Quality Improvement Team Leader

The Quality Improvement Team Leader (QITL) leads quality, patient safety, and performance improvement initiatives that support the hospital's strategic priorities and commitment to high-reliability care. This role partners with clinical, operational, and physician leaders to improve patient outcomes, enhance the patient experience, ensure regulatory compliance, and drive continuous process improvement. The QITL serves as a quality improvement expert, leading cross-functional initiatives, analyzing performance data, facilitating change, and supporting accreditation and regulatory readiness. The incumbent collaborates across the organization, contributes to organizational quality goals, and provides cross-coverage and leadership for special projects as needed.

Key Responsibilities

• Lead and support the hospital's Quality, Patient Safety, Risk Management, and Regulatory Compliance programs.
• Manage and facilitate quality improvement initiatives driven by performance trends, patient safety events, complaints, grievances, and regulatory findings.
• Develop, implement, and monitor corrective action plans and process improvement strategies to enhance clinical and operational performance.
• Partner with hospital leaders to improve policies, workflows, and processes using evidence-based practices and quality improvement methodologies.
• Serve as a resource and consultant on quality, patient safety, accreditation, and regulatory compliance.
• Lead or support regulatory readiness and compliance activities for agencies including The Joint Commission (TJC), CMS, OSHA, and state and federal regulatory bodies.
• Conduct root cause analyses, risk assessments, and data analysis to identify trends, measure outcomes, and recommend improvements.
• Facilitate multidisciplinary teams and communicate effectively with clinical and operational leaders to achieve organizational quality and patient safety goals.

Requirements: 

Education:

• Master's degree preferred in Nursing, Public Health, Health Administration, Business Administration, Health Policy, Physical Sciences, Engineering, or a related field.
• Current Maryland clinical licensure or certification required for candidates in licensed clinical disciplines (e.g., RN, NP, PA, Pharmacist).
• Quality improvement, healthcare quality, patient safety, or project management certification preferred.
• Required to obtain a relevant healthcare quality certification within one year of hire and maintain certification thereafter (e.g., CPHQ, CPPS, or CJCP).

Experience:

• Minimum of five (5) years of experience in quality improvement, patient safety, performance improvement, or related healthcare operations, with at least three (3) years applying quality improvement methodologies.
• Experience leading improvement projects using tools such as Root Cause Analysis, FMEA, Lean, Six Sigma, and PDSA/PDCA.
• Demonstrated ability to analyze data, facilitate multidisciplinary teams, implement sustainable process changes, and influence organizational improvement.
• Minimum of two (2) years of project management experience preferred.