Senior Director Patient Safety Risk Management RN (Hiring Immediately)

Description

Calling all Esteemed Leaders! Are you a senior patient safety and risk management leader who excels at advancing high reliability, strengthening safety culture, and leading enterprise-scale clinical improvement? Do you thrive in complex healthcare environments where regulatory alignment, system coordination, and measurable safety outcomes are critical? This leadership opportunity invites your expertise.

The Role:

The Senior Director Patient Safety Risk Management RN provides executive-level leadership, innovation, and strategic direction for the advancement of a Just Culture that promotes quality, reliability, and continuous learning across the North Division.

In collaboration with executive leadership, enterprise partners, and division stakeholders, this role ensures a consistent, system-aligned approach to risk mitigation, patient safety, and management of legal and regulatory matters across Providence Swedish, North Division.

The Senior Director provides both strategic and operational leadership for division-wide patient safety and risk management programs, with a focus on improving safety outcomes, reducing clinical risk, and advancing high reliability practices.

This leader serves as the division subject matter expert for safety culture, including the interpretation and application of Caring Reliably tones, tools, and behaviors. The role represents the North Division in enterprise-wide reliability initiatives and serves as liaison to external regulatory and accrediting agencies.

The Senior Director is accountable for long-range planning, performance reporting, budgeting, forecasting, and strategic alignment related to safety, quality, and risk. This includes establishing and advancing division-wide strategies for both Caring Reliably (high reliability) and Clinical Risk Management, using data-driven insights to identify opportunities and drive sustained improvement across ministries.

Major Challenges

• Managing multiple priorities and shifting demands within a complex, highly matrixed environment
• Navigating political, regulatory, and organizational dynamics across divisions and ministries
• Delivering timely, accurate, and actionable insights under tight deadlines
• Driving alignment and consistency across diverse teams and care settings
• Leading large-scale change within evolving regulatory and clinical landscapes

What You'll Do:

Enterprise Strategy & Safety Culture Leadership

• Collaborate with executive leadership to establish strategic direction advancing a unified culture of patient safety, quality, and risk mitigation
• Serve as a visible, consistent leader championing patient safety and high reliability practices
• Lead development and execution of division strategies for Caring Reliably and Clinical Risk Management

Governance, System Alignment & External Engagement

• Maintain strong partnerships with enterprise Patient Safety, Legal Affairs, and Risk, Claims & Insurance teams
• Ensure alignment with system-wide strategies, state Quality Councils, and local ministry initiatives
• Serve as liaison to external regulatory and accrediting bodies (e.g., The Joint Commission, DNV, CMS, state agencies)

Data, Analytics & Performance Management

• Track, trend, and analyze patient safety events, claims, and risk cases
• Provide regular reporting to executive leadership, Quality Councils, and Community Ministry Boards
• Translate data insights into actionable strategies that improve safety and reduce risk

Risk Management, Investigations & Regulatory Response

• Direct investigation of serious safety events, claims, and legal matters
• Oversee Root Cause and Common Cause Analyses and ensure follow-up on corrective actions
• Guide reporting and escalation processes for high-risk and high-visibility events

Clinical Quality, Reliability & Program Development

• Lead implementation of high reliability practices across the care continuum
• Oversee division participation in Culture of Safety surveys and improvement initiatives
• Develop and implement educational programs to support performance targets and regulatory compliance

Operational Leadership & Integration

• Partner with CMO, CNO, ministry executives, and operational leaders to improve patient safety and care outcomes
• Collaborate across Clinical Analytics, Accreditation, CDI, Utilization Management, and Operations
• Ensure alignment across Clinical Programs, Medical Group, Home & Community Services, and the Health Plan

Program & Portfolio Oversight

• Oversee division portfolio of safety initiatives, claims, and legal risk
• Manage reporting, budgeting, and forecasting for patient safety and risk programs
• Lead system integration and adoption of patient safety platforms, including Datix

Leadership & Talent Development

• Lead and develop Patient Safety Specialists, Risk Managers, and leadership team members
• Provide coaching, mentoring, and performance management
• Establish performance standards and accountability frameworks across teams

Culture, Collaboration & Continuous Improvement

• Promote Just Culture and Fair and Just Accountability principles
• Build collaborative communities to share best practices across ministries
• Serve as a trusted advisor on emerging safety, regulatory, and clinical issues

What You’ll Bring:

Education & Credentials

• Bachelor’s Degree in Nursing
• Master’s Degree in Nursing, Public Health, Business, or Healthcare Administration, or enrollment in a Master’s program
• Current Washington Registered Nurse License (required upon hire)
• Preferred (1 or more) - Certified Professional Healthcare Quality (CPHQ), Certified Professional in Health Care Risk Management (CPHRM), Certified Professional in Patient Safety (CPPS), Certified Patient Safety Officer (CPSO)

Experience & Expertise

• 7 years of nursing experience, including 5 years in acute care
• 7 years of progressive leadership experience in management roles
• 7 years of experience managing professional staff who work independently on complex tasks and initiatives
• 5 years of recent experience in high reliability principles (IHI), The Joint Commission (TJC), and regulatory survey readiness (state and federal)

Clinical & Regulatory Expertise

• Expert knowledge of Caring Reliably, The Joint Commission (TJC), and applicable state and federal healthcare regulations
• Working knowledge of Det Norske Veritas (DNV)
• Knowledge of healthcare regulatory requir