Associate Chief Nursing Officer; ACNO) Ambulatory Services

Job Summary

The Associate Chief Nursing Officer (ACNO), Ambulatory Services, serves as the senior nursing leader responsible for the strategic, clinical, operational, and financial leadership of ambulatory nursing services. The ACNO provides oversight for nursing practice, workforce development, quality and patient safety initiatives, regulatory compliance, and operational performance across outpatient clinics, ambulatory programs, and procedural areas.

In partnership with clinician, administrative, and interdisciplinary leaders, the ACNO develops and advances care delivery models that promote evidence-based practice, exceptional patient experiences, optimal clinical outcomes, workforce engagement, and operational excellence. The ACNO establishes the vision and strategic direction for ambulatory nursing practice while ensuring alignment with organizational goals, professional standards, accreditation requirements, and regulatory expectations.

As a key member of the Patient Care Services and Ambulatory Leadership Teams, the ACNO champions innovation, continuous improvement, equitable care delivery, and collaborative partnerships across the continuum of care.

• Provides executive leadership for ambulatory nursing practice and professional standards across all outpatient settings.
• Establishes and implements strategic priorities that advance nursing excellence, quality outcomes, and patient-centered care.
• Ensures the integration of evidence-based practice, nursing research, innovation, and regulatory requirements into clinical operations.
• Serves as the senior nursing resource for ambulatory clinical practice, patient care delivery, and professional nursing issues.
• Promotes adherence to professional nursing standards, organizational policies, and the American Nurses Association Code of Ethics.

• Leads ambulatory quality, patient safety, infection prevention, risk reduction, and regulatory readiness initiatives.
• Oversees compliance with Joint Commission, CMS, Department of Health, OSHA, HIPAA, and professional practice standards.
• Establishes and monitors quality metrics, nursing-sensitive indicators, and performance improvement measures.
• Collaborates with medical and operational leaders to identify opportunities to improve outcomes, patient experience, and care delivery performance.
• Ensures readiness for accreditation surveys and regulatory reviews.

• Provides strategic oversight of ambulatory clinical operations to ensure safe, efficient, and high-quality care delivery.
• Partners with operational and clinical leaders to improve patient access, patient flow, care coordination, and service excellence.
• Develops and implements operational plans that support organizational growth, patient-centered care, and ambulatory transformation initiatives.
• Evaluates operational performance and implements improvement strategies to achieve established goals.

• Develops and oversees ambulatory nursing staffing models that support patient needs, productivity standards, and clinical excellence.
• Leads recruitment, retention, succession planning, and workforce development initiatives.
• Mentors, coaches, and develops nurse managers and clinical leaders to build leadership capacity throughout the organization.
• Promotes a culture of accountability, engagement, inclusion, collaboration, and professional growth.
• Ensures competency assessment, ongoing education, and professional development programs support organizational needs.

• Participates in organizational strategic planning and ambulatory service line development.
• Collaborates with executive leadership to establish priorities that support quality, growth, financial sustainability, and workforce effectiveness.
• Represents ambulatory nursing services on organizational committees, governance councils, and interdisciplinary leadership groups.
• Facilitates collaboration among nursing, medical, and operational leaders to achieve system-wide objectives.

• Develops, manages, and monitors operating and capital budgets for ambulatory nursing services.
• Maintains accountability for financial performance while ensuring high-quality patient care and regulatory compliance.
• Identifies opportunities to improve operational efficiency, resource utilization, and revenue optimization.
• Prioritizes investments in staffing,…