The Nursing Director is a Registered Nurse (RN) accountable for advancing excellence in nursing care and leadership at the departmental or service line level. The Director provides strategic, operational, financial, and human resource leadership while ensuring alignment with organizational priorities and the Professional Practice Model. Through collaboration with interdisciplinary teams, the Director fosters a care environment that supports safe, high-quality, patient- and family-centered care, staff engagement, and continuous professional development. The Director drives quality, safety, and performance improvement, manages resources responsibly, and ensures compliance with regulatory and accreditation standards.
The Nursing Director role is distinguished from Nurse Managers by its expanded scope, scale, and strategic impact. Directors typically oversee multiple units, programs, or service lines and are responsible for larger budgets, higher complexity of operations, and broader organizational integration. While Nurse Managers focus on unit-level leadership and performance, the Nursing Director establishes long-term vision and strategies, mentors nursing leaders, and influences system wide priorities. Directors work in partnership with executive nursing and medical leadership, aligning departmental goals with health system strategies, and represent nursing at senior leadership and cross-organizational forums.
ESSENTIAL DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES1. Strategic & Program Planning — Develops and implements department or service line strategic plans aligned with organizational and nursing priorities; sets short- and long-term goals; establishes performance metrics and communicates progress to stakeholders; partners with executive and physician leadership to execute system-level strategies and initiatives.2. Operational Leadership — Oversees daily operations and long-term program development across multiple units or service lines; applies systems thinking to integrate patient care services across settings; ensures consistent delivery of safe, efficient, high-quality care; maintains visibility with staff and promotes collaboration, shared governance, and accountability.3. Financial Management — Develops, monitors, and manages complex departmental or service line operating and capital budgets; forecasts and allocates resources; analyzes productivity, cost, and utilization trends; ensures financial stewardship while supporting high-quality care delivery; mentors nurse leaders in fiscal responsibility and business planning.4. Human Resources & Leadership Development — Provides vision and direction for recruitment, retention, and workforce planning; develops and mentors nurse managers and assistant nurse managers, building leadership capacity and succession pipelines; ensures staff performance management, engagement, and professional development; fosters a culture of equity, safety, recognition, and continuous learning.5. Quality, Safety & Performance Improvement — Leads development and execution of quality and safety plans at the department or service line level; uses data and evidence-based practices to identify risks and improvement opportunities; oversees regulatory readiness and accreditation compliance; drives cross-unit or system-level performance improvement projects that advance outcomes and patient experience.6. Professional Practice & Organizational Engagement — Advances professional nursing practice consistent with ANA standards, the Nurse Practice Act, and organizational values; promotes a culture of ethical, evidence-based, and patient-centered care; represents nursing at executive, organizational, and system-level committees; partners with medical and administrative leaders to shape policy, innovation, and strategic priorities.
• BSN required AND• Master’s degree in nursing or related field required. • Seven (7) years of relevant clinical experience AND• Five (5) years of progressive nursing management experience, including oversight of multiple units or complex clinical programs.• Demonstrated ability to lead in a large, matrixed health systems• Current unencumbered Oregon RN license.• Professional certification in nursing leadership (e.g., Nurse Executive/Administrator) required within 3 years of hire.
This position also comes with great benefits! Some highlights include:
We are Oregon's only public academic health center. In addition to caring for patients, we lead groundbreaking research. We also train the next generation of health care professionals. As Portland's largest employer, we give you opportunities to learn and advance in a system of hospitals and clinics across Oregon and Southwest Washington. All are welcome. OHSU welcomes people of all ages, ethnicities, genders, national origins, religions and sexual orientations. We are striving to build an anti-racist, multicultural institution and encourage people with diverse backgrounds to apply. To request reasonable accommodation, contact askhr@ohsu.edu
