Chief Nursing Officer; CNO

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Title:

Chief Nursing Officer (CNO)

Reports to:

President and CEO

Location:

Heritage Behavioral Health Center, Decatur, IL

Schedule:

Full-time, exempt;
Monday-Friday with core hours of 8:00 AM - 5:00 PM. This is an executive-level position and carries the expectation of availability and responsiveness outside of standard hours as needed to support staff, clinical operations, and organizational priorities.

Heritage Behavioral Health Center (HBHC) is a Certified Community Behavioral Health Clinic (CCBHC) providing comprehensive, integrated behavioral health and primary care services to individuals and families across central Illinois. We are seeking a dynamic and experienced Nurse Practitioner (NP) to serve as our Chief Nursing Officer (CNO) and provide executive-level leadership over all nursing operations across the organization.

The CNO at Heritage serves as the senior nursing leader responsible for ensuring the delivery of high-quality, patient-centered care that aligns with CCBHC standards, regulatory requirements, and Heritage's mission. This role partners closely with executive leadership and interdisciplinary clinical teams to drive nursing strategy, policy development, quality improvement, and workforce development across all programs and sites. This is primarily an executive leadership role, with approximately 85% of time dedicated to administrative and operational responsibilities and 15% reserved for flexible, need-based clinical practice rather than a scheduled patient panel.

We welcome applications from both Psychiatric Mental Health Nurse Practitioners (PMHNP) and Primary Care Nurse Practitioners (PCNP) who demonstrated leadership experience and a commitment to advancing nursing practice within a behavioral health setting.

• Champion a culture of compassionate, patient-centered care grounded in trauma-informed and recovery-oriented principles
• Lead nursing staff with integrity, transparency, and accountability across all levels of the organization
• Foster a collaborative, inclusive work environment that supports staff development and retention
• Maintain a visible, approachable leadership presence across clinical programs and sites
• Model and reinforce professional standards, ethical practice, and continuous improvement

• Lead and oversee all nursing operations across Heritage programs and service sites, ensuring compliance with CCBHC standards and applicable federal, state, and local regulations
• Develop, implement, and evaluate nursing policies, procedures, and clinical protocols tomaintainhigh standards of care and regulatory compliance
• Serve as the organizational expert on nursing practice standards, scope of practice, and clinical care delivery across behavioral health, primary care, and community-based settings
• Provide direct oversight of nursing staff across the continuum of care, including clinic-based, crisis, and residential/community settings
• Maintain clinical competency and availability for limited, need-based direct patient care (approximately 15% of time) on a flexible basis; no formal or scheduled patient panel is expected

• Collaborate with executive leadership and interdisciplinary teams to integrate nursing services with organizational strategic goals and clinical operations
• Monitor patient care outcomes and quality metrics,utilizingdata to drive continuous improvement in nursing practice, patient safety, and care delivery
• Lead andparticipatein quality improvement initiatives, accreditation processes, and regulatory reviews relevant to nursing services
• Ensure organizational readiness for surveys, audits, and compliance reviews bymaintainingup-to-date policies, documentation, and staff training

• Oversee recruitment, onboarding, performance evaluation, and professional development of nursing staff to foster a skilled, engaged, and motivated workforce
• Identifytraining needs and develop or coordinate educational programming to support clinical competency and staff growth
• Support nursing staff leaders across programs and sites, serving as a resource and escalation point for clinical and operational issues
• Promote and support the well-being, resilience, and professional satisfaction of nursing staff at all levels

• Ensure effective communication and coordination between nursing staff, clinical departments, and organizational leadership tooptimizepatient care delivery
• Participate in executive leadership meetings and contribute to organizational planning and decision-making from a nursing and clinical perspective
• Collaborate with IT, compliance, and program leadership on initiativesimpactingclinical workflows, including electronic health record (EHR) systems andeMARimplementation
• Serve as a key advocate for nursing staff and patients,representingnursing's voice in organizational priorities and resource…