Senior Director of Nursing Services | Maternal, NICU, & Pediatrics

Hillsboro Medical Center•Hillsboro, OR

4d•Onsite

About The Position

The Senior Director of Nursing Services is a transformational leader responsible for the strategic growth, operational excellence, and clinical innovation of the entire continuum of Maternal, NICU, and Pediatric Programs, reporting to the Chief Nursing Officer (CNO) with matrixed accountability to VP, Ambulatory Services. This role bridges visionary program development with disciplined execution to position the organization as the region’s premier destination for family-centered care and acts as a big-systems thinker to design and execute sustainable change across a complex, multi-site portfolio. All decisions and actions are grounded in ethical principles as outlined by the American Nurses Association, Oregon State Board of Nursing Practice Act, and the Nurse Executive Competencies developed by the American Organization of Nurse Leaders (AONL). This leader exemplifies the organizational mission by committing to a Just Culture, a Reporting Culture, a Learning Culture, and an Engaged Informed Culture. Monitors performance and strives for excellence through ongoing process improvement. Contributes to a positive work environment that promotes HMC values.

Requirements

Master’s degree in Nursing or a related healthcare field.
Seven (7) years of progressing healthcare leadership experience with four (4) or more years’ experience providing leadership oversight and direct supervision of assigned staff.
Five (5) years of clinical experience in a related practice area, with significant experience in Women's and Children's (to include NICU) services and demonstrated track record of growing clinical programs, increasing patient volume, and driving measurable quality and operational improvements.
Current, unencumbered Registered Nurse licensure with the Oregon State Board of Nursing.
American Heart Association Healthcare Provider BLS.
Advanced Cardiac Life Support (ACLS) and Pediatric Advanced Life Support (PALS).
Knowledge of Healthcare Market Dynamics: Deep understanding of referral patterns, regional competitor strategies, and the OHSU/affiliate landscape.
Knowledge of Advanced NICU Designations: Knowledge of the regulatory and clinical requirements for Level II/III/IV NICU certifications.
Knowledge of Alternative Care Delivery: Familiarity with telehealth platforms and outpatient clinical site development.
Knowledge of Specialized Clinical Operations: Comprehensive understanding of Maternal, NICU, and Pediatric operations, including neonatal developmental care and family-integrated care models.
Knowledge of Evidence-Based Practice & Metrics: Mastery of NICU quality metrics, evidence-based clinical standards, and the current trends shaping maternal-pediatric care.
Knowledge of Healthcare Finance & Business Acumen: Deep knowledge of budget preparation, variance analysis, and the development of compelling cases for investment.
Knowledge of Regulatory & Compliance Landscape: Thorough understanding of regulatory standards specific to hospital-based maternal-pediatric settings and general healthcare compliance.
Knowledge of External Market Dynamics: Awareness of the competitive landscape and regional healthcare trends impacting clinical program growth.
Skill in Strategic Negotiation: Building formal agreements and partnerships with regional healthcare entities and community agencies.
Skill in Economic Modeling: Developing ROI projections for capital equipment and facility expansions.
Skill in Influential Communication: Crafting "the story" of the service line to attract both providers and families.
Skill in Strategic Execution: Developing a "compelling vision" and translating it into a measurable plan with ambitious, high-volume, and high-quality outcomes.
Skill in Relationship Orchestration: Building strong, effective partnerships with physician and medical director partners to ensure clinical and operational alignment.
Skill in Continuous Improvement: Applying Lean and process improvement methodologies to achieve and sustain operational gains (e.g., throughput or quality improvements).
Skill in Data & Technology Literacy: Utilizing data analysis tools and clinical technology platforms for quality reporting, operational tracking, and team communication.
Skill in Public Speaking & Executive Presence: Communicating complex ideas effectively to diverse audiences, including executives, staff, and community partners.
Ability to Navigate Ambiguity & Complexity: Leading organizational change with the resilience and adaptability required to handle complex, shifting environments.
Ability to Influence & Align Stakeholders: Facilitating collaborative decision-making to unite physicians and executives around a shared organizational vision.
Ability to Drive a Growth Mindset: Maintaining a personal and professional orientation toward continuous learning and "the art of the possible."
Ability to Lead Clinical Program Growth: Successfully scaling programs while maintaining strict adherence to quality results and patient safety.
Ability to Deliver Culturally Competent Leadership: Leveraging community awareness to serve a diverse patient population effectively.
Ability to Execute under Ambiguity: Launching new programs in shifting market conditions while maintaining operational stability.
Ability to Drive Patient Loyalty: Ensuring clinical excellence translates into long-term community trust and "provider of choice" status.

Responsibilities

Spearheads high-reliability initiatives across ambulatory clinics, maternal care, NICU, and pediatric service lines, ensuring clinical outcomes consistently exceed national safety and quality benchmarks; mandates strategic programs for maternal morbidity reduction, neonatal outcome optimization, and infant safety.
Drives specialized neonatal priorities, including the advancement of neurodevelopmental care practices, skin-to-skin programs, and human milk feeding rates.
Oversees total compliance with clinical best practices, accreditation requirements, and hospital-based regulatory standards.
Collaborates with Case Management to ensure safe care transitions, including robust NICU discharge support and neonatal follow-up program coordination.
Orchestrates initiatives that measurably enhance the patient and family experience, utilizing family-integrated care models and parent empowerment programs to position the organization as a provider of choice.
Monitors operational performance. Takes action to address opportunities and/or deficiencies. Leads and/or actively engages in performance improvement and quality initiatives.
Oversees contracted service providers to ensure contractual obligations are fulfilled and appropriate service levels are maintained.
Applies Lean methodologies and evidence-based practices to standardize care workflows and eliminate waste across maternal and pediatric service lines.
Leads process improvement initiatives to reduce length of stay (LOS), optimize throughput, and eliminate preventable harm.
Benchmarks high-performing national programs to identify and adapt clinical innovations for the local patient population.
Fosters an environment where frontline staff are empowered to challenge the status quo and share ideas for safety and workflow enhancement.
Champions the use of real-time dashboards and KPIs to identify operational gaps and measure the ROI of improvement efforts.
Cultivates a culture of curiosity by encouraging teams to pilot new ideas, learn from patient encounters, and scale successful clinical outcomes.
Builds and maintains effective working relationships. Advises and consults with executives, managers, and other personnel. Serves as a liaison across disciplines. Participates as an active member of various committees; leads work groups, projects and committees as assigned.
Maintains professional skills, subject matter expertise, and awareness of regulatory changes, compliance issues, innovations and developments, through research and training/continuing education opportunities. Stays abreast of trends and best practices. Maintains programs and records in good order, as required for efficient and effective operations.
Directly leads and coaches a high-performing team of nurse leaders and managers, fostering a culture of professional growth and continuous learning.
Communicates organizational goals and engages staff in developing departmental objectives and workplans. Communicates status updates transparently and consistently.
Manages and leads employees from selection and hiring through offboarding/separation. Coaches, mentors, and supports managers and subordinate staff in the performance of their duties. Establishes clear expectations and fosters an environment that supports good communication through effective use of formal and informal discussion, 1:1’s, huddles, and staff meetings.
Cultivates a high-engagement workplace culture, evidenced by measurable improvements in staff retention, safety, and leadership effectiveness metrics. Proactively monitors and manages employee satisfaction and engagement, turnover, training and development, and performance. Responds to union grievances. Takes appropriate action to identify and resolve concerns or issues.
Mediates conflicts between staff and/or patients and staff. Develops and implements skills-training and scripting for dealing with difficult patients/customers and service recovery appropriate to the setting.
Designs and implements a nursing leadership pipeline through active mentorship, intentional stretch assignments, and robust professional development. Plans and oversees department staffing and productivity.
Responsible for planning, development, and oversight of operational and capital budgets for assigned departments/functions. Takes timely action to address budget gaps and works with others as needed to solve financial challenges.
Responsible for decisions within scope of position and personal expertise. Addresses complex issues, applies expertise and sound judgement to approve deviations from standard procedure; interprets and/or develops new policies and procedures. Escalates issues to executive team when appropriate.
Coordinates with peers and executive leaders to plan and develop operational and capital budgets that are aligned across the organization.
Acts as the decision maker for assigned departments, within the scope of approved budgets and operational plans. Analyzes data and uses sound judgement in making independent decisions.
Develops and leads implementation of departmental strategies and work plans.
Provides input for organization-wide plans; serves as a subject matter expert and thought-partner.
Promotes awareness of strategic initiatives, goals and objectives through regular communication and education. Inspires commitment and leads others to implement and execute plans.
Performs other related duties and special projects, as assigned.
Supports and represents Hillsboro Medical Center’s mission, vision, and values.
Responsible for understanding, monitoring, and managing assigned budgets. Works closely and proactively with senior leader(s) to plan and develop operational and capital budgets and to address any financial challenges that may arise.
Acts as the decision maker at the department level, within the scope of approved budgets and operational plans. Analyzes data and uses sound judgment in making independent decisions.
Impacts and influences operations of the organization.