Senior Director, Clinical Excellence

National Lutheran Communities & Services•Frederick, MD

1d•$170,000 - $185,000•Hybrid

About The Position

National Lutheran Communities & Services (NLCS) is seeking an experienced clinical leader to shape and deliver consistently strong care and outcomes across its communities. Reporting to the Chief Operating Officer, the Senior Director, Clinical Excellence will provide enterprise leadership for clinical quality, standards, systems, and improvement. This role requires an individual who can take ownership, navigate complex clinical and operational challenges, set clear direction, and translate data into actionable improvements. The position involves establishing and strengthening enterprise clinical standards, quality measures, competency expectations, regulatory readiness, documentation practices, and clinical workflows. The successful candidate will identify trends and variations across communities, implement sustainable improvements, and act as a trusted clinical resource for community and executive leaders. Additionally, this role will contribute to the development of clinical leaders and lead enterprise initiatives impacting resident care and operations. The ideal candidate is an independent, analytical, and decisive clinical leader who can also build alignment and drive progress through collaboration in a dynamic environment that demands high standards for quality, compliance, and follow-through.

Requirements

Current, unencumbered RN license and a bachelor’s degree in nursing
10+ years of progressive clinical leadership experience in senior living, Life Plan communities, skilled nursing, assisted living, post-acute care, or a similarly regulated healthcare environment
Experience leading across multiple locations or complex operating units
Strong knowledge of quality improvement, QAPI, regulatory readiness, clinical risk, documentation, reimbursement, and resident-care operations
Demonstrated ability to develop clinical leaders, lead change, and turn evidence and performance findings into sustained improvement
Strong judgment, executive-level communication skills, and comfort working across clinical, operational, financial, technology, and talent functions
Ability to travel regularly among NLCS communities

Responsibilities

Provide enterprise leadership for clinical quality, standards, systems, and improvement.
Establish and strengthen enterprise clinical standards, quality measures, competency expectations, regulatory readiness, documentation practices, and clinical workflows.
Identify trends and variation across communities and help turn findings into sustainable improvements.
Serve as a trusted clinical resource to community and executive leaders.
Develop clinical leaders and lead enterprise initiatives that affect resident care and operations.