and vendor solutions.
Participate in capital equipment planning and replacement strategies and ensure equipment-related safety and documentation compliance.
Identify opportunities for growth, innovation, and service expansion; collaborate with referral facilities and regional partners on patient access and referral pathways.
Support transport capabilities and regional ECMO partnerships, promote community awareness and physician outreach, and assist with long-term planning for future ECMO capabilities.
Provide leadership, mentorship, and professional development for ECMO specialists and program staff.
Promote safety, accountability, collaboration, and continuous improvement; facilitate conflict resolution and interdisciplinary communication.
Serve as a change agent for evidence-based practice and operational excellence and participate in recruitment, retention, and succession planning.
Deliver against expectations for outcomes and quality metrics, staff competency completion, education effectiveness, registry compliance, regulatory readiness, complication reduction, policy compliance, program growth, team engagement, and continuous improvement.