Area Safety and Quality Officer

Job Title:

Area Safety and Quality Officer

Location: Modesto, CA, US (100% Onsite for rounding across two hospitals)

Position Type: Regular, Full-Time |
Travel: Up to 20%

Job Level: Director / Senior Director

Salary Range: USD $216,700 - $255,000 / year

Travel Requirements: Up to 20% of the time (local service area rounding).

Visa Sponsorship: Not available for this position

Relocation: Evaluated on a case-by-case basis.

The Area Safety and Quality Officer provides strategic leadership, executive oversight, and clinical expertise across small- to medium-sized service areas (facilities with under 300 licensed beds). Responsible for two hospitals within the Modesto service area, this role drives the development and execution of comprehensive clinical quality, patient safety, infection prevention, risk management, and continuous survey readiness initiatives.

The ideal candidate is a seasoned Registered Nurse with executive-level experience leading a health system Quality Department, adept at aligning clinical operations with regulatory standards, evidence-based practices, and organizational strategy.

Strategic Leadership & Operational Management

• Build organizational capacity and prepare high potentials for growth opportunities and advancement; build collaborative networks inside and outside the organization.
• Provide a framework for soliciting and acting on performance feedback; drive collaboration to set goals and provide open feedback and coaching to foster performance improvement.
• Model and drive continuous learning, overseeing the recruitment, selection, and development of talent; stay current with industry trends, benchmarks, and best practices.
• Act as a thought leader on industry trends, benchmarks, and best practices; share insights within and across teams to drive continuous improvement.
• Motivate and empower teams; maintain a highly skilled and engaged workforce by aligning cross-functional resource plans with business objectives.
• Provide guidance on complex decisions and create opportunities for expanded decision-making scope and impact across teams.
• Oversee the operation of multiple units and/or departments by identifying member and operational needs; translate business strategy into actionable requirements.
• Engage strategic, cross-functional business units to champion and drive support for business plans and priorities; set standards, measure progress, and ensure resolution of escalated issues.
• Set and communicate goals and objectives; analyze resources, costs, and forecasts to incorporate into business plans; obtain and distribute necessary resources.
• Anticipate and remove performance obstacles; address performance gaps and implement contingency plans to ensure business objectives are accomplished.
• Serve as a subject-matter expert and trusted source to executive leadership, offering influence and consultation in the development of broader organizational strategy.

Clinical Quality, Safety & Program Development

• Serve as the subject matter expert on clinical quality improvement processes and regulations for internal/external executive stakeholders, sponsors, business owners, and external quality organizations.
• Provide consultation on the interpretation and implementation of policies, regulations, and legislation, advising on long-term strategies to address changing regulatory environments.
• Proactively engage internal and external committees and projects to determine necessary infrastructure changes to advance quality assurance initiatives and ensure long-term compliance.
• Foster collaborative, results-oriented partnerships across clinical and administrative roles to influence organizational policy and maintain an adaptive compliance framework.
• Forecast and direct future educational programs to raise awareness of changing regulation requirements, internal concerns, and database usage.
• Identify and remove barriers to process improvement, weighing practical, technical, and organizational capability considerations when advising on policy changes.
• Oversee the development of new clinical quality improvement programs by maintaining key stakeholder relationships and ensuring program sustainability.
• Serve as an SME across health concepts, regulatory requirements, and change management principles to prioritize programs that optimize clinical quality, safety, and health outcomes.
• Advocate for clinical programs and consult with executive management, technology stakeholders, and external vendors to develop the health…