Assistant Vice President, Nursing Operations

Your experience matters 

At Lifepoint Health, we are committed to empowering and supporting a diverse and determined workforce who can drive quality, scalability, and significant impact across our hospitals and communities. As a member of the Health Support Center (HSC) team, you'll support those that are in our facilities who are interfacing and providing care to our patients and community members to positively impact our mission of making communities healthier ^®.

POSITION SUMMARY:

The Assistant Vice President (AVP) Nursing Operations provides nursing oversight for nursing operations across multiple facilities and or markets, ensuring consistent nursing standards, operational efficiency, and a trauma-informed, recovery-oriented model of care.  This role partners with the facility Chief Nursing Officers (CNOs), Market CNOs, Vice President of Nursing Operations and System leaders to strengthen workforce strategies, regulatory readiness, and quality outcomes.

The AVP ensures nursing leadership excellence across facilities and alignment with enterprise goals.  

ESSENTIAL FUNCTIONS:  To perform this job, an individual must perform each essential function satisfactorily with or without a reasonable accommodation.  

• Nursing Leadership & Oversight
• Provides strategic oversight of nursing operations across assigned behavioral health facilities, insuring consistency in quality, safety, and workforce performance.
• Supervises CNOs, mentors nursing leaders, and fosters a culture of accountability and professional growth.
• Ensures compliance with TJC, CMS and state regulatory requirements across all markets.  
• Operational & Workforce Excellence
• Leads workforce planning, staffing optimization, and retention strategies across the division.
• Oversees performance monitoring for nurse engagement, turnover, contract labor utilization and satisfaction.
• Ensures nursing departments maintain productivity and efficiency standards aligned with organizational goals.
• Clinical Quality & Patient Safety
• Directs implementation of evidence-based nursing standards and continuous improvement initiatives
• Oversees nursing contributions to patient safety, infection control, and risk mitigation strategies.
• Strategic Alignment and Integration
• Partners with VP Nursing Operations, and Division leadership to operationalize system-wide nursing initiatives
• Collaborates with clinical, medical and operational leaders on strategic planning, capital priorities, and new service line development.
• Facilitates best-practice sharing across markets to advance innovation and standardization.
• Governance, Reporting and Communication
• Leads regular performance reviews with CNOs and prepares reports for Division and System leaders
• Communicates performance insights, risk, and opportunities including new program openings, initiative launches, and survey response, including action plan development.
• Develops and implements nursing strategies that support patient-centered, evidence-based care across all facilities.
• Assists in the development and implementation of department policies and procedures.
• Collaborates with clinical leadership to design and optimize programs that address patient needs and improve outcomes.
• Assists in the development and implementation of nurse leader and clinical education across the division.
• Establishes best practices for nursing care delivery, focusing on the continuous improvement of patient experience and safety.
• Oversees day-to-day nursing operations across multiple facilities to ensure they meet organizational standards.
• Identifies opportunities to improve nursing process workflows, reduce inefficiencies, and enhance quality of care.
• Supports Infection Control, understanding monitoring processes and regulatory requirements associated with infection control and prevention.
• Engages with facility and division leaders to implement successful strategies supporting recruitment and retention.
• Monitors and analyzes facility performance metrics, including patient outcomes, patient safety incidents, and staff productivity.
• Drives initiatives that enhance patient care quality and uphold high safety standards.
• Leads efforts to assess and mitigate clinical risks and respond proactively to any safety issues or adverse events.
• Ensures continuous compliance with healthcare regulations and accreditation standards.
• Mentors and supports nursing leaders, fostering a culture of accountability, collaboration, and professional growth.  Role models excellent customer service, holding facility nurse leaders to this same standard.
• Collaborates with facility leaders in oversight of clinical, quality and administrative operations; serves on governing body of assigned facilities.  
• Promotes a team-oriented, positive work environment focused on shared goals and values in patient care.
• Develops and implements training programs to ensure all nursing staff are equipped with the knowledge and skills to deliver exceptional care.
• Conducts regular quality assessments and audits to guarantee adherence to internal and external regulatory standards.
• Stays informed of new developments in healthcare regulations and implement necessary adjustments across the facilities.
• Uses clinical data and patient outcomes to guide operational decisions, address areas for improvement, and validate program effectiveness.
• Collaborates with data teams to establish reliable systems for capturing, analyzing, and reporting clinical performance metrics.
• Prepares reports and presentations for executive leadership, highlighting nursing achievements, areas for improvement, and future strategies.

KNOWLEDGE, SKILLS & ABILITIES: The requirements listed below are representative of the knowledge, skills and/or abilities required.

Education:  Master's degree in nursing required, doctorate degree preferred.  

License/Certification:  Active and unencumbered licensure as a Registered Nurse is required. Certification in Psychiatric Mental Health Nursing or Nurse Executive (within 12 months of hire).

Experience:  

Minimum 5 years of progressive nursing leadership experience

Multi-facility or regional oversight in behavioral health preferred

Proven success leading system-level initiatives in quality, workforce, and regulatory performance

Skills:

Deep knowledge of nursing scope of practice and standards of care for psychiatric mental health nursing, including patient safety, quality improvement, and regulatory compliance.

Strong leadership skills, with a history of developing high-performing teams in a healthcare setting.

Exceptional communication and interpersonal skills for effective collaboration with diverse clinical and administrative teams.

Strong analytical and problem-solving skills, with experience using data to guide clinical and operational decisions.

Familiarity with healthcare regulations, including those specific to behavioral health and mental health services.

Additional Requirements

Ability to travel routinely across assigned markets  

Commitment to advancing ethical, high-quality, and patient-centered care in behavioral health.

Physical Demands/Working Conditions

The physical demands described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this job.  Reasonable accommodation may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

Requires prolonged sitting and some bending, stooping, and stretching.  Requires eye-hand coordination and manual dexterity sufficient to operate a keyboard, photocopier, telephone, calculator, and other office equipment.  Requires normal range of hearing and eyesight to record, prepare, and communicate appropriate reports.  Requires lifting papers or boxes up to 50 pounds occasionally.  Work is performed in an office environment and involves frequent contact with staff and the public.

LifePoint Health is an Equal Opportunity Employer

LifePoint Health and all of our facilities are committed to providing Equal Employment Opportunity for all applicants and employees and complies with all applicable laws prohibiting discrimination against any employee or applicant for employment because of color, race, sex, age, religion, national origin, disability, genetic information, gender identity, sexual orientation, veterans' status, or any other basis protected by applicable federal, state, or local law.

This job description in no way states or implies that the key accountabilities above are the only ones being performed by the individual(s) with this job description.  The individual(s) may be called upon and required to follow or perform other duties and tasks requested by his or her supervisor, consistent with the purpose of the position, department and/or company objectives.