Regional Director of Nursing

We need hope-bringers and changemakers - because the work we all do matters. Join a team that shows up for each other as much as we show up for our clients. At Gaudenzia, your purpose fuels progress - for yourself and others.

 

Gaudenzia's Mission: Gaudenzia's Mission is to promote long-term recovery by providing comprehensive treatment and support to people with substance use disorder, co-occurring mental health disorders, and related conditions, regardless of individual circumstances.

The Regional Director of Nursing (RDN) provides strategic and operational leadership for nursing services across multiple behavioral health facilities, programs, or service lines. This role is responsible for ensuring high-quality, safe, compliant, and patient-centered nursing care in inpatient, residential, outpatient, detox, crisis stabilization, and/or community-based behavioral health settings.

The Regional Director of Nursing partners with executive leadership, site administrators, medical providers, and interdisciplinary teams to standardize nursing practices, support workforce development, improve clinical outcomes, and ensure regulatory compliance across all assigned locations.

 

Qualifications:

Essential Qualifications:

• Current Registered Nurse (RN) license in good standing
• Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN)
• 3--5 years of behavioral health nursing experience
• Multi-state licensure or ability to obtain licensure in multiple states preferred, if applicable.
• Specialty certification in Addiction Nursing, Psychiatric Nursing, or Nursing Leadership preferred.
•  

Preferred Qualifications:

• Experience working with regulatory and accreditation standards (e.g., federal, state, local and regional regulations, CARF, SAMHSA, Nurse Practice Act)
• Prior experience working within a SUD

Essential Functions, Duties & Responsibilities

Clinical Leadership & Nursing Oversight

• Provide regional leadership and oversight for nursing operations across multiple behavioral health programs and sites.

• Develop, implement, and monitor nursing policies, procedures, protocols, and clinical standards consistent with evidence-based behavioral health practices.

• Ensure delivery of safe, effective, trauma-informed, and recovery-oriented nursing care.

• Promote consistency in nursing practice, medication administration, infection prevention, and patient safety standards across locations.

• Collaborate with medical, psychiatric, and executive leadership to align nursing services with organizational goals and care models.

• Support nursing leadership in managing acuity, staffing, clinical workflows, and patient care escalation.

Regulatory Compliance & Accreditation

• Ensure nursing operations comply with all federal, state, and local regulatory requirements, including behavioral health and nursing practice standards.

• Support readiness for surveys and inspections by organizations such as The Joint Commission, CARF, CMS, state licensing agencies, and OSHA, as applicable.

• Monitor and address compliance issues related to nursing documentation, medication management, restraint/seclusion, infection control, and clinical competencies.

• Lead corrective action planning and follow-up for nursing-related deficiencies or survey findings.

Quality Improvement & Patient Safety

• Lead regional nursing quality initiatives focused on patient outcomes, safety, and service excellence.

• Monitor key performance indicators such as medication errors, incident reports, falls, infection prevention metrics, documentation compliance, restraint/seclusion utilization, readmissions or transfers, and staffing/overtime trends.

• Conduct audits and reviews to identify performance gaps and implement improvement strategies.

• Participate in root cause analyses, incident reviews, and performance improvement committees.

Staffing, Workforce Development & Retention

• Partner with site nursing leaders to develop staffing models that meet patient