Department

NURSING PROFESSIONAL PRACTICE - 108387

Worker Sub Type

Regular

Work Shift

Pay Grade

318

Job Description

The Senior Director, Nursing Support Services, provides strategic leadership in advancing nursing excellence through professional practice standards, career development, continuing education programs, including life support education, student support services, and effective workforce management.  This leader ensures that nurse staffing across the system meets patient care demands through optimized staffing models, strategic use of agency resources, and sustainable workforce solutions.

The Senior Director is responsible for leading the advancement of nursing professional practice and fostering continuous development of clinical staff to ensure the delivery of high-quality, evidence-based patient care. The Director collaborates with interprofessional teams to establish standards, policies, and programs that align with organizational goals, regulatory requirements, and nursing excellence frameworks.

Key Responsibilities:

Professional Practice Leadership

• Develop, implement, and evaluate nursing professional practice standards, ensuring alignment with evidence-based guidelines and organizational objectives.
• Collaborate with nursing leaders to promote Magnet or Pathway to Excellence standards, shared governance, and clinical quality improvement initiatives.
• Lead the integration of nursing research, evidence-based practice, and quality improvement projects into clinical care.
• Serve as a subject matter expert on professional and regulatory standards, ensuring nursing staff compliance with state, federal, and accreditation requirements.
• Participates in the submission of grant requests, which support research, professional development, and/or practice enhancement. Collaboration with nursing leaders to plan, develop, and implement creative strategies for addressing professional development, professional practice, workforce strategies, and ongoing innovation in nursing practice.
   

Professional Development Programs

• Design and oversee comprehensive onboarding, orientation, and residency programs for new nursing staff, including transition-to-practice initiatives.
• Develop, implement, and evaluate ongoing education and competency programs to support clinical excellence and role advancement.
• Guide the development of leadership training and succession planning for nurses at all levels.
• Establish systems for certification preparation, tuition assistance, and continuing education opportunities to promote lifelong learning.
• Establish clear criteria and pathways for advancement within the clinical ladder, including education, certifications, research participation and leadership roles.
• Regularly review and revise the clinical ladder framework to ensure alignment with evidence-based practices, organizational needs, and evolving healthcare trends.
• Develop tools and resources to assist nurses in creating and achieving professional development plans that align with clinical ladder requirements.
• Collaborate with nursing leadership to ensure clinical ladder participants contribute to nursing research, quality improvement projects, or interprofessional initiatives.

Nurse Staffing Support

• Develop and oversee a comprehensive system-wide nursing staffing strategy that aligns with patient care needs, budgetary goals and organizational priorities.
• Analyze staffing metrics, including vacancy rates, turnover, agency utilization, and overtime, to identify trends and opportunities for improvement.
• Establish policies and processes for the effective use of internal and external agency staff, ensuring quality care, cost-efficiency, and alignment with organizational standards.
• Collaborate with nursing leadership, human resources and finance teams to create sustainable workforce solutions and ensure nursing workforce recruitment and retention initiatives are delivering.
• Monitor compliance with staffing regulations and accreditation standards system-wide.
• Develop programs to support flexible staffing models to address fluctuation patient volumes system-wide.

Student Services

• Serve as primary liaison with nursing schools and other clinical academic institutions to coordinate clinical placements, preceptorships, and internships for clinical programs, including support for students in general medical education programs.
• Develop and implement programs to support nursing students during clinical rotations, including orientation, mentorship and access to resources.
• Create pathways for student-to-employee transitions, including new graduate residency programs, scholarships and recruitment initiativ