Inpatient Psychiatric Hospital Director of Nursing

Northbrook Behavioral Health Hospital is seeking an experienced and visionary Director of Nursing (DON) to join our executive leadership team. This is a unique opportunity for a nursing leader who is passionate about advancing clinical excellence, driving operational performance, and fostering a culture of compassionate, patient-centered psychiatric care.

The Director of Nursing provides strategic, clinical, operational, and administrative leadership for all Nursing Services throughout the patient care units. Reporting as a key member of the executive leadership team, the DON is responsible for nursing practice standards, quality outcomes, patient safety, regulatory compliance, workforce development, and resource management.

This role carries 24/7 accountability for nursing operations and plays a critical part in ensuring exceptional outcomes for patients, staff, and the organization.

• Provide executive oversight for all nursing operations across the hospital.

• Serve as an active member of the hospital leadership team, contributing to organizational strategy and decision-making.

• Lead nursing initiatives that align with the hospital's mission, vision, values, and strategic goals.

• Champion a culture of clinical excellence, professional accountability, and continuous improvement.

• Represent Nursing Services on leadership councils, committees, and organizational initiatives.

• Establish and maintain standards of nursing practice that promote safe, high-quality behavioral healthcare.

• Monitor patient outcomes, quality indicators, and performance metrics to identify opportunities for improvement.

• Ensure implementation of evidence-based nursing practices and patient safety initiatives.

• Partner with leadership teams to advance quality improvement, risk management, and performance improvement efforts.

• Support survey readiness and ensure ongoing compliance with all accreditation and regulatory requirements.

• Lead nursing workforce planning, recruitment, retention, and succession strategies.

• Foster professional development, mentorship, leadership growth, and clinical competency among nursing staff.

• Promote a highly engaged nursing culture through visibility, accessibility, and regular clinical rounding.

• Support nursing leadership development programs and organizational effectiveness initiatives.

• Build a culture of collaboration, accountability, and professional practice excellence.

• Ensure appropriate staffing models and nursing resource allocation to support safe, effective 24/7 patient care.

• Collaborate in developing and managing departmental budgets and operational goals.

• Drive operational excellence through data-driven decision-making and process improvement.

• Identify opportunities to improve efficiency, productivity, patient experience, and clinical outcomes.

• Maintain compliance with all federal, state, and local regulations as well as accreditation standards.

• Develop and implement policies, procedures, and clinical standards that support best practices.

• Serve as a liaison with regulatory and accrediting agencies.

• Respond to medical and behavioral emergencies and provide leadership during crisis situations.

• Participate in the Administrator-On-Call rotation and support hospital-wide emergency response efforts.

• Current, unrestricted Registered Nurse (RN) license in the State of New Jersey.

• Master of Science in Nursing (MSN), or Bachelor's degree in Nursing (BSN) with a Master's degree in Healthcare Administration, Business…