Director-Ethics

Find your calling at Mercy!

Overview – The Director - Ethics

The Director - Ethics provides strategic leadership for the development, sustainability, and integration of a robust culture of ethics across Mercy. This role is fundamentally oriented toward shaping organizational culture, strengthening ethical capacity at all levels, and ensuring that Mercy’s Catholic identity, mission, values, and charism are deeply embedded in daily decision-making. The director serves the whole community (hospital and clinics) and partners closely with caregivers, physicians, leaders, and community partners to move ethics upstream—anticipating ethical challenges, equipping others with skills for ethical discernment, and fostering shared ownership of an ethical culture. Guided by Mercy’s vision for ethics, the director leads initiatives that cultivate trust, dialogue, accountability, and moral courage throughout the ministry. This vision informs the leadership posture, priorities, and competencies required for this role: This leader serves as a visible and trusted collaborator with senior leadership, local leaders and peer ethics leaders, helping Mercy live its healing mission in complex clinical, organizational, and social contexts.

Position Details:

• Qualifications – Education Master’s degree in Bioethics, Moral Philosophy, Moral Theology, or related discipline required.
• Doctoral preparation (Ph.D., D.Be., or equivalent) in moral theology, moral philosophy, or healthcare ethics preferred.
• Experience Demonstrated experience in clinical ethics consultation within a healthcare setting.
• Evidence of strategic leadership, organizational influence, or culture-change work strongly preferred.
• Experience partnering with senior leaders and interdisciplinary teams.
• Skills & Competencies Deep expertise in Catholic healthcare ethics, the Ethical and Religious Directives for Catholic Health Care Services, and Catholic moral and social teaching.
• Ability to lead culture change, not simply resolve individual ethical issues.
• Strong systems thinking and capacity to translate ethical principles into operational realities.
• Exceptional relationship‑building, facilitation, and influence skills.
• Ability to coach, mentor, and empower others in ethical discernment.
• Comfort navigating complexity, ambiguity, and conflict with prudence and compassion.
• Technological fluency to support ethics education, consultation, and collaboration.
• Preferred Certification: Healthcare Ethics Consultant–Certified (HCE-C)

Why Mercy?

• From day one, Mercy offers outstanding benefits - including medical, dental, and vision coverage, paid time off, tuition support, and matched retirement plans for team members working 32+ hours per pay period.

Join a caring, collaborative team where your voice matters. At Mercy, you'll help shape the future of healthcare through innovation, technology, and compassion. As we grow, you’ll grow with us.

Transforming the Health of Our Communities

Our Mercy health system was founded by the Sisters of Mercy in 1986. But our heritage goes back more than 195 years. It began with an Irish woman named Catherine McAuley, who was determined to help women and children in Dublin experiencing poverty. Though Catherine had a modest upbringing, she received an unexpected inheritance that allowed her to fulfill that dream. In 1827, she opened the first House of Mercy in Dublin, intending to teach skills to women and educate children. Many volunteers came to help. A few years later, Catherine founded the Sisters of Mercy, one of the first religious orders whose Sisters were free to walk among the poor and visit them in their homes. In 1843, the Sisters of Mercy came to the United States. In 1856, they traveled to St. Louis. In the years to come, they would establish hospitals throughout the Midwest. Many of these would join together in 1986 as Mercy.