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 requirements, inspection readiness, and compliance standards
- Understanding of healthcare trends, regulatory changes, and evolving reimbursement/risk models
Analytical, Risk & Quality Capability
- Strong analytical and problem-solving skills with ability to interpret safety and risk data
- Ability to evaluate complex clinical, regulatory, and operational issues
- Ability to assess legal, financial, and organizational implications of decisions
Leadership & Communication
- Excellent written and verbal communication skills across executive, clinical, and operational audiences
- Strong facilitation, conflict resolution, and stakeholder engagement skills
- Ability to influence across a highly matrixed organization without direct authority
Operational & Strategic Effectiveness
- Demonstrated ability to lead large-scale strategic initiatives with significant operational and financial impact
- Strong planning, prioritization, and execution capabilities
- Ability to operate effectively in complex, multi-division healthcare environments
Professional Attributes
- High ethical standards and commitment to patient safety
- Strong executive presence and advisory capability
- Collaborative leadership style that promotes alignment, accountability, and performance
Why Join Us?
- Enterprise Impact: Lead patient safety and risk strategy across a complex, multi-ministry division
- Clinical Influence: Drive high reliability and safety culture transformation at scale
- Executive Partnership: Engage with senior clinical and operational leaders
- Regulatory Leadership: Operate at the forefront of compliance, safety, and quality
- Mission‑Driven Work: Advance safe, high-quality care aligned with Providence values
Ready to Shape the Future of Healthcare?
If you are a senior clinical leader with deep expertise in patient safety, risk management, and high reliability, we encourage you to apply.
The full pay range is listed in accordance with applicable law. Final compensation will be determined based on qualifications, experience, organizational compensation alignment, and the approved hiring department budget for the position. This position may also be eligible for incentive compensation and benefits.
At Providence we believe in the importance of human connection and the impact of in-person collaboration towards team cohesion and caregiver engagement. Further, we want our leaders to live in or near the communities we serve. Therefore, leaders applying for this role will be required to work a hybrid schedule, which consists of three days onsite, two days remote and live within a reasonable commuting distance to the ministry or service area they support and lead.
About Providence
At Providence, our strength lies in Our Promise of “Know me, care for me, ease my way.” Working at our family of organizations means that regardless of your role, we’ll walk alongside you in your career, supporting you so you can support others. We provide best-in-class benefits and we foster an inclusive workplace where diversity is valued, and everyone is essential, heard and respected. Together, our 120,000 caregivers (all employees) serve in over 50 hospitals, over 1,000 clinics and a full range of health and social services across Alaska, California, Montana, New Mexico, Oregon, Texas and Washington. As a comprehensive health care organization, we are serving more people, advancing best practices and continuing our more than 100-year tradition of serving the poor and vulnerable.
Posted are the minimum and the maximum wage rates on the wage range for this position. The successful candidate's placement on the wage range for this position will be determined based upon relevant job experience and other applicable factors. These amounts are the base pay range; additional compensation may be available for this role, such as shift differentials, standby/on-call, overtime, premiums, extra shift incentives, or bonus opportunities.
Providence offers a comprehensive benefits package including a retirement 401(k) Savings Plan with employer matching, health care benefits (medical, dental, vision), life insurance, disability insurance, time off benefits (paid parental leave, vacations, holidays, health issues), voluntary benefits, well-being resources and much more. Learn more at providence.jobs/benefits.
Applicants in the Unincorporated County of Los Angeles: Qualified applications with arrest or conviction records will be considered for employment in accordance with the Unincorporated Los Angeles County Fair Chance Ordinance for Employers and the California Fair Chance Act.
About the Team
Providence Shared Services is a service line within Providence that provides a variety of functional and system support services for our family of organizations across Alaska, California, Montana, New Mexico, Oregon, Texas and Washington. We are focused on supporting our Mission by delivering a robust foundation of services and sharing of specialized expertise.
Providence is proud to be an Equal Opportunity Employer. We are committed to the principle that every workforce member has the right to work in surroundings that are free from all forms of unlawful discrimination and harassment on the basis of race, color, gender, disability, veteran, military status, religion, age, creed, national origin, sexual identity or expression, sexual orientation, marital status, genetic information, or any other basis prohibited by local, state, or federal law. We believe diversity makes us stronger, so we are dedicated to shaping an inclusive workforce, learning from each other, and creating equal opportunities for advancement.
Requsition ID: 437801
Company: Providence Jobs
Job Category: Clinical Safety
Job Function: Clinical Support
Job Schedule: Full time
Job Shift: Day
Career Track: Leadership
Department: 4007 SS NORTH DIV CLIN PRGM SVCS
Address: WA Seattle 1730 Minor Ave
Work Location: Swedish Metropolitan Park East-Seattle
Workplace Type: Hybrid
Pay Range: $92.72 - $146.37
The amounts listed are the base pay range; additional compensation may be available for this role, such as shift differentials, standby/on-call, overtime, premiums, extra shift incentives, or bonus opportunities.
