Job Description

Esse Health is the largest independent physician practice in the St. Louis Metropolitan area with over 100+ physicians, in 35+ locations, serving nearly 130,000 patients. We are leading the healthcare community by placing patients and their physicians at the center of health decisions. Esse Health is more than a healthcare provider - it's a place where medicine is a calling and not just a profession. It's a team of extraordinary medical professionals with the latest ideas for keeping patients healthier.

Join our team!

Esse Health is currently seeking a full-time Director of Information Technology to work out of our Central Business Office/HUB located in Town & Country.

The Director of Information Technology is responsible for leading the strategic and operational management of all IT systems across the organization, with a focus on supporting healthcare clinical workflows. This role includes oversight of enterprise systems such as the EMR, IT infrastructure, security, service desk operations, and cloud strategy. The Director will ensure that technology solutions align with business goals, improve patient care delivery, and meet compliance standards (e.g., HIPAA). The organization is targeting HITRUST certification by the end of 2027; this role will help establish and mature security and compliance processes in anticipation of that goal. If assigned, this role may expand to also serve as the organization’s Security Officer.

Duties & Responsibilities:

• Develop and execute an IT roadmap that aligns with clinical, financial and administrative priorities.
• Serve as the senior IT leader supporting EMRs, including vendor relationship management, system optimization, upgrades, and integration.
• Collaborate with executive and clinical leadership to support digital transformation initiatives and operational efficiency.
• Oversee IT infrastructure including data centers, networks, servers, endpoint devices, and telecom.
• Lead the transition to and/or optimization of cloud platforms (Azure, private cloud).
• Lead deployment, customization, and ongoing support for EMR.
• Coordinate integration with third-party applications and health information exchanges (HIEs).
• Ensure systems are maintained to meet regulatory and security requirements.
• Manage internal IT support services, including help desk operations.
• Develop and enforce SLAs for issue resolution, user satisfaction, and uptime.
• Ensure adequate training, documentation, and user adoption of systems.
• Oversee HIPAA security and IT compliance for the organization. Support HITRUST readiness efforts and the organization’s goal to obtain HITRUST certification by the end of 2027. May serve as the Security Officer if assigned.
• Direct IT compliance and security teams to ensure HIPAA and other applicable regulatory requirements are met, and to implement controls, documentation, and monitoring in support of HITRUST readiness (target certification by end of 2027).
• Developing, updating and implementing IT & security policies.
• Oversee vulnerability management, access control, and incident response protocols.
• Additional duties if assigned as Security Officer.

Qualifications:

• Bachelor’s degree in Information Technology, Computer Science, Healthcare Informatics, or related field.
• Minimum of 10 years of progressive IT experience, including 5 years in healthcare IT leadership. Minimum of 7 years with Cisco and Microsoft suite office products. Experience managing cloud migrations or hybrid environments.
• Proficiency with Cisco, Microsoft products, and cloud-based platforms such as Azure.
• Hands-on experience with EMRs such as NextGen.
• Strong understanding of healthcare operations, clinical workflows, and patient data privacy.
• Excellent communication, leadership, and strategic thinking skills.
• Ability to influence and collaborate across departments and organizational levels.
• Attention to detail and ability to remain current with regulatory and technological changes.

What We Offer:

• Benefits the first day of the month following date of hire
• Available benefits: Medical, Dental, Vision, Life, Long/Short Term Disability, Health Savings Account/Flexible Spending Account, Fraud Protection, Legal, Pet and other miscellaneous
• Generous PTO policy + 9 paid holidays
• 401k match + profit sharing
• Tuition reimbursement
• Wellness program
• Opportunities for professional growth and mentorship
• Emphasis on work-life balance

EOE