Lead Chaplain

City of Hope•Irvine, CA

98d•Onsite

About The Position

Join the transformative team at City of Hope, where we're changing lives and making a real difference in the fight against cancer, diabetes, and other life-threatening illnesses. City of Hope’s growing national system includes its Los Angeles campus, a network of clinical care locations across Southern California, a new cancer center in Orange County, California, and treatment facilities in Atlanta, Chicago and Phoenix. Our dedicated and compassionate employees are driven by a common mission: To deliver the cures of tomorrow to the people who need them today. Position Summary: The Lead Chaplain delivers evidence-informed spiritual support to patients, families, and staff; collaborates with interdisciplinary care teams; and ensures that spiritual needs are identified and addressed across the continuum of care. In addition to clinical responsibilities, the Lead Chaplain is responsible for developing strong relationships with community and faith leaders, partnering in donor engagement efforts, and supporting the development and sustainability of a high-quality pastoral care volunteer program. This position functions as both a frontline clinician and a program leader, strengthening the culture of compassionate, holistic care across the institution.

Requirements

Master’s degree in Divinity, Theology, Pastoral Studies, or related field.
Minimum of 4 years of spiritual care counseling experience in a hospital or hospice setting.
Experience supporting patients and families during crisis, trauma, grief, or end-of-life situations.
Experience collaborating with interdisciplinary healthcare teams.
Previous experience leading teams, programs, or projects.
Completion of 4 units of Clinical Pastoral Education (CPE) from an ACPE-accredited program.

Responsibilities

Provide direct spiritual and emotional support to oncology patients, families, and caregivers across inpatient and outpatient settings.
Conduct spiritual assessments, develop care plans, and document encounters in compliance with regulatory standards.
Participate in interdisciplinary rounds and collaborate with care teams to address spiritual distress, cultural needs, and end-of-life decision-making.
Respond to crises, critical events, and patient deaths with compassion and professionalism.
Support leadership of the Spiritual Care program, including policy implementation, regulatory compliance, and departmental operations.
Lead and develop the pastoral care volunteer program, including recruitment, training, supervision, and ongoing education.
Build meaningful relationships with community and faith leaders while supporting donor relations and philanthropic initiatives.
Provide administrative support including reporting, staff support, continuing education coordination, and performance input.
Maintain compliance with City of Hope policies, procedures, safety standards, and confidentiality requirements.
Perform additional duties and special projects as assigned.