Chief Nurse, Operations

Chief Nurse For Operations This position is located within the Office of the Associate Director, Patient Care Services (ADPCS), and reports to the Deputy Associate Director (DADPCS), Phoenix VA Health Care System (PVAHCS), Phoenix, AZ. It is a Level 1a major interdisciplinary teaching facility with service lines serving medical, surgical, mental health, and long-term care inpatients and outpatients with an Emergency Department and multiple community-based outpatient clinics (CBOC). Duties Include but not limited to: The Chief Nurse for Operations executes leadership characterized by substantial and continuous responsibility with 24/7 accountability for nursing clinical operations and integrated programs that span multiple services and disciplines. The Chief Nurse is a self-directed senior nurse leader who reports to the Deputy Associate Director (DADPCS), Phoenix VA Health Care System (PVAHCS), Phoenix, AZ and is accountable for operational performance, clinical quality, workforce development, and regulatory compliance across assigned programs and services. The Chief Nurse, Operations manage operations and provides leadership to the interdisciplinary services delivering evidence-based patient care in the acute care and ambulatory settings and supports nursing operations. The Chief Nurse establishes and maintains effective working relationships with leaders and staff at all levels of the medical center and network, and relates effectively with Veterans, families, and internal and external stakeholders. The position provides strategic oversight for integrated clinical operations that cross service and discipline lines, ensuring alignment with medical center priorities, VISN goals, and national VA directives. Major duties include, but are not limited to: Providing expert level leadership and operational oversight for Nursing Clinical Operations, including nursing administrative and operational oversight of Emergency Department, case managers, shift supervisors, and other areas in related roles, programs, and/or departments. Ensuring safe, effective, and standardized nursing clinical operations through the development, implementation, monitoring, and evaluation of evidence-based practices, policies, and procedures. Collaborating with other Chief Nurses, Nurse Managers, Assistant Nurse Managers, Nurse Educators, Advanced Practice Nurses, and interdisciplinary leaders to align clinical operations with organizational strategic goals. Providing oversight for workforce planning initiatives, including recruitment, onboarding, orientation, competency validation, retention strategies, and professional development across nursing clinical operations. Supporting nursing leaders in personnel management activities, including performance management, labor relations actions, and human resource processes in accordance with VA policy and federal regulations. Leading and supporting quality improvement initiatives, High Reliability Organization (HRO) practices, and the integration of nursing-sensitive indicators into daily clinical operations. Utilizing data analytics and performance metrics to monitor outcomes, identify trends, mitigate risk, and drive continuous improvement in clinical operations and nursing practice. Serving as a consultant and advisor to nursing and interdisciplinary leadership regarding clinical operations, regulatory readiness, accreditation standards, and organizational change initiatives. Preferred experience for this position includes: Master's in nursing, Masters in Health Administrator, Master of Business Administration, Doctoral preparation (DNP, PhD, or equivalent). A progressive nurse leadership experience at the Nurse Manager, Assistant Chief Nurse, Chief Nurse, or equivalent senior leadership level within an acute care or integrated healthcare system. Experience with data-driven decision-making, performance dashboards, and operational analytics to improve clinical outcomes. Experience in leading quality improvement initiatives, nursing-sensitive indicator performance, Pathway to Excellence/Magnet practices, and High Reliability Organization (HRO) practices. Experience leading Nursing Clinical Operations, Emergency Department, Professional Development, Nursing Education, Utilization Review & Management, Staffing Methodology, Informatics and Management experience or similar enterprise-level clinical support programs. Knowledge of VA, VHA, or other large federal healthcare system policies, regulations, and accreditation requirements (e.g., The Joint Commission). Pay: Competitive salary, regular salary increases, potential for performance awards Paid Time Off: 50 days of paid time off per year (26 days of annual leave, 13 days of sick leave, 11 paid Federal holidays per year) Retirement: Traditional federal pension (5 years vesting) and federal 401K with up to 5% in contributions by VA Insurance: Federal health/vision/dental/term life/long-term care (many federal insurance programs can be carried into retirement) Licensure: 1 full and unrestricted license from any US State or territory Work Schedule: Shift /Tour of Duty - May Vary depending on Facility Needs Compressed/Flexible: Not Authorized Telework: Not Authorized Virtual: This is not a virtual position. Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: May be authorized for a highly qualified applicant. Requirements Conditions of Employment U.S. Citizenship; non-citizens may only be appointed when it is not possible to recruit qualified citizens in accordance with VA Policy. All applicants tentatively selected for VA employment in a testing designated position are subject to urinalysis to screen for illegal drug use prior to appointment. Applicants who refuse to be tested will be denied employment with VA. Selective Service Registration is required for males born after 12/31/1959. Subject to background/security investigation. Selected applicants will be required to complete an online onboarding process. Acceptable form(s) of identification will be required to complete pre-employment requirements. Effective May 7, 2025, driver's licenses or state-issued identification cards that are not REAL ID compliant cannot be utilized as an acceptable form of identification for employment. Must pass pre-employment physical examination. Participation in the seasonal influenza vaccination program is a requirement for all Department of Veterans Affairs Health Care Personnel (HCP). You may be required to serve a probationary period. Complete all application requirements detailed in the "Required Documents" section of this announcement. Qualifications Basic Requirements: English Language Proficiency. In accordance with 38 U.S.C. 7403(f), no person shall serve in direct patient care positions unless they are proficient in basic written and spoken English. Graduate of a school of professional nursing approved by the appropriate accrediting agency and accredited by one of the following accrediting bodies at the time the program was completed by the applicant: The Accreditation Commission for Education in Nursing (ACEN) or The Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education (CCNE); OR Individuals attending a master's level bridge program in nursing who have completed coursework equivalent to a bachelor's level degree in Nursing may have opportunity to become registered as a nurse with a state licensing board prior to completion of the bridge program. Upon achievement of a State license, the individual may be appointed on temporary basis and later converted to a permanent appointment upon successful completion and graduation from the bridge program. (Reference VA Handbook 5005, Appendix G6); OR In cases of graduates of foreign schools of professional nursing, possession of a current, full, active, and unrestricted registration will meet the requirement for graduation from an approved school of professional nursing to warrant an appointment as a Nurse who has completed an associated degree/entry level Nursing education program. Credit for foreign nursing education higher that associate degree/entry level requires a formal degree equivalency validation from a recognized equivalency evaluation accepted by VA such as International Consultants of Delaware (ICD). Current, full, active, and unrestricted registration as a graduate professional nurse in a State, Territory or Commonwealth (i.e., Puerto Rico) of the United States, or the District of Columbia. Graduate Nurse Technician (GNT) Exception: Candidates who otherwise meet the basic education requirements, but do not possess the required licensure, may be appointed at the entry step of the grade and level applicable to the completed nursing education as a GNT on a 120-day temporary appointment while actively pursuing licensure (may be extended up to two years on a case-by-case-basis.) The following Scope, Education and Dimension criteria must be met to qualify for Nurse IV: Scope: Executes leadership that is characterized by substantial and continuous responsibility and accountability for population groups or integrated programs that cross service and/or discipline lines and influence organizational mission and health care. Education: Master's degree in Nursing (MSN) and 4 years of professional nursing experience, one of which is specialized nursing experience equivalent to Nurse III and meets all dimension requirements for Nurse IV; OR Master's degree in arelated field with a BSN and 4

Created: 2026-03-04