Director Clinical Risk

Director of Clinical Risk

When two established local health systems unite as one collaborative network, healthcare becomes so much more. Centralus Health, an affiliation of Arnot Health and Cayuga Health, is focused on our region's changing needs and your wellbeing. More than a group of experienced caregivers, Centralus Health is a partnership of advocates who strive to eliminate barriers to better health, innovating and evolving services in our communities for enhanced holistic care close to home. Beyond clinical outcomes, it's strengthening community connections and setting a higher standard for quality that's exceptionally personal.

Centralus Health is central to wellness-for all of us.

Job Summary

The Director of Clinical Risk Management provides executive leadership for patient safety, clinical risk management, accreditation readiness, regulatory compliance, and organizational learning across Centralus Health. As the designated Patient Safety Officer, this leader partners closely with Quality, Nursing, Medical Staff, Infection Prevention, Operations, and physician leadership to foster a culture of safety, high reliability, and continuous regulatory readiness. This highly visible role maintains a significant onsite presence across Centralus Health hospitals and clinical locations.

Roles and Responsibilities:

• Serve as the organization's Patient Safety Officer, providing strategic leadership for patient safety, clinical risk management, and harm reduction initiatives.
• Lead enterprise-wide patient safety, event investigation, and regulatory compliance programs, including RCA, FMEA, accreditation readiness, and survey response activities.
• Partner with clinical, operational, and medical staff leaders to drive High Reliability Organization (HRO) principles, Just Culture, and continuous quality improvement.
• Analyze safety and risk trends, oversee corrective action plans, and develop executive-level dashboards to improve patient outcomes and organizational performance.
• Act as the primary liaison with accrediting and regulatory agencies, ensuring ongoing compliance with Joint Commission, CMS, state, and other applicable standards.

Important Note: (*) indicates an essential function of the job as defined by the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). Essential functions are the core duties that are fundamental to the position and must be performed, with or without reasonable accommodation.

Required Skills and Experience:

• Master's degree in Healthcare Administration, Nursing, Public Health, Risk Management, Quality, or a related healthcare field.
• Minimum of eight (8) years of progressive leadership experience in clinical risk management, patient safety, accreditation, quality, regulatory compliance, or healthcare operations, including leadership responsibility within a complex healthcare organization.
• Current certification in one of the following: Certified Professional in Healthcare Risk Management (CPHRM), Certified Professional in Patient Safety (CPPS), or Certified Professional in Healthcare Quality (CPHQ). If not held at the time of hire, attainment of at least two (2) of these certifications is required within two (2) years of hire.
• Demonstrated expertise in patient safety, clinical event management, root cause analysis (RCA), failure mode and effects analysis (FMEA), Just Culture principles, and performance improvement methodologies.
• Proven experience leading accreditation readiness and regulatory compliance initiatives, including The Joint Commission, Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS), and applicable state regulatory agencies.
• Demonstrated success leading multidisciplinary teams and collaborating with physicians, nursing, executive leadership, and operational leaders to improve patient safety and reduce clinical risk.
• Strong knowledge of healthcare regulatory standards, patient safety science, quality improvement methodologies, and clinical risk management principles.
• Exceptional executive communication, relationship-building, facilitation, conflict resolution, and change management skills.

Preferred Skills and Experience:

• Advanced certification in healthcare risk, patient safety, quality, or accreditation (e.g., CPHRM, CPPS, CPHQ, and/or CPHA), with demonstrated expertise in regulatory compliance and performance improvement.
• Proven leadership experience as a Patient Safety Officer or senior healthcare leader overseeing clinical risk management, accreditation, and regulatory compliance within a complex health system.
• Demonstrated success leading Joint Commission, CMS, DNV, and/or state regulatory surveys, including organization-wide readiness, survey management, and corrective action initiatives.
• Deep expert