Open Healthcare Leadership Positions

Director of Nursing Services, NICU

Phoenix Children's Hospital

Phoenix Children’s Hospital is looking for a Director of Nursing Services, NICU.

Position Filled ✓

The Opportunity

The Director of Nursing Services is responsible for providing strategic leadership and operational management of multiple departments and/or locations. This position is also focused on service line strategies and programs. The position assumes responsibility for financial oversight, positive customer experience, performance management, process improvement, planning and directing departmental/unit leaders and staff. The director designs and evaluates standards of practice, regulatory compliance, systems, and processes to optimize care excellence in an efficient, effective manner while supporting the mission, vision, values and strategic objectives.

Duties and Responsibilities

Financial Management
1. Develops operational plans, initiatives, budgets and programs that support patient care strategies at the enterprise and operational unit levels.
2. Manages and meets throughput and productivity metrics and variances for staff and programs assigned.
3. Ensures capital planning for the departments and maintains 3 year plan.
4. Manages and meets operational budgets/targets.
5. Partners with legal and finance to assure that PCH obtains most optimal contracts terms.
6. Works in partnership with finance to assure that patient billing is captured.
Human Resource Management
1. Develops and manages performance trends and staffing plans to meet patient care volumes.
2. Manages human resources within the scope of labor laws and hospital policies.
3. Applies recruitment techniques and strategies to fill leader and staff vacancies.
4. Applies individual and team interview techniques to select qualified applicants.
5. Oversees development and evaluates onboarding process and content for leaders and staff.
6. Conducts manager and staff evaluations, assists leaders and staff with setting goals, implements continual performance development and initiates corrective action as needed.
7. Ensures a Just Culture environment.
Performance Improvement
1. Collaborates with Quality and Enterprise Services to assure care is patient-centered and evidenced based and ensures standardization across multiple departments.
2. Facilitates and maintains strong external relationships in order to monitor national and local trends and identify best practice metrics.
3. Monitors effectiveness of customer service strategies and partners with unit leadership to implement improvements.
4. Monitor and address customer service issues directly related to care.
5. Directs and manages daily operations to ensure patient care meets professional and regulatory standards.
6. Leads efforts to improve quality across the service line and leads efforts for survey readiness.
Strategic Management
1. In partnership with other leaders and physicians, develops, implements and/or leads key initiatives to provide high quality patient care.
2. Accountable for strategic goals and project outcomes.
3. Contributes to a culture of innovation to drive change and improvement.
4. Monitors and assesses that all services in place meet the needs of our diverse patient population.
5. Participates in strategy discussions related to growth and expansion and leads efforts on expansions and renovations.
Leadership and Training
1. Provides oversight of leadership and technical direction to managers, clinical supervisors, and staff.
2. Leads departmental and enterprise change management efforts.
3. Acts as the key leader in coaching and training.
4. Anticipates the needs of department to ensure services are in place to attain optimal outcomes.
5. Ensures staff competencies are completed per Regulatory requirements.
Relationship Management and Influencing Behaviors
1. Develops relationships across the enterprise necessary to communicate and carry out nursing and organizational strategies and operational plans.
2. Collaborates and manages relationships with senior executives and operations staff.
3. Identifies issues that require immediate attention and applies principles of crisis management to handle situations as needed.
4. Influences other leaders by role modeling good communication and professional behavior. Applies motivational theory and acts as a change agent. Assists others with problem solving skills.

Qualifications and Requirements

Education

Bachelors of Science in Nursing
MSN or MS in related field, or currently in progress

Experience

Five or more years of clinical pediatric experience in nursing including 2 years of management/leadership experience OR 5 years of leadership experience in lieu of pediatric specific experience.

Licenses/Certification

Current State of Arizona RN License from a compact state with multistate privileges or the ability to establish licensure according to Arizona laws prior to start date
Current BLS certification for Healthcare Provider from the American Heart Association
National certification in area of specialty or related field

Special Skills

Additional

The Ideal Candidate

The ideal candidate for the Director of Nursing Services, NICU position is someone with passion and experience leading a team of tenured and supportive staff. We are looking for a candidate that can remain curious and creative to find new innovative ways to improve this service line with the ability to stay focused on the big picture. This is a newly created role, therefore this leader will need to be comfortable thinking out of the box, while improving overall nursing practice, business operations, and future growth and development.

One key area of opportunity will be centered around building strength around this service line and looking into the future to help expand into new facilities. Phoenix Children’s Hospital has a proven record of successful succession planning for their nursing leaders. With several big expansion projects planned in the near future, the ideal candidate is one that is excited to grow with PCH and is highly motivated by career advancement. We are looking for someone who remains positive, flexible, and supportive to the ever changing and busy environment of this department.

More About the Organization

1919 E Thomas Rd

Phoenix,

Arizona

85016

Phoenix Children’s has provided hope, healing, and the best healthcare for children since it was established in 1983, growing to become one of the leading pediatric healthcare systems in the country. With a medical staff of nearly 1,000 pediatric specialists and over 6800 staff, Phoenix Children’s provides inpatient, outpatient, trauma, and emergency care across more than 75 pediatric subspecialties, the most comprehensive pediatric care available in the state. The Hospital’s Centers of Excellence have grown in size and expertise to place them on par with some of the most prestigious of their kind in the United States.

For the 14th consecutive year, Phoenix Children’s is ranked among the nation’s “Best Children’s Hospitals” and is the No. 1 children’s hospital in Arizona. Phoenix Children’s is the only children’s hospital in Arizona ever to be recognized by U.S. News & World Report.

Over the next five years, Phoenix Children’s will build on its achievements and accelerate its investments in the people, research, technologies, and programs that will solidify its position as a world-class hospital for decades to come. That means recruiting clinical staff, providers and physician-scientists who will change the shape of medicine from right here in Phoenix; fostering discoveries that will improve the quality and length of children’s lives; establishing groundbreaking, destination programs that will attract young patients from around the world; and driving innovations that will give ill and injured children hope beyond their wildest dreams.

Phoenix Children’s is one of the nation’s largest pediatric health systems. It comprises Phoenix Children’s Hospital—Thomas Campus, Phoenix Children’s Hospital— East Valley at Dignity Health Mercy Gilbert Medical Center, four pediatric specialty and urgent care centers, 11 community pediatric practices, 20 outpatient clinics, two ambulatory surgery centers, and seven community-service-related outpatient clinics throughout the state of Arizona.

Phoenix Children’s Hospital – East Valley: Last year in 2023, Phoenix Children’s opened the Mercy Gilbert Medical Center campus. The five-story, state-of-the-art hospital offers 24 pediatric beds, a 24-bed pediatric emergency department, surgical services, and diagnostic imaging. The centerpiece of the hospital is the Dignity Health and Phoenix Children’s Women’s and Children’s Pavilion, which integrates top-quality pediatric and maternity care and offers 24 labor and delivery rooms, 48 postpartum beds and a 60-bed Level III neonatal intensive care unit (NICU).

Phoenix Children’s Specialty Clinics – Gilbert: These clinics opened to provide East Valley families with comprehensive pediatric specialty health services closer to home. The clinics bring together Arizona’s top pediatric subspecialists in high- demand areas including cardiology, orthopedics, cancer care and more.

Phoenix Children’s Hospital West Valley: The West Valley’s population is projected to grow at twice the national rate between now and 2025. Phoenix Children’s is growing its specialty, surgical, inpatient, sports physical therapy and emergency care to make it easy for West Valley kids to get the highly specialized pediatric health services they need and deserve.

Phoenix Children’s Hospital – Arrowhead Campus: This three-story pediatric hospital in Glendale offers inpatient care, an emergency department, a surgery center, and a multi-specialty clinic. The facility has 24 inpatient beds, 6 operating rooms, 2 minor procedure rooms, 30 emergency bays/trauma rooms, and a 45,000-square-foot clinic to house orthopedics, neurology, cardiology, oncology, and numerous other in-demand specialties.

Phoenix Children’s – Avondale Campus: Located in Avondale, this campus includes a 71,250-square foot multi-specialty clinic offering care in high-need specialties including cardiology, orthopedics, and psychology. A freestanding emergency department offers 24/7 emergency care; 40 triage, treatment, and resuscitation patient rooms; six fast-track beds; and comprehensive imaging services.

Strategic Areas of Focus

Growth: Phoenix Children’s will grow by expanding service lines; enhancing geographic coverage; aligning with physicians, hospitals, and networks; expanding research and academic programs; and improving financial performance.
Integration: Phoenix Children’s will become a clinically integrated organization aligned with physicians and organizations committed to improving quality across a full range of care while effectively managing the total cost of care.
Quality: Phoenix Children’s will identify and implement changes that continually improve clinical quality, patient safety and customer service, using evidence-based best practices.

Leadership

Katie Penson

Vice President of Critical Care Services

Katie Penson is the Vice President of Critical Care Services at Phoenix Children’s. Katie is a seasoned leader with over 15+ years of experience in pediatric nursing leadership. Katie began her nursing career in pediatric hematology/oncology at Children’s Minnesota and grew in her clinical and leadership skills over the next 18 years in Minnesota.

Katie joined Phoenix Children’s in June, 2021 as the VP of Critical Care with oversight of the ICUs, Emergency Department, Respiratory Services, and ECMO. While the change to the desert lifestyle and scenery has been exciting for Katie and her family, it’s the opportunity for advancing nursing care for all children and families in the valley and across Arizona that gives Katie her zest and drive.