Lead, Quality, Patient Safety and Transformation - F/T - Days

University of California, Irvine•Orange, CA

About The Position

Position Summary: The Patient Safety and Quality Lead is responsible for serving as a key regional operational resource supporting UCI Health sites in advancing a high-reliability approach to quality, patient safety, and performance improvement across all assigned facilities and service areas. The incumbent is accountable for the implementation and sustainment of quality improvement programs aligned with organizational priorities, regulatory requirements, and national best practices, ensuring compliance with all applicable accreditation and reporting standards. This role serves as a critical link between strategy and execution, advancing systemwide quality and patient safety priorities through rigorous performance management, data-driven analysis, stakeholder alignment, and continuous improvement methodologies across all assigned inpatient and ambulatory settings. The Patient Safety and Quality Lead partners closely with hospital leadership, physicians, nursing, clinical operations, and system teams to support the identification and resolution of patient safety risks, promote a culture of safety and continuous learning, and drive measurable improvement in patient outcomes and organizational performance. The incumbent contributes to the development and execution of quality improvement initiatives, participates in safety event review and analysis, and supports the implementation of systemwide transformation priorities at the regional and facility level. This position works under the direction of quality and patient safety leadership and exercises independent judgment in managing site-level quality, safety, and performance improvement activities within the assigned regional area.

Requirements

Ability to maintain a work pace appropriate to the workload
Must demonstrate customer service skills appropriate to the job
Excellent written and verbal communication skills in English
5+ years of experience in healthcare quality and patient safety with demonstrated ability in design, implementation and sustainment of performance improvement activities in a health care setting including skillful application of continuous quality improvement and patient safety sciences
5+ years of progressive experience in quality improvement, performance improvement, operational excellence or patient safety in an academic medical center or large, integrated, tertiary health care setting providing expert level understanding of the art and the science of quality improvement and patient safety
Exceptional level of professionalism, discretion and the ability to work on highly sensitive and confidential projects
Knowledge of current trends and best practices in healthcare quality improvement and patient safety
Successful track record of effective, team-oriented working relationships with physicians, nurses and other health professionals
Able to prioritize and manage multiple projects simultaneously with demonstrated ability to complete projects successfully on time and within budget
Bachelor’s degree
Must possess the skill, knowledge and ability essential to the successful performance of assigned duties
Must be able to provide proof of work authorization

Nice To Haves

Preferred Master’s degree in Nursing, Public Health, Pharmacy, Business, Administration or related field
Current Certified Professional in Healthcare Quality, CPHQ
Experience in Lean-Sigma as an improvement methodology
Experience in HRO principles, Just Culture and safety science

Responsibilities

implementation and sustainment of quality improvement programs
ensuring compliance with all applicable accreditation and reporting standards
advancing systemwide quality and patient safety priorities through rigorous performance management, data-driven analysis, stakeholder alignment, and continuous improvement methodologies
identification and resolution of patient safety risks
promote a culture of safety and continuous learning
drive measurable improvement in patient outcomes and organizational performance
development and execution of quality improvement initiatives
participates in safety event review and analysis
supports the implementation of systemwide transformation priorities at the regional and facility level