Mayo Clinic Health System is seeking a Regional Chief Nursing Officer (CNO) to lead nursing operations across our community-based hospitals and clinics.
The Regional CNO is a member of senior administration reporting to the Mayo Clinic Health System Chief Nursing Officer and serves as a key member of the leadership triad, partnering closely with Physician and Administration leaders. Together, this team advances Mayo Clinic Health System’s Bold. Forward. strategy to establish a Category-of-One community health system, delivering exceptional care close to home.
As a dynamic and forward-thinking leader, the Regional CNO will advance and evolve the Department of Nursing across the state, ensuring alignment with the enterprise Department of Nursing strategy while strengthening nursing practice, quality, safety, and workforce engagement.
Scope & Impact
• Provides strategic and operational leadership for approximately 3,000 nursing professionals across Minnesota.
• Oversees nursing services across a diverse care continuum, including a large regional hub hospital, community hospitals, and rural primary care clinics.
• Leads the development, implementation, and ongoing evaluation of the regional nursing care delivery model, ensuring alignment with organizational vision, strategic priorities, and enterprise nursing strategy.
• Partners collaboratively with Physician and Administrative leaders to steward resources effectively, including budgets and human capital, while supporting workforce planning and operational sustainability.
• Drives excellence in patient outcomes through the establishment, measurement, and continuous improvement of nursing standards of clinical practice and care delivery.
• Brings a system wide perspective to daily operations while balancing regional and local needs.
• Provides leadership, mentorship, and professional development support to nurses, administrators, and emerging healthcare leaders across the region.
• Practices in accordance with nationally recognized nursing leadership standards and professional frameworks.
• Assumes additional leadership responsibilities as needed to support organizational priorities.
The Regional CNO's primary work location will be in Mankato, MN with frequent travel to other sites.
The Minnesota Regional CNO will have operational responsibility for sites in the following communities: Mankato, New Prague, Waseca, St. James, Fairmont, Austin, Albert Lea, Owatonna, Lake City, Plainview, Zumbrota, Cannon Falls, Faribault, and Red Wing with extended reach into Ellsworth, WI and Decorah, IA.
This role is eligible for TN sponsorship. Successful sponsorship will require state licensure and completion of the VisaScreen or equivalent certification.
Graduate of an accredited baccalaureate nursing program and a Master's Degree in Nursing, business, or health-related field. Minimum of five years' experience in nursing administration with line management responsibility.
• Previous experience in Nursing clinical practice role. Doctoral Degree – DNP or PhD in Nursing preferred.
• Demonstrates leadership attributes of people skills, interpersonal effectiveness, and emotional intelligence.
• Worked in more than one clinical setting. Demonstrated ability to establish a vision, set strategy, execute and deliver results.
• Demonstrated external exposure (through clinical experience, Board, professional organization).
• Demonstrated performance in complex situations with multi-dimensional factors.
• Demonstrated consistent high level of performance, including stretch roles.
• Experience in leading Nursing Department initiatives.
• Experience in a complex multi-site health system is preferred.
Current RN license or current license deemed acceptable by the applicable State Board of Nursing.
Why Mayo Clinic
Mayo Clinic is top-ranked in more specialties than any other care provider according to U.S. News & World Report. As we work together to put the needs of the patient first, we are also dedicated to our employees, investing in competitive compensation and comprehensive benefit plans – to take care of you and your family, now and in the future. And with continuing education and advancement opportunities at every turn, you can build a long, successful career with Mayo Clinic.
Benefits Highlights

Mayo Clinic has expanded and changed in many ways, but our values remain true to the vision of our founders. Our primary value – The needs of the patient come first – guides our plans and decisions as we create the future of health care. Join us and you'll find a culture of teamwork, professionalism and mutual respect, and most importantly, a life-changing career.
Mayo Clinic was founded in Rochester, Minnesota by brothers Dr. William James Mayo and Dr. Charles Horace Mayo. More than 100 years later, their vision continues to evolve around a single guiding value: "The needs of the patient come first." Today we are the largest integrated, not for-profit medical group practice in the world.
We are recognized for high-quality patient care more than any other academic medical center in the nation. These endorsements are very gratifying, but also humbling. They remind us of the tradition that has been entrusted to each one of us, and the legacy of excellence that we uphold every day.