VP/CNO - Health Network (San Francisco)

The VP/CNO reports directly to the SVP/President, UCSF Health Network, with a dotted‑line reporting relationship to the System Chief Nurse Executive, UCSF Health. As a dyad partner to the Chief Medical Officer, UCSF Health Network, the CNO provides nursing leadership of clinical operations across the Network, aligning nursing priorities with Network goals and collaborating with health system leaders to address complex clinical and operational challenges. This position carries significant accountability for nursing performance across the Network's community hospitals and ambulatory sites, understanding that nursing excellence and team engagement create the foundation for exceptional patient outcomes and sustainable Network growth.

The Chief Nursing Officer (CNO), Health Network, is a senior nursing leadership role responsible for driving clinical nursing excellence across the UCSF Health Network, including community hospitals and ambulatory divisions. Reporting to the President of the UCSF Health Network, with a matrix relationship to the UCSF Chief Nurse Executive, the CNO provides programmatic, operational, and strategic nursing leadership to drive growth, improve patient outcomes, and integrate nursing practice across the Network.

Key Responsibilities

• Serves as a principal member of the UCSF Health Network senior leadership team with direct accountability for advising executive leadership on all matters pertaining to Network nursing and patient care services; actively contributes to system-wide strategic decisions and organizational priorities. Develops, maintains standards and is accountable for professional nursing practice and operations across all Network nursing services, including community hospitals and ambulatory sites.
• Develop and execute annual True North Goals with defined metrics and targets for quality/safety outcomes, patient experience scores, team member engagement (including nurse recruitment and retention rates), and financial performance; create and implement multi-year strategic workforce plans for patient care delivery that include specific recruitment pipelines, retention strategies, competency development programs, and leadership succession plans with identified successors for all critical roles; report progress monthly or as requested to senior leadership.
• Deliver annual operating budget on time and achieve financial targets within approved variance thresholds; direct all financial planning, compliance programs, and operational functions with demonstrated impact on productivity, cost optimization, and resource allocation.
• Implement evidence-based practice models of care delivery with specific orientation timelines, development milestones, and mentoring programs; track and report improvements in nursing competencies, inter-professional collaboration metrics, and shared governance participation.
• Own and enforce professional nursing practice standards and operations across all Network nursing services; ensure full alignment with UCSF Health's mission, vision, and strategic priorities through measurable performance indicators. Establish consistent nursing standards, protocols, and evidence-based practices across all Network hospitals, ambulatory sites, and affiliates.
• Build and sustain a culture of safety, quality, continuous improvement, psychological safety, and trust that achieves and maintains Magnet designation; lead re‑designation process in collaboration with the CNE and other Health System CNOs.
• Oversee the development and implementation of short and long-range plans, programs, and policies to improve the overall operation of Network nursing programs and patient care services across all sites. Assures high quality and coordinated services responsive to the needs of the patients and families, medical staff, patient care staff, other departments, and outside agencies.
• Establish and maintain productive partnership with UCSF School of Nursing in partnership with the CNE; actively participate in clinical teaching, support faculty research initiatives, and create measurable student clinical placement opportunities.
• Serves as a member of the Senior Leadership Council and other standing committees.
• Build and maintain strategic partnerships with physician leaders, multidisciplinary teams, and CNO colleagues across the system; chair key interdisciplinary committees, resolve escalated clinical‑operational conflicts, and represent UCSF Health effectively with campus, UC system-wide, and community stakeholders.
• Represents UCSF Health with UCSF Campus, UC System-wide and the community at large.
• Facilitates organizational performance by executing strategies that promote workforce diversity, equity, inclusion, work‑life support, and management excellence.
• Maintains productive working relationships with UCSF Health affiliate nursing leaders; shares best practices, supports alignment on critical nursing policies and standards, and serves as a resource on nursing practice matters as requested.
• Serves as Administrator on Call and completes all other duties assigned by the SVP/President, UCSF Health Network and/or Chief Nurse Executive to ensure effective management and continuous improvement of Network nursing services.

Qualifications and Experience

• Minimum eight to ten years of increasingly responsible experience in hospital management and strategic planning, in community hospitals with experience in matrixed leadership organizations.
• Comprehensive and thorough understanding of all elements of health care delivery, including strategy, business planning, operations and financial conditions.
• Change management skills to continually transition Network nursing services from current state to future state across a complex, multi-site, matrixed environment.
• Expertise in evaluating Health System and organizational issues, initiating actions to make change, planning change with stakeholder buy-in and executing the plan while being flexible to the changing landscape.
• Collaborative leadership skills to function in a highly complex and matrixed organizational environment, demonstrates expert skill in building collaborative relationships, developing strategies, and engaging in constructive problem-solving.
• Relationship building skills to develop outstanding relationships at all levels of the organization in an environment that is managed through influence and relationships.
• Expertise in all aspects of assigned functions, as well as development and management of operational and capital budgets.
• Sets high standards of behavior, performance, quality, credibility, and integrity; exhibits judgment and business acumen necessary to raise performance to levels that would not otherwise be achieved.
• Knowledge of management information systems and its relevance to nursing practice, quality and safety.
• Knowledge of strategic planning and its relevance to nursing operations and future direction.
• Demonstrated understanding of the roles of teaching, research and patient care in the academic medical center and active participation in improvements relevant to each mission.
• Ability to comply with all nursing practice and Health System policies and procedures for infection control, safety, administrative and clinical practice.
• Ability to comply with activities mandated by The Joint Commission/Title 22, CLIA, etc.
• Prior experience in a unionized setting/environment.
• Served in a Magnet organization or understands the principles of shared governance and interdisciplinary collaboration.
• Direct experience with Lean management and/or an understanding of the Principles of Lean Continuous Improvement.

Equal Employment Opportunity

The University of California is an Equal Opportunity Employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability, age, protected veteran status, or other protected status under state or federal law.

Salary Information

The final salary and offer components are subject to additional approvals based on UC policy.

Your placement within the salary range is dependent on a number of factors including your work experience and internal equity within this position classification at UCSF. For positions that are represented by a labor union, placement within the salary range will be guided by the rules in the collective bargaining agreement.

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