Employment Type:

Full time

Shift:

Day Shift

Description:

Your leadership has always been about more than operations—it’s about impact.
At Loyola University Medical Center, our nursing executives influence care delivery, workforce excellence, and clinical outcomes across a complex academic health system committed to mission, equity, and healing.

About the Role

Loyola University Medical Center (LUMC) seeks an accomplished nursing executive to serve as Executive Director, Clinical Operations. Reporting to the Chief Nursing Officer, this role is a key member of the LUMC Nursing Executive Cabinet with 24/7 accountability for a large, complex quaternary inpatient portfolio and potential oversight of select ambulatory or support services.

The Executive Director is a transformational leader who advances Magnet principles, professional nursing practice, and evidence‑based care while translating organizational strategy into operational excellence at the front line. This leader partners with physicians and interdisciplinary teams to deliver highly reliable, safe, patient‑centered care and to foster a culture of nursing excellence, shared governance, engagement, and accountability within an academic medical center environment.

Successful candidates will demonstrate outcomes aligned with the AONL Executive Nurse Competencies and a track record of advancing quality, safety, workforce development, and clinical performance. Nursing leadership certification is required; an earned doctoral degree is strongly preferred.

Key Responsibilities

• Provide executive oversight of enterprise quality, safety, and reliability, using data‑driven insights to drive measurable outcomes and improvement.
• Build and sustain nursing leadership talent pipelines through coaching, mentoring, and succession planning.
• Lead nursing workforce and labor strategies, including budgeting, care model optimization, and engagement initiatives supporting recruitment and retention.
• Partner with physicians, executives, and interdisciplinary leaders to achieve organizational and specialty program goals.
• Champion shared governance, professional practice, and Magnet® excellence, ensuring consistent application of the Professional Practice Model.
• Ensure compliance with state, federal, and specialty regulatory requirements, including oversight of nursing policies and standards for centers of excellence.
• Proactively identify and mitigate clinical, operational, and regulatory risk across complex inpatient services.
• Advance nursing professionalism and scholarship through advocacy, role modeling, and academic‑practice partnerships.
• Represent Loyola University Medical Center at professional, academic, and community forums.

Position Requirements

Education:
Master’s degree in nursing or related healthcare field required. If master’s is non‑nursing, a BSN is required. Doctoral degree (PhD, DNP, or related terminal degree) strongly preferred.

Experience:
3–5 years of progressive senior leadership experience in a complex healthcare environment required; 6–10 years preferred. Minimum of 3–5 years of people management experience leading nursing or multidisciplinary teams.

Licensure/Certification:
Current Illinois Registered Nurse (RN) license required. Board certification in nursing leadership required.

Leadership Scope:
Executive oversight of 10-20 staff, including nursing leaders and operational support roles.

Executive Competencies:
Strategic and financial stewardship (budget development and management); workforce planning, staffing, recruitment, retention, and succession planning; performance management, corrective action, salary administration, and purchasing oversight—aligned with AONL Executive Nurse Competencies and Magnet® standards.

Loyola University Medical Center is a 547‑bed, four‑time ANCC Magnet® designated, quaternary academic medical center nationally recognized for nursing excellence across all Magnet domains, including Transformational Leadership, Structural Empowerment, Exemplary Professional Practice, Innovation, and Outcomes. LUMC nurses are nationally recognized experts in trauma, burn, transplant, neonatology, and critical care.   Doctorally prepared nursing leaders are eligible for an academic appointment at the Loyola University Chicago Marcella Niehoff School of Nursing, supporting scholarship, evidence-based practice, and professional growth.

Perks & Benefits

• Benefits from Day One
• Daily Pay
• Competitive Shift Differentials including charge and preceptor roles
• Career Development
• Tuition Reimbursement
• On Site Fitness Center (Gottlieb Memorial Hospital & LUMC)
• Educational Stipend
• Certification reimbursement (up to 1 certification)
• Referral Rewards
• Weekender program
• Self-Scheduling
• Nurse Residency program for new grads (Transition to Practice)

Applicants for this position must be authorized to work for any employer in the U.S. We are unable to sponsor an employment visa for this position.

Pay range: $147,202 – $242,902 annualized

Actual compensation will fall within the range but may vary based on factors such as experience, qualifications, education, location, licensure, certification requirements, and comparisons to colleagues in similar roles.

Annual Bonus: Eligible for incentive compensation annual target as outlined in Plan Document.

Per the Plan Document, Loyola Medicine reserves the right to amend, modify, suspend, or terminate the Plan in whole or in part at any time and for any reason.

Trinity Health Benefits Summary

Our Commitment

Rooted in our Mission and Core Values, we honor the dignity of every person and recognize the unique perspectives, experiences, and talents each colleague brings. By finding common ground and embracing our differences, we grow stronger together and deliver more compassionate, person-centered care. We are an Equal Opportunity Employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability, veteran status, or any other status protected by federal, state, or local law.