Director of Nursing

Employment Type: Full-Time | Direct Hire

Schedule: Day Shift | 24/7 Availability for On-Call Support Required

Salary: $125,000–$185,000 annually, based on experience

Bonus: AIP Bonus Eligible

Sign-On Bonus: Generous Sign-On Bonus Available for Qualified Candidates

Relocation Assistance: Available based on candidate location and relocation distance

Position Overview

Wheeler Staffing Partners is seeking an experienced Director of Nursing (DON) for a full-time leadership opportunity in Joshua Tree, CA. This position is responsible for providing strategic and operational leadership for nursing services within a long-term care and skilled nursing environment while ensuring exceptional resident care, regulatory compliance, staff performance, and efficient departmental operations.

The Director of Nursing will serve as a key member of the facility's administrative leadership team and oversee nursing operations, clinical standards, staffing, employee development, quality initiatives, and regulatory compliance. The ideal candidate is a licensed Registered Nurse with significant long-term care or skilled nursing facility (SNF) experience, proven nursing leadership experience, and a strong understanding of state and federal healthcare regulations.

Key Responsibilities

• Provide leadership and oversight for nursing services and resident care operations.
• Lead by example to promote excellence in resident care, patient safety, service, and clinical quality.
• Direct, supervise, mentor, and support nursing staff to ensure consistent delivery of high-quality care.
• Delegate responsibilities effectively and hold team members accountable for performance and outcomes.
• Establish and maintain nursing standards, policies, procedures, and clinical best practices.
• Ensure nursing services comply with all applicable federal, state, regulatory, licensing, and facility requirements.
• Monitor resident care and clinical outcomes and implement corrective actions or quality improvements when necessary.
• Collaborate with physicians, clinical teams, administration, and other departments to coordinate resident care.
• Participate as a key member of the facility's administrative and leadership team.
• Support recruitment, onboarding, training, development, scheduling, and retention of nursing personnel.
• Evaluate nursing staff performance and provide coaching, feedback, and professional development.
• Promote a positive, collaborative, accountable, and resident-focused work environment.
• Manage nursing department operations within established staffing and departmental budgets.
• Monitor staffing levels and nursing resources to maintain appropriate coverage and quality of care.
• Participate in quality assurance, performance improvement, risk management, and regulatory readiness initiatives.
• Maintain accurate documentation and ensure nursing records meet regulatory and organizational standards.
• Support facility inspections, surveys, audits, and accreditation activities.
• Address resident, family, employee, and interdisciplinary team concerns professionally and promptly.
• Maintain availability for leadership support and on-call responsibilities in a 24-hour healthcare environment.

Required Qualifications

• Current and unrestricted Registered Nurse (RN) license.
• Minimum of 5 years of professional RN experience.
• Minimum of 2 years of nursing supervisory or Nurse Manager experience.
• Previous experience in long-term care and/or a Skilled Nursing Facility (SNF) is required.
• Current CPR certification.
• Demonstrated experience leading and managing nursing teams.
• Strong knowledge of state and federal regulations governing long-term care and skilled nursing services.
• Experience with nursing operations, staffing, clinical quality, compliance, and resident care.
• Demonstrated ability to…