VP- Chief Nursing Officer

Interested candidates should provide their curriculum vitae and a letter of interest outlining key leadership experiences to Beth Ross of AMN Healthcare using the email address below. All interactions will remain confidential. To apply, provide recommendations, or to request additional information on this opportunity, please contact:

Northern Light Health CNO - Prospectus Final 2.pdf (

Betty Petro

Senior Consultant

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Beth Ross

Consultant

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Northern Light Health

Department: SVP Clinical Operations

Position is located: Cianchette Corporate Office, Brewer, ME

Work Type: Full Time

Hours Per Week: 40.00

Work Schedule: 8:00 AM to 5:00 PM

Summary:

The System Chief Nursing Officer serves as the senior nursing executive for Northern Light Health, responsible for advancing nursing practice, workforce strategy, and clinical alignment across the enterprise. Reporting to the Chief Operating Officer, this leader works in close partnership with system and local leadership to drive greater consistency, collaboration, and performance across all care settings.

The CNO leads efforts to standardize nursing practice and clinical education, reduce variation across sites, and strengthen system-wide governance. Key priorities include ensuring the organization has a sustainable nursing workforce, developing internal pipelines, supporting the integration and retention of international nurses, and building stronger pathways for frontline staff to advance into professional roles.

This role requires a leader who is equally comfortable operating at the system level and engaging directly with frontline teams. The CNO serves as a visible and accessible presence across the organization, fostering a culture of engagement, accountability, and continuous improvement. In partnership with the COO and other executives, the CNO plays a critical role in advancing clinical integration efforts, improving patient experience and quality outcomes, and ensuring nursing is positioned as a strategic driver of organizational performance.

Responsibilities:

• Lead the integration of artificial intelligence and automation to reduce clinical burden and administrative tasks for nursing workforce.

• Utilize advanced data analytics to move beyond simple reporting toward predictive workforce planning and patient outcome optimization.

• Rapidly adapt to the shifting Maine labor market, redesigning care models rather than relying on static long-term plans.

• Foster a "culture of inquiry" where staff are empowered to redesign care delivery using evidence-based practice.

• Act as a primary business partner to the CFO, focusing on the economic value of nursing care and evidence-based resource allocation.

• Direct accountability for reducing contract labor and optimizing throughput through supply chain and fiscal stewardship.

• Psychological Safety: Actively mitigate workplace violence and incivility through bold, values-based decision-making.

• Change Management: Lead through uncertainty with high emotional intelligence (EQ) to combat burnout and moral distress across the system.

• Oversee nursing practice across the entire system, including ambulatory, home health, and population health initiatives.

• Transition to a shared leadership model that includes diverse clinical and non-clinical partners.

• Establish in collaboration with other stakeholders and begin execution of a system-wide nursing workforce strategy, including pipeline development, retention, and integration of international nurses with particular focus on assessing and strengthening the nursing leadership structure and succession planning for key roles.

• Improve RN, CNA, and support staff engagement, with measurable gains in employee experience.

• Continue reducing reliance on contract labor while maintaining safe, sustainable staffing models.

• Implement a consistent, system-wide approach to nursing practice, clinical education, and care delivery, reducing variation across sites.

Other Information:

Professional Experience

• Ten (10) + years of progressive nursing leadership experience, including senior-level roles within a health system or large, multi-site organization.

• Demonstrated experience leading nursing practice across multiple facilities or a system-level scope.

• Proven track record driving quality, patient safety, and patient experience outcomes aligned with national benchmarks.

• Experience operating effectively within a matrixed organizational structure, influencing across entities and stakeholders.

• Strong background in clinical operations, care delivery model redesign, and throughput optimization.

• Experience partnering with physician leadership and working within dyad or triad leadership models.

• Experience in unionized environments strongly preferred, with the ability to effectively partner within organized labor structures.

• Proven track record in workforce strategy, including recruitment, retention, labor optimization, and pipeline development.

Leadership & Functional Expertise

• Deep understanding of nursing practice, clinical operations, and care delivery model design across the continuum.

• Experience driving standardization of clinical practice, education, and governance across multiple sites.

• Strong operational and financial acumen, including experience managing labor performance, productivity, and resource allocation.

• Demonstrated ability to improve quality, patient experience, and workforce engagement outcomes across varied environments.

• Experience developing and implementing workforce pipelines, including early-career pathways and leadership succession planning.

• Familiarity with leveraging technology to support clinical workflows and reduce administrative burden (e.g., documentation, care coordination).

• Knowledge of regulatory, accreditation, and patient safety standards across acute and non-acute settings.

Leadership Competencies

• Visible, hands-on leader who is comfortable operating across a distributed, multi-site environment, with an expectation of regular on-site presence.

• Collaborative and pragmatic executive who can build alignment across system and local leadership while respecting site-level nuances.

• Strong relationship-builder with the ability to establish credibility with frontline staff, nursing leadership, physicians, and executive teams.

• Change leader who brings structure, clarity, and stability in a dynamic and evolving environment.

• Strategic thinker with the ability to translate enterprise priorities into practical, operational execution.

• Demonstrated commitment to fostering an inclusive, respectful, and engaged workforce culture.

Key Differentiators for Success

• Ability to balance system strategy with operational credibility, particularly within a flagship tertiary hospital environment.

• Experience building alignment and “systemness” across historically independent or decentralized entities.

• Strength in developing nursing leadership capability and building a sustainable bench for the future.

• Comfort navigating complexity, including labor dynamics, workforce constraints, and varying levels of performance across sites.

Competencies and Skills

• Achieves Results: Sets high standards for their own outcomes and seizes opportunities to engage others towards objectives. Consistently moves forward with direct actions in order to attain or exceed objectives. Manages their own time effectively to accomplish assigned tasks. Successfully prioritizes multiple projects and duties as needed.

• Acts Strategically: Creates effective plans that anticipate future consequences and opportunities and is able to connect the day to day operations to longer-term objectives, shifts in the industry, and system goals.

• Applies Business Acumen:Demonstrates knowledge of current and future trends that impact organizational success. Applies proven practices and business theories to get results that meet financial as well as other business goals. Recognizes opportunities for new services and products and acts accordingly, taking measured risks into consideration. Possesses a thorough knowledge of their field and independently carries out their work in accordance with professional standards of the profession.

• Basic Life Support

• Demonstrates Adaptability: Learns quickly when facing a new problem or unfamiliar task; is flexible in their approach with changing priorities and ambiguity. Manages change effectively and does not give up during adversity. Capable of changing one's behavioral style and/or views in order to attain a goal. Absorbs new information readily and puts it into practice effectively.

• Effectively Communicates: Listens, speaks and writes appropriately, using clear language. Communication methods are fitting to the message(s), audience, and situation and follow-ups are regular and timely. Shows that important (non-) verbal information is absorbed and understood and asks further questions to clarify when necessary. Expresses ideas and views clearly to others and has ability to adjust use of language to the audiences' level.

• Fosters Innovation: Employs and encourages the use of meaningful creativity in solving challenges. Proactively identifies opportunities and uses new approaches to enhance processes, systems and services. When appropriate, suggests or initiates new strategies, products, services, and markets.

• Influences and Inspires: Builds enthusiasm and commitment among others to move in a desired direction and models it personally. Creates a compelling vision of success that motivates workplace initiative and energizes others to follow. Provides direction and guidance to encourage cooperation between team members in order to attain an objective. Has the ability to appropriately influence others' actions and decisions with and without express authority.

• Human Capital, Supply Chain and Financial Software.

• Spreadsheet application with the ability to use calculations, formulas, graphing tools, pivot tables, and a macro programming.

• Word processing, spreadsheets, data entry, database experience and other computer related skills.

• Email application with the ability to manage email as well as calendars, managing tasks and contacts, note taking, journaling, and web browsing.

• Presentation software with the ability to create presentations with the ability to incorporate animation, audio, video, time delays, as well as designing themes and variants with animations and effects.

• MS Teams

• Word process application with the ability to create and edit documents, format, use tables, apply footnoting, create table of contents and mail merge techniques.

• Promotes Health and Safety: Promotes a healthy and safe environment for patients, employees and visitors. Advocates and models healthy physical and mental health behaviors even in challenging circumstances. Sets high quality standards and strives for continuous improvement and quality assurance by reporting and encouraging others to report near misses and safety issues.

• Public Speaking

• Seeks Process Improvement & Applies System Thinking: Possesses and gains insight into situations, problems and processes. Understands the interconnection between organizational elements. Deconstructs problems and systematically investigates the various components. Considers the impact of actions on the entire process/system. Detects problems and opportunities, recognizes important information, and links various data to trace potential causes and relevant details.

• Serves Others: Strives to understand, meet and exceed the expectations and requirements of internal and external customers which may include the people and communities in our service areas. Develops and maintains relationships, alliances and coalitions within and outside the organization and leverages them in order to obtain information, support, and promote cooperation and collaboration.

• Utilizes Resources Effectively: Understands how to get the most out of available resources and uses cost-benefit thinking in decision-making and in setting priorities. Monitors and analyzes resource usage to identify and eliminate areas of waste and maximize resources. As a leader, defines targets and provides appropriate means; oversees progress and makes adjustments when necessary. Appropriately delegates work, sets clear direction and manages workflow and time.

• Zoom

• Behaves with Integrity and Builds Trust: Acts consistently in line with the core values, commitments and rules of conduct. Leads by example and tells the truth. Does what they say they will, when and how they say they will, or communicates an alternate plan.

• Cultivates Respect: Treats others fairly, embraces and values differences, and contributes to a culture of belonging, empowerment, and cooperation.

• Demonstrates Emotional Intelligence: Exhibits a high level of self-awareness, self-management, other awareness and relationship management. Conducts themselves in an empathic, appropriate way, with a sense of humor and stimulates a collaborative work environment. Is respectful of the attitudes, feelings, or circumstances of others and aware of the influence of their own behavior on them. Is aware of relevant social, political, system, and professional trends and developments and uses this information for the organization's benefit.

• Develops Self and Others:Takes responsibility for engaging in professional self-development activities and programs. Strives to gain insight into their own values, strengths and weaknesses, interests and ambitions and takes action in order to enhance competencies and skills when possible. As a leader, encourages and guides employees towards growth opportunities to enhance performance and help them reach goals. Reviews and analyzes employees' strengths and weaknesses to distinguish their talents and development needs, and to ensure they are enhanced appropriately.

• Exercises Sound Judgment & Decision Making: Understands and processes complex information, which allows for appropriate and accountable conclusions. Does not react too quickly or slowly. Balances facts, goals, and potential approaches taking the appropriate criteria into account. Makes active decisions and commits oneself by communicating confidently and respectfully.

• Fosters Accountability: Creates and participates in a work environment where people hold themselves and others accountable for processes, results and behaviors. Takes appropriate ownership not only of successes but also mistakes and works to correct them in a timely manner. Demonstrates understanding that we all work as a team and the quality and timeliness of work impacts everyone involved.

• Practices Compassion: Exhibits genuine care for people and is available and ready to help; displays a deep awareness of and strong willingness to relieve the suffering of others.

• Resolves Conflict: Promptly acts to find alternatives/solutions when team members disagree. Addresses issues in a direct, honest, and appropriate manner. Handles conflicting interests diplomatically and helps to solve them. Transforms difficult situations into teachable moments using respect and accountability .

Credentials

• Required Registered Nurse

Education

• Required Master's DegreeMaster’s degree in nursing, Healthcare Administration, Business Administration, or related field required.

Required Experience

• 10 year/years of Leadership Experience

Working Conditions

• Need to drive to perform responsible duties.

• Work with computers, typing, reading or writing.

• Lifting, moving and loading less than 20 pounds.

• Prolonged periods of sitting.

• Prolonged periods of walking.

As an integrated health delivery system serving Maine, Northern Light Health is raising the bar with no-nonsense solutions that are leading the way to a healthier future for our state. Our care team—in hospitals, primary and specialty care practices, long-term and home healthcare, behavioral healthcare, and ground and air medical transport and emergency care—are committed to making healthcare work for you: our patients, communities, and employees.

Brewer, Maine, Corporate Office, Cianchette, Foundation, Finance, Human Resources, Legal Services

Position VP- Chief Nursing OfficerLocation US:ME:Portland | Leader - Clinical | Full TimeReq ID 88590